4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Foreign / Export Stout, Garage Project, New Zealand

Garage Project Mutiny on the Bounty

Leave a comment

Brewery: Garage Project
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 11.2%
Style: Foreign / Export Stout
Other Notes: South Pacific Export Stout

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Come on a journey below the 45th parallel. Inspired by the ill fated expedition of the HMS Bounty, Mutiny is a very South Pacific take on an export stout, brewed with breadfruit, roasted plantain, coconut sugar, toasted coconut and Tahitian vanilla. Spirituous heat elegantly balanced with deep, rich coconut vanilla sweetness in an ebony black brew of intense complexity. A voyage to the true heart of darkness.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.46
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 650ml bottle with no clear bottled on or best before date. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a just over one finger tanned head that had decent retention and left some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Vanilla, coconut, roasted malts, chocolate, biscuit, bread and banana.
Taste: Roasted malts, sweet and creamy milk chocolate and vanilla, a touch of bitter dark chocolate and toasted coconut with hints of dark fruit and nuttiness.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, full bodied, light booze and low carbonation.
Overall: A very nice self described Export Stout. Breadfruit was used in the description, but I have no idea what this is meant to taste like. Nevertheless, this is a great sipper for a cold night.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Cerveses La Pirata, Spain, Stout - Russian Imperial

La Pirata Black Block Bourbon Aged

Leave a comment

Brewery: Cerveses La Pirata
Country: Spain
ABV: 13%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 72 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from website) Russian Imperial Stout Bourbon Barrel Aged. The “Bourbon” version of Pearl Pirate. An even more incendiary beer warms much heart and soul.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.26
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 330ml bottle, bottled on 12th September 2017 and a best before date of September 2022. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with pretty much no head and no lacing.
Aroma: Nice bourbon, vanilla and liquorice with chocolate, cocoa, roasty malts and alcohol in the background along with hints of oak.
Taste: Lightly sweet beginning with bourbon, vanilla, raisins and dried dark fruits followed by a light roast, chocolate and cacao.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, medium bodied with low carbonation and a lightly boozy finish.
Overall: A very nice RIS with great bourbon flavours coming through. Body could have been heavier, but despite this, it was still very good.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Ballast Point Brewing Company, Beer Reviews, Porter - Imperial, USA

Ballast Point Victory At Sea – Peppermint

Leave a comment

Brewery: Ballast Point Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 10%
Style: American Imperial Porter
Other Notes: AKA Peppermint Victory At Sea. Porter with coffee & natural flavors

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A winning combo of coffee, vanilla & mint. This Peppermint Victory At Sea is a festive take on our popular Imperial Porter. We took our trademark robust porter brewed with Caffe Calabria coffee and vanilla and added a dose of refreshing peppermint. The trio of flavors play perfectly on your palate – the brew’s sweet roastiness balances nicely with a cool, minty finish.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.72
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. bomber with a Julian bottled on date of 16292, meaning it was bottled on 18th October 2016. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A dark brown colour with a big two finger tanned head that had pretty good retention while leaving some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Peppermint, coffee, chocolate with hints of vanilla.
Taste: Peppermint coolness, roasted malts, chocolate, caramel and vanilla sweetness with some light bitterness from the coffee.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, medium to full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: The aroma of peppermint and chocolate matched well together, however in the taste, the peppermint and coffee flavours seemed to be clashing with each other a bit and didn’t mesh together as well as I would have liked.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), American IPA, Ballast Point Brewing Company, Beer Reviews, USA

Ballast Point Unfiltered Sculpin

Leave a comment

Brewery: Ballast Point Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 7%
Style: American IPA
Other Notes: 70 IBUs. Exrta-hopped India Pale Ale

Brewer Description: (from website) Our trophy beer, extra-hopped and unfiltered. Our Unfiltered Sculpin IPA packs extra hops into every sip, enhancing the classic Sculpin notes of fresh apricot, peach, mango and lemon with a slight haze and less bitterness. Freshness is key to every beer, but especially true for this extra-hopped IPA—store cold and drink soon.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.85
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. bottle with a Julian bottled on date of 17321, meaning that it was bottled on 17th November 2017. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy bright copper orange colour with quite a bit of floaties slowly settling at the bottom of the glass. There was also a two finger off white head that had great retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Tropical fruit mango, pineapple and apricot at the start followed closely by grapefruit and light pine.
Taste: Sweet-ish pineapple, orange and apricot followed by bitter grapefruit zest, citrus rind, pine and a light touch of biscuit at the end.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice and easy to drink and an interesting twist on the original. However, I definitely prefer the original and grapefruit version over this. Still worth a try though.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Stone Brewing Co., Stout - Russian Imperial, USA

Stone Imperial Russian Stout Chai-Spiced

Leave a comment

Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 10.6%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 2015 odd year release. Ale with tea and spices added

Brewer Description: (from bottle) As it stands, the classic version of Stone Imperial Russian Stout is deep, dark , rich, roasty and perhaps even a bit sinful. The “Odd Beers for Odd Years” part of the journey means the coming of each odd-numbered year provides the opportunity to take this traditional beer to new and mysterious places, embarking on an exploratory odyssey enabled by strikingly flavorful elements applied to a lovely onyx canvas. This beer, the latest “Odd” transubstantiation, takes inspiration straight from the spice aisle, incorporating an array of ingredients assembled to emulate the flavors of authentic chai tea. Cinnamon, cardamom, clove, ginger, a dash of black pepper and a dose of black tea combine with Stone Imperial Russian Stout’s incumbent flavors to take it deep into exotic, previously unfathomed territory. Expect a touch of earthiness in combination with a warm, tantalizing spiciness. As a one-time brew with enduring character, Stone CHAI-SPICED Imperial Russian Stout is crafted to be contemplated fresh or cellared under proper conditions for many years so that it may live on not only in one’s memory, but on his or her taste buds as well.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.84
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. bomber, 2015 odd year release, bottled on 23rd March 2015. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a thin half finger brown head that dissipated quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Strong cinnamon and cardamom with roasted malts, cocoa and chocolate in the background. There were also hints of ginger and clove.
Taste: Follows the aroma quite closely with lots of spices, cinnamon and cardamom, spicy ginger and clove with hints of roastiness, cocoa and chocolate in the background.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: Almost three years on, and the “Chai” is still dominating the aroma and taste. Personally I would say it was still a bit too dominating while the nice flavours of the base Imperial Russian Stout were overpowered.

beer . travel . just life