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

https://www.facebook.com/copperandoak/

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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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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Mash Brewing – Knitro Ryder Red Rye Nitro IPA, 2017, 6.8%ABV, 375ml can.

Drank on 8/12/2017, from I.B.S.

Appearance: 2.5 – BIG Nitro thick head that slow ly dropped to thick lacing.

Smell/Aroma: 3 – Caramel/Sugary roasted grain, hoppy smells.

Taste: 2.5 – Sweet malt and resinous hops, a rye sharp malt character. Caramel-like malts and a lemon tart aftertaste.

Mouthfeel/Palate: 2 – Not much, a slight slick hop resin-like after taste.

Overall: 3  – The nitro and head are fantastic, this is a standard red ale with a nice nitro pour.

Mash Brewing

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Black Brewing – Black XPA, 2017, 6%ABV, 330ml bottle.

Drank on 8/12/2017, from I.B.S.

Appearance: 2.5 – Its black, not translucent, maybe some brown on the edges.

Smell/Aroma: 2.5 – Coffee, cocoa, dark malts, but more coffee and cocoa.

Taste: 2 – This is like a short black with hops, maybe cocoa. Its nice, has a good hop bitterness and nice malt bitterness.

Mouthfeel/Palate: 2 – Nothing special, normal for an IPA.

Overall: 2 – This is nice, its an IPA with good IPA hop bitterness and nice dark malt bitterness. Its balanced and good.

http://www.blackbrewingco.com.au/beer

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New Belgium – Citradelic Tangerine IPA, 2017, 6%ABV, 355ml can.

Drank on 8/12/2017, from I.B.S.

Appearance: 2 – Amber, slightly cloudy, nice head with good lacing.

Smell/Aroma: 3.5 – Tangerine, big tangerine, citrus, slight sweet malt. They really hit the tangerine in the name.

Taste: 3.5 – Tangerine, tangerine, lemon, citrus, that progresses to a nice easy bitterness. A slight malty sweetness but not much. A little hop bitterness, citrus pith.

Mouthfeel/Palate: 3 – Slightly hop puckering but very light, a nice carbonation.

Overall: 3.5  – Says tangerine, yes, it is damn tangerine. Lovely. Very good.

http://www.newbelgium.com/beer/citradelic

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