Category Archives: Beer Reviews

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, BrewDog x Beavertown Brewery, Scotland, Stout - Imperial

BrewDog x Beavertown BrewDog vs. Beavertown Coffee and Cigarettes

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Brewery: BrewDog x Beavertown Brewery
Country: Scotland
ABV: 12.1%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Hops – Chinook and Magnum

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Coffee and Cigarettes. A perfect percolation. Blacker than a Milan Espresso. This smoking gun of a stout gives you both barrels. Smoky peat, roasted coffee and bitter chocolate on the nose. Big espresso and molasses on the palate with subtle notes of coconut, vanilla and raisin. Coffee and Cigarettes – for those of us who want to stay up late and drink beer.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.94
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 12th March 2022. Poured into a snifter.
Appearance: Black in colour with a half finger mocha head that dissipated quickly except for parts that clung around the glass and sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Chocolate and roasty coffee with hints of oak, charcoal, whisky and smoky peat.
Taste: Sweet, smoke, peaty whisky, plum and raisins with only hints of the roasty chocolate and coffee that I got in the aroma.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with light carbonation.
Overall: This was not at all what I was expecting. The roasty chocolate and coffee that was so evident in the aroma was completely overpowered by the strong barrel character of peat and whisky such that in a way, it didn’t feel like an Imperial Stout. That’s not to say that it wasn’t good, but it would definitely help if you enjoy peat like I do. The result seemed like an easy to drink peated whisky minus the kick.

4 - Good (buy), Almanac Beer Co., Beer Reviews, USA, Wild Ale

Almanac Farmer’s Reserve Raspberry

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Brewery: Almanac Beer Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 6.8%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Farm to barrel

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Sour blonde ale aged in wine barrels with raspberries.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.22
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 375ml bottle, bottled in Fall 2016. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy orangey pink (salmon-ish) colour with a one finger white head that dissipated quickly and sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Sweet raspberry jammy, oak with a hint of mustiness.
Taste: Tart, lightly sour, raspberry jam, oak and lemon.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, light to medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: A nice crisp, relaxing and enjoyable drink.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brasserie Cantillon, Lambic - Fruit

Cantillon Saint Lamvinus

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Brewery: Brasserie Cantillon
Country: Belgium
ABV: 5%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)
Other Notes: Merlot grapes

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Symbol of the union of two cultures, the Saint-Lamvinus is the result of a harmonious blending of merlot grapes and lambics that have macerate for long months in oak casks. Natural second fermentation in bottle. Beer with a taste evolution. Store and serve at cellar temperature 12-15°C/55-60°F. To enjoy completely the fruity taste of the Saint-Lamvinus, drink it better in the year after the purchase. To be drunk preferably within the 10 years after the bottling date.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.65
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.5

Intro: A 750ml bottle, bottled on 14th November 2016. Poured into a wine glass.
Appearance: It was a very nice lightly cloudy ruby red colour with a two finger pinkish head that dissipated fairly quickly to a settled thin layer with only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Lots of tart red berries, raspberry and strawberry plus grapes and lemon. Nice barrel and oak character with a hint of red wine vinegar and only light funk and barnyard-iness.
Taste: Moderate sourness, cherry, raspberry, strawberry, grape juice and oak with hints of grapefruit and funk.
Mouthfeel: Dry, light to medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: With less than a year since bottling, there was lots of really nice fruit flavours bursting out while the funk was quite light. Although this particular bottle was quite young, it also taste great with age. Can’t wait to try more of this wonderful goodness.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, German Pilsner, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, USA

Sierra Nevada Nooner Pilsner

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Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 5.2%
Style: German Pilsner
Other Notes: 38 IBUs. Malts – Two-row Pale, Pilsner, Munich and Acidulated. Hops – German Perle, Saphir, Tettnanger and Strisselspalt

Brewer Description: (from website) A crisp, hoppy take on the original session beer. Gather your friends, pack the gear, and head out to wherever the day may take you. A midday go-to, Nooner is our take on the classic German-style pilsner – one of the original session beers. Nooner is easy drinking yet packed with the big flavor of spicy and floral whole-cone hops. Its brilliant golden color begs you to take a sip and sink your taste buds into an extremely welcoming beer, full of flavor and balanced by a crisp, dry finish.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.39
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.2

Intro: A 12 fl oz can, packaged on 20th February 2017. Poured into a stemless tulip glass.
Appearance: A clear golden colour with a one and a half finger soapy white head that dissipated fairly quickly and left only sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Sweet, grainy malt, grass, floral, honey with a hint of corn.
Taste: Sweet and grainy malt with low bitterness, lemon, with hints of floral and herbal elements.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: A nice crisp Pilsner, perfect for a hot day.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Almanac Beer Co. x Stillwater Artisanal Ales, Beer Reviews, USA, Wild Ale

Almanac x Stillwater Blueberry Jack

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Brewery: Almanac Beer Co. x Stillwater Artisanal Ales
Country: USA
ABV: 6.75%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Collaboration with Stillwater Artisanal Ales

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Dry hopped and barrel aged sour ale brewed with blueberries and blackberries.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.01
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 375ml bottle, bottled on 19th January 2017. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy reddish colour with an orange hue and a one finger white head which fades quite quickly while leaving some sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart blueberries amongst other berries, with hints of peach, apricot and mandarin.
Taste: Sour and tart berries with citrusy orange and lemon plus a hint of vanilla and oak. Finish is very sour.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate prickly carbonation and a dry finish.
Overall: I wasn’t really sure the vanilla flavour went to well here. I was surprised as I didn’t get this much vanilla in other Almanac sour barrel aged beers. Other than that though, I thought it was pretty tasty.