Tag Archives: taanilinn cognac ba

2016 My Ten Most Memorable Beers

Obviously this post is a bit late… So, 2016 came and went, I mean its already mid-January 2017! Over 2016, I managed to try many many great beers, especially with a long trip to Europe over the summer which included Belgium and Denmark. This list of most memorable beers is not a list of beers that I rated most highly throughout this time, but simply, just as it says, most memorable to me. It includes all the beers that I’ve tried, including at tastings (usually at least 100ml), beer festivals or whatnot, and it does not matter whether I have reviewed them here or not. There is also no limit per brewery or per style, and is just listed in alphabetical order.

  • 3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze Cuvée Armand & Gaston | Belgium | Lambic (Gueuze)
  • 3 Fonteinen Oude Kriek van Schaerbeekse Krieken | Belgium | Lambic (Fruit)
  • Cantillon Carignan | Belgium | Lambic (Fruit)
  • Cantillon Lou Pepe Framboise | Belgium | Lambic (Fruit)
  • De Molen Hel & Verdoemenis Port Charlotte (peated) BA | Netherlands | Imperial Stout
  • Hill Farmstead Arthur | USA | Saison
  • Mikkeller Spontantripleblueberry | Denmark | Lambic (Fruit)
  • Põhjala x To Øl Cellar Series Taanilinn Cognac BA | Estonia | Imperial Stout
  • Sante Adairius West Ashley | USA | Wild Ale
  • Tilquin Oude (Gueuze Tilquin)² À l’ancienne | Belgium | Lambic (Gueuze)

Interestingly, despite the IPA and Imperial IPA likely easily being my two most drank styles over the year (including a special fresh IPA tasting in Hong Kong that included a whole bunch of Treehouse, Trillium, Alchemist and Monkish beers), none of them made this list that is dominated by eight sour beers and two Imperial Stouts.

I have reviewed all the beers on this list except Hill Farmstead Arthur, which I had at our 2016 Hill Farmstead Christmas party tasting (post to come – ‘I think…’) at Club Qing. But at a tasting that also included Anna, Convivial Suaréz (Grassroots), Dorothy, Earl, Edith, Everett, Fear and Trembling, Florence, Genealogy, and Twilight of the Idols; Arthur ended up being my favourite. Brief TN – sour, tart, funk, lemon, straw and peach.

Anyway, feel free comment on what was your most memorable beers of 2016, and carry on drinking! You can always check out what I am drinking in 2017 on this blog, Beer Advocate, Rate Beer, Untapped and Instagram. Cheers!

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Põhjala x To Øl Cellar Series Taanilinn Cognac BA

Brewery: Põhjala x To Øl
Country: Estonia
ABV: 14%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Cognac barrel aged spiced Imperial Stout. 70 IBUs. Malts – Pilsner, Oats, Cara 150, Melanoid, Chocolate, Cara Amber, Special B, Chocolate Rye and Demerara Sugar. Hops – Magnum and Goldings. Other – cinnamon, aniseed and orange zest.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Põhjala and To Øl created this beer together to honour the old Danish heritage of Tallinn. Deep complex oatmeal stout aged for months on cognac barrels. Spiced with all the best from the liquors of Estonia.

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

Intro: A 330ml waxed bottle with a best before date of 4th November 2018, poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: It poured a pitch black colour with a thin beige head that dissipated quickly but left nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Caramel, toffee, chocolate, vanilla, cognac, wood with a hint of dark fruit, plum and cherries.
Taste: Sweet. Its so sweet, but so good. Brown sugar, cherry, vanilla, oak and cognac with hints of bittersweet chocolate and espresso coffee.
Mouthfeel: Very smooth, mid to full bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: I usually do not enjoy sweet beers, but there are a few exceptions and this is definitely one of them. It starts very sweet, but the combination of oakiness and cognac helps to balance out this sweetness and keep it in check. It’s also surprisingly not full bodied. It’s almost there, but lacks just that little bit that you usually expect from a 14% ABV Imperial Stout. But, despite all that, in my opinion, this is right up there with the best Imperial Stouts, and is easily a must buy beer for me.

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