Monthly Archives: October 2011

Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout

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  • Brewery: Great Divide
  • Country: USA
  • Style: Imperial Stout
  • ABV: 9.5%
  • Size: 355 ml
  • Bought from: Bierzwerg, can’t remember but around 3€
  • Beer Advocate
  • RateBeer

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    As the weather is getting colder and the days are getting darker, I thought it would be time to have a nice, dark, complex and heavy Imperial Stout to sip on. I’ve had this one in the cabinet for about 6 months, and closer examination of the bottle reveals that the best before date on this one was 1st of April 2011, so it should be at least 1.5 years old. Luckily (Imperial) Stouts usually like a bit of aging, so looking forward to trying this one. I have no official information on the malts and hops used to brew this one, but according to some homebrew clone recipes available on the web, this one should contain some Chocolate and Black malt, Roasted Barley, and is hopped with Chinook to a bitterness of 75 IBU. Looking forward to a dark and bitter evening! By the way, the Yeti is available in many different variants, including an Oak Aged, Espresso Oak Aged and Chocolate Oak Aged version. Will have to hold my eyes open for them as well.

    [easyreview title=”Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer pours as a thick pitch-black liquid, with a slight tan-brown colored head, that quickly collapses to leave slight lacing along the glass.” cat1rating=”4″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The aroma is full of roasted coffee, chocolate and malt tones, with hints of caramel, resin, licorice and dark fruits. Great aroma!” cat2rating=”4.5″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavor begins with a sweet caramelly and chocolately hit, that is quickly joined by some roasted (almost burnt) coffee and malt, as well as licorice, flavors. Simultaneously with the roastiness, there is resiny and piney hop flavour, that lends a bitter, and surprisingly dry, finish. The alcohol is very well hidden behind all the complex flavors, maltiness and bitterness, as there is almost no presence of it.” cat3rating=”4.5″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has a smooth, thick and medium-full body, and a moderate carbonation level. This beer is something you sip on for quite a time, as it is quite heavy to drink. As mentioned earlier, it is very well balanced.” cat4rating=”4″ summary=”A fantastic beer, that is full of lots of dark and complex flavors, in a well balanced package. A perfect beer to have when you are sitting in your armchair in front of the fireplace on a cold winter/autumn day. Definitely one of the better beers I’ve had, and for a fantastic price (only available abroad though or in bars if you’re extremely lucky). Highly Recommended!”]

    Guest Review: St. Louis Kriek Lambic

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  • Brewery: Van Honsebrouck
  • Country: Belgium
  • Style: Fruit Lambic
  • ABV: 4%
  • Size: 250 ml
  • Bought from: Aufsturz, Berlin, 2.8€
  • Beer Advocate
  • RateBeer

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    Here is another guest review from Pia, who will be reviewing another cherry lambic, St. Louis Kriek, that she had in Berlin. This spontaneously fermented beer is matured with the pulp of morello cherries, and should be available to buy in most major supermarkets here in Finland. Let’s see what she thinks about it!

    [easyreview title=”St. Louis Kriek” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer has a dark ruby red color and a slightly pink head that quickly collapses, leaving a little lacing along the glass.” cat1rating=”4″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”Strong, at first sour then sweet, essence-like cherry aroma.” cat2rating=”2″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”Watery taste with a mild taste of cherry, not very sweet nor sour, slight aftertaste of alcohol.” cat3rating=”2″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer is light, dry and has a moderately high carbonation level.” cat4rating=”4″ summary=”Fresh and strong taste, that was a bit too artificial for my taste. Would possibly buy again because of pleasant feel and taste that gets better (stronger cherry taste) as you drink it. Maybe mine was slightly too cold?”]

    Thanks Pia for the review!

    Shipyard Pugsley’s XXXX IPA

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  • Brewery: Shipyard Brewing
  • Country: USA
  • Style: (Imperial) IPA
  • ABV: 9.25%
  • Size: 650 ml
  • Bought from: Cracked Kettle, 19.99€
  • Beer Advocate
  • RateBeer

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    Today I decided to have another beer from my latest Cracked Kettle order, so it was time to try Shipyard’s (Pugsley’s Signature Series) XXXX IPA. This beer is a “non-traditional American IPA” demonstrating “a unique balance of malt-inspired, delicate red grapefruit sweetness and lingering hop dryness”. The beer has been brewed with Malted Wheat, Pale Ale, Crystal, and Caramalt malts., and has been hopped with Cascade, Warrior, Summit and Glacier hops to an IBU of 70. The original gravity of the beer was 1.092, resulting in a final gravity of around 1.021. Let’s see how it does!

    [easyreview title=”Shipyard Pugsley’s XXXX IPA” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer pours an amber-orange color and is slightly hazy. A very slight off-white-colored head was formed during pour, leaving slight lacing along the glass. There are some floaters in the beer, withdrawing some points from the appearance.” cat1rating=”3.5″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The aroma begins with some piney and grapefruity hop tones, but is quickly joined with a caramelly biscuitiness and some dark fruity tones.” cat2rating=”4″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavour begins with a caramelly maltiness, that is joined by a subtle fruitiness, some resin, and a spicy bite. The flavour finishes quite dry and with a sharp bitterness. The alcohol is well hidden, but becomes slightly more present as the beer warms up. The maltiness and bitterness balance well, and it is clear that this (I)IPA is more traditional (i.e. less focus on the hops) than others on the market. This is probably great for fans of a more traditional style IPA, but for a hop-head like me I would have wished a bit more hop flavour (don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of hop flavour in this).” cat3rating=”4″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has a medium body, and a moderately low carbonation level, making it quite pleasant to drink. The beer has a slightly oily texture as well.” cat4rating=”4″ summary=”Overall a very good and drinkable beer, that I would drink again if I had the chance. I am more of a fan of beers focusing on the hop flavours, but this one was surprisingly tasty as well. Not sure if it was worth the high price I paid for it, but it was nice to drink an (I)IPA that didn’t focus solely on the hops.”]

    Some new releases in Alko

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    In the beginning of October two interesting beers were released at Alko. First is Goose Island’s India Pale Ale (RateBeer, Beer Advocate), which is an IPA with both English and American influences. I tasted it in Oluthuone Kaisla a couple of weeks ago, and I remember it being very floral and citrusy. Looking forward to trying it again.

    The second beer is Westmalle’s Tripel (RateBeer, Beer Advocate). I haven’t tried it myself (actually not a very big fan of Tripels), but it is considered to be one of the better beers in its style, so might have to try one out.

    Guest Review: Lindemans Pecheresse

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  • Brewery: Lindemans
  • Country: Belgium
  • Style: Fruit Lambic
  • ABV: 3.5%
  • Size: 375 ml
  • Bought from: Cracked Kettle, 3.36€
  • Beer Advocate
  • RateBeer

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    Today it’s time for a second guest review, as my girlfriend Pia will be reviewing a peach lambic. This spontaneously fermented beer is brewed with real peaches and contains a minimum of 30% peach juice, and has been sweetened with both sugar and artificial sweeteners. Let’s see what she thinks about it!

    [easyreview title=”Lindemans Pecheresse” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer has a golden-yellow color, and a slight fluffy white head, that leaves no lacing along the glass.” cat1rating=”4″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”Aroma is sweet with a hint of peach.” cat2rating=”3″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavour is also very sweet with peachy tones, a mild acidic aftertaste and some sort of slight grassy taste.” cat3rating=”2.5″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer is light and has a moderate carbonation level. It also leaves a sweet and thick taste in mouth.” cat4rating=”3″ summary=”Very sweet, almost too sweet for my taste. Leaves a syrupy feel in mouth which isn’t very pleasant. Would probably not buy again because of price.”]


    The topless lady on the label.

    Thanks Pia for the review!

    Finland’s Best Beer – Sinebrychoff Porter

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    No, this is not my personal opinion, but rather the mutual opinion of the judges at the ‘Suomen Paras Olut’ (Finland’s Best Beer) competition at the Sadonkorjuu Exhibition in Lahti last weekend. Sinebrychoff’s Porter won in it’s own category (Bottled Ales over 4.7%), as well as the overall title of Finland’s Best Beer. I agree that it is a very good beer, but I personally prefer Plevna’s Siperia more (it is unavailable in bottles though; Note: You can get the Hanniku version from the Arkadia Alko). It was also strange to note that a bulk lager won over the microbrews in the ‘Light Lager under 4.7%’ category. Below is a complete list of results.



    Suomen Paras Olut 2011 (99 beers)
    Sinebrychoff Porter

    Bottled or Canned Beers

    Light Lager under 4,7 % (18 beers)
    1 Koff III, Sinebrychoff, 4,5 %
    2 Luomuleevi, Teerenpelin Panimo & Tislaamo, 4,5 %
    3 Keisari Luomu, Nokian Panimo, 4,5 %

    Light Lager over 4,7 % (8 beers)
    1 Prykmestar LuomuPils, Vakka-Suomen Panimo, 5,2 %
    2 Karjala IV B, Hartwall, 8,0 %
    3 Karhu Tosi Vahva, Sinebrychoff, 8,0 %

    Dark or Colored Lager under 4.7% (11 beers)
    1 Laiskajaakko, Teerenpelin Panimo & Tislaamo, 4,5 %
    2 Prykmestar Schwartz, Vakka-Suomen Panimo, 4,5 %
    3 Keisari Dark, Nokian Panimo, 4,5 %

    Dark or Colored Lager over 4,7 % (6 beers)
    1 American Amber Lager, Stadin Panimo, 5,3 %
    2 Stallhagen Dunkles, Stallhagen, 5,5 %
    3 Kievari Kekri, Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas, 5,9 %

    Ale under 4,7 % (12 beers)
    1, Centennial Pale Ale, Stadin Panimo, 4,5 %
    2 Huvila Pale Ale, Malmgårdin Panimo, 4,2 %
    3 Amarillo Ale, Stadin Panimo, 4,7 %

    Ale over 4,7 % (9 beers)
    1 Sinebrychoff Porter, Sinebrychoff, 7,2 %
    2 Huvila X-Porter, Malmgårdin Panimo, 7,0 %
    3 Marsalkka Vehnä, Saimaan Juomatehdas, 5,2 %

    Kegged Beer (judged at SOPP Helsinki 2011, 28.7.2011)

    Ale under 6 % (15 beers)
    1 Black Door H.O.D.A., Malmgårdin Panimo, 3,9 %
    2 Vauhtiveikko, Teerenpelin Panimo & Tislaamo, 5,3 %
    3 Marsalkka IPA Saimaan Juomatehdas, 5,2 %
    3 Mufloni Single Hop Simcoe, Beer Hunter’s , 3,5 %

    Lager under 6 % (12 beers)
    1 Året Runt, Nokian Panimo 5,3 %
    2 Kukko Tumma, Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas, 4,5 %
    2 Stadi Lager, Stadin Panimo, 5,3 %

    Strong beer over 6 % (8 beers)
    1 CCCCC IPA, Beer Hunter’s, 7,0 %
    2 Siperia, Koskipanimo / Panimoravintola Plevna, 8,0 %
    3 Lammin Sahti, Lammin Sahti 7,5 %

    Leyenda British Bitter

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  • Brewery: Leyenda
  • Country: Chile
  • Style: Bitter
  • ABV: 4.5%
  • Size: 330 ml
  • Bought from: Gift from Chile
  • Not on Beer Advocate
  • Not on RateBeer

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    Second of the Chilean microbrews was Leyenda’s British Bitter. Leyenda (translating to Legend) seems to be a quite small-scale and unknown (hard to find any information on it) microbrewery located in Santiago, currently having 3 beers in their portfolio: a golden ale, a bitter, and a porter. I couldn’t find any detailed information on the British Bitter, but I assume that the hops have an English origin, and Leyenda promise on their webpage that all their beers are unfiltered, unpasteurized and naturally carbonated in the bottle.

    [easyreview title=”Leyenda British Bitter” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer has a golden-amber color and is slightly hazy. A very slight white-colored head was formed during pour, that collapsed quickly, leaving no lacing along the glass.” cat1rating=”2″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”As the Kunstmann Lager, the aroma of this beer was overall very light, but still featured malty, caramelly and grainy tones.” cat2rating=”2.5″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavor is dominated by sweet, caramelly and malty tones, with some light floral hop tones as well.” cat3rating=”2.5″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has a smooth medium-light body, and a moderate carbonation level, making it quite pleasant to drink.” cat4rating=”3″ summary=”Overall, this was also a drinkable beer, but I personally prefer more hop-centered beers. I felt this was a bit too malty for my taste.”]

    Kunstmann Lager Sin Filtrar

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  • Brewery: Kunstmann
  • Country: Chile
  • Style: Lager
  • ABV: 5.8%
  • Size: 330 ml
  • Bought from: Gift from Chile
  • Not on Beer Advocate
  • RateBeer

    •  

    Yesterday I also tried two beers that my father had brought home from a business trip in Chile. The craft beer scene in Chile is expanding at a high rate, with new breweries opening all the time, so it will be really interesting to see what kind of beer they make. First up is an unfiltered lager (Lager Sin Filtrar), brewed by La Cerveceria Kunstmann, the largest ‘craft brewery’ in Chile. My Spanish isn’t the best, so it was a bit difficult to find any information on this brew, but it seems that it has been brewed with some Crystal malt and German hops. The bottle is interesting as well, since it has a misty/frosted/dirty (can’t find the word) look. Unfortunately I realized while drinking that the Best Before Date was 2 weeks ago, so this might explain some of observations.

    [easyreview title=”Kunstmann Lager Sin Filtrar” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer has a golden-yellow color and is hazy. A slight white-colored head was formed during pour, that collapsed, leaving some lacing along the glass.” cat1rating=”3″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The aroma has some malty and grainy tones, but overall the aroma was very light. The low score is not because there was anything bad in the aroma, but rather that there was almost no aroma at all.” cat2rating=”2″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavor begins with some sweet and malty tones, lending just a hint of honey as well. There are some light earthy and herbal hop tones present as well.” cat3rating=”2.5″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has a smooth medium-light body, and a moderate-low carbonation level, making it quite pleasant to drink.” cat4rating=”3.5″ summary=”Overall, this was a drinkable lager and much better than the bulk lagers found everywhere. Unfortunately it also seemed a bit tired and tasteless. This can though partially be explained by the drink before date.”]