Tag Archives: usa

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

Almanac Farmer’s Reserve Grand Cru

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Brewery: Almanac Beer Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 10.2%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: Farm to barrel

Brewer Description: (from bottle) An Imperial Sour Ale aged in white wine barrels with California grown muscat blanc grapes.

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

Intro: An admittedly forgotten in the cellar but still tasting good, 1 pint 9.4 fl. oz. bottle, bottled in Autumn 2015. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A nice lightly hazy golden orange colour with a one finger beige head that had decent retention, but left only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Fuji apple and apple peel sweetness, light tartness, peach sour gummy, lemon peel, white wine grapes, vinous, oak, and vanilla.
Taste: Sweet Fuji apple, tart, peach sour gummy, white wine grapes, lemon, light funk, oak, with light notes of vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Despite being forgotten in the cellar, this turned out to be still really good, with a good balance of sweet, tart, and funk. It drinks really easy and doesn’t feel ‘Imperial’ at 10.2% ABV.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Stout - Russian Imperial, Three Floyds Brewing Co., USA

Three Floyds Dark Lord

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Brewery: Three Floyds Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 15%
Style: Stout – Russian Imperial
Other Notes: Maroon wax

Brewer Description: (from Untappd) Dark Lord is a gargantuan Russian Style Imperial Stout, with a reverse cascading head that starts out billowing the color of burnt oil like the Dark Lord rising from the black primordial beginnings. Its resonant vinous aroma has been described as cherries, sweet malt, molasses, burnt currants, plums with a port wine alcohol undertow. Mochachino notes buried within. Motor oil consistency, hellishly smooth yet divinely burnt and vinous. The first sip coats your palate with a palatial charred fruit and chocolate blanket. Alcohol burn wiggles its way down your throat with a thick body.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.36
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. bomber, 2015 vintage, very nicely maroon waxed, poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with only a thin brown head and sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Coffee, dark fruit, plum, prunes, fig, molasses, oak, chocolate, light roast.
Taste: Sweet, dark fruit, charred notes, plum, prunes, fig, cherries, brown sugar, molasses, chocolate, coffee, burnt sugar.
Mouthfeel: Full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: A nice warming sipper. Maybe approaching too sweet, but the charred and burnt notes do sort of keep it in line.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), American Strong Ale, Beer Reviews, Founders Brewing Company, USA

Founders Bottle Shop Series – Highball Drifter

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Brewery: Founders Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 11%
Style: Strong Ale – American
Other Notes: Ale aged in bourbon barrels with orange peel and cherry. 25 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from bottle) There’s a new sheriff in town – meet Highball Drifter, a barrel-aged sipper inspired by our favorite bourbon-based cocktails. The second entry in our Bottle Shop series, Highball Drifter presents aromatics of caramel and vanilla, dried fruit and spice while hints of cherry and bitter orange peel whisk you away like a tumbling tumbleweed. Call us old fashioned, but we think you’re going to love it.

My rating: 3+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.01
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 12 fl. oz. bottle, bottled on 6th July 2021, poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A rusty orange brown colour with a thin half finger beige head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving nice lacing.
Aroma: Cocktails, orange bitters, dried orange peel, caramel, vanilla, with light candied cherry notes.
Taste: Lightly sweet, malty, candied dried fruit, orange bitters, orange peel, citrus zesty, candied cherry, oak, with notes of bourbon and vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: An enjoyable sipper that’s very cocktail like, as it’s name suggests; and also with an aroma that was really good.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Deschutes Brewery, Stout - Imperial, USA

Deschutes Peanut Butter Obsidian Stout

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Brewery: Deschutes Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 9.7%
Style: Stout – Imperial

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Whiskey barrel-aged ale brewed with peanut butter.

My rating: 3+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.83
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 355ml bottle, with a packaged on date of 31st March 2022. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Black in colour with a thin tanned head that dissipated fairly quickly, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Light roast, sweet malt, chocolate, molasses, peanut, and whiskey notes.
Taste: Lightly sweet, moderately bitter, roasty, dark chocolate, whiskey, peanuts, hints of vanilla, and a touch boozy.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: It’s a good boozy sipper, and there was some nuttiness, but it wasn’t really peanut butter, which I was really hoping for.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison, Hudson Valley Brewery, USA

Hudson Valley Valley Beer Winter 2020

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Brewery: Hudson Valley Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 5%
Style: Farmhouse – Saison

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Blended and bottled in the Winter of 2020. Valley Beer is our Hudson Valley Sour Farmhouse Ale brewed with 100% New York ingredients. It is fermented in our foudres with wild yeast and souring bacteria and aged for up to a year in oak barrels. This beer is bottle conditioned with local wildflower honey, so please open cold, pour carefully, and expect some sediment.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.06
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 750ml baby blue waxed bottle, bottled in the winter of 2020, poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A nice very slightly hazy golden colour with a one finger white head that had decent retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, funk, damp wood, hay, yellow stone fruit, with light notes of honey and orange peel.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, funky, damp wood, apple cider vinegar, green apple, yellow stone fruit, honey, and a touch of citrus peel.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: I’ll accept that they call it a Farmhouse Ale, but it does trend more towards a Wild Ale in my opinion. The funky notes in both the aroma and taste keep it interesting along with the fruitiness and honey.