Category Archives: Style

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij Alvinne, Sour Ale

Alvinne Hard Brett-xit

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Brewery: Brouwerij Alvinne
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Sour Ale
Other Notes: Sweet 3/5, Sour 3/5 & Bitter 3/5

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Superblend of various barrels and fruits. Oak aged. Bitter, sweet & sour with a touch of regret.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.83
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 330ml bottle, with a best before date of October 2023. Poured into an Alvinne teku glass. I knew this was a crazy gusher from past experience, so I quickly opened it but yet still felt the need to have a look first. The uneventful slow lag of a passing second, suddenly became a fast reacting chemical reaction, and I quickly poured it into the glass before I could lose more than a third of the bottle like last time!
Appearance: A slightly hazy rusty orange brown colour with an one finger beige head that had decent retention while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: A Flanders Red character, fruity, mixed berries, cherry, oak, plum, and a splash of vinegar.
Taste: Moderate sour and sweet, fruity, caramel, lightly tart, cherry, mixed berries, plum, oak, with notes of vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice, balanced and enjoyable to drink.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Hoppin’ Frog Brewing Company, Stout - Russian Imperial, USA

Hoppin’ Frog Barrel Aged D.O.R.I.S. The Destroyer

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Brewery: Hoppin’ Frog Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 10.5%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 70 IBUs. Double Imperial Stout, stout aged in whiskey barrels

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Aged in Bourbon whiskey barrels to add a wonderful complexity to our massive American Double Imperial Stout. This barrel aging imparts memorable buttery, vanilla-like, and savory whiskey character, making this one of our most complex beers we’ve ever brewed. Another testament to our hard work and dedication in bringing our customers the very best.

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

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. bomber with no clear bottled on or best before date. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark brown to black in colour with a very thin brown head that disappeared almost immediately and left only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Whiskey, roasty, chocolate, with hints of oak, molasses and vanilla.
Taste: Sweet bourbon whiskey, roasty, chocolate, molasses, and oak, with notes of vanilla and caramel and maybe even some char.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Although perhaps a little sweet for me, the roast and chocolate did mostly balance it out for me, and it was still an enjoyable sipper.

4 - Good (buy), AF Brew, Beer Reviews, Porter - Baltic, Russia

AF Brew Winter Melancholy

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– aka AF Brew Зимняя Меланхолия (bottle)
– aka AF Brew Zimnaya Melankholiya (ratebeer)

Brewery: AF Brew
Country: Russia
ABV: 10.3%
Style: Baltic Porter
Other Notes: 30 IBUs. Reflexive Baltic Porter

Brewer Description: (from description on ratebeer) A New Year’s Eve version of warmly recognized Melancholy, our Imperial Baltic Porter. Smooth touch of Kenyan coffee and bourbon vanilla turn the beer from egocentric and depressive to meditative and reflexive as we all become on the first days of the New Year.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.99
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 330ml bottle, bottled on 9th July 2019. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark brown to black in colour with a one finger brown head that had decent retention and left nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, iron, bourbon, coffee, chocolate, with some light smoky tobacco notes.
Taste: Strong roast, moderately sweet, chocolate, vanilla, coffee, with light alcohol notes, maybe bourbon, and notes of tobacco.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Nice roasty notes with good chocolate, coffee and vanilla flavours. I would have liked for the body to be fuller, but otherwise, this was enjoyable.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), AF Brew, Beer Reviews, Gose - Imperial Fruit, Russia

AF Brew It’s Over 9000! Raspberry·Cherry·Lime

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Brewery: AF Brew
Country: Russia
ABV: 7%
Style: German Imperial Gose

Brewer Description: (from can) Fruit-iconized Imperial Gose, Raspberry·Cherry·Lime.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.76
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 330ml can, canned on 24th September 2019. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A murky tomato juice like red with a big three finger pinkish head that dissipated quickly and left only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Tart, candied raspberry, cherry, rubber, cocktail, with hints of lime and salted lemon.
Taste: Sour, tart, candied fruit, raspberry, cherry and lime, with light salty notes.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with high spritzy carbonation.
Overall: Tasted better than the aroma implies, which I wasn’t too fond off with rubbery notes mixed with the fruit, but ignore the aroma and it’s worth a try.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), AF Brew, Beer Reviews, IPA - Sour, Russia

AF Brew I Got Mango Worms

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Brewery: AF Brew
Country: Russia
ABV: 7%
Style: American Sour IPA

Brewer Description: (from can) Sour fruited New England IPA, mango . peach . passion fruit.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.55
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 500ml can, canned on 26th October 2019. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A very hazy mango juice orange colour with a big three finger orangey head that had good retention while leaving behind some lacing.
Aroma: Juicy, passion fruit, unripe mango, peach, carrot juice.
Taste: Lightly sour, tropical fruity, unripe mango, apricot, peach, lightly peppery.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Very juicy and fruity, but the mango flavours are not that of my favourite Filipino mangoes and felt more like unripe mangoes to me. Still quite nice though.