Category Archives: Style

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.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Estonia, Põhjala x To Øl, Stout - Imperial

Põhjala x To Øl Cellar Series Taanilinn Cognac BA

Monday, 18 April 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Põhjala x To Øl
Country: Estonia
ABV: 14%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Cognac barrel aged spiced Imperial Stout. 70 IBUs. Malts – Pilsner, Oats, Cara 150, Melanoid, Chocolate, Cara Amber, Special B, Chocolate Rye and Demerara Sugar. Hops – Magnum and Goldings. Other – cinnamon, aniseed and orange zest.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Põhjala and To Øl created this beer together to honour the old Danish heritage of Tallinn. Deep complex oatmeal stout aged for months on cognac barrels. Spiced with all the best from the liquors of Estonia.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.72
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.6

Intro: A 330ml waxed bottle with a best before date of 4th November 2018, poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: It poured a pitch black colour with a thin beige head that dissipated quickly but left nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Caramel, toffee, chocolate, vanilla, cognac, wood with a hint of dark fruit, plum and cherries.
Taste: Sweet. Its so sweet, but so good. Brown sugar, cherry, vanilla, oak and cognac with hints of bittersweet chocolate and espresso coffee.
Mouthfeel: Very smooth, mid to full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: I usually do not enjoy sweet beers, but there are a few exceptions and this is definitely one of them. It starts very sweet, but the combination of oakiness and cognac helps to balance out this sweetness and keep it in check. It’s also surprisingly not full bodied. It’s almost there, but lacks just that little bit that you usually expect from a 14% ABV Imperial Stout. But, despite all that, in my opinion, this is right up there with the best Imperial Stouts, and is easily a must buy beer for me.

4 - Good (buy), 8 Wired Brewing Co., Beer Reviews, German Berliner Weisse, New Zealand

8 Wired Hippy Berliner

Monday, 18 April 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: 8 Wired Brewing Co.
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 4.5%
Style: German Berliner Weisse

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A refreshing, light, hoppy, sour and very fruity tasting ale inspired by traditional Berliner Weisse ales. Naturally soured by live cultures and dry hopped with American and New Zealand hops. Probably the closest thing I have tasted to fruit juice, that didn’t contain any fruit at all! – It’s a trip! Peace out.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.17
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 500ml bottle from batch #23 with a best before date of 22nd June 2016 and poured into a Duvel tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a hazy straw yellow colour with less than one finger white head which disappeared almost immediately but left some light lace rings.
Aroma: Strong sour fruitiness with mainly guava, passionfruit, mango and lychee. There was some light grainy malts in the background.
Taste: Quite similar to the aroma, taste starts lightly sour and tropical with passionfruit, mango and pineapple. There was also a hint of grainy malt here and there.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, light to medium bodied with high carbonation.
Overall: A nice and crisp Berliner Weisse. Very easy to drink. It had good flavours but could have been even better if the tropical fruits were even stronger. Having said that, I would get this one again.

words of another dreamy traveller