Tag Archives: must buy

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Fruit Beer, New Glarus Brewing Company, USA

New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red

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Brewery: New Glarus Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 4% (I think… the bottle and website don’t state this)
Style: Fruit Beer
Other Notes: Wisconsin Ale brewed with cherries

Brewer Description: (from bottle) You hold the marriage of wine and beer. Belgian Red is a tapestry of flavor. This ale is brewed with whole Montmorency Cherries, Wisconsin farmed wheat and Belgian roasted barleys, balanced by hops we aged in our brewery one full year, and then aged in oak vats. Over a pound of Door County Cherries in every bottle makes this ale uniquely “Wisconsin”. So unique, in fact, that we applied for a patent. Expect this ale to be ruby red, with a medium body that is highly carbonated and intense with cherry flavor & bouquet. Serve your friends Belgian Red in a brandy sniffer or champagne flute and toast life with ale from the land of Wisconsin.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.7
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.5

Intro: A 1 pint 9 fl. oz. bottle with no bottled on or best before date (but I think 2017 designed labels). Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A cloudy deep purple red with a big two finger beige head that had decent retention while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Tart, cherry, artificial candied cherry with hints of oak and almond.
Taste: Tart, lightly sweet, lightly sour, cherry, oak and almonds.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with low to moderate carbonation.
Overall: Wonderful as the tart and sour balanced out the sweetness leaving behind cherry and almond fruity goodness.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Fruit Beer, New Glarus Brewing Company, USA

New Glarus Serendipity

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Brewery: New Glarus Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 4% (I think… the bottle and website don’t state this)
Style: Fruit Beer
Other Notes: Wisconsin Ale brewed with apples, cranberries & cherries

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Severe drought, we shared the farmer’s horror as Wisconsin’s cherry crop failed! Dan bought what cherries he could. The apple crop fared better. Then joy! A grand Wisconsin cranberry harvest. What will Dan brew with apples, cranberries and cherries? Oh my! You hold the happy accident of Wisconsin’s favorite fruit aged in oak with an almost magical wild fermentation. Serendipity is a wondrous celebration that sparkles your senses and dances across your palate. A kaleidoscope of flavor discovered by accident in a sour ale! Cheers to the unexpected.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.53
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 1 pint 9 fl. oz. bottle with no bottled on or best before date (but I think 2017 designed labels). Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy dark reddish brown colour with a big three finger beige head that had decent retention while leaving some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Sweet, jammy, cherry, apple juice, cranberries.
Taste: Sweetarts, sweet and lightly tart, cherry, oak, apple and cranberry.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with light carbonation.
Overall: Although sweet, I think the apple/apple juice flavours balanced out that sweetness really well, and I easily preferred this over Raspberry Tart which was almost too sweet. Very drinkable goodness!

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Denmark, Mikkeller ApS, Stout - Imperial

Mikkeller Beer Geek Vanilla Shake BA Bourbon

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Brewery: Mikkeller ApS
Country: Denmark
ABV: 13%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Brewed & bottled by Mikkeller at Lervig Aktiebryggeri, Norway

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Oatmeal Stout brewed with coffee & vanilla & aged in bourbon whiskey barrels.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.57
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 11.2 fl. oz. bottle, bottled on 5th September 2016 and a best before date of 5th September 2026. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown, near black in colour with pretty much no head and no lacing.
Aroma: Vanilla, caramel, cream, chocolate, cocoa, oak and bourbon with hints of alcohol soaked raisin.
Taste: Cocoa, chocolate, caramel, fudge, vanilla, bourbon soaked raisin, oak, bourbon cream with touches of roasty coffee.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: A very nice sipper with good creamy vanilla and bourbon flavours.

5 - Excellent (must buy), American Double IPA, Beer Reviews, Omnipollo, Sweden

Omnipollo Fatamorgana

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Brewery: Omnipollo
Country: Sweden
ABV: 8%
Style: American Double IPA

Brewer Description: (from website) Drawing inspiration from the fidelity of a saison – rustic, alluringly cloudy and crisp – this imperial IPA was brewed using oats and wheat. Dry-hopped twice and completely untouched post fermentation to preserve aroma and flavor.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.53
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 5th September 2018. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: An extremely hazy mango milk orange colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving sparse lacing.
Aroma: Tropical mango and peach with a touch of pineapple to begin, followed by citrusy grapefruit rind, pine and dankness.
Taste: Bitter citrus grapefruit rind and orange peel balanced nicely with lightly sweet tropical mango, peach, apricot and hints of pineapple and pine.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Wow, this was just an excellent juicy double IPA that was so easy and enjoyable to drink.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Founders Brewing Company, Stout - Imperial, USA

Founders CBS (Canadian Breakfast Stout)

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Brewery: Founders Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 11.7%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Barrel Aged Series. 2017 release. Imperial Stout brewed with chocolate and coffee aged in maple syrup – bourbon barrels

Brewer Description: (from bottle) CBS was born when we stumbled upon some bourbon barrels that had previously housed maple syrup. We opted to put the same base beer as KBS, an imperialized version of Breakfast Stout, in the maple barrels and, after one taste, we knew we had something special. Rich maple syrup, roasted coffee and velvety chocolate meld together in what can only be described as a transcendental drinking experience.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.55
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. bottle, bottled on 27th October 2017. Poured into a snifter.
Appearance: Black in colour with a one finger fluffy brown head that had decent retention while leaving some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Sweetish milk chocolate, bourbon, vanilla and coffee bean with hints of oak, maple and caramel.
Taste: Sweet bourbon and maple upfront with roasty coffee, chocolate, vanilla and caramel. There is light booziness on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Full to medium bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: This was an excellent sipper. There was perhaps less maple than I expected, but still just enough to make an impression with the nice bourbon flavours.