Brewery: Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project Country: USA ABV: 6.2% Style: Saison Other Notes: Aged in oak barrels.
Brewer Description: (from bottle) Surette is a provision Saison with a tart and vinous character from extended barrel aging.
My rating: 5 My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.53 My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4
Intro: A 375ml bottle from 2014/batch 15 poured into a Duvel tulip glass. Appearance: Poured a slightly hazy golden orange colour with a thin head that dissipates quickly but leaves nice lacing. Aroma: Strong barnyard funk, slight tropical fruit pineapple, maybe mango and slight citrus tangy tangerine. Taste: Excellent tart and sour tastes. Light lemon citrus along with some even lighter tropical mango and yeasty notes to balance. Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, low to medium carbonation. Overall: This was excellent, a definite must buy for me. Loved the upfront tart and sourness in the beer. Up to par with its Belgian counterparts for this style in my opinion, but probably harder to find in Hong Kong. I want more!
Brewery: Omnipollo x Buxton Brewery collaboration Country: Sweden ABV: 4.6% Style: German Berliner Weisse Other Notes: Brewed by Omnipollo and Buxton Brewery at Buxton Brewery in the UK (England).
Brewer Description:
(from Omnipollo website) Sour wheat beer brewed with juice and zest from three varieties of grapefruit and key lime. Brewed in collaboration with Buxton Brewery in the UK.
(from Buxton website) A sour wheat beer brewed with juice and zest of pink grapefruit and lime. Collaboration with Omnipollo.
My rating: 5 My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.52 My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3
Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 18th July 2015 and poured into a Duvel tulip glass. Appearance: The beer poured a hazy straw golden colour with a very small white head that dissipates quickly. Aroma: Starts with sour lime and raspberries with hints of grapefruit and a strong peach finish. Taste: Strong sour notes, mainly of tart lime and lemon but also some grapefruit. Followed by tropical fruit flavours of mango and peaches. Mouthfeel: Light bodied, strong carbonation, dry, crisp. Overall: This exceeded my expectations by far and I wish I could buy this again. But as a limited brew and seemingly out of stock in Hong Kong, I fear I may not find this again.
Brewery: S.A. Bières de Chimay Country: Belgium ABV: 7% Style: Dubbel Other Notes: Trappist beer. Ale is brewed at Scourmont Abbey
Brewer Description: (from bottle) The <> logo certifies that this ale is brewed in a Trappist Abbey and that the majority of sales income is intended for social aid. Chimay Red will win you over with its fruity taste accompanied by a slight bitterness.
My rating: 5 My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.64 My ratebeer.com rating: 4.5
Intro: This was a 330ml bottle that was dated best before end of 2018 and poured into a Chimay goblet. Appearance: It pours a very hazy brown colour with a very nice thick cream coloured two finger head that dissipates very slowly but when it does, leaves a nice curtain lacing. Aroma: Aromas are fruity, mainly of dark fruits like plum, cherry, and fig. There is also some pear, apple and candied sugar and a hint of nuttiness. Taste: Fruity cherry and plum upfront with hints of banana and pear. There’s also some light malt caramel and bready sweetness followed by a nice light bitter finish. Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Smooth creamy and slightly sticky. Overall: Admittedly, I used to think that this was just ok but I’ve grown to enjoy this beer the more I drink it. When I first tried it maybe ten years ago, Chimay Blue was far and away better and so I mostly bought that. However, clearly my taste changed and the last few years Chimay Red became one of my staple beers.
Brewery: Founders Brewing Company Country: USA ABV: 8.3% Style: American Imperial Stout Other Notes: Double chocolate coffee oatmeal stout. 60 IBUs. Seasonal availability from October to December.
Brewer Description: (from website) The coffee lover’s consummate beer. Brewed with an abundance of flaked oats, bitter and imported chocolates, and two types of coffee, this stout has an intense fresh-roasted java nose topped with a frothy, cinnamon-colored head that goes forever.
My rating: 5 My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.75 My ratebeer.com rating: 4.6
Intro: A 355ml bottle with a best by date of 7th August 2015 and poured into a snifter glass. Appearance: It poured a deep dark brown to black colour with a very thin caramel head that disappears quickly. There is also some light spotty lacing. Aroma: Strong roast coffee aromas with bittersweet chocolate along with a little root beer, toffee and caramel. Taste: Amazing taste. First thought was that it tasted like biting into freshly roasted coffee beans… so good! It was then followed by bittersweet chocolate and hints of bitter hops. Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, silky smooth with light carbonation. Overall: This was really good and over the last few years my favourite non BA coffee based stout. Each year I buy at least a case of this just for myself to enjoy over the winter and over the course of the year until the next yearly batch is brewed. A must buy for me.
Brewery: Three Floyds Brewing Co. Country: USA ABV: 6.2% Style: American Pale Ale Other Notes: 50 IBUs
Brewer Description: (from bottle) This intensely hopped and gushing undead pale ale will be ones only respite after the zombie apocalypse. Created with our marvellous friends in the comic industry. Art by Tim Seeley.
My rating: 5 My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.77 My ratebeer.com rating: 4.6
Intro: A friend brought back a six-pack to Hong Kong for me while this was still super fresh in February. Obviously there are times where I just like to sit back and enjoy a beer instead of always reviewing and as it is, two and a half months on, I’m down to my last bottle and so here’s the review. This 12oz bottle was bottled on 13 February 2015 and poured into a pint glass. Appearance: The beer poured a slightly hazy golden orange colour with a nice one and a half finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly leaving nice stringy lacing. Aroma: Intense aromas of tropical fruits especially pineapple and mango hit first, followed by some citrus grapefruit and a hint of bready malts finally ending with some hoppy pine. Taste: Much like the smell, there was tropical pineapple, citrus grapefruit, some bready buscuity malts and a very nice bitter finish. Mouthfeel: Very crisp, light and with medium carbonation. Overall: I had high expectations before trying it and it lived up to those expectations. It was a very easy APA to drink and this is a must buy if available for me. It was best when it was freshest. Now lets see about 3 Floyds distribution to Hong Kong… hmm, I guess distribution = friends!
words of another dreamy traveller 