Category Archives: Style

4 - Good (buy), Barleywine - American, Beer Reviews, Estonia, Põhjala

Põhjala Cellar Series Odravein Bourbon BA

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Brewery: Põhjala
Country: Estonia
ABV: 14%
Style: American Barleywine
Other Notes: Bourbon barrel aged Barleywine. 65 IBUs. Malts – Pale, Melanoid, Cara Pale, Cara 150 and Cara 300. Hops – Magnum, Cascade and Goldings

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Our anniversary barley wine, aged in bourbon barrels.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.37
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 330ml dark blue waxed bottle with a best before date of 23rd September 2022. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: It was a slightly rusty orange brown colour with a half finger beige head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving only sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Sweet, fruit cake, raisin, plum, fig, bourbon, caramel, toffee, and lemon cream.
Taste: Bourbon, wood, caramel, toffee, dark fruit, raisin, fig, cherry, dried fruit, with notes of sherry and piney hops.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Going on the aroma, I was worried this was going to be too sweet, but I was pleasantly surprised as the flavour was well balanced and the sweetness subdued. This is a really good and enjoyable sipper.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, IPA - New England / Hazy, Other Half Brewing, USA

Other Half Double Dry Hopped All Together

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Brewery: Other Half Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 6.5%
Style: New England / Hazy IPA
Other Notes: Togetha 4eva. Double Dry Hopped India Pale Ale. Hops – Cascade, Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe

Brewer Description: (from website) A world wide collaboration hosted by Other Half, Stout Collective and Craftpeak to support the enormous amount of hospitality workers laid off during this difficult time. We are donating 100% of our proceeds to the Restaurant Workers Community Foundation. We brewed this recipe with 2-row, oats and carapils and then hopped it with a beautiful blend of our hand selected Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe and Cascade. This second batch gets the addition of an additional dry hop with the same hops for those of you that think there are never enough hops in beer. We intentionally kept the recipe simple so that every brewer that wants to do it can do it. Keep an eye out for versions from over 700 breweries worldwide all working to help others in need. Visit alltogether.beer for all the details and a list of breweries involved. Collect them all 🙂

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.06
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 1 pint can, canned on 4th May 2020. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour with a big three finger white head that had excellent retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Citrus rind and zest, dank, earthy, melon, with notes of tropical stone fruit.
Taste: Lightly bitter and lightly sweet, citrus rind, orange peel, citrus zest, melon, mango, pineapple and maybe a slightly herbal finish.
Mouthfeel: Moderate to full bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Good balance between sweet and bitter. Enjoyable and easy drinking.

4 - Good (buy), Barleywine - English, Beer Reviews, Lervig Aktiebryggeri, Norway

Lervig Paragon

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Brewery: Lervig Aktiebryggeri
Country: Norway
ABV: 13.5%
Style: English Barleywine
Other Notes: 2018 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) 2018 vintage. Aged in bourbon barrels for 12 months.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.16
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 330ml pink waxed bottle, 2018 vintage, poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A cloudy rusty dark orange brown colour with minimal head and no lacing.
Aroma: Syrupy sweet, caramel, bourbon, oak, vanilla, dark fruit, raisin, dates, fruit cake, toffee, brown sugar.
Taste: Sweet, syrupy, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, coconut, bourbon, vanilla, oak, dark fruit, raisin, dates and fig.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Great aroma, but approaching borderline too sweet for me. Still enjoyable as a sipper with its complex aroma and flavours.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij Alvinne, Wild Ale

Alvinne Cuvée Sofie Schaarbeekse Kriek

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Brewery: Brouwerij Alvinne
Country: Belgium
ABV: 8%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: 2015 vintage. Alvinne limited edition, single cask, 350 bottles. 2012 French Oak from Chateau la Croizillé

Brewer Description: (from bottle in Dutch) Ons eerbetoon aan de traditionele kriek. 5 maand gerijpt op een St-Emilion vat. 100% schaarbeekse krieken, zelf geplukt in een oude boomgaard in Neerbeek-Brakel.

(translated to English) Our tribute to the traditional cherry. Aged for 5 months in a St-Emilion barrel. 100% cherries from Belgium, self-picked from an old orchard in Neerbeek-Brakel.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.4
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 500ml bottle, with a best before date of November 2025. Poured into an Alvinne teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy orange red rusty colour with a half finger beige head that had decent retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, sweet, cherry, cherry pip, grape skin, acetone, with hints of raspberry yoghurt.
Taste: Sour, tart, cherry, cherry pie, strawberries, wood, with notes of vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Nice cherry flavours that are well balanced. I can’t help but wonder what this tasted like fresh.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Carbon Brews, Hong Kong, Stout - Imperial

Carbon Brews Ambrotos

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Brewery: Carbon Brews
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 10%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Bottle 130 of 250. 86 IBUs. Malts – Oats, Wheat, Marris Otter, Carafa 2, Carafa S3, Caramunich, Chocolate and Amber. Hops – Chinook and EKG. Yeast – Chico. Experience – Oak, candy sugar, fig

Brewer Description: (from bottle) rum & red wine b.a. imperial stout.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.85
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 650ml bottle, bottle 130 of 250, bottled on 12th July 2019 and with a best before date on 12th July 2021. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: It poured black in colour with pretty much no head and no lacing.
Aroma: Roasted malt, chocolate, oak, red wine vinous, dark fruit and licorice.
Taste: Much like the aroma, light roast, moderate sweetness, chocolate, red wine, vinous, dark fruit, licorice and booze.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: A little sweet and boozy which isn’t really my thing, but luckily it isn’t overly so. Body is also lighter than expected, but there is interesting roast, chocolate, red wine and dark fruit flavours.