Tag Archives: must buy

5 - Excellent (must buy), American IPA, Beer Reviews, Stigbergets Bryggeri, Sweden

Stigbergets GBG Beer Week 2016

Tuesday, 28 February 2017 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Stigbergets Bryggeri
Country: Sweden
ABV: 6.5%
Style: American IPA

Brewer Description: (from bottle) GBG Beer Week, 17-25 mars 2017.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.88
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.7

Intro: A 330ml bottle, batch 573, with a best before date of 30th June 2017. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden straw yellow colour with a two finger white head that had pretty good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet tropical and citrus fruits. So juicy, full of mango, apricot, pineapple, grapefruit rind, lemon peel and a touch of pine.
Taste: Sweet and juicy fruits to begin. Passion fruit, pineapple and grapefruit zest with hints of orange and mango. Light to moderate lasting hop bitterness on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Wow, this was the best IPA I’ve had in the last few months. Extremely juicy and extremely drinkable. I could easily crush a few bottles of this. I’ve heard that this is close to the last batch that they will produce, which if true, is definitely a disappointment. This IPA is a must buy and try in my book if you can still find it.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen, Lambic - Fruit

3 Fonteinen Hommage

Monday, 2 January 2017 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)
Other Notes: Batch #3. 30% Pajottenland raspberries and 5% sour cherries

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A blend of lambic beers brewed at 3 Fonteinen, with an addition of 30% whole fresh raspberries from the fabled Pajottenland and 5% sour cherries. This unfiltered beer will enjoy a spontaneous refermentation in the bottle. No artificial colors or flavor enhancers are added. Lambic is brewed only from 60% barley malt, 40% unmalted wheat, hops and water.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.62
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.5

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, bottled on 30th June 2015, and best before 30th June 2025. Poured into a Cantillon ballon glass.
Appearance: A hazy deep ruby red colour with a thin pinkish head that faded fairly quickly and left only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Strong cherry tartness with jammy fruit sweetness and oak. There are hints of raspberries, lemon zest and light funk.
Taste: Sour, tart, cherry, raspberry, oak, lemon zest and vinegar with a touch of funkiness.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: This was just great. Surprisingly the cherry was much more prominent than the raspberries and the funkiness was less than expected but, this was still extremely drinkable, tasty and enjoyable. On my must buy list.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Belgian Tripel, Belgium, Brouwerij Bosteels

Tripel Karmeliet

Thursday, 22 December 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij Bosteels
Country: Belgium
ABV: 8.4%
Style: Belgian Tripel

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Blond, robust, smooth and fruity 3 grain beer, with final fermentation in the bottle. Brewed with pride and patience after Carmelite tradition with wheat, oat and barley. 100% natural beer.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.63
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.6

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 12th March 2017. Poured into a Chimay goblet.
Appearance: A wonderful clear golden colour with a two finger foamy white head that had pretty good retention, nice curtain lacing that eventually settles to a thin foamy cap.
Aroma: Wheaty, banana, clove and peach with light citrus and vanilla.
Taste: Zesty lemon sweetness, sour peach gummy candy, yeast, lightly bready and spicy with a hint of honey, banana and clove.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation with some obvious booziness every now and then.
Overall: Wow, this has to easily be one of my favourite Tripels and I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to try it. It would be almost perfect if the booziness was toned down a bit. Having said that, it’s still a great beer and easily a must buy beer for me.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Sante Adairius Rustic Ales, USA, Wild Ale

Sante Adairius West Ashley

Saturday, 10 September 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Sante Adairius Rustic Ales
Country: USA
ABV: 7.3%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Saison aged in French Oak Pinot Noir barrels with apricots

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Orange, lactic, and bursting with apricot aroma, West Ashley is built for consideration and conversation. While Ashley starts as a simple Saison, careful aging in French Oak Pinot Noir barrels with apricots, our house microbes, and warm encouragement transform her into a tart, complex and delectable beer. To enjoy all that she offers, we encourage you to rouse the residual yeast, bacteria, and fruit into solution before serving West Ashley in your favorite stemmed glassware. Sante!

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.6
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.5

Intro: A 750ml bottle at Himmergiet with no discernible bottled on date on the bottle although the menu states that it was 2016. Poured into a mini wine glass.
Appearance: It poured a hazy golden straw colour with a minimal white head and sparse lacing.
Aroma: An initial whiff of something that reminded me of tuna salad followed by tart, apricot, berries, funk, grass and hay.
Taste: Sour, tart, apricot, raspberry and cranberry.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: My first SARA beer and it was a very enjoyable and refreshing sour. Now I really want to get my hands on more West Ashley and other SARA beers if possible. Just not so easy for me…

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

Cantillon Blåbær Lambik

Thursday, 8 September 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Brasserie Cantillon
Country: Belgium
ABV: 5%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Fruit)
Other Notes: 400 litre barrel with 100kg of bilberries added

Brewer Description: (from 2015 bottle) 10 years ago, shortly before we opened Ølbutikken in Copenhagen, Denmark we approached our friends at Cantillon and asked them if they would make a special beer for our little store. 50 bottles came out of that first batch. 10 years later we make the same beer once a year and this is the 10th Anniversary vintage. We are happy about our continued friendship with Jean and his family and are excited about every years new batch! Enjoy! Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.72
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.6

Intro: A 375ml bottle at Himmergiet of the 2015 Vintage. Poured into a mini wine glass.
Appearance: It poured a slightly hazy ruby red dark purple colour with a one finger pinkish purple head that had good retention and sparse lacing.
Aroma: Blueberry, tart, funk, some acidity and lemon.
Taste: Blueberry, sour, tart and light funk.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Wow, this was just special. One of the best Cantillon offerings I’ve tried along with the Lou Pepe Framboise. It’s just too bad I missed the 2016 release in Copenhagen by two days as I would have loved to open another bottle.

words of another dreamy traveller