Tag Archives: usa

4 - Good (buy), Against The Grain Brewery x Brouwerij De Molen, Beer Reviews, Stout - Imperial, USA

Against The Grain x De Molen Bo & Luke (Islay Scotch Barrel)

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Brewery: Against The Grain Brewery x Brouwerij De Molen
Country: USA
ABV: 13%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 2016 green wax. Islay Scotch barrel aged

Brewer Description: (from bottle) It beats all you ever saw! This barrel-aged ale uses the staple ingredients barley, rye and corn, plus cherry wood smoked malt to create a huge imperial stout. To top it all off, we barrel age the beer for three Kentucky months! The result is a rich and complex Imperial Smoked Stout with hints of caramel, vanilla and spice.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.09
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A green waxed 750ml bottle with no clear bottled on or best before date, but should be 2016 vintage. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown to black in colour with a one finger tanned head that had decent retention and left nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Peat, whisky, bandaid, medicinal, smoked meat, with notes of chocolate and roast hidden in all that peat.
Taste: Scotch, peat, lots of peat, smoke, char, medicinal, with notes of chocolate and dried dark fruit.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: I knew before I opened it, that it was Scotch barrel aged, but little did I know, that it was an Islay barrel. Full on peat in the aroma and taste does overwhelm pretty much everything else, so for sure, this is only for those that like peat. Luckily, I love Islay whisky, so this is right up my alley.

4 - Good (buy), Against The Grain Brewery x Brouwerij De Molen, Beer Reviews, Stout - Imperial, USA

Against The Grain x De Molen Bo & Luke

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Brewery: Against The Grain Brewery x Brouwerij De Molen
Country: USA
ABV: 13%
Style: American Imperial Stout

Brewer Description: (from bottle) It beats all you ever saw! This barrel-aged ale uses the staple ingredients barley, rye and corn, plus cherry wood smoked malt to create a huge imperial stout. To top it all off, we barrel age the beer for three Kentucky months! The result is a rich and complex Imperial Smoked Stout with hints of caramel, vanilla and spice.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.25
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: An orange pinkish waxed 750ml bottle with no clear bottled on or best before date. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Dark dark brown to black in colour with a thin tanned head that dissipated quickly and left nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Bourbon, chocolate, black coffee, light roast, oak, smoky, charred wood, caramel, vanilla, dried dark fruit, raisins, and prunes.
Taste: Roasty, sweet, bourbon, charred oak, light smoke, caramel, vanilla, with hints of rye spiciness and dried dark fruit.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: A very nice warming Imperial Stout for a cool night. The smoked malts added a nice touch and balanced the bourbon sweetness.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Evil Twin Brewing, Stout - Imperial, USA

Evil Twin Harlan’s Even More Jesus

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Brewery: Evil Twin Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 12%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Imperial Stout aged in red wine barrels. Produced and bottled for Evil Twin Brewing by Westbrook Brewing Co., Mount Pleasant, SC

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A few times in the history of craft beer it has happened that a highly praised beer rises beyond mortal stardom into a higher godly league. Usually the recipe to make such heavenly drops is thick fudge-like body, pitch black color, amazingly overwhelming aromas of chocolate, coffee, dark fruits and muscovado sugar. We took this beer to the next level and barrel aged it on rare barrels from a cult winery in California.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.5
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. bomber with no bottled on or best before date. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a thin brown head that dissipated fairly quickly, but left some nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Roasty, ashy, chocolate, cocoa, coffee, dried dark fruit, vinous red wine, and cherry notes.
Taste: Roasty, ashy, burnt sugar, vinous red wine, chocolate, cocoa, caramel, dark fruit, with a lightly bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, creamy, warming, full bodied, with soft carbonation.
Overall: Wow, this is easily my favourite Even More Jesus variant. The sweetness is very nicely balanced with the bitter smoky ash, roast and chocolate. So smooth and a very nice sipper that hides the ABV well.

4 - Good (buy), American Solera, Beer Reviews, Old Ale, USA

American Solera Old Dishoom

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Brewery: American Solera
Country: USA
ABV: 8.5%
Style: English Old Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Old ale aged in Sherry casks.

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

Intro: A 12.7 fl. oz. bottle, 2016 vintage. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A clear brownish colour with an orange tinge, and a one finger tanned head that dissipated fairly quickly to a thin layer, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, dark fruit, raisin, prunes, plum, fig, red grape, with a hint of wood, caramel and sherry.
Taste: A mix of Flanders Oud Bruin and Old Ale. Lightly tart, with lots of dried dark fruit, raisin, prunes, fig, plum, red grape, with a splash of oak, caramel and sherry.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Not your traditional Old Ale, but what appears to be some blend of Flanders Oud Bruin and Old Ale, lends itself to a nice enjoyable sipper.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgian Quadrupel, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., USA

Firestone Walker Stickee Monkee

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Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 12.5%
Style: Belgian Quadrupel
Other Notes: 26 IBUs. Malts – 2 Row, Munich, Carmel, Torrified Wheat, Belgian Candi Sugar, Brown Sugar and Roast Barley. Hops – Styrian Golding

Brewer Description: (from 2017 vintage box) Since founding our brewery in 1996, we have specialized in the rare art of fermenting beer in oak barrels. In the Fall of 2006, we embarked on a program to barrel age a series of vintage strong ales that would later be used as components of a blended beer. That blend would become our first Anniversary Ale, “10”. After the release of “10”, we released limited amounts of the component beers on draft only. Many of these beers gained a cult following that craft beer fans raved about and begged for us to put in bottle. Stickee Monkee was one of these beers. We present the 2017 vintage of Stickee Monkee, a barrel-aged Quad. It has been said that the only constant is change and the same is true for barrel-aged beers. Cut from a similar recipe, this barrel-aged Quad evolves and shows a different face each year; a result of time spent aging in the barrel. Turbinado brown sugar from Mexico adds wonderful flavors that are reminiscent of Belgian candi sugar. It has a full body and lush texture with barrel expression all over; toasted oak, coconut, leather and rich cigar tobacco. This Central Coast Quad is a one-of-a-kind sipping beer build to last and will reward careful aging for years to come.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.22
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. bottle, 2017 vintage. Poured into a Chimay goblet glass.
Appearance: A cloudy murky dark brown colour with a thin beige head that dissipated quickly, but left some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Sweet dark malt, toffee, caramel, dark fruit, plum, prunes, raisin, bourbon, oak, vanilla, and a splash of coconut.
Taste: Moderately sweet, caramel, toffee, dark fruit, raisin, dates, prunes, brown sugar, oak, vanilla, coconut, with hints of bourbon, booze and cocoa on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: At times it felt a little on the sweet side, but the aroma and flavours are complex and enjoyable, and as a sipper, it was good.