Tag Archives: usa

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Bad Martha Brewing Company, Beer Reviews, English Extra Special Bitter, USA

Bad Martha Martha’s Vineyard Ale

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Brewery: Bad Martha Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 5.3%
Style: Extra Special Bitter (ESB)
Other Notes: Uses grape leaves from Martha’s Vineyard. Brewed and bottled for Bad Martha Brewing Company by Mercury Brewing Company

Brewer Description: (from neck of bottle) Get seduced by our flagship ale. The finest English malts, New England hops and grape leaves from Martha’s Vineyard give this Extra Special Bitter a devilish honey hue and smooth caramel flavor.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.41
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.4

Intro: Another beer brought back to Hong Kong for me as part of a filler for a six pack. Bottled on 2 October 2014. 12oz bottle poured into a pint glass.
Appearance: It poured a hazy dark amber colour with an extremely light head that disappears fast leaving small spotty lacing.
Aroma: Apple and grape tea followed by caramel malts.
Taste: Sweet-ish but not too sweet, grape, plum, light caramel.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with nice carbonation.
Overall: It was interesting and I have to admit better than expected. The reason being that the bottle itself looked rather dull. If I was picking, it would not be a beer I would pick off the shelf. Having said that, I enjoyed the carbonation and the fact that it wasn’t too sweet.

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2 - Maybe (likely wouldn't buy, might drink), American Amber / Red Ale, Beer Reviews, Big Muddy Brewing, USA

Big Muddy Saluki Dunkeldog

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Brewery: Big Muddy Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 5.4%
Style: Amber Ale

Brewer Description: (from Big Muddy website) This is what happens when an American Amber meets a German Dunkel. Aromatic and Munich malts yield a slight sweetness balanced with a hint of chocolate roast. The result is a very approachable beer with a smooth distinctive taste.

My rating: 2
My beeradvocate.com rating: 2.84
My ratebeer.com rating: 2.9

Intro: A friend handpicked this beer as one of three fillers for a six pack to bring back to me in Hong Kong. Poured the 12oz bottle into a pint glass.
Appearance: It poured a clear dark rusty amber colour with a one finger head that dissipates quickly and no lacing.
Aroma: Smells of malt, maybe plum and apple, but a hint of metallic at the end ruined it.
Taste: A bit light and thin. It was like watered down plum juice with an unfortunate light metallic aftertaste.
Mouthfeel: Light, goes down easy, medium carbonation.
Overall: It’s not bad and it feels great in my mouth, but the flavours could be more pronounced and the beer would improve plenty without the metallic smell and taste that lingers at the end.

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1 - Poor (never again), American Double IPA, Beer Reviews, Evil Twin Brewing, USA

Evil Twin Molotov Cocktail

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Brewery: Evil Twin Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 13%
Style: Double IPA
Other Notes: Brewed at Two Roads Brewing Company, Stratford, CT, USA for Evil Twin

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Did you like Before, During and after Christmas, maybe you thought it poured brilliantly, the alcohol was admirable will hidden and you loved how the arrogant amounts of hops numbed your mouth. This beer will knock your tongue off – it’s a tour de force in hoppiness and by far one of the craziest beer ever made by Evil Twin Brewing.

My rating: 1
My beeradvocate.com rating: 2.43
My ratebeer.com rating: 2.3

Intro: Poured from a 12oz bottle into La Chouffe tulip glass. 169:14 is printed at the bottom of the neck of the bottle so I assume that bottle date is the 169th date of 2014 which happens to be 18 June 2014.
Appearance: It poured a nice orangey gold colour with less than one finger head which receded quite quickly leaving some lace on the glass.
Aroma: Sweet malts with some light citrus and orange coming through.
Taste: Sweet. Too sweet. Like lightly carbonated orange cordial, some honey and maybe bubblegum. One thing going for it is that even at 13%, you don’t notice the alcohol at all. Some of the hoppiness does creep through the sweetness at times but not much.
Mouthfeel: Sticky, full bodied, light carbonation.
Overall: Now around 9 months from date of bottling, maybe some hoppiness was lost? But this was way too overly sweet for me. At first I thought that maybe I could enjoy half a bottle every so often, but the more and longer I think about it, I really couldn’t. Way too sweet.

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3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Stout - Russian Imperial, USA

Sierra Nevada Narwhal 2014

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Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 10.2%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout

Brewer Description: (from back label) Inspired by the mysterious creature that dwells in the deepest Arctic seas, Narwhal Imperial Stout is midnight black and bold with notes of baker’s cocoa and dark roasted coffee. This massive imperial stout is incredibly complex and explores the darkest depths of malt flavor.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.28
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.4

Intro: 12oz bottle packaged on 6 November 2014 as per the back label. Poured into a Westmalle goblet.
Appearance: It poured pitch black with minimal head and low retention.
Aroma: Mocha chocolate with hints of espresso at first but followed by some alcohol.
Taste: Bittersweet chocolate with some coffee. Later on some booze does show.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, creamy and velvety. Very light carbonation.
Overall: I thought that this was a decent stout. Taste wise its not the best of its style but it is certainly solid. I’ve also heard that it ages well so I may have to find another bottle to age a few years.

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5 - Excellent (must buy), American IPA, Beer Reviews, Deschutes Brewery, USA

Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA

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Brewery: Deschutes Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 6.4%
Style: American IPA
Other Notes: Citra, Mosaic and Nugget hops. 60 IBU

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This mouthwateringly delicious I.P.A. gets its flavor from a heavy helping of citra and mosaic hops. Don’t worry, no fruit was harmed in the making of this beer.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.33
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A friend brought this bottle to Hong Kong for me as its not available there yet. A 12oz bottle poured into a La Chouffe tulip. Best by 22 May 2015.
Appearance: Poured a deep amber orange colour with slightly less than one finger head. It’s darker than most IPAs but appears clear.
Aroma: It has a nice aroma but its not exactly leaping out. When it does appear though, its with nice tropical fruits and pine.
Taste: Mango, pineapple, more tropical fruits, pine, so good… with some grapefruit bitter ending.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, slightly sticky, medium body and medium carbonation. Feels great in my mouth.
Overall: A very nice IPA which I would definitely buy again if I could somehow get my hands on more.

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