Tag Archives: ba

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Bellwoods Brewery, Canada, Stout - Russian Imperial

Bellwoods 3 Minutes To Midnight

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Brewery: Bellwoods Brewery
Country: Canada
ABV: 11%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Imperial Stout with Cherry and Cocoa

Brewer Description: (from website) Fruited, barrel-aged Russian Imperial Stout. This rich and complex Imperial Stout gains a character that can only come with age (12 months in barrels), aided by the addition of tart cherries and cocoa nibs. Deep roasted flavours merge with cherries to create a complimentary tartness that marries the fruit and malt beautifully.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.31
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 500ml bottle at the brewery, December 2016 vintage, poured into a Bellwoods tulip glass.
Appearance: It was black in colour with pretty much no head and only sparse lacing, although what was there was mocha in colour.
Aroma: Cherries, prunes, raisins and oak with hints of coffee and chocolate.
Taste: Cherries, oak and raisins with hints of chocolate malt and cocoa.
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: Very nice body, tastes great, and a very enjoyable sipper.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Omnipollo, Stout - Imperial, Sweden

Omnipollo Noa Pecan Mud Cake Double Barrel

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Brewery: Omnipollo
Country: Sweden
ABV: 11%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Brewed by Omnipollo at Brouwerij De Molen in the Netherlands

Brewer Description: (from website) The pinnacle of our first run barrel project. An Islay and Cognac Barrel Aged Pecan Mudcake Imperial Stout. Brewed with aromas.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.23
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 7th July 2020. Poured into a snifter.
Appearance: It was black in colour with a half finger mocha head that dissipates quickly while leaving some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Chocolate, pecan, caramel and whisky with hints of vanilla and cognac.
Taste: Sweet milk chocolate with a nice pecan nuttiness. There are also hints of oak, cognac and peat.
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with moderate to low carbonation.
Overall: This particular bottle was nice and tasty, but I don’t think that the barrels improved the base beer. It should be noted that this beer has had it’s share of infection. This is my third bottle now, of which I’ve had two good and one infected. The infected bottle clearly tasted sour and was just not pleasant to drink. You will know if you have an infected bottle, so I guess it’s a bit of the luck of the draw at this point.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, BrewDog x Beavertown Brewery, Scotland, Stout - Imperial

BrewDog x Beavertown BrewDog vs. Beavertown Coffee and Cigarettes

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Brewery: BrewDog x Beavertown Brewery
Country: Scotland
ABV: 12.1%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Hops – Chinook and Magnum

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Coffee and Cigarettes. A perfect percolation. Blacker than a Milan Espresso. This smoking gun of a stout gives you both barrels. Smoky peat, roasted coffee and bitter chocolate on the nose. Big espresso and molasses on the palate with subtle notes of coconut, vanilla and raisin. Coffee and Cigarettes – for those of us who want to stay up late and drink beer.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.94
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 12th March 2022. Poured into a snifter.
Appearance: Black in colour with a half finger mocha head that dissipated quickly except for parts that clung around the glass and sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Chocolate and roasty coffee with hints of oak, charcoal, whisky and smoky peat.
Taste: Sweet, smoke, peaty whisky, plum and raisins with only hints of the roasty chocolate and coffee that I got in the aroma.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with light carbonation.
Overall: This was not at all what I was expecting. The roasty chocolate and coffee that was so evident in the aroma was completely overpowered by the strong barrel character of peat and whisky such that in a way, it didn’t feel like an Imperial Stout. That’s not to say that it wasn’t good, but it would definitely help if you enjoy peat like I do. The result seemed like an easy to drink peated whisky minus the kick.

4 - Good (buy), Almanac Beer Co., Beer Reviews, USA, Wild Ale

Almanac Farmer’s Reserve Raspberry

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Brewery: Almanac Beer Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 6.8%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Farm to barrel

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Sour blonde ale aged in wine barrels with raspberries.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.22
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 375ml bottle, bottled in Fall 2016. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy orangey pink (salmon-ish) colour with a one finger white head that dissipated quickly and sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Sweet raspberry jammy, oak with a hint of mustiness.
Taste: Tart, lightly sour, raspberry jam, oak and lemon.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, light to medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: A nice crisp, relaxing and enjoyable drink.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brasserie Cantillon, Lambic - Fruit

Cantillon Saint Lamvinus

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Brewery: Brasserie Cantillon
Country: Belgium
ABV: 5%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)
Other Notes: Merlot grapes

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Symbol of the union of two cultures, the Saint-Lamvinus is the result of a harmonious blending of merlot grapes and lambics that have macerate for long months in oak casks. Natural second fermentation in bottle. Beer with a taste evolution. Store and serve at cellar temperature 12-15°C/55-60°F. To enjoy completely the fruity taste of the Saint-Lamvinus, drink it better in the year after the purchase. To be drunk preferably within the 10 years after the bottling date.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.65
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.5

Intro: A 750ml bottle, bottled on 14th November 2016. Poured into a wine glass.
Appearance: It was a very nice lightly cloudy ruby red colour with a two finger pinkish head that dissipated fairly quickly to a settled thin layer with only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Lots of tart red berries, raspberry and strawberry plus grapes and lemon. Nice barrel and oak character with a hint of red wine vinegar and only light funk and barnyard-iness.
Taste: Moderate sourness, cherry, raspberry, strawberry, grape juice and oak with hints of grapefruit and funk.
Mouthfeel: Dry, light to medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: With less than a year since bottling, there was lots of really nice fruit flavours bursting out while the funk was quite light. Although this particular bottle was quite young, it also taste great with age. Can’t wait to try more of this wonderful goodness.