Category Archives: Style

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), 8 Wired Brewing Co., Beer Reviews, New Zealand, Stout - Milk / Sweet

8 Wired Flat White Coffee Milk Stout

Friday, 22 April 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: 8 Wired Brewing Co.
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 5.5%
Style: Milk / Sweet Stout
Other Notes: Brewed with coffee, vanilla beans and lactose.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A rather traditional milk stout, taken up a notch by the addition of Cuban and Brazilian coffee, freshly roasted by our friends at C4 coffee. Honourably named after New Zealand’s national style of barista coffee. A title that has been wrestled away from freeze dried instant coffee and made our country one of the best coffee nations in the world. In our own humble opinion….

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.51
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.4

Intro: A 500ml bottle from batch #19 with a best before date of 3rd June 2016 and poured into a Spiegelau stout glass.
Appearance: It poured a deep dark brown colour with a less than one finger dark tan head that dissipated quickly but left some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Espresso, roasty coffee, dark chocolate and a hint of vanilla sweetness.
Taste: Roast espresso coffee, milky, milk chocolate and vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with medium prickly carbonation.
Overall: This was ok. Body was on the light side and carbonation perhaps a bit too high for my liking. But I think that I prefer an actual flat white.

4 - Good (buy), American IPA, Beer Reviews, England, Siren Craft Brew

Siren Pompelmocello IPA

Thursday, 21 April 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Siren Craft Brew
Country: England
ABV: 6%
Style: American IPA

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This sour IPA is hopped with Enigma, Bravo and Apollo to create the biggest grapefruity hop profile we could muster, but we’ve also included grapefruit zest and juice for good measure. Added lactose rounds things off with a sweet and smooth touch.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.12
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 7th December 2016 and poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass.
Appearance: It poured a slightly hazy golden colour with a one finger white head that dissipated quickly but left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Intense fresh grapefruit and grapefruit juice aromas with some gummy bear candy orange and a hint of lime and pine.
Taste: Tart and sour mango with pomelo, grapefruit and orange in the background. However, the finish just drops off to nothing.
Mouthfeel: Tangy, light bodied with medium carbonation.
Overall: I don’t get much bitterness from this IPA. Its much more sour than bitter and just seems more like a Berliner Weisse to me. I really liked the taste at the beginning and would have rated it higher if the finish was better. It really didn’t taste like much at the end. However, it’s very juice like and so very easy to drink. This was nice, but just missing a bit at the end.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), American Strong Ale, Beer Reviews, Rogue Ales, USA

Rogue XS Dead Guy Ale

Thursday, 21 April 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Rogue Ales
Country: USA
ABV: 9%
Style: American Strong Ale
Other Notes: 60 IBUs. Malts – 2-Row, C15, Munich, Rogue Farms Dare and Risk. Hops – Rogue Farms Revolution and Independent.

Brewer Description: Deep amber copper color. Buttery peanut brittle, orange blossom tea aromas follow through to a rich chewy and fruity full body with nice notes of caramel drizzled dried apricot and roasted grains and spice. Finishes with a long, tangy grilled grapefruit and chocolate fade.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.25
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.2

Intro: A 750ml ceramic and wingtop bottle with no bottled on or best by date. Poured into a Mikkeller pint glass.
Appearance: It poured a cloudy dark amber colour with a one finger off white head that dissipated fairly quickly but left some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Apple juice (very juicy), caramel, biscuit malt, grape and a hint of orange.
Taste: Caramel malt sweetness, apple juice, tea, grape, raisins and dark berries.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with light carbonation.
Overall: This was ok. Not bad, but just ok. A little bit too caramel-ly sweet for my taste buds.

18th Street Brewery, 4 - Good (buy), American Pale Ale, Beer Reviews, USA

18th Street Lake Street Express

Wednesday, 20 April 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: 18th Street Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 4.5%
Style: American Pale Ale

Brewer Description: (from can) All aboard the Lake Street Express! Floral and fruity hops smack your tongue like a runaway train in our crazed session pale ale. Fare’s paid, next stop: Satisfaction.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.09
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 12 fl oz can with unfortunately no best by or canned on date. Poured into a Mikkeller pint glass.
Appearance: It poured a cloudy golden straw colour with a two finger white head that had good retention and left nice stick lacing.
Aroma: On the light side, but there’s tropical fruit mango and pineapple followed by some grapefruit zest and biscuit malt.
Taste: Light mango flavours followed by some nice grapefruit zest bitterness and a hint of orange.
Mouthfeel: Dry, light bodied with medium prickly carbonation.
Overall: Great fruit flavours and very easy to drink. Would have preferred a stronger aroma, but still a good sessionable beer.

1 - Poor (never again), American Pale Wheat Ale, Beer Reviews, New Zealand, Yeastie Boys

Yeastie Boys White Noise

Tuesday, 19 April 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Yeastie Boys
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 4.4%
Style: American Pale Wheat Ale
Other Notes: Brewed for Yeastie Boys at Invercargill Brewery.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A delicate session-strength beer with hints of orange blossom, coconut, vanilla and a refreshingly clean finish.

My rating: 1
My beeradvocate.com rating: 2.7
My ratebeer.com rating: 2.5

Intro: A 330ml bottle from batch 6 with a best before date of June 2016 and poured into a pint glass.
Appearance: It poured a hazy golden straw colour with minimal white head with some stringy lacing.
Aroma: Light aromas of orange and peach with maybe a hint of vanilla.
Taste: Orange and floral tea with coconut in the background followed by some vanilla towards the end. However, the coconut mixed with the vanilla for some reason gave me a plastic-ey taste that wasn’t too pleasant.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with medium carbonation.
Overall: It was kind of fine until the vanilla came out. That mixed with the coconut really didn’t work here for me unfortunately.

words of another dreamy traveller