Brewery: Young Master Brewery Country: Hong Kong ABV: 6.4% Style: American IPA Other Notes: 64 IBUs
Brewer Description: (from bottle) (my summary) Brewed in collaboration with 18 Grams Specialty Coffee using Panamanian Finca Ziska.
My rating: 3 My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.4 My ratebeer.com rating: 3.3
Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 30th September 2017. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass. Appearance: A clear copper colour with a nice two finger white head that had great retention and lots of sticky lacing. Aroma: Ground coffee beans with some kind of nuttiness I can’t quite work out as the grapefruit and light floral aromas keep trying to push through. Doesn’t seem to quite mix together here. Taste: Sweet-ish malt to begin, followed by freshly shelled peanuts and a lightly bitter grapefruit and pine finish. Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Overall: I’d be interested to try freshly ground Panama Finca Ziska coffee to see what it tastes like as I’m a little perplexed as to the peanut aroma and taste, which I can only assume comes from the coffee and I’m guessing, unintentional. In addition, I feel that the fruitiness is coming from the hops and not the coffee, despite the name. Lately I’ve found that coffee in IPAs seem to change taste pretty fast and are best consumed fresh as soon as possible. Maybe something happened in this case, but I do believe the bottle is quite fresh (less than 3 weeks?). But this is why I prefer bottled on dates instead of best before dates. Anyway, it’s worth a try if you can get it fresh.
Brewery: Young Master Brewery Country: Hong Kong ABV: 8% Style: American Double IPA Other Notes: 80 IBUs
Brewer Description: (from bottle) 1842 Island is a bold Imperial IPA that coaxes out and showcases every facet of an outsized malt and hop bill. It’s potent hop character is supported by a robust malt backbone lending it incredible complexity. Savor every sip as the flavor nuances unfold and culminate in a lingering, satisfying finish.
My rating: 3 My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.81 My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7
Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 31st May 2017, poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass. Appearance: It poured a hazy dark amber colour with slightly less than two finger off white head that had great retention and left nice sticky lacing. Aroma: Strong caramel malts, citrusy grapefruit, pine and touches of floral elements. Taste: Bitter and herbal with some grapefruit zest, caramel and toffee. Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to low carbonation. Overall: Nice lingering bitterness with pretty good malt and hop balance.
Brewery: Young Master Brewery Country: Hong Kong ABV: 5% Style: American Pale Ale Other Notes: 35 IBUs
Brewer Description: (from bottle) A true classic that won’t go out of fashion, the Classic Pale Ale is designed to be versatile – you can drink it all day and in all seasons. With an elegant balance of European malts and new world hops, this has just enough fullness balanced with zesty and crisp hop flavour to suit all palates.
My rating: 3 My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.58 My ratebeer.com rating: 3.5
Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 30th June 2017, poured into a Mikkeller pint glass. Appearance: It poured a slightly hazy golden orange colour with a two finger foamy white head that had great retention and left nice lacing. Aroma: A bit weak, but what I do get is lightly biscuit and toasty with tropical pineapple, citrus grapefruit, lemon and pine. Taste: Biscuit and mango with hints of pineapple, orange zest, pine and grass. Finish is lightly bitter. Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate carbonation. Overall: A nice Pale Ale that is easily drinkable.
words of another dreamy traveller 