Beer Ratings: Most Recent

Stadsbrouwerij Middelburg Middelburg, Zeeland

'Double' stout infused with Laphroaig, a creation not by Kees which would be thé brewery I associate with the Zeeland town of Middelburg, but by a local 'city brewery' there - thanks to my new beer buddy Sylvan for this tick! Gusher, but manageable if opened very carefully - be prepared. Frothy, very foamy, membrane-lacing, yellowish beige head on a misty very dark chocolate brown beer with mahogany hue, blackish but not actually opaque black. Aroma indeed strongly dominated by this iodine-like peat effect from the Laphroaig (something you either love or hate, I guess), bags of moist peat and peated whisky galore, over a background of brown bread, nutmeg, hard caramel, autumn leaves, old dusty 'fondant' chocolate and roasted walnut, with a dash of bacon-like smokiness in the background. Dry-fruity onset, dried fig and old raisin, sweetish but restrainedly so, fizzy carb, full body; brown-bready and nutty maltiness with a burnt and roasty edge, yet refraining from going all coffee-like; still an ashy note pops up in the end, connecting with the obvious Laphroaig peatiness (iodine again) piercing through retronasally. Nutmeg and black pepper accents grace a warming, peaty, evidently very whisky-like finish, the peat remaining very strong and phenolic, even smoky. Powerful beer, a kind of Belgian style yeasty stout in its base but with a very firm dosis of peated whisky - if that is not your thing, then avoid this one, but I liked it a lot.

Mad Hopper Brewing Co. Helsinki, Uusimaa

Tap at Viisi Penniä, Helsinki. Color is slightly cloudy orange with small white head. Aromas and flavors: Fruits, grass, hops and malts. Easy and dry.

Birraformante Casette d'Ete (FM), Marche

Pours golden, with limited gross white foam. Aroma is citrus, hay, yeasty. Body is somehow thin, with moderate carbonation. Taste is moderate sweet. Final is average.

Last Mile Brewery Rapid City, South Dakota

Fresh grass, malt, and honey aroma. Pale yellow with small head. Moderately sweet honey malt, and mildly bitter grass flavor. Good body.

Cloudwater Brew Co Manchester, Greater Manchester

Can at a tasting. Hazy orange, creamy head. Coffee and roasted aromas. Sweet, sourish, vanilla, candy, caramel, coffee. Medium-bodied, sticky. Weird and unbalanced.

Browar Funky Fluid Warszawa, Masovian

Wygląd: Barwa złota, klarowna. Piana biała, średniej wysokości, drobno i średniopęcherzykowa, opada głównie do ładnego pierścienia, pozostawia średni lacing. Aromat: Na pierwszym planie średniowysoki, ziołowo-korzenny chmiel. Chmiel wsparty średnią chlebowo-zbożową słodowością. Smak: Podobnie jak w aromacie. W ustach wytrawne, ale jak na Pilsa z całkiem sporym ciałem - treściwość średniowysoka i gładka, wysycenie średnioniskie. Goryczka średnioniska, ziołowo-korzenna, średnio-krótka, szlachetna, przyjemna. Finisz wytrawny, pełny z przyjemną, wyraźną goryczką zbalansowaną przez średnioniską słodowość.

Pressure Drop Brewing Tottenham Hale, Greater London

Can at a tasting. Brown with a beige head. Aroma of coffee, cocoa and yeast. Sweetish, roasted, coffee, chocolate, cocoa, dark bread, nuts, mild bitterness. Medium-bodied, smooth. Nice.

Jackie O's Pub & Brewery Athens, Ohio

37,5 cl bottle (13,1%) @ St. Mary's Park Aroma has sugary sweet tones, malt, ripe fruits and raisins. Flavour has sweet malt, raisins, ripe fruits and mild alcohol. Bourbon or honey are not that evident here. Swete and nice, finishing a whole bottle would be a challenge though.

Mad Hopper Brewing Co. Helsinki, Uusimaa

Tap at Viisi Penniä, Helsinki. Color is slightly cloudy golden with small white head. Aromas and flavors: Fruits, grass, hops, some tropical fruits and malts. Easy but clean and quite enjoyable.

Equilibrium Brewery Middletown, New York

Can at a tasting. Cloudy yellow, creamy head. Fruity hops, mango and grapefruit notes. Sweetish, juicy, fruity hops, grassy, grapefruit, peach, green and bitter. Medium-bodied, smooth.

Stadsbrouwerij Middelburg Middelburg, Zeeland

The 'city beer' of Middelburg from a local brewery which is not Kees - I had no idea of its existence so thanks to 'Middelburgian' Sylvan for introducing me to it and fixing me this bottle! Off-white, frothy, moussy, stable head on a misty peach blonde beer with ochre-golden hue. Aroma dominated by coriander and seeds of paradise indeed, less ginger but in an 'old and dried' form still recognizable, cooked sweet potato, fried apple, soggy brioche bread, dried orange peel, banana, apricot and something tomato sauce-like in the background. Sweet onset with light sourish edge, estery fruitiness of banana, peach and cooked apple, medium carb, soft and 'fluffy' mouthfeel; sweet 'sandwhichy' maltiness, brioche and a hint of cookies, under a whole lot of coriander seed and seeds of paradise - with the ginger again playing second violin (which is a bit strange, as it can be very dominant - I guess the dosage was deliberately kept very low here). Some dried orange peel freshness in the end, along with a mild floral hop bitterness and lingering breadiness and spiciness. Friendly and accessible - if you are used to Belgian blondes, tripels and wits using too much coriander. Technically decent, for sure, but a bit less spicing would probably be a better choice.

Barney's Beer Edinburgh, Lothian

19/6/2021. Can from Beers Without Borders, Dumfries. Pours hazy very pale orange with a short lasting white head. Starts with a big sherbet hit, which calms down quite quickly, allowing apricot and peach to come through. Initial big sour hit also fades with allowing a nicely balanced sweetness to develop. Moderate body, a little watery, stays quite fizzy throughout. Quite enjoyable.

Equilibrium Brewery Middletown, New York

Can at a tasting. Hazy yellow, creamy head. Fruity hops, a bit stale smell. Sweetish, soapy, grassy, fruity. Medium-bodied, smooth.

Mountains Walking Brewery Bozeman, Montana

On draught at Suds & Soda, Derby. Beep pink and hazy with little head. Marshmallow surprisingly prominent in the aroma along with big berry notes. Taste is tart, stopping short of full on sour, with the lactose giving ita lovely balance toward the finish. More creamy marshmallow in the aftertaste. So many blackberry beers taste like alcoholic Ribena but this is certainly a cut above.

CoolHead Brew Tuusula, Uusimaa

(Keg at CoolHead Taproom, 20210619) The beer poured golden and hazy. Its head was medium sized and white. Aroma had grass, grain, husk and malts. Palate was medium bodied with medium carbonation. Flavours were grass, grain, malts and bitterness. Aftertaste was grainy, grassy and bitter. A tasty brew with strong notes of grain.