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.

http://4pinesbeer.com.au

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.

Eagle Bay, Mane Liquor, Whippersnapper

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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.

Brouwerij Bosteels

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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.

Boatrocker

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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.

To Ol

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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.

https://www.boatrocker.com.au/product/miss-pinky/

International Beer Shop

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

To Ol

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Hop Nation – Jedi Juice NEIPA, 2017, 7.1%ABV, 375ml can.

Drank on 13/12/2017, from I.B.S.

Appearance: 2.5 – Cloudy opaque orange juice, looks a little viscous, not much head or lacing.

Smell/Aroma: 2.5 – Fruity, hoppy, juicy, peach, a slight vegetal smell.

Taste: 2.5 – Initially fruity, juicy then a big hop bitterness thats still rather smooth, but a bit green or raw,  and a slight malt sweetness.

Mouthfeel/Palate: 2 – Rather dry, nothing special.

Overall: 2.5  – Its good, i guess. Its not enough of what I like about a GREAT NEIPA, but its not bad.

Hop Nation

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Green Beacon – 7 Bells Passionfruit Gose, 2017, 4,7%ABV, 375ml can.

Drank on 13/12/2017, from I.B.S.

Appearance: 2.5 – Big head on pour, cloudy opaque light orange – lemon. No real head or lacing.

Smell/Aroma: 2 – Lactic funk, “pukey” acid, maybe a little fruityness, a little orange juice.

Taste: 2.5 – Sour, like a sour passionfruit, a little salty, quite acidic/tart. Not very fruity, no malt or hops. minerally, steely.

Mouthfeel/Palate: 2 – Slight fizz, almost bitey sour on the back of the tongue.

Overall: 2  – Its a sour thats refreshing, tart, funky, but not much fruit or other character.

https://www.greenbeacon.com.au/

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Founders – Doom Bourbon Barrel IIPA, 2017, 12.4%ABV, 355ml bottle.

Notes: – Founders Barrel Aged/Backstage Series # 6: Doom Imperial IPA

Drank on 13/12/2017, from I.B.S.

Appearance: 2.5 – Slightly translucent orange sunset, nice head with slight lacing.

Smell/Aroma: 2.5 – Mango, fruity, slightly malty.

Taste: 3 – Like a moderate IPA with a fruity hop character,  has that malt sweetness. then a hop hit to the front of the tongue. Then you get this bitterness at the back and, OK 12% theres the slight alcohol. So well hidden, scary. Its big but in stages.Gets more sweet malts as you sip and it warms.

Mouthfeel/Palate: 2.5 – Its all over with the bitterness. None of it bad.

Over all: 3.5 – This is kinda good, its bourbon barrel aged and an Imperial IPA, its heaps hoppy but its balanced with the hot alcohol and the sweet malts that cover that. This is stupid big, but drinkable.

Founders Brewing

International Beer Shop