Tag Archives: must buy

5 - Excellent (must buy), Australia, Beer Reviews, Belgian Dark Ale, La Sirène Brewing

La Sirène Praline

Friday, 8 January 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: La Sirène Brewing
Country: Australia
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Dark Ale
Other Notes: Contains nuts & lactose. Bottle conditioned, unfiltered and unpasteurised.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Our award winning La Sirene Praline is a very special Belgian chocolate style ale. Belgian dark malts combine with organic vanilla pods & cacao nibs to provide a delightful contrast of sweet & savoury. Smooth & velvety with a creamy body & fluffy head. This delicate, balanced dark ale is a seductive chocolate praline beer experience.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.52
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 750ml bottle with an enjoy before date of 17th December 2015 (so drank a little late, but I’m not so worried for this style). Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: It poured a clear dark brown colour with an amber hue and a fluffy but thin half finger tanned head that didn’t retain too well but left nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: A very nice sweet hazelnut and chocolate with a hint of brown sugar.
Taste: Much like that aroma, a tasty chocolate hazelnut cake.
Mouthfeel: Light to mid body with light carbonation.
Overall: This surprised me a lot. A very tasty beer that could replace dessert yet surprisingly not too sweet for me (and there are a lot of beers that I find too sweet). I would definitely buy this again.

5 - Excellent (must buy), American IPA, Ballast Point Brewing Company, Beer Reviews, USA

Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin

Thursday, 31 December 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Ballast Point Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 7%
Style: American IPA
Other Notes: 70 IBUs. India Pale Ale with natural grapefruit flavors.

Brewer Description: (from website) Our award-winning IPA, with a citrus twist. Our Grapefruit Sculpin is the latest take on our signature IPA. Some may say there are few ways to improve Sculpin’s unique flavour, but the tart freshness of grapefruit perfectly complements our IPA’s citrusy hop character. Grapefruit’s a winter fruit, but this easy-drinking ale tastes like summer.

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

Intro: A 12 fl oz bottle with a bottled code date of 15225 (I think… as it is a little bit ineligible) which means 13th August 2015, and poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass.
Appearance: It poured a clear golden and slightly orange colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly but left nice lacing.
Aroma: Wow… a wonderful fresh pink grapefruit aroma coupled with some light tropical fruit.
Taste: Strong grapefruit bitterness with hints of citrus lemon and light sweet bready caramel malts in the background.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with medium but prickly carbonation.
Overall: Much like the original Sculpin, this grapefruit version was also really good. The aromas were especially good, like fresh grapefruit. Taste was nice as well, but could be slightly improved with more fruitiness. Having said that, although Grapefruit Sculpin falls under my must buy list, I do prefer the original Sculpin just a tad bit more.

5 - Excellent (must buy), American Double IPA, Beer Reviews, USA, Victory Brewing Company

Victory DirtWolf Double IPA

Wednesday, 30 December 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Victory Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 8.7%
Style: American Double IPA
Other Notes: Malts – Imported two-row malts. Hops – Whole flower Citra, Chinook, Simcoe and Mosaic.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Darkly heroic, Humulus Lupulus (hops) have empowered brews with bite and character since the 11th century. DirtWolf is a tribute to these untamed vines which rise from the earth with voracity of a ‘wolf among sheep.’ Hops have made an assertive comeback in American craft brewing. Revel in the best US varieties of hops, in their natural, whole flower form, as they bring a vital, pungent reality to the soul of a wild element in our dangerously satisfying DirtWolf. Cheers.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.49
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 12 fl oz bottle with an enjoy by date of 26th January 2016, poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass.
Appearance: It poured a slightly hazy golden straw colour with a one finger white head that dissipated quickly leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Very nice tropical and citrus aromas with mango, pineapple and grapefruit taking centre stage. Some light pine and citrus peel in the background.
Taste: Grapefruit, orange and pine but the lasting taste is a sweet candy orange with some light bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with mid to high carbonation.
Overall: A very nice Double IPA that I would love to be able to try super fresh. I would definitely buy this one again.

5 - Excellent (must buy), American Pale Ale, Beer Reviews, Toppling Goliath Brewing Company, USA

Toppling Goliath pseudoSue

Wednesday, 21 October 2015 kitch Leave a comment

My 100th beer review, and I’ve saved a great beer to celebrate this.

Brewery: Toppling Goliath Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 5.8%
Style: American Pale Ale
Other Notes: 50 IBUs. Brewed by Toppling Goliath Brewing Co., Decorah, IA under special agreement with Brew Hub, Lakeland, FL.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This single hop pale ale showcases the Citra hop for a well balanced beer that is delicate in body with a mild bitterness in the finish. Ferocious aromas of citrus and mango give way to pseudoSue’s unique and refreshing taste that is clean and bright with just enough bite!

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

Intro: A 12 fl oz bottle bottled on 15th June 2015 and poured into a Duvel tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a slightly hazy golden orange colour with a one finger white head that fades fairly quickly to a thin foamy layer but leaves lots of nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: A nice mix of citrus and tropical fruits with orange, lemon, grapefruit, passionfruit and mango. There are hints of pine here and there.
Taste: Starts off tropical with mango and passionfruit leading the way in addition to hints of peach and apricot along the way. The finish is a nice lightly bitter grapefruit and orange pith. The balance between sweet and bitter here is perfect.
Mouthfeel: Dry, crisp, light to medium bodied with mid to high carbonation.
Overall: I loved it. Lived up to its hype and is in my opinion better than Zombie Dust. I really need to find more of this must buy beer.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Belgium, Brouwerij Het Anker

Het Anker Gouden Carolus Cuvée Van De Keizer Blauw (Blue)

Sunday, 13 September 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij Het Anker
Country: Belgium
ABV: 11%
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Other Notes: Exclusively Belgian hops.

Brewer Description: (from website) Every year on the 24th of February, we celebrate the birth of Charles Quint. Therefore we brew a special beer in limited edition called Cuvée van de Keizer (‘Grand Cru of the Emperor’).

This exceptional beer is a special version of the Gouden Carolus Classic, with an enriched taste pallet and mysterious aromas added. The caramelised malts and its 11% Alc. Vol. give the Cuvée van de Keizer the warm roundness of wine together with the refreshing taste of beer.

It is imperially crowned with a cork so it can be preserved for a long period of time at a constant cellar temperature of 12° C (54°F). An imperial beer to cherish and enjoy in moderation.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.56
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.5

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle. 2014 vintage with a best before date of 29th April 2024. Poured into a Chimay goblet.
Appearance: The beer poured a dark brown colour with a slightly less than one finger tan head which quickly settles to a nice thin creamy layer leaving spotty lacing.
Aroma: Strong aromas of caramel and toffee, also lots of dark fruits, plum, raisin, prunes, dates, fig with hints of butter.
Taste: On the sweet side with dark fruits dominating especially plum, raisin, fig and prunes. Caramel and toffee are in the background and hints of banana and bubblegum sweetness at the finish.
Mouthfeel: Smooth and creamy, light warmness, medium bodied, light carbonation.
Overall: A very good beer that is a must buy for me. Even at 11%, you don’t taste the alcohol. Great for a late night sipper. I’m going to age a few bottles and see what happens!

words of another dreamy traveller