Tag Archives: Amber Ale

Kosoolan Panimo Iltakalja

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  • Brewery: Kosoolan Panimo
  • Country: Finland
  • Style: Red Ale
  • ABV: 4.5 %
  • Size: 330 ml
  • Bought from: –
  • Not on Beer Advocate
  • Not on RateBeer

It has been way too long since I last reviewed a beer, so I thought I’d try a homebrew I received from Juhani in July. I’ve tried Juhani’s beers several times before and his beers have been really nice. He has tried some strange experiments before, but today’s beer should be a quite ‘traditional’ red ale. Iltakalja, which translates to Evening Beer, should be a perfect beer for a warm summer evening. I don’t have much information about it, but I know that the ABV is 4.5%, the calculated IBUs are 35, and if I remember correctly the beer is hopped with Willamette. The beer was brewed in the middle of May, so it should be at a very good age. I’ve used Willamette some times before, and I think it gives a very pleasant floral hop aroma. Let’s see how it goes in this beer!

[easyreview title=”Kosoolan Panimo Iltakalja” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer pours with a warm orange-amber color, and when held against the glass it shows some hints of red as well. Maybe a touch light for a red ale? But color is of course not important. A fluffy cream-colored head is formed during the pour as well. However, it collapses relatively quickly. Some patches of lacing are left along the glass and a thin foam layer remains upon the liquid. The beer is quite hazy, despite spending roughly 3 weeks in the fridge, so I suspect either chill haze or dry hop haze. Quite a typical ‘homebrew’ appearance.” cat1rating=”3.5″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The aroma is mostly hoppy, and the hop tones seem floral, grassy, spicy and almost soapy. The hop aroma is quite intense, so I assume the beer has been dry-hopped (which would explain the haze as well). The hop aroma is really pleasant, and a nice variety to all the beers hopped with citrus-like hops. Behind all the hop tones you can sense some malt and caramel, which complement the hop tones well. A really nice aroma, and no off-aromas at all.” cat2rating=”4″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The taste begins with a slight maltiness and a herby and earthy hoppiness, but the flavors seem to last for only a short time, as they quickly end in a dry and moderately bitter finish. The overall flavor is a little watery and there is a slight minerally aftertaste which gets me thinking of carbonated mineral water (are there any salt additions?). I guess the low ABV% and probably a quite low final gravity, have made this beer quite light and watery. I would have liked a slightly more complex maltiness and firmer body (maybe more speciality grains or a higher mash temp). You can tell that some of the nice hop tones from the aroma are present in the taste as well, but they are quite subdued and could have been slightly more present. I guess some kind of a neutral yeast strain was used for fermentation, as there are not much yeast-derived flavors present either. After the nice aroma the taste is a slight disappointment. No large off-flavors, but the taste is quite watery and the minerally finish is a little disturbing.” cat3rating=”3″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has a light body and a medium-high carbonation level, that together with the minerally finish give the beer a ‘harsh’ mouthfeel. Great as a thirst-quencher a warm summer day, but would have preferred a slight fuller body, as it would probably have benefited the taste as well.” cat4rating=”3″ summary=”Overall, this was an okay beer, featuring a really nice aroma, but a slightly too light taste and body. I don’t know what the purpose of the beer was, but as a thirst-quencher for the summer this was really good. As a ‘drink with food’-beer or a ‘sipping’ beer, this could have used some more flavor and more complex malt backbone. The minerally finish was somewhat surprising, and I’m wondering if any brewing salts were used during brewing? If yes, then perhaps these could be decreased a bit. Thanks for the beer, am looking forward to trying the other two beers brewed by Juhani I have in the fridge!”]

Brewday: Amber Ale (K01)

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Yesterday was another brewday, and this time we really pushed our brew kettle to the max. We brewed a 40 liter batch of a 1.050-gravity Amber Ale, meaning that not only was our mash tun quite packed during the mash, but the boil kettle was filled to the brim at the start of the boil. The brewday went surprisingly smoothly and we didn’t even have any boil-overs. We just missed the target OG (1.050), as we measured an OG of 1.049, but I think we gained a couple of liters of extra wort to compensate. The malt bill consisted of Maris Otter, Munich, Crystal 60, Amber and Special B malt, which should give the beer a malty finish (and hopefully some body despite the relatively low ABV). The beer is bittered to around 35 IBU, and featured some Styrian Goldings and Cascade late in the boil. We pitched a 2-litre starter of WLP051 California Ale V, which should hopefully leave some residual sweetness and some fruity tones. Can’t wait to try this one out in a couple of weeks!

We have some plans to update our current mashing tun (a converter cooler), to a 50L mashtun with false bottom, to hopefully allow us to make bigger batches of higher strength beer as well. More about the new mash tun in another post!

[beerxml recipe=http://beer.suregork.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/amber_ale_k01.xml metric=true cache=-1]

Beer Tasting

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A couple of weeks ago (yes, I have really postponed writing this), me and two friends gathered to drink some beer after work, and at the same time I could ‘get rid of’ / taste through some of my evergrowing beer stock to make place for more. We had nine beers on the agenda, with one of them being Lovecats, the homebrewed blonde ale, and many being beers I had tried before. The whole line-up from left to right was: Firestone Walker Double Barrel Ale, Alesmith X, Port Brewing Shark Attack, Hopfenstopfer Jahrgangsbier, Lovecats, Green Glash Hop Head Red, Lindemanns Faro, William Bros Kelpie and Dark Star Espresso Stout.



 
We began by tasting Lovecats (left in picture below), Hopfenstopfer Jahrgangsbier (center in picture below) and Firestone Walker Double Barrel Ale (right in picture below). Lovecats poured with the usual hazy orange color and quickly-collapsing white-colored head. The aroma was citrusy, grassy and also featured tones of tropical fruits, and compared to the other two beers in the lineup (and actually also compared to the hoppier beers tasted later during the evening), it became evident that Lovecats has a really strong hop aroma. The flavor began with a slight maltiness, which was joined by a grassy and citrusy hoppiness, that lingered on to a bitter and slightly tart finish. The beer had a light body and quite high carbonation. Overall, Lovecats is an okay pale ale, have brewed better though.

Hopfenstopfer Jahrgangsbier is  German Pilsener, apparently brewed with homegrown malts and hops. The beer poured with a crystal-clear golden-yellow color and a fluffy white head. The aroma was very mild, but featured sweet, malty, and perfume-like tones. The flavor was also quite sweet, with malty and bready tones dominating. There was almost no hoppiness nor bitterness present in the flavor. The beer had a light body and medium carbonation level. Overall, I didn’t really like this one. Very bland and boring.

Firestone Walker’s Double Barrel Ale is an English-style Pale Ale, fermented in oak barrels. The beer poured with a clear copper color and a fluffy off-white head. Nice looking beer. The aroma contained some herbal and earthy hops, combined with tones of oak, caramel and the slightest fruitiness. The flavor was similar to the aroma, with a caramelly and bready maltiness dominating together with a oaky woodiness and a herbal hoppiness. The finish was dry and quite astringent. The body was smooth and medium-full, and the beer had a medium carbonation level. Overall, a strange beer, but the oakiness went together quite well with the caramel and hops.



 
After this we moved on to the darker and (the only) sour beer: William Bros Kelpie (left in the picture below), Lindemanns Faro (center in the picture below) and Dark Star Espresso Stout (right in the picture below). Kelpie, which I have had a small taste sample of before, is a dark traditional ale that has been brewed with fresh seaweed in the mash tun. The beer poured clear and dark brown, almost black, with a quite long-lasting cream-colored head. The aroma was dominated by toasted and roasted malts, with slight coffee tones. There is also a minimal fruitiness present in the aroma. The flavor is also dominated by the toasted and roasted malts, and these are joined by a herbal hoppiness, and a minerally and dry finish. The beer has a quite light body and a medium carbonation level. Overall, I was not really fond of this beer, as the flavors were a bit strange and the beer felt a little light. I couldn’t really detect any seaweed, but there was a saltiness present.

Next up was Lindemans Faro, a beer in a style that was new to me. Faro Lambics are lambic (i.e. spontaneously fermented sour beers) blends which have been sweetened with (usually brown) sugar. Bottled versions are usually pasteurized, to prevent bottle-fermentation of the added sugar. The beer poured slightly hazy, with an amber color, and almost no head. The aroma was sweet and sour, with a combination of candy, sugar, a cherry-like tartness, and some funkiness. The flavor featured sweet caramel blended with a citrusy and cherry-like tartness and acidity. The flavor reminded me of some kind of sweet and sour candies I’ve eaten as a kid. The finish was slightly dry, while the body was a light and the beer had a medium-high carbonation level. Overall, a very strange beer, that I found surprisingly enjoyable I must admit. I’m not a fan of sour beer at all, but this was surprisingly drinkable (probably thanks to the sweetness).

Dark Star’s Espresso Stout is also a beer I’ve had before, and it is a stout brewed with ground arabica coffee. The beer pours pitch-black, portraying slight red tones when held up against the light, and a tan-colored head is formed, that leaves lacing as it collapses. The aroma is dominated by coffee, but there are some roasted malt and caramel tones present as well. You can definitely tell coffee has been used when brewing this. The flavor featured tones of roasted malt, coffee, ash, and some chocolate. The finish is quite dry and astringent, and I’m left wishing for some more body to back up the roastiness. The beer has a light body and a medium carbonation level. Overall, a very coffee-dominated beer that is a little light on the body. Would really benefit from some more alcohol and rest sugars.



 
We finished off the evening with the hoppy beers, tasting through Green Flash Hop Head Red (left in the picture below), Alesmith X (center in the picture below) and Port Brewing Shark Attack (right in the picture below). I had tried two of the beers before, but Alesmith’s X was new to me. Green Flash Hop Head Red poured with a clear dark amber-copper color and a cream-colored head, that collapsed leaving drapes of lacing along the glass. The aroma has lots of hoppiness featuring floral, citrusy, fruity, and pineapple-like tones. There are also some tones of dark fruits and candy-like sweetness present. The flavor features tones of caramel, toasted malt, and a resiny and grapefruit-like hoppiness, that ends in a semi-dry and moderately bitter finish. The beer has a medium-full body and a medium carbonation level. Overall, a nice beer, featuring some nice hoppiness (especially the aroma) and balance.

The next beer was Alesmith X, which is an American Pale Ale by the infamous San Diego-based brewers. The beer poured with a clear golden-yellow color and a white head, that collapsed leaving some slight lacing along the glass. The aroma was hoppy, featuring floral, citrusy, and grassy tones. The aroma also featured some mild caramel tones. The flavor featured a light maltiness coupled with a citrusy hoppiness, that finished in a dry and bitter finish. The beer had a medium-light body and a medium carbonation level. Overall, a better-than-average pale ale, but nothing very special. The hop tones were nice, but felt like the beer was lacking something.

The final beer of the evening was Port Brewing’s Shark Attack, previously tasted here. The beer had a very similar appearance to Hop Head Red, with a dark amber color and a cream-colored head. The aroma featured tones of dark fruits, raisins, red fruits, floral and citrusy hoppiness, and slight alcohol. I definitely remembered this being a lot hoppier and the last bottle I had was even much older (this one was only 3 months old). The flavor featured tones of caramel, dark fruits, malts, and a grapefruit-like hoppiness. The flavor finishes semi-dry and quite bitter. The beer featured a medium-full body and a medium carbonation level. Overall, a nice imperial red, but this was a lot maltier and less hoppy than I remembered. Still very enjoyable and a nice end to the evening.



 
All in all it was a good evening, with some really nice beers. The last three beers were among my favorites of the night, and something really surprising was that Lovecats had the most hoppy aroma of the lot.

Green Flash Hop Head Red

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  • Brewery: Green Flash Brewing Co.
  • Country: USA
  • Style: American IPA / American Amber Ale
  • ABV: 7.0 %
  • Size: 355 ml
  • Bought from: Online, 4 euros?
  • Beer Advocate
  • RateBeer

 

Well hopped amber ales have become somewhat of a favorite for me, as I love the idea of huge hoppy flavor combined with a strong caramelly maltiness, so I when I got my hands on a bottle I became really excited. Green Flash are a unfamiliar brewery to me, but I’ve heard great things about them. Luckily I also have bottles of their West Coast IPA, Imperial IPA, Barleywine and Double Stout at home, so I will really get to try out a variety of their brews. Hop Head Red is a Red India Pale Ale, brewed with a dose of Dark Crystal malt and a small hint of Chocolate malt for color, and hopped with Columbus, Nugget and Amarillo, to an IBU of 70. Hop Head Red underwent a recipe change last summer, moving from amber ale to ipa territory (more bitterness, dry hops and alcohol). Couldn’t find any information about when the beer had been bottled, but hopefully it is fresh! Had my last exam for the spring today, so will celebrate the start of the summer. Cheers!

[easyreview title=”Green Flash Hop Head Red” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer pours with a clear deep amber, almost brown, color, and a large fluffy cream-colored head is formed, that collapses slowly leaving tons of draping along the glass. A nice appearance!” cat1rating=”4″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The aroma is mostly floral and fruity (faint citrus and pineapple) from the hops, and there is slight sweetness present as well. The aroma isn’t very strong, but still pleasant.” cat2rating=”4″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavor begins with a bready and caramelly maltiness, with the slightest hints of dark fruits. The malty flavors are next joined by a resiny and earthy hoppiness, that goes quite well with the malt backbone. The fruitiness from the aroma is completely gone, and there are just hints of the floral tones present as well. The aftertaste is bitter, but feels a lot less than 70 ibu, and the finish is slightly sweet. The flavors are well balanced, and nothing is overpowering.” cat3rating=”4″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has a medium body and medium carbonation level, making it quite easy to drink, and the bitterness is well balanced against the malt. The beer leaves a slightly oily feel in the mouth though.” cat4rating=”3.5″ summary=”Overall, a great beer, but it didn’t feel really fresh. The aroma was surprisingly weak (though the little of it that was left was really nice), and the hoppiness in the flavor wasn’t as prominent as I expected either. This still very drinkable though, and I look forward to trying the other Green Flash beers I have in stock. It’s nice to have a hoppy beer that has some great malt tones as well. Wish I could have tried the earlier recipe as well, as somehow I feel the old version, with lower bitterness, would have worked a little better.”]

Brewdog Blitz!

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  • Brewery: Brewdog
  • Country: Scotland
  • Style: Amber Ale (?)
  • ABV: 2.8 %
  • Size: 330 ml
  • Bought from: Brewdog Shop, ~2.4 euro
  • Beer Advocate
  • RateBeer

 

Brewdog released a set of four prototype beers (Blitz, Hops Kill Nazis, Prototype 17 and Scotch Ale) on their online shop in the end of last year, and allowed blog visitors to vote for their favorite (with the winner apparently becoming a part of the original line-up). I ordered two sets of the prototypes, and having tasted them all now, I like the Scotch Ale the most, followed by Hops Kill Nazis and Blitz. Blitz, which I will be drinking today, is a ‘low alcohol’ (2.8% ABV) hop-bomb, brewed only with caramalts, to give a perceived greater body and some balance to the bitterness. The problem with most low alcohol beers, is that they usually feel thin and watery, and are difficult to balance, since they are made with a less amount of malts. Brewdog tries to counter this by using only caramel malts, which are not as fermentable as base malts, such as pilsner or maris otter malts, and hence they should leave some residual sweetness and body. I have no more information on the ingredients or other vital beer stats, so let’s just have a sip and see how they have succeeded.

[easyreview title=”Brewdog Blitz!” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer pours clear and with a deep amber/bronze color. A compact cream-colored head is formed during pour, but it quickly collapses, leaving the slightest bit of lacing along the glass.” cat1rating=”4″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The aroma is hoppy, with resinous and grassy tones, together with some caramelly maltiness.” cat2rating=”4″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavor begins with just a slightest maltiness, that is joined by a slightly grassy hop flavor. There is somekind of metallic off-flavor present as well, that after a while becomes irritating. The aftertaste is dry, with a slight bitterness. At least the bitterness isn’t overdone, as I often find is the case with hoppy low alcohol beer. But on the other hand, the flavors are overall quite light in this one, and was hoping for more based on the aroma.” cat3rating=”2.5″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The body is thin, the carbonation level is moderate and the beer quite dry, making it easy to drink, but feeling very watery. But still a better mouthfeel than other low-alcohol beers.” cat4rating=”3″ summary=”Everything seemed promising up until tasting the beer, and unfortunately the beer was very lacking in flavors and also had a weird metallic off-flavor present. As could be expected, the body was thin, but this style is difficult to tackle, and it was a good attempt. I like the idea of a tasty low-alcohol beer, but unfortunately this one didn’t quite deliver. Hopefully Brewdog doesn’t stop experimenting though!”]

Evening with Stone Brewing and other goodies!

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Olutravintola Pikkulintu have recently imported a batch of 10 different beers by Stone Brewing, and yesterday they were released at both Pikkulintu and a number of pubs around the country, including The Gallows Bird in Espoo, where I myself headed yesterday afternoon, in hopes of tasting these praised beers. The beers available are: Levitation Ale, Pale Ale, IPA, Ruination IPA, Oaked Arrogant Bastard, Belgo Anise Imperial Russian Stout, Double Bastard, Old Guardian Belgo, 15th Anniversary Escondidian Imperial Black IPA, and 11.11.11 Vertical Epic Ale. So yesterday, me and a group of friends headed to The Gallows Bird to try through the list of Stone beer. When we came to the bar we were informed that we would have to wait a couple of hours for the Stone beer to arrive, so I tried some Danish beer in the meanwhile.

 




 

First up was Hornbeer’s Black Magic Woman, an Imperial Stout brewed with smoked and peated malt. The beer had a pitch-black color and slight tan-colored head. The aroma was very roasty, featuring tones of burnt malt, coffee, licorice, dark chocolate, caramel and some alcohol. The flavor was similar, with tones of coffee, chocolate, ash, licorice and roasted malts dominating. The flavor ended with a slightly bitter aftertaste, and I thought the beer was quite well balanced. The beer was quite full-bodied, with medium-low carbonation and a smooth finish. I thought this was a really tasty and well balanced Imperial Stout, getting a grade of 4/5.

 




 

Next up were Evil Twin’s Yin and Yang, an Imperial Stout and Imperial IPA brewed to complement each other. The label even recommends trying a mix of them, which I also did. I began with Yang, an amber-colored beer with a fluffy off-white head. The aroma was extremely fruity, with tones of mango, passion fruit, citrus and resin. There was also some caramel in the aroma as well. The flavor began with some caramel as well, but was quickly joined by lots of tropical fruit flavor from the hops. There were tones of mango, passionfruit, grapefruit and orange. The flavor ended with a sweet and bitter aftertaste. The beer was medium bodied, with a medium-low carbonation level. I liked this a lot, even though the fruitiness was a bit over the top. This one also gets a grade of 4/5.

 

Yin poured with a pitch-black color and a minimal tan-colored head. The aroma was full of roasted tones, featuring coffee, chocolate and some roasted malt. The flavor is similar, with tones of chocolate, cocoa, and coffee dominating, together with some caramel and roasted malts. The beer has a smooth and full body, and a low carbonation level. I thought the beer was quite well-balanced, a overall I found the beer tasty. The chocolate and coffee tones were especially strong in this one. Yin gets a grade of 4.5/5.

 



Yang to the left, Yin to the right, and the mixture in the center

 

When the two were mixed, a dark brown beer was formed, with a fluffy cream-colored head. Lots of the fruitiness from Yang’s aroma was still left, and it was coupled by a slight roastiness. The flavor on the other hand was dominated by the chocolate and coffee tones from Yin, making for an interesting mixture. The mixture was nice, but liked the beers more on their own.

 




 

While we were drinking Yin and Yang, a courier showed up outside the bar, and boxes full of Stone’s beer were loaded into the bar, hooray! It was probably a bad idea to start the day with the strong (both in flavor and alcohol content) Danish beers, since the list of Stone beers included some ‘lighter’ ones, but we did our best to neutralize the taste-buds with some water and salty snacks. We began the Stone tasting with their Pale Ale. The beer poured with an amber-orange color, and a fluffy white head. The aroma was mostly caramel, and not at all as hoppy as I was expecting. There were some slight tones of grapefruit. The flavor began with some bready maltiness, that followed with a slight fruity and citrusy hop flavor. The aftertaste was bitter and slightly dry. The beer had a medium body and carbonation level. Overall, this was my least favorite beer of the evening, and felt it being quite bland. Maybe it was because I had such strongly flavored beers before this. Still it was a drinkable Pale Ale, just nothing special. I give this one a grade of 3-3.5/5.

 




 

Next up was Stone’s Levitation Ale, which is an Amber Ale with 4.4% ABV (you can find it in Kesko’s larger supermarkets, e.g. K-Citymarket Sello and Iso Omena, as well!). The Levitation Ale poured a dark amber color, with an off-white head. The aroma was a lot fruitier than the Pale Ale to my surprise, and it featured tones of caramel, citrus, mango, and resin. The flavor begins with some sweet malty tones and caramel, and this is joined by the citrusy and slightly resinous tones from the hops. The aftertaste is bitter, and I felt the beer is well-balanced for such a low-ABV hoppy beer. The beer has a nice medium body and a medium carbonation level. I definitely thought it was better than the Pale Ale, and overall a tasty well-balanced package. I give this one a grade of 3.5-4/5.

 




 

Then, it was time for Stone’s Oaked Arrogant Bastard, which I have reviewed earlier. The beer pours with a dark amber color and an off-white head, and the beer has a very similar appearance to Levitation Ale. The aroma has tones of wood, dark fruits, malt and some resiny hops as well. Can’t find much of the vanilla, which I remember from the last time I tried it. Also remember that there would have been slightly more hoppiness in the aroma the last time I had it. The flavor begins with tones of caramel and just a slight roasted maltiness. This is joined by an earthy, citrusy, bitter and woody flavor from the hops and oak. The aftertaste is quite bitter. Couldn’t recognize any vanilla in the flavor as well. The beer has a medium body and carbonation level. I liked it, but felt it was a bit different compared to when I tasted it the last time. The atmosphere and tasting conditions are of course very different, which probably explain the differences in taste. I give this one a grade of 4/5.

 




 

The following beer was Stone’s India Pale Ale, an American IPA featuring 70+ IBU. The beer pours with a light golden-yellow color and a fluffy white head. The aroma is hoppy and floral, with tones of grapefruit, resin, pine and mango. The flavor begins with a slight sweet maltiness, that is quickly overtaken by a resiny and citrusy hoppiness, with tones of pine and grapefruit. The flavor finished with huge bitterness. The beer has a medium-light body and a medium carbonation level. The beer is quite well balanced, with the slightly sweet malt backbone backing up the bitter hoppiness. A nice IPA, but was hoping for something ‘more special’. I give this one a grade of 3.5-4/5 (leaning towards the 4).

 




 

The following beer was one of the bigger bottles: The Vertical Epic 11.11.11. This year’s Vertical Epic is a Belgian-style Ale, brewed with Anaheim Chilies and Cinnamon. The beer pours with a hazy amber-orange color and a slight off-white head. The aroma has tones of banana and spices (cloves and a slight hint of cinnamon), together with a slight maltiness. Can’t detect much of the chili. The flavor is similar, beginning with a slight caramel maltiness, together with some spicy belgian yeast tones (cloves and pepper) and some banana. The beer has a smooth and medium-full body, and a medium-low carbonation level. Makes a great sipping beer, and I quite liked it, even though I’m not a great fan of Belgian-style ale. Couldn’t detect much of the chili though. I give this one a grade of 3.5-4/5.

 




 

Then it was time for another beer I’ve had before, Ruination IPA, which I reviewed a couple of months ago. Last time I really liked it, even though it was a bit on the bitter side. This time the beer pours a golden-yellow color with a white fluffy head. The aroma is very hoppy and floral, with tones of resin and citrus. The flavor begins with a slight maltiness, but it is evident that this is a very hoppy and bitter beer, with resiny and citrusy (grapefruit) taking over and dominating the palate. The flavor ends with a dry and huge bitter aftertaste. The beer has a medium-light body and medium carbonation level. I liked the hop flavors in this one, even though they were not as strong as I remember (could have been the tasting conditions again), but felt the beer was slightly too bitter. I give this one a grade of 4/5.

 




 

Next up is Stone’s Double Bastard, a stronger, maltier and hoppier version of Stone’s Arrogant Bastard. This beer poured with a dark amber color and a fluffy cream-colored head. The aroma is malty, with tones of caramel and dark fruits (raisins), and citrusy (from the hops). The flavor begins malt forward, with tones of caramel, bread and raisins, which is joined by a earthy, resiny and citrusy hoppiness, that ends in a sweet, spicy and bitter finish. The beer has a medium body and carbonation level, and since the flavors are very strong in this one, it seems a bit unbalanced. I liked this one, but it was a bit heavy. I give this one a grade of 4/5.

 




 

The following beer was the 15th Anniversary Escondidian Imperial Black IPA, which is one of the first Black IPAs I’ve ever had. The beer pours a black color, with a fluffy tan head. The aroma is hoppy, with resin and citrus dominating. There is a slight caramelliness, roastiness and alcohol presence in the aroma as well. The flavor has a bit more roastiness, with some tones of coffee, but the hops are very prevalent here as well, with tones of resin and grapefruit. The aftertaste is bitter. The beer has a smooth medium body with a medium carbonation level. This was an interesting blend of an IPA and a stout, that I thought worked quite well. I give this one a grade of 4/5.

 




 

The second last beer of the evening, which was also probably my favorite of the Stone’s, Belgo Anise Imperial Russian Stout. This Imperial Stout has, as the name implies, been spiced with anise and oak chips, and has been brewed with a Belgian yeast strain. The beer pours with a pitch-black color, and a slight tan head is formed. The aroma is dominated by lots of licorice and anise tones, but there are some tones of coffee, roasted malts, and a slight salmiakki. The flavor is roasty, with tones of licorice, coffee, chocolate and salmiakki. There are some slight hop flavors as well, and the flavor finishes quite bitter with anise in the aftertaste. The body is full, and the carbonation level is low. Felt the beer was quite well balanced, but this was definitely a slow-sipping beer. I like licorice, so this suited me fine, but I understand that people not liking licorice would find this beer quite unpleasant. Great flavors in a nice package. I give this one a grade of 4.5/5.

 




 

The final beer of the evening is the Old Guardian Belgo, a Barleywine brewed with a Belgian yeast strain. The beer pours with a clear dark amber color, with an off-white head. The aroma is sweet, malty and has some fruity tones from the Belgian yeast. The flavor is sweet and malty, with caramel and dark fruits, and is some hop flavor present as well. There is only a slight presence of the Belgian yeast in the flavor. The flavor is slightly boozy as well, but the alcohol is quite well hidden behind the sweetness. The beer has a full body and a low carbonation level. It was a little too sweet for my taste, and a bit heavy to drink. I give this one a grade of 3.5/5.

 




 

Overall, this was a very pleasant evening, with some great tasting beers. I recommend visiting Gallows Bird, Pikkulintu, or any of the other pubs around the country offering these beers, and at least try some of them. Thanks Pia, Jonny, Rasmus, Artem, Paulina, Teemu and Kimmo for the company!

Homebrew: Tasting the Christmas Amber Ale (Bold Bobcat)

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  • Brewery: –
  • Country: –
  • Style: American Amber Ale
  • ABV: 5.0%
  • Size: 330 ml
  • Bought from: –
  • Not on Beer Advocate
  • Not on RateBeer

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    I bottled my Christmas Ale today after about 10 days in the keg. It had carbonated nicely, and it was bottled just in time to make some gifts out of the beer as well. The beer is not a typical Christmas beer (i.e. it is neither spiced nor dark), and more in the style of e.g. Sierra Nevada’s Christmas beer: Celebration Ale. The beer ended up with a FG of 1.014 and an ABV of 5.0%, making it an easy drinker, hopefully full-packed with some nice malt and hop tones. The beer was brewed with this recipe, and features only hopping in the last 20 minutes of the boil with Amarillo, Centennial and Simcoe. The IBU should be around 52, so quite bitter for the style, but hopefully the maltiness balances it out. The label was designed for giving away as Christmas gifts, and inspired by Mikkeller’s Fra Via Til. Let’s see how it tastes!

    [easyreview title=”Homebrew Christmas Ale” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer pours with a hazy dark-amber color, and forms a off-white colored head, that collapses leaving slight lacing along the glass. The haziness of the beer will hopefully decrease as the beer ages, since it has only been a day in the bottle.” cat1rating=”3.5″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The aroma is floral, citrusy and resiny, with tones of grapefruit and tropical fruits. There is a slight caramelly maltiness hiding in the background.” cat2rating=”4″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavor begins with a caramelly and slighty sweet maltiness, that is joined by huge hop flavor, featuring tones of grapefruit, mango, orange and resin. The flavor finishes with a smooth bitterness, that balances fantastically with the malt and hop flavor.” cat3rating=”4″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has a smooth and medium-full body, and a moderate-low carbonation level. This was really easy to drink, and surprisingly full for such a low ABV beer. It could have used a slight bit more carbonation, but it’s perfectly drinkable like this as well.” cat4rating=”4″ summary=”Overall, this is my best homebrew beer yet, and the first I think doesn’t suffer from any ‘homebrew syndrome’ symptoms (other than the hazy appearance) even though it is still young. I liked the hoppy aroma and flavor, coupled with a pleasant maltiness, and overall the flavors went very well together. Hopefully this improves being a couple of weeks in the bottle!”]

    Homebrew: Bold Bobcat (American Amber Ale)

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    Yesterday was a brewday, and I brewed a small batch (around 12 liters in the fermenter) of the recipe below. The original recipe for the ‘Bold Bobcat’ was a bit different, but I had to change the hop additions, since my order of hops didn’t arrive in time (it’s been two weeks now since I ordered). The original recipe contained Magnum, Cascade and Centennial, but I had some Simcoe, Centennial and Amarillo on hand so decide to use them instead. I also changed the hop additions to 20, 10 and 0 minutes, to make an attempt on hop-bursting. These were not the only problems I had, as this was my first brew where I crushed all my grains myself (I’ve been buying pre-crushed grains before), and I’m quite sure I didn’t crush them fine enough, as my mash efficiency was awful (50%). This meant that I had to collect some more wort by extra sparging, and that I had to use a 120 minute boil to gain some more original gravity. I also added 425g of Dry Malt Extract to raise the gravity some more. I still ended up with a lower original gravity than predicted (1.053 instead of 1.066), but it hopefully shouldn’t affect the beer all too much. The yeast starter was in good shape, as the airlock was rapidly bubbling this morning (12 hours later). I’m fermenting the beer at 15 degrees C (low range of what is recommended for Denny’s Favorite), to hopefully get a clean, hoppy and malty beer. If everything goes as planned, this should just make it to the Christmas table.

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    Homebrew: Tasting the American Amber Ale

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  • Brewery: –
  • Country: –
  • Style: American Amber Ale
  • ABV: 5.3%
  • Size: 330 ml
  • Bought from: –
  • Not on Beer Advocate
  • Not on RateBeer

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    Today it finally time to try my latest homebrews. First up was the beer that began as a clone of Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale, but was slightly modified to include some more caramel malts (making it amber), some left-over hops, and some dry hopping. The beer has been brewed with Maris Otter, Light Crystal, and Dark Crystal malt, and hopped with Warrior, Cascade, Centennial, Amarillo and Simcoe to an IBU of around 44. This should be a very hoppy beer, that am really looking forward to trying!

    [easyreview title=”Homebrew American Amber Ale” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer pours with a hazy amber color, and forms a slight off-white colored head, that quickly collapses leaving slight lacing along the glass.” cat1rating=”3.5″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The aroma is floral and fruity, with tones of grapefruit and tropical fruits. There is a slight caramelly sweetness hiding in the background. A slight mead-like aroma as well, that seems to be present in most of my homebrews.” cat2rating=”3.5″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavor begins with some caramel and maltiness, that is joined by a grassy, floral and citrusy hop flavor, and finally ends in a slight bitterness to tickle the tongue. The flavors merge very well, and I feel the beer seems well balanced. I felt that there could have been a bit stronger flavors, but otherwise I am pleasantly surprised.” cat3rating=”3.5″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has a smooth and medium-full body, and a moderate-low carbonation level. This was really easy to drink, and I would have only wished slightly more carbonation (but that’s my own fault).” cat4rating=”4″ summary=”Overall a good beer, that still suffered a bit from the ‘homebrew syndrome’, meaning it lacked a bit of flavors, had the hazy look, and a slight mead-like aroma. The flavors went well together, and hopefully my beers will improve with each batch.”]

    Brewdog Hops Kill ? (Nazis)

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  • Brewery: Brewdog
  • Country: Scotland
  • Style: Imperial Amber Ale (could be classified as an American Strong Ale or even an Imperial IPA)
  • ABV: 7.8%
  • Size: 330 ml
  • Bought from: Brewdog Shop, ~3€
  • Beer Advocate
  • RateBeer

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    After a tough week of studying and exams, it was time to have a rewarding beer. Another bottle from my recent Brewdog order, this beer was advertised as 5AM Saint’s bigger brother, and shareholders (see Equity For Punks) were allowed to pre-order it from Brewdog’s online shop. Unfortunately for anyone else wanting to try it, it sold out extremely quickly (even before non-shareholders had a chance to buy it). The beer is described as an Imperial Red Ale, and it has been kettle hopped with Centennial and Chinook to an IBU of 80, and dry hopped with Chinook. This should be interesting, as I usually like maltier hop-centered ales.

    [easyreview title=”Brewdog Hops Kill ?” cat1title=”Appearance” cat1detail=”The beer pours with a dark amber-mahogany color, is just slightly hazy, and forms a slight cream colored head, that quickly collapses leaving some lacing along the glass.” cat1rating=”4″ cat2title=”Smell” cat2detail=”The aroma is a battle between the sweet caramelly and toffee-like tones from the malt and the citrusy, piney and floral tones from the hops. I think the aroma is lovely, so that promises good. There is also a slight hint of alcohol as the beer warms up.” cat2rating=”4.5″ cat3title=”Taste” cat3detail=”The flavor begins with some malty tones, featuring caramel, toffee and even a slight roastiness. These are joined by tones of resin, pine and grapefruit, contributed by the C hops. The flavor ends dry, with a huge bite of bitterness. I felt the flavors competed/clashed a bit too much, and didn’t fit together as good as in say Port Brewing’s Shark Attack. Tasty, but in no way perfect. The combination of the dryness and bitterness in the finish bothered me as well a bit.” cat3rating=”3.5″ cat4title=”Mouthfeel” cat4detail=”The beer has a smooth and medium-full body, and a moderate carbonation level. Felt it was quite drinkable, but the dryness and the flavor clashes draw some points from the score.” cat4rating=”3.5″ summary=”An interesting beer, that definitely is a bigger and meaner brother to Brewdog’s 5AM Saint (which I just noticed I haven’t reviewed yet even though I’ve had it several times already). The beer featured some great tones from both malt and hops, but I felt they didn’t fit together so well. I have another bottle of this in the fridge, and will let it age a bit, to see if the flavor changes (this one had only been in the bottle for 1.5 months).”]