4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Epic Brewing Company, Fruit Beer, USA

Epic Lil’ Brainless Raspberries

Wednesday, 29 June 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Epic Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 5.2%
Style: Fruit Beer
Other Notes: 100% pure raspberry puree (no preservatives)

Brewer Description: (from can) Lil’ Brainless Raspberries is an easy drinking canned version of our big, bold 22 oz. bottle of Brainless Raspberries, crafted especially for those who seek bright, fresh, and real raspberry flavours in a convenient size. We brew exclusively with natural raspberry puree, which gives this beer its unique pink color as well as hints of raspberry bubble-gum, sweet fruit jam, and a pleasant dryness that makes this beer perfect for easy going affairs, indoors or out.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.99
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. can with no canned on or best by date. Poured into a Mikkeller pint glass.
Appearance: It poured a clear pinkish-red copper colour with a one finger slightly off white head that dissipated quickly but left some light lacing.
Aroma: Sweet raspberry juice with some strawberry jam and a hint of grape juice.
Taste: Similar to the aroma with raspberry juice and strawberry jam front and center. Lightly sweet and tart.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: I enjoyed this. It was light, refreshing, juicy and easily drinkable as I finished it pretty quickly. A nice fruit beer. I would have this in my fridge during the summer.

2 - Maybe (likely wouldn't buy, might drink), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij Hof Ten Dormaal, Euro Sour Ale

Hof Ten Dormaal Inferno

Wednesday, 29 June 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij Hof Ten Dormaal
Country: Belgium
ABV: 10%
Style: Euro Sour Ale
Other Notes: Sugar was added

Brewer Description: (from bottle) On 6 January 2015, the owners of Belgian brewery Hof ten Dormaal in Tildonk, Belgium, saw their worst nightmare come true.

The brewery was completely destroyed by fire. The entire bottling line, hot room and most of the stock were burned to the ground.

Miraculously, a very small portion of our stock survived. This very special, limited edition beer is a blend of all that was salvageable from that disaster. We promise it will be far from the last from us…

And now, after months of hard work and dedication, we proudly present to you this very special limited edition beer.

My rating: 2
My beeradvocate.com rating: 2.86
My ratebeer.com rating: 2.7

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of February 2018, poured into a Duvel tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a slightly hazy reddish copper colour with a one finger off white head that had good retention and left some curtain like lacing.
Aroma: Simply, its sweet BBQ. There’s smoke and char mixed in with cherry and berries and maybe even a hint of peat.
Taste: Its sour and sweet with fruity cherry, raisins and red wine with a mix of smoke, char and peat. But I think the aromas is affecting my tasting, and I’m getting charred crispy bacon and bbq every now and then.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with high carbonation.
Overall: Its just so different to any other beer I’ve tried. I can understand that its largely either you like it or don’t like it beer with not much middle ground. The aromas make it quite savoury to my palate and not exactly what I’m looking for in beer. The taste was slightly better than the aroma, but the aromas is so strong that it does become quite a big factor. The 10% abv is however, well hidden. I think in the end, I finished the bottle, but its not something I’d purchase again.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij Verhaeghe, Flanders Red Ale

Verhaeghe Duchesse de Bourgogne

Tuesday, 28 June 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij Verhaeghe
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.2%
Style: Flanders Red Ale
Other Notes: Top-fermented beer, matured in oaken casks, contains barleymalt and wheat

Brewer Description: (from website) “Duchesse de Bourgogne” is an ale of mixed fermentation. It is a sweet-fruity ale with a pleasant fresh aftertaste. This ale is brewed with roasted malts and with hops with a low bitterness. After the main fermentation and the lagering, the “Duchesse de Bourgogne” matures further for many months in oak casks. The tannins in the oak give the “Duchesse de Bourgogne” its fruity character. “Duchesse de Bourgogne” has a full, sweet and fresh taste: it is a ruby red jewel of 6.2 % alc. vol., that best is served in a chalice-shaped glass between 8 and 12°C. A perfect beer.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.91
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle with an expiry date of December 2016, poured into a Cantillon ballon glass.
Appearance: It poured a clear reddish brown colour with a red hue and a one finger khaki head that has decent retention and leaves lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Sour, tart, cherry, red wine, oak and sweet vinegar.
Taste: Sweet and sour but leaning a bit more towards sweet. Cherry, grape, cranberry and oak with a hint of balsamic vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate prickly carbonation.
Overall: I am a huge fan of sour beers and this was a little on the sweet side for me. However, it was a still a good beer and easy to drink.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgian Pale Ale, Belgium, Brouwerij Westvleteren (Sint-Sixtusabdij Westvleteren)

Trappist Westvleteren Blond

Sunday, 26 June 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij Westvleteren (Sint-Sixtusabdij Westvleteren)
Country: Belgium
ABV: 5.8%
Style: Belgian Pale Ale
Other Notes: Green cap. Trappist beer

Brewer Description: Not much info on their website and obviously even less on the bottle. But apparently this was the basic beer that the monks drink themselves. I think it replaced the Westvleteren 6, a Belgian Dark Ale with a red bottle cap and 6.2% abv.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.46
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a minimum sell-by date of 29th October 2016 and poured into a Chimay goblet glass.
Appearance: It poured a hazy golden orange colour with a small amount of sediment and a nice puffy two finger white head with good retention and leaves great lacing. Actually, despite the sediment, this looks amazing.
Aroma: Bready, clove and banana with a hint of peppery spice and apple pie.
Taste: Strong breadiness but with clove and banana sweetness and a hint of bubblegum.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Wow. Actually this surprised me as its often overshadowed by the 12 and even 8, but I really enjoyed this. As a Belgian Pale Ale, it seems to be one of the best of its style and has great balance, very refreshing and easy to drink.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Birra del Borgo, Farmhouse Saison, Italy

Birra del Borgo Duchessic

Friday, 24 June 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Birra del Borgo
Country: Italy
ABV: 5.3%
Style: Belgian Saison
Other Notes: Duchessa spelt beer cut with 20% of one year old lambic from Brasserie Cantillon

Brewer Description: (from website) A sort of “collaboration brew” with the famous Belgian brewery Brasserie Cantillon: an interesting experiment about spontaneous fermentations. Our traditional Duchessa – spelt beer – has been cut with a 20% of one year old lambic from Brasserie Cantillon. The result is a unique beer that extraordinarily merges the lambic sharp and sour characteristics with the gentle notes of Duchessa. A real gem not to be missed, as the former version’s great success confirms. Try it with different kinds of cheese, especially with blue cheese.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.44
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a nice unique bottle shape and a best before date of April 2017, poured into a Cantillon ballon glass.
Appearance: It poured a nice clear golden colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly but leaves nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, lemon peel and oak with a hint of apple and funkiness.
Taste: Tart and funky with fruity lemon and apple. Not overly sour, and in fact I got a lightly sweet apple cider finish.
Mouthfeel: Dry, light bodied with high spritzy carbonation.
Overall: This was nice and refreshing. I am lucky to have one more bottle, which is a good thing considering Birra del Borgo is now under AB InBev and seeing the lengths that Cantillon have gone to, it appears that, even if this beer is produced again, that it will NOT be with lambic from Cantillon. Therefore if you can still find this, it’s definitely worth a try, even possibly a last try!

words of another dreamy traveller