Tag Archives: ba

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Denmark, Lambic - Fruit, Mikkeller ApS

Mikkeller Spontanredgrape

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Brewery: Mikkeller ApS
Country: Denmark
ABV: 7.7%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)
Other Notes: Brewed by Mikkeller at De Proef Brouwerij, Belgium

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Sour ale brewed with red grapes & aged on oak barrels.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.34
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.2

Intro: A 375ml bottle with a best before date of 4th July 2024. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy copper amber colour with a one finger light tanned head that dissipated quickly but left behind some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Funk, tart, vinous, grape, green apple, vinegar and a touch of oak.
Taste: Sour, tart, funk, oak, vinegar and lemon with light apple skin, light grape, and light red sour berries.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: The Spontan base comes through strongly but the fruit element, in this case red grape, was rather muted in comparison.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Hong Kong, Wild Ale, Young Master Brewery

Young Master Days Of Being Wild – Blueberry

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Brewery: Young Master Brewery
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 6.5%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Single foeder sour ale series – blueberry edition

Brewer Description: (from July 9th 2018, YM facebook post) The latest iteration of our Days of Being Wild Series, the blueberry edition is fermented in white wine barrels with dried and fresh blueberries. Bursting with fresh berry flavor, it has a silky body, refreshing tartness. Its cocktail of wild yeast strains gives it complex fruitiness with hints of spice and light funk. It pours deep purple with a mousse-like head and is the perfect beer for a summer afternoon.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.63
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 750ml bottle, 2018 release, bottle 198 of 215. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A deep purple reddish colour with a big three finger pinkish head that dissipated fairly quickly and left only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, blueberry, strong oak character, strong vanilla, light funk, grape skin and a touch of lemon.
Taste: Tart, lightly sour, grape, white wine, oak, light vanilla, blueberry, funk, grass, and lemon.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Maybe my expectations were too high given what I thought were good earlier variations. The blueberry is there, but I think it was overpowered by the strong oak character and vanilla, which just covered everything. I have another bottle, so I’m hoping that age will do it some wonders. We shall see.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, The Ale Apothecary, USA, Wild Ale

The Ale Apothecary La Tache – Fresh Hop

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Brewery: The Ale Apothecary
Country: USA
ABV: 7.09%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Fresh Hop version. Mixed fermentation ale aged in wine barrels

Brewer Description: (from tag on bottle) the beer formerly known as La Tache. (* wild & open fermented in the woods of OR. * Mecca Grade Estate Malt + wheat + Goshie Farms hops. * barrel-aged over a year & dry-hopped in oak. * OR honey + sour wort + our yeast = 100% natural carbonation from bottle fermentation.)

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.13
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 750ml bottle, batch bottled on 20th November 2017. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden colour with a two finger white head that had pretty good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, citrusy, lemon zest, orange rind, grass, funk, with hints of peach in the background.
Taste: Sour, tart, sour, yup I said it twice. Lemon juice and lemon with a hint of oak.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Refreshingly sour, and I could imagine it being way too sour for some, but I like it. This fresh hop version seems to have lost some of the tropical peach, apricot and grape flavours I was getting in the original La Tache. The result is pure citrusy lemon which I found to be very refreshing, especially on hot days.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, The Ale Apothecary, USA, Wild Ale

The Ale Apothecary OJ Dan

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Brewery: The Ale Apothecary
Country: USA
ABV: 7.62%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Mixed fermentation ale aged in wine barrels

Brewer Description: (from tag and label on bottle) OJ Dan (this experiment got a little juicy). OJ Dan the OG becomes the OJ. (* named in honor of our brewer Jareds’ Pa, 592 bottles produced. * Sauvie Island Hops + Mecca Grade malt + fresh orange juice. * aged in 2nd use Bulleit rye barrels and finished in an oak puncheon. * OR honey + sour wort + our yeast = 100% natural carbonation from bottle fermentation.)

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.86
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 750ml bottle, batch bottled on 21st September 2017. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: First pour was a very lightly hazy golden colour (but subsequent pours were a much more cloudy golden orange colour), with a big four finger white head that had pretty good retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, orange juice, citrus zest, tropical stone fruit like mango and peach with a touch of oak and funk.
Taste: Orange juice and citrus zest with a touch of rye whiskey, oak and funk.
Mouthfeel: Acidic, medium bodied with high carbonation.
Overall: The aroma was really nice, but taste while not bad, was a bit one dimensional, with orange juice and a splash of rye whiskey. The strong acidity and high carbonation does not make it easy to discern other flavours. I still think it’s worth a try though. I have to say though, that the more and more I drink it, the more it’s growing on me.

4 - Good (buy), 8 Wired Brewing Co., Beer Reviews, Lambic - Fruit, New Zealand

8 Wired Once Upon A Time In Blenheim

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Brewery: 8 Wired Brewing Co.
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 8.5%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)
Other Notes: Barrel aged for 3 years. Ale brewed with wild Sauvignon Blanc grape juice. 100% spontaneously fermented lambic style. 2014 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This is the last barrel aged beer we brewed in Blenheim, before uprooting and setting up a new brewery in the North. A 100% spontaneous fermented and barrel aged lambic inspired beer, co-fermented with the equally spontaneous fermented Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc juice from our fine friends at Cirro Wines.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.94
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 500ml bottle, 2014 vintage, with a best before date of 24th November 2025. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A very nice clear golden colour with a two finger white head that dissipated quickly and left behind no lacing.
Aroma: Funky, barnyard, oak, vanilla, white grape and a touch of lemon juice.
Taste: Tart and sour, white grape, vinous, lemon, green apple, oak, funk and light vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Maybe the oak and vanilla flavours were a little strong and overpowering, but I think it was saved a bit by the Sauvignon Blanc flavours which came through nicely.