Tag Archives: ba

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., German Berliner Weisse, USA

Firestone Walker Bretta Tangerine

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Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 6.2%
Style: German Berliner Weisse
Other Notes: Berliner Weisse style fermented with tangerines. Barrel ratio: 100% French Oak

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Our region is blessed with an abundance and variety of fresh fruit. South of Barrelworks in the hills surrounding the hamlet of Ojai, there are groves of citrus-oranges, lemons, grapefruit and tangerines. We’ve been lucky to work with the Ojai native Friend’s Ranches who specialize in tangerines. Friend’s offered the W. Murcott tangerine which we zested for aroma, juiced for flavor, and then fermented with our base beer of Bretta Weisse to create a metamorphosis. Brought to life was Bretta Tangerine! A bountiful bouquet of citrus mingles with pronounced herbal notes, leading to funky, yeasty, citrus flavors. Soft cereal and oak aromas are enveloped by a firm acidity and tartness and punctuated by zesty tangerine. The finish is dry and crisp; a thoroughly enjoyable beverage. Santé!

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.88
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle. Batch No. 001, bottled on 1st May 2018. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden orange colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly to a thin replenishing layer, while leaving only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Funky, orange juice, mandarin, unripe mango, unripe apricot, and a touch of oak.
Taste: Light sourness, tangerine, mandarin, orange candy, oak, with a light funkiness.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Not up to the standard of Bretta Rose, but still nice and easy drinking with good citrus, funk and barrel notes. Carbonation could be higher for a Berliner Weisse, but the lack of, doesn’t take too much away from it.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes), Italian Grape Ale, Switzerland

BFM Degustator Edizione Vin Santo

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Brewery: BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes)
Country: Switzerland
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Italian Grape Ale
Other Notes: Barrel Aged IGA Italian Grape Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) (translated from French as best as I could) Intense nose, roasted note, subtle, vinous, woody and honey. Velvety and ‘friante?’ beautiful texture, nervous acidity on the palate, long finish with aromas of bread and marzipan.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.02
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 375ml bottle, 2016 vintage, bottled in February 2017, and with a notched best before date of February 2019. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour with small bits of sediment and a very thin white head that disappeared almost immediately and left no lacing.
Aroma: Lightly funky, vinous, white grape, honey, oak barrel, acetone and a touch of vinegar.
Taste: Sour, acidic, vinous, grapes, white wine, oak, vinegar and every now and then I was getting a herbal element near the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: I haven’t had much opportunity to try Italian Grape Ales, but this was quite nice. Aroma was good, but the taste and mouthfeel had a slight harshness that would have been better without. However, the more I drank it, I grew to like it, and it was definitely interesting to drink.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Prairie Artisan Ales, Stout - Imperial, USA

Prairie Bourbon Paradise

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Brewery: Prairie Artisan Ales
Country: USA
ABV: 15.9%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Brewed and bottled by Krebs Brewing Co., Krebs, Oklahoma

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout aged with coconut and vanilla.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.67
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.6

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. bottle with a Julian bottled on date of, I want to say, 32517, but it’s not so clear. Meaning that it was bottled on 21st November 2017. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a thin mocha brown head that dissipated quickly to a ring around the glass while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Roasted malts, milk chocolate, vanilla, caramel, toasted coconut, bourbon and oak.
Taste: Rich creamy milk chocolate, bourbon sweetness, oak, vanilla, caramel and light toasted coconut.
Mouthfeel: Velvety smooth, rich, full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Wow, almost 16% ABV but it still drinks so smooth. The bourbon sweetness comes through strongly along with the booziness that follows, but it’s well balanced with the rich chocolate flavours and compliments the vanilla and coconut. An excellent sipper.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Prairie Artisan Ales x Evil Twin Brewing, Stout - Imperial, USA

Prairie x Evil Twin Barrel Aged Bible Belt

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Brewery: Prairie Artisan Ales x Evil Twin Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 13%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Brewed and bottled by Krebs Brewing Co., Krebs, Oklahoma

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Imperial Stout brewed with spices and aged in whiskey barrels.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.58
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.5

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. bottle with a Julian bottled on date of 36416 (I think, as it was slightly unclear), meaning that it was bottled on 29th December 2016. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with pretty much no head and no lacing.
Aroma: Vanilla, whisky, oak, chocolate, cocoa, caramel, roasted coffee and light spices.
Taste: Lightly sweet, whisky, oak, vanilla, caramel, roasted malts, chocolate, roasty coffee, light bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, smooth, velvety, full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: Excellent, just so smooth to drink with wonderful notes of whisky and oak shining through. You don’t feel the 13% ABV at all, as you sip it.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Prairie Artisan Ales, Stout - Imperial, USA

Prairie Vanilla Noir

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Brewery: Prairie Artisan Ales
Country: USA
ABV: 11%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Brewed and bottled by Krebs Brewing Co., Krebs, Oklahoma

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Imperial Stout aged in oak whiskey barrels with vanilla beans.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.3
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. bottle with a Julian bottled on date of 32117, meaning that it was bottled on 17th November 2017. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a thin mocha brown head that dissipated quickly to a ring around the glass while leaving some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Chocolate fudge, vanilla, marshmallow, whisky, brown sugar and caramel.
Taste: Chocolate, whisky, quite boozy (but not in a bad way), vanilla, marshmallow and caramel.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: A nice enjoyable sipper. Vanilla while there, seemed lighter than expected given the name, but not a big problem.