Category Archives: Style

Young Master RyeØ Vintage 2018

Brewery: Young Master Brewery
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 11.5%
Style: Wheatwine / Ryewine / Ricewine

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Rye wine matured in bourbon & rye whiskey barrels.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.13
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 750ml bottle, vintage 2018, bottle 384 of 410. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A rusty brownish orange colour, with a thin beige head that dissipates quickly while leaving sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Caramel, toffee, bourbon, oak, vanilla, dark fruit, plum, prunes, with a splash of pine greenness.
Taste: Moderately sweet, toffee, caramel, dark fruit, prunes, plum, bourbon, vanilla, with a slight bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: An enjoyable sipper with good aroma and flavours. Body was thinner than expected though and I think a fuller body would have improved the experience.

Métaphore Here and Now: Apricot

Brewery: Métaphore
Country: Czech Republic
ABV: 7.2%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: Batch L19

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A coolshipped and spontaneously fermented beer aged in oak barrel for 16 months and then aged for 12 months on fresh, local apricots. Unblended from a single barrel. This beer represents the singular magic of one night, captured and shaped by, in this bottle. It is meant to reflect the place, people and occasion of its birth. An attempt to capture a true imprint of one day – inimitable and unrepeatable.

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

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, batch L19, with a best before date of 1st September 2025. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A nice clear golden colour with a one finger white head that had pretty good retention, and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, apricot, oak, funk, with a splash of lemon zest.
Taste: Similar to the aroma, tart, apricot, lightly sour, oak, and light funk.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Easy drinking with good apricot flavours, but stronger funk would make it more interesting.

Nøgne Ø Dark Horizon 5th Edition

Brewery: Nøgne Ø
Country: Norway
ABV: 16%
Style: Stout – Imperial
Other Notes: 100 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Dark Horizon 5th edition is the culmination of all of our years of producing strong, dark ales. It is a symbol of our uncompromising attitude here at Nøgne Ø. We use only the finest malt and carefully ferment this beer by slowly feeding it more fermentables throughout the process. The result is brazen and brash, but after some maturation it evolves into a beer of balance and distinction. Rich, robust and dangerously smooth, this beer is certain to conquer the world. Enjoy this beer now or store in a cool, dark place.

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

Intro: A 500ml bottle in a nice circular case, bottled on 3rd March 2015, and poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark brown in colour with a thin brown head that dissipated quickly while leaving only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Roasted malts, liquorice, chocolate, coffee, molasses, dark fruit, prunes, booze.
Taste: Moderately sweet, light to moderately bitter, roasty, dark chocolate, coffee, liquorice, molasses, caramel, dark fruit, prunes, booze.
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: A nice sipper. Good sweet and bitter balance, but perhaps, although not unexpected given the ABV, it was a touch boozy. Not overly so, but not hidden either.

Bruery Terreux Train To Beersel

Brewery: The Bruery (Bruery Terreux)
Country: USA
ABV: 8.4%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: Inviting – Oaky – Excursion

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Imperial sour blonde ale aged in oak barrels.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.13
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 750ml bottle, 2017 vintage, poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A cloudy dark orange colour with a one finger white head that had pretty good retention, and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Funky, brett, lime juice, green apple, white wine grapes, cucumber, oak, damp wood, hay, vanilla.
Taste: Lightly sour, light funk, lime juice, lemon, white wine grapes, oak, with light notes of yellow stone fruits and apple cider vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with light to moderate carbonation.
Overall: Aroma and flavours were quite different from each other, but it was enjoyable to drink. Was hoping for more of the funk to infiltrate into the flavour though.

Clown Shoes Undead Party Crasher

Brewery: Clown Shoes Beer
Country: USA
ABV: 10%
Style: Stout – Imperial

Brewer Description: (from bottle) In a world full of uncertainty, hardship, and people trying to hold us back, do we need the undead and trademark attorneys too? Clown Shoes says, “No, die, monsters, die!” Forces of darkness brought about a change in the name of this beer, which was released to celebrate our second anniversary, but it still sports signature dark malts, holy water, and malt smoked locally with hickory and ash.

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

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. bomber, bottled on 12th February 2015. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a thin beige head that dissipated quickly while leaving some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Light roast, dark chocolate, coffee, dark fruit, prunes.
Taste: Chocolate, coffee, dark fruit, prunes, brown sugar, molasses, with a hint of char.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Admittedly, held on to this much longer than expected, and it was slightly thinner than I’d hoped, but it was still a nice sipper.