Category Archives: Style

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, The Ale Apothecary, USA, Wild Ale

The Ale Apothecary Field Spirits

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Brewery: The Ale Apothecary
Country: USA
ABV: 9.33%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: A wild fermentation ale brewed with rye and honey, aged in wine barrels

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Mecca Grade Estate Malt shares our vision of small family business and this beer is our celebration of what they do. Made of 4 different grains from their farm in Madras, we age this beer in fresh pinot noir barrels from Domaine Drouhin in the Willamette Valley. 100% naturally carbonated with honey, and 100% Oregon. Unfiltered, open-fermented & barrel-aged.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.99
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle, bottled on 28th June 2019. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy dark amber copper colour, with a thin khaki head that dissipated quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Light tartness, grape, dark fruit, plum, cherry, honey, oak, vanilla, and a splash of lime zest.
Taste: Tart, lightly sour, grape, lightly vinous, caramel malt, lemon juice, honey, oak, with light rye spiciness on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Enjoyable, but carbonation was a little light for my liking.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, The Ale Apothecary, USA, Wild Ale

The Ale Apothecary El Cuatro

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Brewery: The Ale Apothecary
Country: USA
ABV: 10.58%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: 1206 bottles

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Wild fermentation ale brewed with honey, aged in wine & brandy barrels.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.27
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle, brewed in November 2017, bottled on 1st November 2019. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy deep amber orange colour, with a thin khaki head that dissipated fairly quickly, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Grape, oak, vanilla, brandy, lightly vinous, light funky, with a touch of citrus zest.
Taste: Sour, tart, oak, dried apricot, stone fruit, hay, honey, with light brandy and orange citrus notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Enjoyable complex aroma and flavours. A good sipper.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Bellwoods Brewery, Canada, Wild Ale

Bellwoods Grandma’s Boy Niagara Shiro Plums

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Brewery: Bellwoods Brewery
Country: Canada
ABV: 5.8%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: 2018 vintage, wild ale blend w/ Niagara Shiro Plums. Barrel aged for 12-18 months

Brewer Description: (from website) The fourth iteration of our beloved Grandma’s Boy, this ‘wild ale’ was barrel aged in oak with various strains of wild yeasts and bacteria, and conditioned on a hefty bed of Niagara Shiro plums prior to bottle conditioning.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.97
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 500ml bottle, 2018 vintage, poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden straw yellow colour with a two finger white head that had decent retention while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Tart, stone fruit, plum, apricot, peach, light citrus, lemon zest, oak, honey, and a touch funky.
Taste: Sour, tart, plum, apricot, lemon juice, oak, light funk.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Good aroma and flavour, but the sour and tartness was on the verge of being too much, that it wasn’t entirely comfortable on the palate.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Funky Fluid, Poland, Stout - Milk / Sweet

Funky Fluid Breakfast Stout Rwanda Minazi Coffee

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Brewery: Funky Fluid
Country: Poland
ABV: 7%
Style: Milk / Sweet Stout
Other Notes: Hops – HBC 472

Brewer Description: (from can) Full-bodied and smooth milk stout with Rwanda Minazi coffee selected by Sławek Szostek & Kuba Poręcki and roasted by Czarna Fala in Warsaw. Perfect match!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.13
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 500ml can, with a best before date of 17th December 2021. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark brown in colour with a half finger tanned head that dissipated fairly quickly but left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, coffee, with milky/creamy notes.
Taste: Mildly sweet, milk coffee, roasty, coffee beans, espresso, light bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, velvet silky, smooth, full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Very coffee forward, but that’s great if you enjoy coffee. Creamy and silky smooth just made it so easy to drink.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Funky Fluid, Poland, Sour Ale - Smoothie / Soda / Pastry

Funky Fluid Gelato Pastry Sour – PB&J

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Brewery: Funky Fluid
Country: Poland
ABV: 5.8%
Style: Sour Ale – Smoothie / Soda / Pastry
Other Notes: Hops – Amarillo

Brewer Description: (from can) Sweet & sour beer. Inspired by Italian ice creams and famous Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwich. Packed up to the ceiling with raspberry & black currant purée.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.17
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 500ml can, with a best before date of 1st July 2021. Poured into a Alvinne teku glass.
Appearance: A cloudy artificial purple pink colour, with a one finger pink head that disappeared almost immediately, while leaving no lacing.
Aroma: Sweet, dessert, jammy, mixed berries, wafer, nutty, with notes of peanut butter.
Taste: Sour, tart, jammy, mixed berries, sweetness, wafer, nutty.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Easy drinking dessert like beer. Although the nuttiness was more like wafer/peanuts than peanut butter, it still tasted nice with the jammy mixed berry flavours.