Category Archives: Style

Penyllan The Mistress Bourbon

Brewery: Penyllan Brewery
Country: Denmark
ABV: 13%
Style: Baltic Porter
Other Notes: At Penyllan we focus on brewing small batches of beer, aged slowly on wood with our house culture of wild yeast. We are inspired by the changing seasons and the wealth of ingredients available to us on our beautiful island

Brewer Description: (from bottle) The Mistress is inspired by the strong and dark baltic porters that, for centuries, has been brewed and consumed by people around the Baltic Sea. Among them the inhabitants of the island where our brewery is. Brewed traditionally with a mix of domesticated and wild yeast and then put to rest in freshly emptied bourbon barrels for a full four years.

Black and viscous with a small tan head. Aroma is dominated by tobacco, leather, dried fruit, smoke, and warm asphalt. Mellow carbonation and slick mouthfeel with complex flavors of dark chocolate, coffee, burned sugar and black cherries. The bourbon character is well integrated and manifests as vanilla, wood and a hint of warming alcohol. Long mouth coating aftertaste with sticky caramel sweetness and lingering roasted bitterness.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.02
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 750ml bottle, bottle 432 of 858, 2015 vintage, with a best before date of May 2030. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown to black in colour with a thin tanned head that dissipated quickly but left some sparse but spotty lacing.
Aroma: Leather, roasted malts, dark fruit, plum, prunes, bourbon, with light notes of chocolate.
Taste: Sweet, roasty, chocolate, coffee, brown sugar, molasses, dark fruit, plum, oak, bourbon, vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Flavours were nice and complex in little sips, but the sweetness was too intense for me to drink too much at a time. Was hoping for more roasty bitterness to help balance out the sweetness.

Wildflower St Henry – Apricot

Brewery: Wildflower Brewing & Blending
Country: Australia
ABV: 5.4%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: 2020 vintage. 2400 bottles. Australian Wild Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) St Henry is an Australian Wild Ale refermented with apricots. It is named for Chris and his wife’s second son. Saint Henry II was a Holy Roman Emperor during the 11th century. In 2020, this beer was made from golden mixed fermentation, barrel aged beer and 350kg of fresh, tree ripened Trevatt apricots hand picked from Thornbrook Orchard in Orange, NSW.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.18
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 375ml bottle, 2020 vintage, packaged in June 2020, with a best before date of June 2025. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden straw yellow colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, apricot sour gummy candy, honey, green apple, oak, light funk.
Taste: Sweet and tart, apricot sour gummy candy, honey, woody, light funk.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Enjoyable fruity apricot gummy candy flavours. Would be interesting if there was even more funk.

Wildflower St Thomas – Cherry

Brewery: Wildflower Brewing & Blending
Country: Australia
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: 2020 vintage. 4300 bottles. Australian Wild Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) St Thomas is an Australian Wild Ale refermented with cherries. It is named for Chris and his wife’s first son. Saint Thomas Aquinas was an immensely influential 13th century philosopher and theologian. In 2020, this beer was made from amber mixed fermentation, barrel aged beer and 800kg of fresh, tree ripened Morello cherries hand picked from Thornbrook Orchard in Orange, NSW.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.97
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 375ml bottle, 2020 vintage, packaged in May 2020, with a best before date of May 2025. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy deep red colour with a one finger beige head that dissipated fairly quickly to a thin cap, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Sweet and lightly tart cherries, sweet apple, oak, with some light funky notes.
Taste: Sweet cherries, with some tart and sour notes, oak, funky, leather, and a touch of bandaid.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Wildflower continues to impress me, and this wild ale was no different. Enjoyable and easy to drink.

Vault City Piñazo Sour

Brewery: Vault City Brewing
Country: Scotland
ABV: 8.5%
Style: Sour Ale
Other Notes: Modern sour beer

Brewer Description: (from bottle) As summer hits full swing, we’re craving tropical flavours to satisfy that holiday thirst. The vibrant sweet-and-tart flavour of pineapple merges effortlessly with our citrusy sour base beer. Creamy coconut rounds out a dessert-like and truly tropical taste. A ‘pinazo’ (literal translation) is a smack in the face. Pinazo Sour offers just that, with a fresh yet decadent flavour. As the Spanish phrase goes – when life gives you pinazos, make pina coladas!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.28
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 375ml bottle with a best before date of 25th February 2022. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A nice golden straw yellow colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly, and left only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Tart, pineapple, peach, mango, with light coconut notes.
Taste: Sour, tart, lightly sweet, pineapple, peach, lemon, coconut, fruit cocktail.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Enjoyable fruity cocktail like sour with wonderful aroma and just really easy to drink.

Burning Sky Saison Provision

Brewery: Burning Sky Brewery
Country: England
ABV: 6.7%
Style: Farmhouse Saison
Other Notes: Batch 2 (2020)

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This tavern strength farmhouse beer is first fermented with Saison yeast and then with a blend of Lactobacillus and Brettanomyces whilst ageing in oak foudres. The result is tart, crisp, slightly sour and incredibly refreshing.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.25
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml bottle, Batch 2 (2020), bottled on 26th August 2020, and with a best before date of 26th August 2030. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy golden straw yellow colour with a one finger white head that dissipated quite quickly but left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, lightly sweet, lemon zest, grapefruit, apricot, hay, with light floral tea notes.
Taste: Sour, tart, lemon, grapefruit, citrus sherbet, with notes of stone fruit, floral, wood and funk.
Mouthfeel: Dry, crisp, light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: A very enjoyable Saison. Balanced and really easy to drink.