Tag Archives: usa

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Bottle Logic Brewing, Sour Ale, USA

Bottle Logic Upside Down

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Brewery: Bottle Logic Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 5.3%
Style: Sour Ale

Brewer Description: (from can) Tart ale brewed with blackberries & vanilla.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.16
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 1 pint can, canned on 17th January 2024. Poured into a winebar glass.
Appearance: A deep red colour with a dark purple hue, and a just over one finger lavender head that had decent retention, eventually settling to a ring around the glass, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Sweet, tart, jammy, blackberries, and vanilla.
Taste: Sour, tart, light jammy sweetness, blackberries, with light vanilla notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Great aroma, nice flavours, refreshing and enjoyable to drink.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, North Coast Brewing Co., Old Ale, USA

North Coast Old Stock Ale

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Brewery: North Coast Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 11.8%
Style: Old Ale
Other Notes: 2016 vintage

Brewer Description: (from website) Like a fine port, Old Stock Ale is intended to be laid down. With an original gravity of over 1.100 and a generous hopping rate, Old Stock Ale is well-designed to round out and mellow with age. It’s brewed with classic Maris Otter malt and Fuggles and East Kent Goldings hops, all imported from England.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.03
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. bottle, 2016 vintage. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A cloudy medium dark amber brown colour, with a half finger beige head that dissipated quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Malty, toffee, caramel, dark fruit, prunes, plum, grape, fruit cake.
Taste: Malty, moderately sweet, brown sugar, honeycomb candy, toffee, with light dark fruit notes, plum, prunes, dates, raisin, fig, and light boozy sherry notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Balanced aroma and flavours and a good sipper.

4 - Good (buy), Barleywine - American, Beer Reviews, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, USA

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot

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Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 9.6%
Style: Barleywine – American
Other Notes: 90 IBUs. Malts – Caramelized & Two-row Pale. Hops – Cascade, Centennial & Chinook

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Extreme in the ‘80s and a force of flavor today. Bigfoot is a timeless beast of a beer, forever tracked for its enormous malt body and sheer hop intensity. Drink it fresh, or cellar each year’s expedition to unleash a world of new flavors over time.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.23
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. bottle, 2023 vintage, packaged 10th January 2023. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy copper amber colour with a half finger beige head that dissipated fairly quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving nice lacing.
Aroma: Fruity, candied mixed berries, sweet grapes (muscat maybe?), piney, orange peel, caramel, toffee, and a touch of tea leaves.
Taste: Sweet beginnings, with a light to moderate bitter finish. The middle is a collection of candied dried fruit, pine, toffee, caramel, and orange peel.
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Nice balance between sweet and bitter. Now that I don’t think I can find this regularly, I want more…

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

Firestone Walker 25 (XXV Anniversary Ale)

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Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 11.5%
Style: Strong Ale – American
Other Notes: 2021 vintage. 25th Anniversary. Special Reserve Barrel-Aged Blend

Brewer Description: (from sheet notes in box) Final blend was:
41% Parabola (14% ABV) Aged in Bourbon Barrels
10% Stickee Monkee (12.3% ABV) Aged in Bourbon Barrels
28% Tequila Barrel Merkin (7% ABV) Aged in Tequila Barrels
13% Brandy Barrel Barley Wine (13.8% ABV) Aged in Brandy Barrels
8% Whiskey Barrel Wheat Wine (11.7% ABV) Aged in Bourbon Barrels

(from box) In the fall of 2006, Brewmaster Matt Brynildson asked a handful of his winemaker friends for their input on blending a diverse stash of barrel-aged strong ales. Together, they came up with “10” – a trailblazing beer commemorating our 10th anniversary. And so began an annual autumn rite that now continues into our 25th year. This year was different, however. When our brewers convened with their winemaker friends on July 15, 2021, it marked a return to in-person blending after conducting it all remotely the previous year. The significance of this moment was not lost on anyone, and it was made all the more special by the occasion of our 25th anniversary. The beer you are holding in your hands – 25 – was created on that day. It is a work of talent and togetherness that we are now privileged to share with you. Thank you for being a part of our journey as we conclude this milestone year for Firestone Walker.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.49
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A boxed 355ml bottle, 2021 vintage, 25th anniversary, bottled on 14th September 2021. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A clear dark cola brown in colour with a thin tanned head that had pretty good retention but left only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Light roast, chocolate fudge, oak, caramel, bourbon, tequila, dried dark fruit, and notes of vanilla.
Taste: Light roast, chocolate, oak, a touch sweet, dried dark fruit, raisin, dates, caramel, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, and tequila.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: An enjoyable sipper with balanced and complex aromas and flavours.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Oskar Blues Brewery, Stout - Imperial, USA

Oskar Blues BA21 Vol.5

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Brewery: Oskar Blues Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 13.3%
Style: Stout – Imperial
Other Notes: 2021 Barrel Aged Series

Brewer Description: (from can) Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon barrels with coffee beans and vanilla.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.44
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. can, 2021 barrel aged series, canned on 21st January 2021. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour, with a near one finger tan brown head that had pretty good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, fresh crushed coffee beans, chocolate, vanilla, toffee, bourbon, with dried dark fruit notes, and a touch of nuts.
Taste: Bittersweet, roasty, espresso, dark chocolate, caramel, bourbon, and vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, full bodied, with soft carbonation.
Overall: A really enjoyable sipper with good balanced aroma and flavours. As good as BBA Ten Fidy.