Category Archives: Style

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Lager - Märzen / Oktoberfest, Sierra Nevada x Brauhaus Miltenberger, USA

Sierra Nevada x Brauhaus Miltenberger Oktoberfest 2017

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Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. x Brauhaus Miltenberger
Country: USA
ABV: 6.1%
Style: German Oktoberfest/Märzen
Other Notes: 30 IBUs. Fall seasonal, one time only. Malts – Two-row Pale, Steffi, Pilsner and Munich. Hops – German Magnum, German Select, Tettnanger and Spalter

Brewer Description: (from bottle) We’ve partnered with Brauhaus Miltenberger, one of Germany’s most highly regarded craft brewers, to create an authentic festival beer for your Oktoberfest celebration right here at home. We’re focusing on a depth of complex flavor in this amber lager, using traditional techniques to create layers of rich malt notes that remain light and crisp.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.4
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.3

Intro: A 12 fl oz bottle, packaged on 7th July 2017, poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A nice clear copper colour with a just under two finger white head that had decent retention and left behind nice lacing.
Aroma: Toasted bready malts, black tea, grassy, herbal with a splash of lime.
Taste: Bready malts, cracker, apple, pear and grass with a touch of spice and floral notes.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with light to moderate carbonation.
Overall: This was pretty good. I enjoyed this version more than the ones from 2015 and 2016.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij Lindemans, Lambic - Fruit

Lindemans BlossomGueuze

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Brewery: Brouwerij Lindemans
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Breaking the mold among existing beer styles, Lindemans developed the Botanical Lambics, a collection of old gueuzes with a twist. Second in this series, BlossomGueuze is based on a blend of 12 months with 2 to 3 year-old lambic fermented in oak and elderflower. Refermented in the bottle, BlossomGueuze has a golden colour and combines the sourness of lambic with the subtle flavours of elderflower. Ideal as an aperitif, it is also perfect for food pairings.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.04
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 750ml bottle, bottled in September 2015. Poured into a Lindemans flute glass.
Appearance: A clear golden colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Elderflower and lychee jelly with hints of oak.
Taste: Sour, oak, herbal, funk, white wine, grape, elderflower and lychee.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Elderflower and lychee… I was curious. When I did a search of “elderflower smells like…” lychee actually popped up automatically for me, so clearly someone did the same search as I did. This was all the more interesting since even though I’ve also tried Mamouche, I still had no idea what elderflower was supposed to smell or taste like. But the result here was good with nice aroma and flavours that weren’t too flowery since they were of the lychee fruit. And on top of that, I thought that this turned out better than Cantillon Mamouche.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij De Ranke, Euro Sour Ale

De Ranke Cuvée

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Brewery: Brouwerij De Ranke
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7%
Style: Euro Sour Ale
Other Notes: On base of old Flemish beer and Lambic

Brewer Description: (from bottle) 70% Belgian Sour Ale with 30% Lambic added.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.98
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 750ml bottle with a best before date of 28th May 2020. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A nice clear copper orange colour with a just over one finger light beige head that dissipated fairly quickly and left some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Tart, oak, white wine, apple, herbal and funky.
Taste: Tart, but only mildly sour, red apple, lime, cork, oak, funk and maybe hay with only a hint of a herbal element and vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Acidic, medium to light bodied with good moderate carbonation.
Overall: A nice and balanced blend of a sour ale and Lambic. Much better than the Kriek version in my opinion.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, German Hefeweizen, New Glarus Brewing Company, USA

New Glarus Dancing Man Wheat

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Brewery: New Glarus Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 7.2%
Style: German Hefeweizen

Brewer Description: (from bottle) If you dream of wheat this brew will get your toes tapping. Since 1995 we have brewed Bavarian style wheat beers exclusively for the same great state that grows and malts our own Wisconsin wheat. In a world full of posers this is a true hefe-weizen naturally 100% bottle fermented and hazy. Expect this beer to cascade effervescent into your glass. The rich spicy clove and cinnamon notes will greet your nose while sweet fruit and wheat kisses your lips. Lick the foam from your mouth and admit sometimes you just gotta get up and dance.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.86
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 12 fl oz bottle with no clear bottled on or best before date. Poured into a Riedel weizen glass.
Appearance: A hazy dark straw orange colour with a big three finger white head that had good retention but left only slight lacing.
Aroma: Nice wheat, banana, clove, banana bread and bubblegum.
Taste: Much like the aroma, there’s wheat, banana, clove and bubblegum with a hint of fuzzy peach and cinnamon.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Maybe I had too high hopes to start with, but it wasn’t as good as I expected it to be. I much preferred Bubbler over Dancing Man Wheat, maybe it was the cinnamon spices at the end. Having said that, it’s not bad and still definitely drinkable.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, German Berliner Weisse, New Glarus Brewing Company, USA

New Glarus Thumbprint Series Berliner Weisse

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Brewery: New Glarus Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 3%
Style: German Berliner Weisse

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A few times a year we cut Dan loose to brew whatever he chooses. Always handcrafted, the bottle you hold is brewed for the adventurous soul. This is a very limited edition and we make no promises to ever brew this style again. Napoleon hailed this tart beer style “the Champagne of the North.” A lively and elegant masterpiece this Berliner Weisse is a kaleidoscope of fresh flavor. Barrel fermentation, Riesling and Chardonnay grapes with Wisconsin White Wheat are bottle fermented with five proprietary yeast strains. A connoisseur’s rare jewel both spirited and subtle, enjoy your sparkling toast under summer stars.

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

Intro: A 12 fl oz bottle with no clear bottled on or best before date. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy straw yellow colour with a two finger white head that had decent retention and left some lacing. Lots of nice upward streaming bubbles.
Aroma: Lemon, wheat and citrus zest. Lightly tart and lightly funky.
Taste: Tart, lemon, lemon zest, white grapes and green apple with hints of wheat on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with high carbonation.
Overall: A nice, easy drinking Berliner Weisse with especially nice mouthfeel. A great thirst quencher on a hot day.