Tag Archives: oak barrel aged

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Grimm Artisanal Ales, USA, Wild Ale

Grimm Psychokinesis

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Brewery: Grimm Artisanal Ales
Country: USA
ABV: 5%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Dry-hopped sour ale

Brewer Description: (from website) Hazy golden wild farmhouse ale, dry hopped with Mosaic, El Dorado, and Huell Melon. Beautifully balanced acidity, glowing hop aromas redolent of guava, watermelon candy, pineapple, and ripe mango. Conditioned on oak for light tannin structure. Don’t age this beer; drink ASAP.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.92
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. bomber, bottled in January 2018, and poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden colour with a big three finger white head that had good retention and some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, passionfruit, guava, lemon sherbet, with hints of orange.
Taste: Lightly tart and sour, tangy, unripe mango, passionfruit, lemon, guava, orange and orange rind with a touch of sweetness throughout.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: I enjoyed the aroma, but taste while having lots of fruit, were not of my favourite combination.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Council Brewing Co., USA, Wild Ale

Council Broken Wand Boysenberry

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Brewery: Council Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 6.7%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: American Dark Sour Ale oak foeder aged with boysenberries. Brewery closed in December 2018

Brewer Description: (from bottle) The giant, wind up Owl, guardian of the Magic Factory and conjurer of darkness and truth, comes bearing the Broken Wand, which has turned this ominous beer into darkness. This foeder aged sour beer with scrumptious boysenberries is the result of carefully selected microbes from our Deadlock barrel program that worked their magic in this beer. This dark concoction has intense flavors and aromas of, dark berries, chocolate, vanilla, and soft oak tannins.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.31
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 375ml bottle with no clear bottled on or best before date. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy dark dark purple red colour with a two finger pink head that had decent retention, and eventually settling to a nice replenishing thin layer, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Mixed berries, jammy, blueberry, blackberry, oak.
Taste: Sour, tart, blueberry, blackberry, lightly vinous, oak, and vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: I actually don’t know what boysenberry tastes like, but I’m getting a nice mix of blueberry and blackberry. The barrel aging also imparts some nice oak and vanilla notes.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Epic Brewing Company, Stout - Imperial, USA

Epic Big Bad Baptista

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Brewery: Epic Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 11%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 2017 Rare Release. Imperial Stout with Mexican coffee, cacao nibs, vanilla & cinnamon flavor added and 100% aged in whiskey barrels. Malts – Ultra Premium Maris Otter, Briess 2-Row Brewers Malts, Muntons Crystal, Weyermann Light Munich Malt I, 2-Row Chocolate Malt, 2-Row Black Malt and Roasted Barley. Hops – Nugget, Chinook and Cascade. Spices – Cinnamon, Vanilla, Blue Copper Mexican Coffee and Solstace Cacao Nibs

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Inspired by the spicy and bold flavors of a Café de Olla we added Vanilla and Cinnamon along with Mexican Coffee beans and cacao nibs to our 100% Barrel-aged Big Bad Baptist. The result is luxurious, complex, and the perfect after-dinner companion on chilly evenings.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.13
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. bomber, release #8, bottled on 9th November 2017. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown in colour with a thin dark tanned head that had decent retention while leaving some nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Roasted malts, coffee, almond, cinnamon, oak, with hints of chocolate and whiskey.
Taste: Roasted malts, chocolate, coffee, oak, moderate sweetness, whiskey, cinnamon and very light chili spice.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, moderate to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Nice and enjoyable. A good sipper, although spice could be stronger.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., USA, Wild Ale

Firestone Walker Feral Vinifera #4

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Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 9.8%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Wild Ale fermented with grapes. Barrel ratio: 70% French Oak & 30% American Oak

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Feral Vinifera is our foray into a new and exciting adventure in the Santa Ynez Valley that expresses our collaborative effort with local grape growers and winemakers. We have carefully fermented, matured and blended this beer with our friend Andrew Murray, proprietor and winemaker at Andrew Murray Winery. The resulting cuvée and partnership of Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Viognier, and Chardonnay grape/beer fermentation bends the mind and senses. Dried apricots, guava, and vanilla mingle with Meyer lemon and roses. A funky, savory yeast bouquet lays down a firm foundation. A flinty minerality and oaky tannic depth add to body and structure that mingle with a soft-finishing acidity and fruity esters carrying assertive vinous perfume. Cheers!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.41
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle. Batch No. 004, bottled on 20th October 2017. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A brilliant clear golden colour with a one finger white head that dissipated quickly with a half replenishing thin layer, while leaving sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Vinous, white wine, grape, oak barrel, apricot and a touch of vanilla.
Taste: What you’d expect from the aroma, Light sour, vinous, white wine, grape, dried apricot, woody, oak, and a hint of vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Wow, doesn’t feel at all like a 9.8% ABV brew. So easy to drink with nice aromas followed by even better taste. The oak comes through nicely and is complemented well by the vinous and fruity grape, white wine and apricots.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes), Italian Grape Ale, Switzerland

BFM Degustator Edizione Vin Santo

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Brewery: BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes)
Country: Switzerland
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Italian Grape Ale
Other Notes: Barrel Aged IGA Italian Grape Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) (translated from French as best as I could) Intense nose, roasted note, subtle, vinous, woody and honey. Velvety and ‘friante?’ beautiful texture, nervous acidity on the palate, long finish with aromas of bread and marzipan.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.02
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 375ml bottle, 2016 vintage, bottled in February 2017, and with a notched best before date of February 2019. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour with small bits of sediment and a very thin white head that disappeared almost immediately and left no lacing.
Aroma: Lightly funky, vinous, white grape, honey, oak barrel, acetone and a touch of vinegar.
Taste: Sour, acidic, vinous, grapes, white wine, oak, vinegar and every now and then I was getting a herbal element near the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: I haven’t had much opportunity to try Italian Grape Ales, but this was quite nice. Aroma was good, but the taste and mouthfeel had a slight harshness that would have been better without. However, the more I drank it, I grew to like it, and it was definitely interesting to drink.