Category Archives: Style

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Ireland, Land & Labour, Wild Ale

Land & Labour Cuvée L&L

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Brewery: Land & Labour
Country: Ireland
ABV: 5.5%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: Blend of wild ale and spontaneous beer aged in oak

Brewer Description: (from bottle) There are many threads that bind our beers together. Different brewing methods, different barrels, puncheons & foeders. Cuvée L&L is the perfect marriage of all those threads. A harmonious blend of 2-year-old coolship spontaneous beer & 3 year old wild beer. Blended & bottled in October 2019.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.05
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle, with a best before date of 25th January 2025. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen gueuze glass.
Appearance: A nice clear golden orange colour with a thin white head that dissipated quickly while leaving only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Tart, light funk, oak, yellow stone fruit, with light citrus zesty notes.
Taste: Light sour, tart, stone fruit, citrus zest, lime juice, light funk, oak.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Balanced and refreshing to drink.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgium, De Struise Brouwers, Stout - Russian Imperial

De Struise Black Damnation XIII – More Anger

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Brewery: De Struise Brouwers
Country: Belgium
ABV: 13%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Bottle 1000/2000, 2012 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A massive stout from Flanders, matured in Glenmorangie barrels.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.88
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 750ml bottle, number 1000/2000, 2012 vintage, bottled on 3rd April 2017. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a very thin brown head that disappeared almost immediately, while leaving only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Boozy, whisky, chocolate.
Taste: Light roast, chocolate, coffee, caramel, whisky, oak.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Aroma felt overly boozy for me, to the extent that experiencing it with each sip was quite overpowering. It also felt that the taste had more booze and alcohol than the other Black Damnation variations, but at least unlike the aroma, it was still acceptable. Obviously not one of my favourite variations.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, England, Siren Craft Brew, Stout - Imperial

Siren Project Barista Mucha Mocha

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Brewery: Siren Craft Brew
Country: England
ABV: 10%
Style: Stout – Imperial
Other Notes: Quarter House Coffee. Project Barista 2021

Brewer Description: (from can) Project Barista combines two of our greatest passions! This series takes the relationship between coffee and beer in different directions, with four unique brews, four kinds of coffee used in different ways, in collaboration with four incredible independent roasters. Mucha Mocha is the big one – all the barrel aged coffee, chocolate and roasty goodness you could ask for.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.48
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 440ml can, with a best before date of 13th September 2022, poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a one finger brown head that had decent retention, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, coffee, chocolate, caramel, light nuttiness, and light bourbon notes.
Taste: Lightly sweet and a touch bitter, roasted malts, espresso, coffee, chocolate, caramel, vanilla, with light bourbon notes.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, smooth, velvety, full bodied with mild to soft carbonation.
Overall: The coffee in this is really enjoyable. There is a good sweet and bitter balance, and it’s rich and smooth. Tasty!

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, De Struise Brouwers, Stout - Russian Imperial

De Struise Black Damnation XIV – Talisman

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Brewery: De Struise Brouwers
Country: Belgium
ABV: 13%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Bottle 769/2000, 2012 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A massive stout from Flanders, matured in Talisker barrels.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.15
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 750ml bottle, number 769/2000, 2012 vintage, bottled on 2nd April 2017. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a very thin brown head that disappeared almost immediately, while leaving some sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Sweet malt, chocolate, dark dried fruit, raisin, prunes, whiskey, boozy.
Taste: Lightly sweet and a touch bitter, roasted malts, chocolate, molasses, whiskey, with some light smoky, burnt sugar, and dried dark fruit notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Enjoyable nice sipper, but there’s less smokiness in the beer from the Talisker than I expected.

2 - Maybe (likely wouldn't buy, might drink), Beer Reviews, England, Siren Craft Brew, Sour Ale

Siren Pombango

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Brewery: Siren Craft Brew
Country: England
ABV: 8.8%
Style: Sour Ale
Other Notes: Barrel aged grapefruit & mango sour

Brewer Description: (from can) A rare treat from our barrel store, only previously available at very special events! Pombango is a bourbon barrel aged Pompelmocello, blended with mango purée and fresh Pompelmocello. The resulting beer is cocktail-esque, vibrant with tropical fruits and refreshing sourness.

My rating: 2
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.36
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.1

Intro: A 440ml can, with a best before date of 19th August 2022, poured into a winebar glass.
Appearance: A nice clear dark copper orange colour with an almost two finger white head that had decent retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet-ish, dark fruit, raisin, brandy, bourbon, oak, with notes of mango and even lighter notes of grapefruit peel.
Taste: Similar to the aroma, sweet and sour, dark fruit, raisin, grapes, brandy, bourbon, oak, mango, grapefruit, a little syrupy.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: I’m a little unsure about this one as I’m on and off with each sip. I think in the end, it has this sweet syrupy note, like raisins doused in sugar syrup, that I found to be too much, probably from the barrel. Maybe if it was more sour, I would have enjoyed it more.