The Beast Grand Cru
Avery Brewing Company
Boulder, CO
Belgian-Style Strong Dark Ale
16.80% ABV
A- Pours a murky brown color with some garnet hues. Tiny light tan head with some decent retention considering the ABV. Whiskey like legs and some spidery lacing.
S- Overpowering straight grain alchohol that overpowers the intoxicating aromas just waiting to emerge with a couple years of age. The faintest hint of raisin, apple and spicy Belgian yeast gasp under the sea of booze that comes out of this devil of a brew.
T- MASSIVE BOOZE BOMB!!! Hellish and overbearing with a bitterness on the finish. It’s one major mistake to drink this beer fresh.
MF- IT BURNS… Firewater. Lighter body little carbonation.
D- Zero.. Had trouble with 2 oz.
Rating: D
Now don’t get your panties in a twist because we gave el beasto such a low rating. The rating is based on drinking it fresh. We wholeheartedly endorse picking up a couple of bottles and throwing them in the cellar for a year or two. Trust us it gets awesome.
Berliner Style Weisse with Raspberry Syrup
Gasthaus & Gosebrauerei Bayerischer Bahnhof
Leipzig, Germany
Berliner Weissbier, 3.00 ABV
The majority of sour beers generally come out of Belgium. However, Germany boasts two sour styles of their own. One is the sour slightly salty Gose. The second, and the one we are reviewing, comes from Berlin and is aptly named Berliner Weissbier. Berliner Weisse is served in bulbous stemmed glasses with a shot of raspberry (Himbeere) or woodruff (Waldmeister) syrup. We added a bit of Himbeere to our beer. Now on to the review.
A- One word… Pink! A healthy pour produces half a finger of light pink head which looks like the color of melted candy cane. Great lacing occurs as you sip.
S- Aromas of tart raspberries with notes of fruity pebbles (don’t hear that one every day. The syrup greatly diminishes the acidic earthy tones allowing the wheat ceral aromas to come out. Finishes with a touch of funk and sour raspberry fruit chew.
T- Starts of very prickly and spritzy with a light kiss of raspberry flavor. The tart funky lactic flavors soon blanket the initial flavors imparting notes of earthy lemon. Finishes dry with barnyard and wheat flavors with a light whisper of the raspberry.
MF- Spritzy effervescent mouthfeel with a light body and crisp carbonation.
D- Very drinkable. One hell of a summer quencher.
Rating: B+
Jaipur, Thornbridge Brewery
Bakewell, UK (England)
English IPA
5.90% ABV
A- Pours a pale straw color with a finger of bubbly white head.
S- Dry cracker like biscuity malt aromas with an elegant delicate personality. Savory spicy herbal hops with notes of citrusy lemon zest burst from the glass. Subtle minerality like the pebbles at the bottom of a fresh mountain creek. Touch of powdery asprin on the finish.
T- Leafy bright hop flavor with a touch of citrus zest initially. Balanced soft bitterness in the middle with a touch of hearbal notes. Finishes with a kiss of malt sweetness with a dry biscuity characteristic. Long lasting bitterness in the aftertaste that doesn’t seem to end… Delicious!
MF- smooth creamy mouthfeel with a medium body and soft carbonation.
D- One of the highlights of Jaipur is it’s drinkability. One of THE best session beers out there at 5.90% abv. We want this one on cask!
Rating: A+
Dear loyal readers,
Keep in mind this is an English IPA. The style is different than its boisterous American cousin. You won’t find a better English IPA out there than the one you just vicariously had through this review. Go out and get for real. You’ll thank us.
Cheers,
Gabe and Ben
The Jew Review
Nuova Mattina, Birrificio Del Ducato
Roncole Verdi Di Busseto, Italy
Saison
5.90% ABV
A- Pours a hazey golden color with a finger of white fluffy head. Sticky amazing lacing with some decent retention.
S- Lots of tea like herbal qualities up front that blends into awesome floral characteristics. The corriander stands out at first. Finishes spicy with the ginger and green pepper hightening the initial aromas and balancing the herbal/floral notes without diminishing them. Great nose!
T- Floral flavors up front with a nice dry malt. Herbal flavors intertwine with the coriander finishing with a smooth spiciness. The green pepper and ginger giving it an awesome palate cleansing quality.
MF- Quenching grainy mouthfeel with a medium body and active fine champagne like carbonation.
D- With all the stuff put in this beer you think it would be a mess… It’s not. Each flavor supports the other making it complex and very drinkable.
Rating: A-
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Hitachino Nest Real Ginger Brew
Kiuchi Brewery, Ibaraki-ken Naka-gun, Japan
Herbed/Spiced Beer (Ginger)
7.00% ABV
A- Pours an amber rust tinged color with the ginger translating some beautiful tones and highlights. A finger of tan head that recedes into a thin ring is produced with an average pour. Some minimal lacing peaks out from the glass as you sip.
S- Sweet and spicy. Starts off with a caramel aroma that reminds us of sweet caramel chews. A spicy ginger characteristic with a hint of cinnamon compliments the initial aroma perfectly. Finishes with a fresh chopped fruitiness and perfumed floral notes of Fuji apple, honeysuckle and wildflowers.
T- Starts of with a spicy burst of fresh ginger blended with the pickled variety you get with your sushi. The spiciness transitions into a rich bready malt character with a sliced Fuji apple fruitiness dancing lightly on the palate. Finishes dry with fascinating umami savory note and lasting ginger spicy notes.
MF- The caramel character creates a smooth velvety mouthfeel with a full medium body and average carbonation.
D- Extremely drinkable. The ginger creates a palate cleansing sensation that gets your palate ready for each sip!
Pairs well with spicy curry dishes, sushi and teriyaki chicken.
Rating: A
Reissdorf Kölsch, Brauerei Heinrich Reissdorf
Köln, Germany
Kölsch
4.80% ABV
A- Pours a pale straw color with a brilliant clarity showcasing the steaming bubbles of carbonation. A finger of white frothy head rests atop the golden liquid. Some occasional rings of lacing appear as you drink.
S- A slight fruitiness from the use of ale yeast but more subdued from the lagering stage hits you with notes of apple, Asian pear and starfruit. A hint of spice with a subtle noble hop aroma blends in. Finishes with a pale soft malt aroma.
T- Big pale malt flavors with a clean crispness explode on the palate. Slight minerality with a touch of spiciness is perfectly integrated into the bready malt. Finishes with a leafy noble hoppiness and dry crisp grains.
MF- Playful crisp refreshing mouthfeel with an average carbonation and a light body.
D- 100% drinkability. This is the perfect beer for those hot summer days, but still flavorful and interesting.
Pairs well with fresh peppered garden salad, German food (obviously) and spicy dishes like seared Cajun style fish steaks.
Rating: A-
Yang, Evil Twin Brewing
Valby, Denmark
Imperial IPA
10.00% ABV
A- Yang pours an amber color with burnt orange tones mingled in. A thin ring of almost tan off white head presents itself. Retention is pretty good for such a big beer.
S- Dank and sticky aromas of hop resin and hemp/marijuana hit you at first. A spicy herbal hoppiness with a grapefruit rind note gives it a bit more chutzpah. Boozey nose hair singeing aromas enter in on finish and deminish the initail hop aromas leaving it spicy and fusal.
T- Starts of with a hint of honey sweetness that quickly morphs into a spicy white pepper like hoppiness with an assertive bitterness. Again the alcohol comes in in a big way. This beer is hot and the alcohol tends to overpower the other flavors. Finishs is dry with a solvent acohol.
MF- the mouthfeel os slick, astringent and bitter with big heat from the alcohol. Lower than average carbonation with a medium body.
D- low drinkability.
Yang was designed to be blended into a black and tan with Yin (a giant roasty imperial stout) and it shows. Yin and Yang together shine and become something greater than the parts that compose it. By all means yang is not bad it just lacks some soul on it’s own. It’s a beat without a bass line.
Rating: C+/A when blended with Yin
Cheers to http://thejewreview.net!
Uerige Sticke, Uerige Obergärige Hausbrauerei GmbH / Zum Uerige
Düsseldorf, Germany
Altbier
6.00% ABV
A- Pours an amber garnet color with a long lasting khaki tan head. Some spotty lacing is revealed as you sip.
S- Starts off with a crusty brown bread and pumpernickel like malt character. Awesome minerality and a whisper of under ripe blackberry blend in with a herbal hop note to boot. Ends with a dry caramel sweetness and golden raisin note.
T- Begins with bready malt and caramel sweetness. Minerals and leafy herbal hop notes in the middle. Finishs with golden raisins and a dry cedar like flavor.
MF- Slick oily mouthfeel with average carbonation and a medium body.
D- Very drinkable with a subtle elegance and truly unique flavor.
Pairs well with Sausages, smoked meat and earthy cheeses.
Rating: B+
Black and Blue
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Milton, DE
Belgian Style Golden ale/Fruit beer
10.00% ABV
A- Pours ruddy amber with some honey tones intertwined. A finger of off white head quickly recedes into some spotty remains of patchy bubbles. Modest lacing as you imbibe.
S- Initially B&B smells like Fruit Loops, rock candy and Big League Chew bubble gum with a predominate soggy Cap’n Crunch characteristic. A slightly tart aroma consisting of blackberry seeds and a hint of blueberry comes off cloyingly sweet and overly perfumed. It is like someone dumped your bubbe’s mixed berry potpourri in your beer. Finishes with a dry piecrust like malt aroma.
T- Starts off with bubble gum and a tart artificial fruit flavor of blackberry with a smidge of blueberry. Overly floral notes again give off a liquid potpourri character. Towards the end Black and Blue tries to become a beer again with the malt, yeast and hops coming out bruised and battered from the fruit potpourri. The finish is dry with a chalky astringency.
MF- Average carbonation with a medium body. Dry slick mouthfeel.
D- Cloying and overly perfumed make this difficult to drink more than one.
-Rating: C+
