3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Innis & Gunn, Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy, Scotland

Innis & Gunn Rum Finish Oak Aged Beer

Thursday, 18 February 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Innis & Gunn
Country: Scotland
ABV: 6.8%
Style: Scottish Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy
Other Notes: Rum Finish is the same beer as Rum Cask as the recipe is the same but only the process changed slightly. Malts – Innis & Gunn Ale, Crystal, Roasted Barley and Chocolate. Hops – Super Styrian. Matured for 57 days in oak heartwood infused with specially selected rums.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This ruby red beer is matured over the finest rum-infused American Oak heartwood resulting in a beer with a delicious warming character that is bursting with fruit and lively spiciness. These vibrant flavours perfectly balance the beer’s toffee-malt backbone making it an ideal accompaniment to game meats like venison or duck. It is sublime with mature cheeses served with good chutneys and relishes.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.35
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.2

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before end of March 2016 date and poured into a Duvel tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a clear dark reddish copper with a slightly less than one finger tanned head that dissipated fairly quickly leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Strong vanilla, raisins and oak with hints of toffee, caramel and rum.
Taste: Sweet-ish rum and plum with a nice long vanilla, oak, coconut finish. There was also some hints of caramel and butterscotch in between.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with light carbonation.
Overall: This was nice and interesting albeit a bit vanilla heavy. I would not categorise this as an everyday drink but it’s something I wouldn’t mind trying every now and then.

4 - Good (buy), American Pale Ale, Beer Reviews, Omnipollo, Sweden

Omnipollo Onda Mosaic Pale Ale

Wednesday, 17 February 2016 kitch 1 Comment

Brewery: Omnipollo
Country: Sweden
ABV: 5%
Style: American Pale Ale
Other Notes: Brewed by Omnipollo at De Proef Brouwerij (Belgium)

Brewer Description: (from website) Me and Karl reached out to Onda of STHLM Inkasso over a year ago. With beats and a rap flow like no other he had inspired us to brew a beer. Onda is a smooth pale ale brewed with 100% Mosaic hops.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.09
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 11th March 2016 poured into a Duvel tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a hazy dark yellow colour with a big puffy 3 finger white head that has good retention and leaves thick sticky lacing.
Aroma: Very juicy tropical fruit especially mango, passionfruit, peach and apricot. There is also a hint of pine and citrus lemon.
Taste: Starts tropical with mango and pineapple before slowly turning lightly bitter with pine, lemon and grapefruit taking over.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with mid to high carbonation.
Overall: A nice pale ale that is easy to drink and refreshing.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Birra del Borgo, Herbed / Spiced Beer, Italy

Birra del Borgo Etrusca

Tuesday, 16 February 2016 kitch 4 Comments

Brewery: Birra del Borgo
Country: Italy
ABV: 9.3%
Style: Herbed / Spiced Beer
Other Notes: Brewed with honey, pomegranate, hazelnut flour, pomegranate juice, raisins, natural resin and gentian root.

Brewer Description: (from website) A sip of history! Created together with our friends Sam Calagione and Dr. Pat McGovern from the States and Baladin’s founder Teo Musso, that’s really something unique: as we used unusual ingredients (for a beer) and most of all an unusual fermentation system (the amphoras!), the result is a real “archeological find”. The amber colour reminds the amphora-aged wines; the nose gives scents of honey and berries and quite uncommon mineral notes. When you taste it, sharpness is the main feature, and the honey notes are quickly followed by mineral ones, again. So, the few ones who will have the chance to taste this extremely rare beer (which has been made in a very limited quantity, of course) will be able to say that he had a sip of history!

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.27
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.1

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of March 2016, poured into a Duvel tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a hazy murky dark orange colour with pretty much no head.
Aroma: Sour, tart, grapes, vinegar, woody and citrus lemon, maybe even a hint of apple juice.
Taste: Sour, tart, fruity pomegranate, apple, apple juice and apple cider vinegar with a minerally finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with low carbonation but with a prickly feel.
Overall: This was interesting. The sourness was nice, but I did not really like the minerally finish and it was on the flat side for me.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), American Double IPA, Beer Reviews, Garage Project, New Zealand

Garage Project Pernicious Weed

Thursday, 11 February 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Garage Project
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 8%
Style: American Double IPA
Other Notes: Hops – Nelson Sauvin and Rakau.

Brewer Description: (from can) Humulus Lupulus, the original “wicked and pernicious weed”. Nelson Sauvin and Rakau hops go head to head in this strong golden brew, for an intense citrus grapefruit character. Bitter, yes. Intensely hoppy? Absolutely. Too much? Never.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.81
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 330ml can with a best before date of 8th March 2016 and poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass.
Appearance: It poured a slightly hazy golden orange with a two finger off white head that dissipated fairly quickly leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Strong tropical fruity mango and pineapple with pine, grapefruit and grassy notes.
Taste: Bitter citrus grapefruit, pine and grass with some light malt sweetness. However, at times, the alcohol booze seemed to creep out.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with medium carbonation.
Overall: This was a pretty good DIPA, but as a DIPA, I’d prefer if it was able to completely hide the alcohol taste, but other than that, it was nice and bitter.

5 - Excellent (must buy), American Double IPA, Beer Reviews, The Alchemist, USA

The Alchemist Heady Topper

Sunday, 7 February 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: The Alchemist
Country: USA
ABV: 8%
Style: American Double IPA
Other Notes: Drink from the can! Drink from the can! Drink from the can!

Brewer Description: (from can) Heady Topper is an American Double India Pale Ale. This beer is not intended to be the biggest or most bitter. It is meant to give you wave after wave of hoppy goodness on your palate. Tremendous amounts of American hops will creep up on you, and leave you with a dense hoppy finish in your mouth. So drinkable, it’s scary. Sometimes I wish I could crawl right into the can. Freshness and control have always been my main concern when it comes to our beer. We are committed to providing you with an unfiltered and unpasteurized hop experience. Why do I recommend that you drink it from the can? Quite simply, to ensure a delightful, hop experience. The act of pouring it in a glass smells nice, but it releases the essential hop aromas that we have worked so hard to retain. If you MUST pour it into a glass, you may find that some of the hop resins have settled to the bottom – leave them in the can when pouring. This beer is perishable, and at its best when it is young, fresh and hazy. Keep it cold, but not ice cold. Drink this beer immediately, we are always making more.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.74
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.6

Intro: A 1 pint can canned on 15th December 2015 (I would have drank it earlier but was very sick for a long period of time) and tried from the can at first then poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass.
Appearance: It poured a hazy golden yellow orange colour with a two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly but left nice sticky lacing.
Aroma: As soon as I opened the can the tropical aromas immediately came pouring out, but there was still a hint of the metal from the can. After pouring it into the glass, the aromas were not as strong but better with a mix of tropical pineapple, mango and citrus mandarin, orange peel and lemon zest. There was also a hint of pine.
Taste: Strong juicy citrus grapefruit and pine with a hint of tropical mango and pineapple. Nice front loaded bitterness which continues into the aftertaste. On the can it says “drink from the can” so I tried that as well. I have to say that taste is just as impressive from the can.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with medium carbonation.
Overall: An excellent DIPA. Must buy and taste fresh if possible. I only wish I wasn’t very sick when I received it… but I know I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy it as much if I drank it a month ago as I wouldn’t be able to taste or smell much. Although it says to drink from the can, which I did try, I still prefer to pour it into a glass to enjoy. It allows you to enjoy its look and gives a clearer aroma. Well worth the hype.

words of another dreamy traveller