Category Archives: Beer Reviews

4 - Good (buy), AleSmith Brewing Company, Beer Reviews, Stout - Imperial, USA

AleSmith Speedway Stout – Hammerhead

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Brewery: AleSmith Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 12%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Coffee Imperial Stout with Espresso

Brewer Description: (from website) Mirroring the coffee-house espresso-drink of the same name, Hammerhead Speedway Stout is a version of AleSmith’s world-renowned coffee imperial stout dosed with even more select java plus a heaping helping of espresso. This highly caffeinated one-off was first brewed on an experimental basis as part of AleSmith’s popular Speedway Grand Prix event during the 2013 edition of San Diego Beer Week. Introduced along with 11 other special versions of Speedway Stout, it was an instant classic and the all-around favorite of AleSmith fans. As such, we are immensely proud to bottle it for the very first time as the first in a family of future releases that will eventually tackle the beer’s much beloved offspring, Double Hammerhead Speedway Stout and, for the most insatiable Joe enthusiasts, Triple Hammerhead Speedway Stout.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.39
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: On tap at Mikkeller & Friends (Stefansgade), Copenhagen, into a Mikkeller tasting glass.
Appearance: It was a nice dark black colour with a one finger beige head with moderate retention and great lacing.
Aroma: Dark chocolate, oak, vanilla, coffee and a touch of alcohol.
Taste: Espresso, chocolate, vanilla, oak and dark fruit.
Mouthfeel: Rich, full bodied with light carbonation.
Overall: A very nice Imperial Stout and a great variant of the Speedway Stout.

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2 - Maybe (likely wouldn't buy, might drink), Beer Reviews, Hill Farmstead Brewery, Porter, USA

Hill Farmstead Shirley Mae

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Brewery: Hill Farmstead Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 4%
Style: American Porter

Brewer Description: (from website) Shirley Mae (1936 – 2015) was our cousin, daughter of Everett, and a beloved supporter of her family and Hill Farmstead. In her honor, this American session version of our Everett porter is crafted from American malted barley, English and German roasted malts, American hops, our ale yeast and water from our well. Chocolate, coffee, and light malty sweetness, this ale embodies her ebullient and generous spirit – a fitting tribute.

My rating: 2
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.15
My ratebeer.com rating: 3

Intro: On tap at Mikkeller & Friends (Stefansgade), Copenhagen, into a Mikkeller tasting glass.
Appearance: It was a dark brown colour with a one finger tanned head that had great retention and lacing.
Aroma: Wonderful coffee bean, chocolate, mocha and a touch of vanilla.
Taste: Surprisingly disappointing considering the great aroma. An un-complex mish mash with a bit of coffee here and a bit of chocolate there.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with very light carbonation.
Overall: I guess this just wasn’t my thing. I easily preferred Everett over Shirley Mae.

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5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Denmark, Lambic - Fruit, Mikkeller ApS

Mikkeller Spontantripleblueberry

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Brewery: Mikkeller ApS
Country: Denmark
ABV: 7.7%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)
Other Notes: Brewed by Mikkeller at De Proef Brouwerij.

Brewer Description: (from Mikkeller webshop) 1500 grams of blueberries per 1 litre.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.75
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.6

Intro: On tap at Mikkeller & Friends (Stefansgade), Copenhagen, into a Mikkeller tasting glass.
Appearance: It was a dark purple colour with a one finger purple head that quickly dissipates but has nice lacing.
Aroma: Blueberry, oak, barrel and tartness.
Taste: Tart, sour, tons of blueberries and other berries.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: This was wonderful. Great tart and fruitiness especially if you like blueberries.

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4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Gose, USA, Westbrook Brewing Co.

Westbrook Gose

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Brewery: Westbrook Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 4%
Style: German Gose
Other Notes: 5 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from website) This is our interpretation of Gose (pronounced “Gose-uh”), a traditional German-style sour wheat beer brewed with coriander and salt. Once nearly extinct, this very refreshing style is making a comeback.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.04
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: On tap at Fermentoren, Copenhagen, into a Fermentoren wine glass.
Appearance: It was a clear golden colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly leaving only sparse light lacing.
Aroma: Sour, tart, grape and white wine.
Taste: What you smell is what you taste. Salty, sour, tart, grape and white wine.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: It was very refreshing and great to drink outdoors on a hot summer day.

(picture below) Westbrook Gose is obviously the glass on the left. On the right is the Verzet Oud Bruin.

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3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Brouwerij De Molen, Netherlands, Rye Beer

De Molen Blood Orange IPA

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Brewery: Brouwerij De Molen
Country: Netherlands
ABV: 6.2%
Style: Rye Beer
Other Notes: Pale Ale-ish (Fruit Rye IPA-ish). Malts – Pils, Crystal and Rye. Hops – Apollo, Simcoe and Cascade. Dry Hopped – Cascade, Citra and Mosaic. Other – blood orange zest.

Brewer Description: (from website) 160 Kilos of blood oranges were butchered for the bloodthirstiness of a new creation in the brew house. Blood Orange IPA. Dryhopped with Citra, Cascade and Mosaic.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.66
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 330ml bottle, self described as a pale ale-ish, fruit rye ipa-ish beer, bottled on 10th March 2016, poured into a small water glass (all they had at the hotel).
Appearance: It poured a slightly hazy copper orange colour with a two finger beige head that had good retention and lacing.
Aroma: Sharp orange peel, pine and a hint of tropical pineapple.
Taste: Orange, orange peel, caramel malt and a touch of pine.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Easy to drink, but I’m not getting as much blood orange as I would have liked. Only noticed after drinking and looking carefully at the bottle that the ingredients appear to state that only the zest of the blood orange was used.

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