This was a blog where I took pictures of and sometimes reviewed beers. And the occasional other thing.
Closed February 2018.
My current blog: blog.crunky.website
Beers – Xmas 2017 to NYE 2017
This was an advent beer box I did not receive until Xmas day.
Standouts that I remember: The Waywards Sour Puss Berliner Weisse, Pikes Brewing Sparkling Ale and I think the Pact Brewing Mt Tennent Pale Ale and Bad Shepheard Brown Ale.
4 Pines – Kolsch
Cavalier – Pale Ale
Hop Nation – The Fiend Australian IPA
Temple Brewing – Bicycle Beer Summer Ale
Holgate – Alpha Crucis XPA
Wayward – Sour Puss Raspberry Berliner Weisse
Riverside Brewing – 69 Summer Ale
Southern Bay – Australian Lager
Hope Brewing – XPA
Australian Brewery – Session IPA
Bad Shepheard- Hazelnut Brown Ale
Young Henry – Natural Lager
Bridge Road – Bling IPA
Two Birds – Golden Ale
Capital Brewing – Coast Ale
3 Ravens – 55 American Plae Ale
Goose Island – IPA
Sample Brewing – Pale Ale
Pikes Brewing – Sparkling Ale
Prancing Pony – Pale Ale
Stockade – Duel Hoppy Lager
Pact Brewing – Mt Tennent Pale Ale
Mismatch Brewing – Session Ale
Hope Brewing – XPA
Beers – Xmas 2017
What I have on hand for 24th – 25th 2017:
8 Wire – Cucumber Hippy Berliner
Rodenbach – Grand Cru
Anderson Valley – Watermelon Gose
Mash – Little NEIPA
Dainton- Blood Orange Berliner
To Ol – Sur Sorachi Ace
Mikkeller – Hallo Ich Bin Berliner Weisse Mango
To Ol – Gratzer Mille
Anderson Valley – Blood Orange Gose
Black Brewing – Black XPA
Hop Nation – The Sturm
Petrus – Aged Pale
Petrus – Aged Red
NOTES:
The only two of these I have not had before are the Mikkeller – Hallo and the Hop Nation – The Sturm.
The Mikkeller was not good, a very strange metallic taste to it that was off-putting. I did not drink it and unfortunately binned it, probably the first ever I have done so.
The Hop Nation – The Sturm Is not too bad at all, a Saison of sorts I think. Yeasty, cloudy wheaty colour, A bready character I cannot define. Nice carbonation. This is a strange one and I’m not matching it to the bottle description but its still enjoyable.
4 Pines – Australian DIPA
4 Pines – Keller Door Small Batch Australian DIPA, 2017, 9%ABV, 500ml bottle
Drank on 19/12/17 from Cellarbrations Yokine.
Appearance: 2.5 – Orange, clear, nice head on pouring with nice lacing
Smell/Aroma: 2.5 – Sweet malts, slightly fruity, mango, pineapple, some dried fruits, a little citrus.
Taste: 3.5 – Big bitterness, but nicely rounded, pine, a bit resinous, citrus bitterness, grapefruit pith, really unsure what else, a slight peep of sweet malts and maybe the 9% alcohol thats very very well hidden. Resinousness and sweet malts appear more as it gets warm.
Mouthfeel/Palate: 2.5 – Not cloying, no viscosity, just big hops bitterness that then fade nicely ready for another sip. Does get a bit more clingy as it gets too warm.
Overall: 3.5 – Surprisingly good for such a big beer. Not a fan of big IPA’s usually because of the big sweet malt character that comes along with them and the almost sickly cloying character they can have. This doesn’t have that, though I still couldn’t drink too much of this, regardless of the ABV.
Eagle Bay/Mane Liquor/Whippersnapper – Black Vanilla
Eagle Bay/Mane Liquor/Whippersnapper – Black Vanilla Whiskey Barrel Aged Vanilla Coconut Imperial Porter, 2017, 9.5%ABV, 640ml bottle
A colab between Eagle Bay Brewing, Mane Liquor Store and Whippersnapper Distillery. Bottled on 15/7/17
Drank on 18/12/17 from Copper & Oak
Appearance: 2.5 – Black, viscous, a nice big thick brown head that gives nice lacing.
Smell/Aroma: 3 – Coffee, vanilla, rich but sweet, syrupy alcohols, port wine, some cocoa.
Taste: 4 – Coffee, very big on the coffee, dark maltyness, rich malt, dark malt and coffee bitterness,. There is a transition from the richness, the dark malts into is a nice balanced hoppy bitterness that then blends very nicely into the slight Whiskey after-notes and a dry oak red wine character. No coconut I could detect. Possibly vanilla.
Mouthfeel/Palate: 3 – This is rounded, big, and finishes quite dry. Big rich, not viscous but the combined bitterness characters and the oaky dryness definitely sticks around.
Overall: 3.5 – This is good, a nice big slow sipper. There is no coconut, not really any vanilla, but thats probably the 5 months its sat in unknown condition. This is very nice, regardless.
UPDATE 21/12/17 – I recapped this bottle (with a proper bottle capper, and then fridged) after drinking slightly less than half. Going back to it now, I’m smelling dry fruits, port wine, fig, rich fruit cake, red wine barrel. On tasting its less carbonated obviously, but theres a big oak dryness initially, some hop bitterness, then a rich dry fruit, a dry red wine, slightly tart, some almost port character and then into an big oak bitterness and some alcohol. Not as much hop bitterness. Not too bad but obviously not in the best state.
Brouwerij Bosteels – Tripel Karmeliet Abbey Ale
Brouwerij Bosteels – Tripel Karmeliet Abbey Ale, 2017, 8.4%ABV, 330ml bottle.
Drank on 15/12/2017, from I.B.S.
Appearance: 2.5 – This poured a massive head with good lacing.Yellow golden.
Smell/Aroma: 3 – Banana, fruity yeast, sweet, slightly bready/malty. citrus, spice. A lot of undefinable lovely yeast character.
Taste: 4 – Slight bready malt, sweet malt, banana, clove, fruity, oaky, rich. Good balanced bitterness. The high alcohol is there but balanced, a very slight medicinal character. Again theres a lot of lovely original interesting yeast here as well that just hard to pin. Subsides to a nice bitter finish that doesnt stay too long, ready for the next sip.
Mouthfeel/Palate: 3 – Big, viscous, full, rich, but not overbearing, not cloying nor does it hang around too long.
Overall: 4 – Always a fantastic beer. Well made, well balanced, big but not overbearing, not over the top. Maybe even a 4.5. This is a classic.
Boatrocker – Saison du Bateau Farmhouse Ale
Boatrocker – Saison du Bateau Farmhouse Ale, 2017, 6.4ABV, 330ml bottle.
Drank on 15/12/2017, from I.B.S.
Appearance: 2.5 – Light amber, nice head on pour, light lacing.
Smell/Aroma: 2.5 – Slight bready, yeasty, dry, steely.
Taste: 2.5 – Bready malts, slightly sweet, white wine, good saison yeasty character, spice, slightly fruity.
Mouthfeel/Palate: 2 – Rounded, rather full, still a nice fizz.
Overall: 3 – This is a nice saison, on the easier end of saisons.
To OL – Brett & Butter Belgian Ale
To Ol – Brett & Butter Belgian Ale, 2017, 3.6%ABV, 330ml bottle.
Drank on 15/12/2017, from I.B.S.
Appearance: 2.5 – Golden amber, cloudy, nice foamy head and soapy lacing.
Smell/Aroma: 2.5 – Yeasty, slightly malty, bretty, slightly sweet and funky.
Taste: 2 – Bitter, slightly sour possibly a brett character at first, kind of soapy-bitter. Minerally. Not much going on at all.
Mouthfeel/Palate: 2 – Soft, a fine carbonation fizz. Dry.
Overall: 2 – This isnt very good, too bitter, an un-nameable bitterness.
Boatrocker – Miss Pinky Raspberry Berliner Weisse
Boatrocker – Miss Pinky Raspberry Berliner Weisse , 2017, 3.3%ABV, 330ml bottle.
Drank on 15/12/2017, from I.B.S.
Appearance: 2.5 – Pink like grapefruit juice, cloudy but translucent.
Smell/Aroma: 2.5 – A little sweet, raspberry, fruity, minerally, a little lactic funk.
Taste: 3 – Tart, more a fruit tartness than a hard lacto tartness. not very acidic, minerally.
Mouthfeel/Palate: 2.5 – Dry, fizzy.
Over all: 3.5 – This is a nice easy drinking sour.
To Ol – Gratz Mille Ale
To Ol – Gratze Mille, 2017, 4.1%ABV, 317ml bottle.
Notes: A hybrid Grodziskie, supposedly a Grodziskie/Gose/Lichtenhainer
Drank on 13/12/2017, from I.B.S.
Appearance: 2.5 – Cloudy orange-lemon, nice head and very nice lacing.
Smell/Aroma: 3 – Smokey malts, fruity, citrus…unsure
Taste: 3.5 – Smokey citrus, slight bready, Gose light salt, Theres a lot going on and its all so good.
Mouthfeel/Palate: 2.5 – Nice, slightly viscous, good fizz.
Overall: 4 – This is very hard to describe beer, its so different, there is a lot going on but it is all so perfect and balanced and done well. It is fantastic. This is really an amazing beer