5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Belgian Dubbel, Belgium, S.A. Bières de Chimay

Chimay Première (Red)

Monday, 1 June 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: S.A. Bières de Chimay
Country: Belgium
ABV: 7%
Style: Dubbel
Other Notes: Trappist beer. Ale is brewed at Scourmont Abbey

Brewer Description: (from bottle) The <> logo certifies that this ale is brewed in a Trappist Abbey and that the majority of sales income is intended for social aid. Chimay Red will win you over with its fruity taste accompanied by a slight bitterness.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.64
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.5

Intro: This was a 330ml bottle that was dated best before end of 2018 and poured into a Chimay goblet.
Appearance: It pours a very hazy brown colour with a very nice thick cream coloured two finger head that dissipates very slowly but when it does, leaves a nice curtain lacing.
Aroma: Aromas are fruity, mainly of dark fruits like plum, cherry, and fig. There is also some pear, apple and candied sugar and a hint of nuttiness.
Taste: Fruity cherry and plum upfront with hints of banana and pear. There’s also some light malt caramel and bready sweetness followed by a nice light bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Smooth creamy and slightly sticky.
Overall: Admittedly, I used to think that this was just ok but I’ve grown to enjoy this beer the more I drink it. When I first tried it maybe ten years ago, Chimay Blue was far and away better and so I mostly bought that. However, clearly my taste changed and the last few years Chimay Red became one of my staple beers.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Irish Dry Stout, North Coast Brewing Co., USA

North Coast Old No.38 Stout

Friday, 29 May 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: North Coast Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 5.6%
Style: Irish Dry Stout
Other Notes: Named for a retired steam engine on the California Western Railroad Redwood Route.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Old No.38 Stout is a smooth, firm-bodied stout with the toasted character and coffee notes of dark malts and roasted barley.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.52
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: Poured from a 12 fl oz bottle into a pint glass. There was no bottled or best by date on the bottle.
Appearance: The beer poured a rich opaque black colour with a bit less than one finger caramel tan head that dissipates quickly leaving a small amount of lacing.
Aroma: Aromas are a bit weak, but mainly of roasted malts, cocoa dark chocolate and brown sugar. There is also a slight amount coffee mixed in.
Taste: Sweet cocoa and roasted malts followed by brown sugar, milk chocolate, coffee and maybe a small amount of caramel.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, sticky, light to medium bodied with light carbonation and a small alcohol kick.
Overall: Overall this was a decent stout that may be a little bit on the sweet side. However when compared to Guinness, I have to say that I’m leaning towards Guinness for a variety of reasons. It’s not as sweet, only one-third of the cost, and a lot easier to find in Hong Kong since its available in every supermarket.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Belgium, Brasserie d'Achouffe

d’Achouffe Mc Chouffe

Thursday, 28 May 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Brasserie d’Achouffe
Country: Belgium
ABV: 8%
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale

Brewer Description: (from website) Mc CHOUFFE is an unfiltered brown beer which is refermented both in the bottle and in barrels. Its fruity bouquet conceals a hint of bitterness.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.57
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 330ml bottle dated best before September 2016 poured into a Chimay goblet.
Appearance: It poured a medium to dark brown with a slight reddish tint. One finger creamy tanned head with nice looking bubbles that dissipated slowly leaving nice stringy lacing.
Aroma: Main aromas of dark fruits of fig and raisins along with some pear and grapes. As it warms, the grape smell became really prominent.
Taste: Strong tastes of dark candied fruits, plum, fig, grapes and raisins with hints of caramel and brown sugar.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with medium to high carbonation.
Overall: Overall, this was very good. Both the smell and flavours actually improve as it gets warmer. It is not too sweet and I especially enjoyed the dark fruit flavours. This is so close to being a must buy beer for me.

4 - Good (buy), American Double IPA, Beer Reviews, Omnipollo, Sweden

Omnipollo Nebuchadnezzar

Wednesday, 27 May 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Omnipollo
Country: Sweden
ABV: 8.5%
Style: Double IPA
Other Notes: Brewed by Omnipollo at De Proef Brouwerij (Belgium)

Brewer Description: (from website) “Neb” is a home brew recipe that has been scaled up with no consideration to economies of scale. Some say idiotic, and as an economist I would have to agree. Get fresh or die trying.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.42
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: This was an 11.2 fl oz bottle dated best before 7th August 2016 on the bottle cap and poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: It poured a hazy golden orange colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly leaving nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Right from the pour you get a strong tropical fruit aroma. Mainly mango and pineapple followed by some citrus grapefruit, zest and pine. I thought the smells were amazing and raring to burst out at me.
Taste: Citrus hop bitterness up front of grapefruit and mandarin orange followed by some light tropical fruit… maybe pineapple and peach, but still the bitterness pushes through. There’s also a strong malt caramel background and slight sweetness from this, but it gets covered by the bitterness quickly and the lasting aftertaste is bitter with a small hint of tropical fruit.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with light carbonation and dry finish.
Overall: This was a very nice DIPA. The strong aromas set a high standard to begin with. I find most DIPAs have too much malt caramel sweetness in its taste for me, but in this case I absolutely loved the hop bitterness shining through. The slight fruitiness also helped here. Its on the expensive side, but I will definitely consider buying this again.

4 - Good (buy), Anderson Valley Brewing Company, Beer Reviews, English Oatmeal Stout, USA

Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout

Monday, 25 May 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Anderson Valley Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 5.8%
Style: Oatmeal Stout

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A classic example of oatmeal stout: Deep garnet-tinted ebony in hue with a dense, voluptuous mahogany head. Aroma of fresh-baked bread, toffee, raisins, dried cherries and dark coffee. Pleasantly creamy, rich body with pleasing dark malt and freshly toasted bread aromas, finishing roasty and dry.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.96
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 12 fl oz bottle with unfortunately no bottled or best by date, poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Pours a deep black with a one finger light caramel head that disappears fairly quickly leaving some spotty lacing.
Aroma: There’s chocolate, toffee, raisin, some light coffee and a strong smell of something that I just could not describe. Admittedly I needed some inspiration to figure this out and then I saw steamed milk… wow, that is exactly the perfect description.
Taste: Sweet dark fruits followed by chocolate, roasted malts and a slight smokey finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied, smooth and creamy, light carbonation and dry finish.
Overall: Overall this is a pretty good stout that’s not too sweet. I enjoy this style and although this may not be the best, its still something I would buy and drink to add some variety.

words of another dreamy traveller