4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Gose, USA, Westbrook Brewing Co.

Westbrook Gose

Thursday, 1 September 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Westbrook Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 4%
Style: German Gose
Other Notes: 5 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from website) This is our interpretation of Gose (pronounced “Gose-uh”), a traditional German-style sour wheat beer brewed with coriander and salt. Once nearly extinct, this very refreshing style is making a comeback.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.04
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: On tap at Fermentoren, Copenhagen, into a Fermentoren wine glass.
Appearance: It was a clear golden colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly leaving only sparse light lacing.
Aroma: Sour, tart, grape and white wine.
Taste: What you smell is what you taste. Salty, sour, tart, grape and white wine.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: It was very refreshing and great to drink outdoors on a hot summer day.

(picture below) Westbrook Gose is obviously the glass on the left. On the right is the Verzet Oud Bruin.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Brouwerij De Molen, Netherlands, Rye Beer

De Molen Blood Orange IPA

Thursday, 1 September 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij De Molen
Country: Netherlands
ABV: 6.2%
Style: Rye Beer
Other Notes: Pale Ale-ish (Fruit Rye IPA-ish). Malts – Pils, Crystal and Rye. Hops – Apollo, Simcoe and Cascade. Dry Hopped – Cascade, Citra and Mosaic. Other – blood orange zest.

Brewer Description: (from website) 160 Kilos of blood oranges were butchered for the bloodthirstiness of a new creation in the brew house. Blood Orange IPA. Dryhopped with Citra, Cascade and Mosaic.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.66
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 330ml bottle, self described as a pale ale-ish, fruit rye ipa-ish beer, bottled on 10th March 2016, poured into a small water glass (all they had at the hotel).
Appearance: It poured a slightly hazy copper orange colour with a two finger beige head that had good retention and lacing.
Aroma: Sharp orange peel, pine and a hint of tropical pineapple.
Taste: Orange, orange peel, caramel malt and a touch of pine.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Easy to drink, but I’m not getting as much blood orange as I would have liked. Only noticed after drinking and looking carefully at the bottle that the ingredients appear to state that only the zest of the blood orange was used.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Brouwerij De Molen, Netherlands, Stout - Imperial

De Molen Hel & Verdoemenis Port Charlotte (peated) BA

Wednesday, 31 August 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij De Molen
Country: Netherlands
ABV: 11%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Smoked Imperial Stout-ish. Malts – Pils, Caramel, Chocolate, Roasted and Brown. Hops – Saaz and Columbus.

Brewer Description: (from website) We were looking forward to this beer… and it turned out we were right to. With 11% ABV it’s a strong beer for beer lovers that enjoy their peated flavors. The original bitter coffee and chocolate flavors of Hel & Verdoemenis (translates as Hell & Damnation) are enriched with the peat, woody, roasty tastes of the exceptional Port Charlotte barrels. The beer aged in these barrels for over 6 months.

About Port Charlotte – Two miles south of Bruichladdich (Scotland), lies the village of Port Charlotte and ruins of Lochindaal Distillery, that ran spirit for 100 years between 1829 and 1929. The heavily peated Port Charlotte single malts of Bruichladdich are a tribute to the men who once worked this great, now silent, distillery. The spirit is matured in wooden barrels of the original old stone warehouses in Port Charlotte.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.59
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: On tap at Brouwcafe de Molen, into a De Molen snifter glass.
Appearance: It was black in colour with a two finger beige head that had good retention and nice lacing.
Aroma: Whisky, chocolate, coffee, wood and liquorice.
Taste: Peat, whisky, coffee, chocolate and oak.
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: Brilliant! The base H&V was already very good. I thought that barrel aging it in peaty Port Charlotte barrels was even better as the nice peat and whisky notes make for a great sipper.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Brouwerij De Molen, Lager - IPL (India Pale), Netherlands

De Molen Hoger & Lager

Tuesday, 30 August 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij De Molen
Country: Netherlands
ABV: 5.4%
Style: American IPL

Brewer Description: (from De Molen taplist) Hoppy lager.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.73
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: On tap at Brouwcafe de Molen, into a De Molen tasting glass.
Appearance: It was a clear golden orange colour with a two finger white head that had good retention and excellent lacing.
Aroma: Honey, flowery, juicy fruits, mango, peach, lemon and grass.
Taste: Sweet and bitter, lemon, grapefruit and grass with a hint of mango.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: A nice crisp and refreshing hoppy lager.

4 - Good (buy), Barleywine - English, Beer Reviews, USA, Westbrook Brewing Co.

Westbrook Anfernee Whiskey Barrel Aged

Monday, 29 August 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Westbrook Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 8%
Style: English Barleywine

Brewer Description: I could not find much information about this beer.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.41
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 250ml pour on tap at BeerTemple into a BeerTemple mini pint glass.
Appearance: It poured a hazy dark brown colour with a half finger tanned head that dissipated fairly quickly but left nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Wood, oak, Tennessee whisky, sherry and dried plum.
Taste: Very similar to the aroma with Tennessee whisky, oak, sherry and dried plum along with hints of vanilla, caramel and cocoa bean.
Mouthfeel: Full to medium bodied with light carbonation.
Overall: This was a very nice sipper that is well balanced.

words of another dreamy traveller