Tag Archives: beer

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, USA, Victory Brewing Company, Wild Ale

Victory Sour Monkey

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Brewery: Victory Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 9.5%
Style: American Wild Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This electrifying transformation of our famed Golden Monkey may just blow your mind. Tastefully twisted to offer nuances of sweet fruit and a sharp tang of tartness, this exhilarating combination of flavors makes this brew a Monkey all its own. Respect the Monkey and taste Victory!

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.74
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5

Intro: A 1 pint 9.4 fl. oz. corked and caged bottle, bottled on 1st July 2015… wow, pulled from the cellar just over 3 years old. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy light copper colour with a less than half finger white head that disappeared almost immediately while leaving behind some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Tart, grape, prunes, plum, apple and lemon with maybe some light funk.
Taste: Sour, tart, grape, prunes, lemon and apple cider.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Not bad, but there didn’t seem to be much complexity to it. Not getting much funk or wood. It was just straight sour and fruit. I was very surprised that it was 9.5% ABV though, as it did not feel anywhere near that at all.

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.

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

8 Wired Snake Charmer

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Brewery: 8 Wired Brewing Co.
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 7.7%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Barrel aged Sour Ale with blackcurrants. 2017 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A sour ale brewed the traditional way. Aged in Pinot Noir barrels for two years with Blackcurrants and a bunch of microbes, creating a complex melange of funk, fruit and tartness.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.11
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 500ml bottle, 2017 vintage, with a best before date of 19th February 2026. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear reddish orange colour with an almost three finger slightly off white head that dissipated fairly quickly and left only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, blackcurrant, Ribena, oak, vanilla and funk.
Taste: Pretty much exactly what you get in the aroma, sour and tart, blackcurrant, Ribena, mixed berries, oak, vanilla and funk.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with spritzy moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Great fruit flavours with strong barrel character. Just really good to drink.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Bellwoods Brewery, Canada, Wild Ale

Bellwoods Jelly King Guava Mango Passionfruit

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Brewery: Bellwoods Brewery
Country: Canada
ABV: 5.6%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Dry-Hopped Sour w/ Guava, Mango & Passionfruit

Brewer Description: (from website) He is a ruler, an overlord, a top dog, a crowned head. In the richly varied domain of prokaryotic microorganisms, Jelly King reigns supreme. Rather than choosing between sour or hoppy, we decided to create a beer that would be both at the same time. Showcasing the aromatic benefits of a generous dry hop (Citra, Amarillo, and Cascade), harnessing the pleasing acidity of lactic acid producing bacteria (we use a 5-strain house blend), and coming to a bottle near you without a pesky 2 year slumber in oak, Jelly King is the fermented embodiment of having your cake and eating it too. This limited edition version includes a large dose of three tropical fruits that we hold near and dear to our hearts – adding explosive aromas and flavours of tropical fruit and a deep hazy orange hue.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.32
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 500ml bottle with no bottled on or best before date. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour with a two finger white head that dissipated quickly and left pretty much no lacing.
Aroma: Jello fruits, tart, guava, passionfruit, mango with light grapefruit zest and ginger.
Taste: Sour, tart and juicy. Guava, passionfruit, grass, light grapefruit zest and citrus peel.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Another great Jelly King variant from Bellwoods. I’m loving this dry hopping and addition of fruits to the base Jelly King. Just so refreshing.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgian Witbier, The Bruery (Bruery Terreux), USA

Bruery Terreux Orchard Wit

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Brewery: The Bruery (Bruery Terreux)
Country: USA
ABV: 5.7%
Style: Belgian Witbier

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Tart Wheat Beer. Brewed with spices and aged in an oak foeder. Refreshing – crisp – witty.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.91
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 375ml bottle, bottle on 19th December 2017. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden colour with a two finger white head that dissipated quickly and left pretty much no lacing.
Aroma: Tart, sour, stone fruits, peach, apricot, grass, wheat, oak and funk.
Taste: Sour and tart, light stone fruit, citrus, lemon, orange, coriander, wheat and funk.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: An interesting twist on the classic Witbier with tart and sourness coming through prominently, while still keeping it nicely balanced.