Category Archives: Style

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, FiftyFifty Brewing Company, Stout - Imperial, USA

FiftyFifty Imperial Eclipse Stout Java Coffee

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Brewery: FiftyFifty Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 11%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 2016 vintage, Lavender (sparkly) wax – Java Coffee

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Java Coffee bottle run no.2 2016. Stout brewed with honey, aged in oak barrels.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.24
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. waxed bomber, 2016 vintage. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown to black in colour with a orangey dark brown hue and a one finger tanned head that dissipated fairly quickly but left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, dark malt, coffee, chocolate, with a splash of piney notes and licorice.
Taste: What you’d expect from the aroma with lots of roastiness, coffee, chocolate, oak, hints of licorice, pine and a light bitterness on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Not as thick and heavy as I hoped for, for this style, but otherwise, aroma was brilliant and flavours were balanced and went well together. Not sure the honey was showing, but nevertheless, this was good.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison, USA, Westbrook Brewing Co.

Westbrook Joie

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Brewery: Westbrook Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 7%
Style: Belgian Saison

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Mixed fermentation saison style ale aged 1 year in Sauternes barrels.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.1
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 1 pint 9.4 fl. oz. bottle, bottled on 18th November 2016. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden colour with a just over two finger white head that had decent retention but left only sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Sweet Sauternes wine, ice wine, white grape, tangy lime, lemon, oak and light funk.
Taste: Much like the aroma, taste was sweet Sauternes wine, ice wine, white grape, tangy and tart lime, lemon, oak, apple skin and light funk.
Mouthfeel: Dry, light to medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: I’m surprised how well the Sauternes barrel comes through so strongly. However this naturally meant that this was on the borderline of being too sweet for me. The lime and lemon tanginess was probably just enough to balance this sweetness. But this definitely did grow on me, and I liked it more and more.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Flanders Oud Bruin, USA, Westbrook Brewing Co.

Westbrook Bourbon Barrel-Aged Oud Bruin

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Brewery: Westbrook Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 8%
Style: Belgian Flanders Oud Bruin
Other Notes: Barrel Room Reserve Series

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Sour brown ale aged 2 years in bourbon barrels.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.78
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. bomber, bottled on 21st October 2015. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: Deep dark brown in colour with a one and a half finger tanned head that had decent retention but eventually settled to a thin layer while leaving only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Tart, vinous, dark malty, caramel, toffee, oak, vanilla, blackcurrant, mixed berries and cherry.
Taste: Sour, tart, blackcurrant, cherry, mixed berries, light bourbon, toffee, oak, and vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation, although maybe slightly too acidic.
Overall: Interesting nice flavours, although maybe slightly too acidic for me. Aroma was also too toffee, oak and vanilla strong which overpowered the tart fruitiness that I prefer.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, USA, Westbrook Brewing Co., Wild Ale

Westbrook Leopold

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Brewery: Westbrook Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 5%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Sour Ale aged in sauternes wine casks with apricots and peaches added

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Leopold is an adventurous hawk who visited us in the brewery for a few days last winter. In his honor we brewed this sour blonde ale and aged it in sauternes wine casks for 12 months, then refermented it on peaches and apricots.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.94
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 750ml bottle, bottled on 29th April 2016. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: It was a clear golden orange colour with a half finger white head that had decent retention but left only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Tart, light funk, apricot, peach and oak.
Taste: Sour, tart, acidic, apricot, peach, oak, and a splash of vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation, perhaps a touch too acidic though.
Overall: Despite the acidity, aroma and flavours were still nice.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, German Berliner Weisse, USA, Westbrook Brewing Co.

Westbrook Rhubarb Remix

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Brewery: Westbrook Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 4%
Style: German Berliner Weisse
Other Notes: Malt beverage brewed with strawberry and rhubarb

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Stop! Commence the sippin’ Westbrook is back with a brand new invention with this not-so-traditional twist on our German-style Berliner Weisse. Rhubarb Remix is brewed with the traditional no-boil method, and then infused with strawberries and rhubarb.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.58
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.4

Intro: A 750ml bottle, bottled on 3rd February 2017. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear golden orange colour with a two finger white head, that dissipated fairly quickly, while leaving sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Strawberry, rhubarb, lightly tart, and a splash of lemon.
Taste: Rhubarb, lightly smoky, strawberry, lemon and a touch of wheat.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Light and refreshing, smoke was interesting but not my preference, not sure where it comes from but I suspect from the rhubarb. Also hoped for much higher carbonation.