Category Archives: Style

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brasserie Cantillon, Lambic - Fruit

Cantillon Vigneronne

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Brewery: Brasserie Cantillon
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)
Other Notes: Muscat grapes

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A fine compromise between wine and beer, this is the Vigneronne Cantillon 100% lambic. The fruity taste of the white grape harmonized with the powerful character of a two year old lambic make from the Vigneronne Cantillon an unique beer. Beer with a taste evolution. Store and serve at cellar temperature 10-13°C/50-55°F. To enjoy completely the fruity taste of the Vigneronne Cantillon, drink it better in the year after purchase. To be drunk preferably within the 10 years after the bottling date.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.47
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 750ml bottle, bottled on 22nd October 2017. Poured into a Cantillon ballon glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden colour with a less than one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, white grape, grape skin, peach, apricot, pear, lemon, oak, wet hay with light funk.
Taste: Sour, tart, sweet green grapes, peach, pear, lemon, oak and moderate funk.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Really tasty and excellent as is. It’s only been bottled for less than a year, but I think extra time in the bottle does it wonders.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Hong Kong, International Sour Ale, Yardley Brothers Brewing

Yardley Brothers Single Batch Mangosteen Sour

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Brewery: Yardley Brothers Brewing
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 6.8%
Style: International Sour Ale
Other Notes: 19 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from facebook post) Sherbet citrus nose, rich and juicy, and very fruity, it’s an excellent remedy to the summer heat.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.06
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A cool looking 650ml black bottle that was capped and waxed. Practically though, the wax was probably unnecessary and just made it a pain in the ass to open. Bottle was one out of a total of 250. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: Immediately started slow frothing at the bottle lip as soon as I uncapped it, with no signs of stopping. A cloudy dark orange colour with an uncontrollable four finger beige head that surprisingly dissipated fairly quickly while leaving some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Tart, juicy, cranberries, cherry and lime.
Taste: Tart, sour, juicy, cranberry, strawberry, apricot, lemon, lime and light mangosteen.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Admittedly my first Yardley Brothers brew as I haven’t even tried any of their regular lineup, but this one was definitely enjoyable. Nicely tart with lots of fruit and not overly sour. The uncontrollable head was a pain, as was the wax, but once you get through that, you can just relax and enjoy.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Brown Ale, Cigar City Brewing, USA

Cigar City Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Brown Ale

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Brewery: Cigar City Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 5.5%
Style: American Brown Ale
Other Notes: 25 IBUs. Ale brewed with raisins, cinnamon and lactose

Brewer Description: (from can) The addition of raisins, cinnamon and milk sugar to our full-bodied and chocolatey Brown Ale base creates a unique beer that tastes exactly like it was pulled out of Grandma’s oven.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.75
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. can, canned on 15th May 2018. Poured into an Epic Brewing pint glass.
Appearance: A clear dark brown colour with a slight red hue and a slightly more than one finger foamy tanned head that dissipated fairly quickly to a lasting thin cap while leaving some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Strong cinnamon and raisin followed by caramel, chocolate, brown sugar, cream with light biscuit and toasted oats.
Taste: Cinnamon, raisin, chocolate, brown sugar, cream, vanilla with some light caramel and toasted bread.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate to low carbonation.
Overall: Cinnamon was a bit too strong for me and body was probably on the light side, but raisins and chocolate still is a good combination.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), American Amber / Red Ale, Beer Reviews, Fort Point Beer Company, USA

Fort Point Westfalia

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Brewery: Fort Point Beer Company
Country: USA
ABV: 5.6%
Style: American Amber Ale
Other Notes: 16 IBUs. Malts – Bohemian Pilsner, Vienna, Chocolate and Carafoam. Hops – Hallertau. Nuremberg inspired Red Ale

Brewer Description: (from website) Westfalia packs rich, caramel flavors into a rounded, mahogany body through a colorful blend of creamy malts. Traditionally fermented at cooler temperatures, Westfalia’s rotbier style showcases a layered malt profile that creates a smooth, satisfying mouthfeel, perfect for any meal or enjoyed on its own. Inspired by a trip to Nuremberg, Germany, Westfalia imports an exemplary red ale to audiences closer to home.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.45
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.3

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. can, canned on 1st August 2018, ‘westy4life’. Poured into an Epic pint glass.
Appearance: Clear copper reddish brown colour with a just over one finger off white head that dissipated quickly and left only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: A bit light on the aroma, light roast, caramel, plum, red grapes and toast.
Taste: Sweet malts, roasty, toasted bread, caramel, raisin, plum and maybe a touch of lemon on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate to low carbonation.
Overall: Aromas were a little weak, while taste was probably too sweet for my liking. The roasty toasty bits did balance out the sweetness a little, but not enough.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Jester King Brewery, Lambic - Fruit, USA

Jester King SPON Peach & Apricot

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Brewery: Jester King Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 5.4%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)
Other Notes: 2017 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) 2017 SPON – Peach & Apricot. A blend of one-year and six-month old 100% spontaneously fermented beer refermented with peaches and apricots. For SPON, we make beer inextricably linked to our time, place & people by harnessing the microflora, climate and ecology of the Texas Hill Country. We add Texas-grown grains to the mash, gnarly old hops from our barn to the boil, chill and inoculate the wort with native microflora in our coolship, 100% spontaneously ferment the beer in oak barrels, referment with real fruit, and naturally condition the beer in the bottle.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.45
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 12.7 fl. oz. bottle, 2017 vintage, blended on 23rd June 2017. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden colour (turned hazy light orange near the end) with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly and left only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Tart, peach, apricot, light gummy candy, funk, wet hay and a hint of wood.
Taste: Sour, tart, sour peach, apricot, sour gummy candy type sour and sweetness, vinous white grape, funk, orange pith with light vinegar and wood on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice peach and apricots plus gummy candy coming though. Funkiness seemed a little on the light side, but not a problem at all.