Jimbo's Beerblog

Malmgård's brew this here in Finland. Their E.S.B. is maybe the best ale there is. But this is something else. There is juniper and rye used here, so this could be very nice. This seems to be like dark lager when poured to glass as head disappears fast. It does not smell anything - also very lagerish effect. There is 7,3% vol alcohol, so this is no children's drink, but still, where is the flavor? Where are the smells? Where are the tastes? Maybe I'm just drunk and my nostrils have gone shut. I don't know, this ought to be a good beer and maybe I need another bottle sometimes, because this one left me disappointed. After some drinking the beer got better - but the first contact was so lame, that I must say this is only drinkable stuff. ** Drinkable

Finnish small brewery has done it. This is very, very good bitter. Might be the best - Fuller's, shiver! Malmgård's brews it in Malmgård Finland, in some old villa's brewery. This is so good, I almost have no words... Very citruslike, fresh, but still bitter. Nam! I could drink this all night long! **** Great --- Edit & Second opinion after having this great beer more times: Most likely the best bottled and Alko sold Finnish beer! ***** Absolutely fabulous

Edit: Heh, I accidentally made a second review about this beer , but as this a "second opinion", it might as well count as a "new" review: Very shortly I just say: Fucking good beer! Buy this. Aromatic, dry, perfectly bitter, nice. Seems like some unfiltered dirtwater, but tastes like heaven :) **** Great

Really comes with the smells of Yule (I don't use the word "christmas" here purposely - I am a pagan and don't want to celebrate any religious nonsense). Very nice first bite. The spices of Yule come through nicely. This is better than glogg drink (spicy juice, which is served warm), though I like glogg also :) Very easy drinkable for an Nøgne Ø beer, by the way. Or is, if you like those Yule spices. Nice dark ale with a spicy twist. *** OK

Black ale. A Cat. Nice little bottle. 8,5% vol alc. Head promises nothing - just like Fuller's Ales. Aroma is nice. I tried to sniff it through, but fuck, I'm useless in these smelling tests. So I just say, it smelled nicely beerish :) First bite has all kinds of flavor. There is strong bitterness. Then some kind of odd sweetness comes to rule the aftertaste. Another sip and yes, there is a very strong taste when drank. I recall some of our finest (or shittiest) of home brews from many years back. It's homely then I guess? But this is actually maybe the anti-lager as it's taste is really strong at first and I presume that drinkers of bulk lager want their beer not to taste like this at first. So, props for that. I'm sorry I can't fill you with any details about the taste, because I'm so tacky mf. But yeah, this is strong, in many ways. Not so enjoyable, but a beer to be slowly appreciated (or hated). *** OK

That smell, what is it? There is a very distinctive smell of something :) in this special ale of Anchor's. It's head is absolutely fabulous. Smell too :) It might resemble the spice mixture Garam Masala! Taste is quite odd at first...did they really drop that Garam Masala shit here? I'm sorry to say, that besides first odd, not so good taste, there isn't anything else. Maybe this would go better with some food... ** Drinkable

Very warming, rich tasting ale. Quite bitter taste with coffee in it and very bitter aftertaste. It's like drinking a late night cup of coffee, but with a relaxing feeling in your chest :) Can't say anything bad about it: Very good ale from Fuller's and with ESB maybe the best English bitter. *** OK

I have tasted this couple times before, but wasnt't in a reviewing mood then. This is not best of the bitters, but extra hops give it certain loveliness :) So I like this beer. This is good, not shit, but nothing spectacular. I am still uncertain if this is actually just drinkable, but as I'm in a good mood tonight, I will say this is at least better than just two-star-basic-shit. Long live and love Lahti, and small brewery of Teerenpeli! *** OK

This tradiotional brewing method of using heated stones in the process must be one of the oddest in beer brewing. Or maybe not. Lambic's are made in quite extraordinary conditions. And maybe our sahti too. But this is also organic beer. Beer has a slightly amber looks, with head like basic lagers disappearing fast. I'm eating rye bread with cream cheese and salty fried eggs, and I just had my last Hardcore IPA from the scottish punks, so I might be a bad reviewer, if this doesn't kick me in the nuts. So let's taste: Very lagerlike. German pilsner. Lager. Or something. Doesn't kick. Just whines. ** Drinkable

Original Belgian Trappist with yeasty and powerful (at least with 9,5% alc vol) taste. At first it does not seem very aromatic or wonderful though...maybe Trappist lovers can get more out of this, but I find this actually a bit dull. There are flowery first bite which soon however twists in the mouth to be some kind of odd yeasty sweetness, then bitterness. This is maybe a Trappist characteristic, but otherwise it seems to me to be more of a bubbly wine with odd odoeurs. But hey, this is beer. And it's Belgian tradition to do these maybe a bit odd beers, which are the best for some, but maybe not me. Only exception might be Chimay Blue, which I adore. Still I have to say, that I respect this kind of craft beer, which doesn't let you easy, by no means. And, this grows as it is enjoyed, and that's always a good thing. This has potential and I'm not gonna refer to this as "just drinkable", because it's more of a beer for enjoying, not just drinking. And when ...

Yesterday at work it was a silent friday. A friend started to play The Godfather - Five Families online-strategy game ( https://www.kabam.com/the-godfather ) and I followed. The game is fucking highly addictive, even more than beer :) That came to mind as I'm having beer made in Chicago, though the forementioned game is placed in New York. Today I watched a very magnifique document about a Frenchman, who in the seventies made a secret invasion to now-ex-WTC-towers. He succeeded to tightrope walk between the towers in a 60m wire 450m above the earth for 45 mins. But New York aside, there is a beer from Chicago here! Golden ale pours to glass with great aromas flowing in the air. Head looks nice and foamy. Taste is great in firstbite. There are aromas I don't recall having in my recent beer tastings. I'm sorry I cannot say, what the actual tastes are, but this beer sure tastes wonderful. I think the most of the taste comes from the hops. There might be some Czech...

Slottskällans Red Ale Very dark brown ale with amber. Head disappeared very quickly. Smell is very nice though - always a great thing to notice some odoeur. Taste it not so bad either. There's some smoke in this shit. I really am not a friend of smoky beers, because I also smoke cigars - or are they called cigarillos because of the filters, don't know or care. But hey, ask yourself: Would you wanna drink tobacco? This has distinctive character and good bitterness, so this has much potential and I believe that some beer drinker would love this. I, however, am not so satisfied. Maybe I encounter this Swedish treat another time and have a better experience - because it happens also, and there are moments and for example certain food that goes well with a certain style of beer. This left me with nice bitter aftertaste, but the actual drinking was not so enjoyable, so its just drinkable this time. ** Drinkable

I made a video review, but hated myself mumbling, so took the link off :) My judgement was that if you gonna spend almost 7 euros on this 0,75 dark ale, you should know it is not very "hot" for a beer enthusiast, at least. It lacks character in every apartment and is only slightly different from many dark lagers. It is not bad, but it is only drinkable. ** Drinkable

Norwegian magic and Finnish SOB (SOA-fan): I'm sorry that this is the longest and shittiest of all my reviews. Somewhere there I also speak about the beer :) but also other things important in life. Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZiBhch-syg Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtTD8lkvd6k *** OK for a drink **** Great for a long and lasting enjoyment :)

This grocery-sold beer comes in a christmassy bottle - very nice looking etiquette like in most of Laitila's beers. Beer looks fine stoutlike black when poured, but head goes away after a while and beer starts to look a bit like coke. Smells like nothing - maybe still too cold. Beer is very easy drinkable. I'm drinking this with my late supper that tastes so strong, I can't taste much about this beer. Well, malts are slightly burned, obviously, as this is dark lag...wait a minute, this is an ale. Very mild indeed. Starting to taste something as it gets warmer. There is a nice aftertaste in this, but very very easy drinking stuff. Only 4,1% alc vol, so quite light actually. For sauna beer, maybe? Final sip was the best. This if fine, but I'm a fucking critic. ** Drinkable

A friend brought me another souvenir from Bosnia - basic lager, but always a nice gesture to have a bottle from the trip, as he knows I love beer - and I guess he loves this particular beer :) Along with the bottle he gave me a sugar pack from "Tito"-bar with a great slogan: Smrt Fasizmu Sloboda Narodu Death to Fascism Freedom to the People With that slogan in mind, I drink this gift, souvenir and "drink of the People". Thank you my dear friend. This is a clear lager with virtually no head (this was too cold actually, as I forgot in my too cool fridge). Maybe some citruslike smell, if any (way too cool...), bubbly stuff with easy but enjoyable taste of something, grassy, fresh, summerlike. This is a drinking lager and not by any means to the moments to have some interesting beer moments - very easy on smell, taste and aftertaste - though not bad at all, either :) ** Drinkable PS. You should have brought me Premium with this woman :)

Nice unfiltered shit! Head is beautiful and foamy. Smell is citruslike, fresh, and distinctively hoppy. I'm not a master of tastes, so I just go fith the flow. First bite gives a thick, yeasty, bitterlike sensation - like eating bread. And I'm actually eating warm rye bread with melted cheese and spices on. So I'm both drinking and eating bread :) Comparing to one other IPA: Way massive beer than almost too delicate Fuller's India Pale Ale I had the other night. Actually I made a quick review about that too, but maybe I publish them in a one big bang (all the quickies). This is a warmer allright. Still tries to be delicate, I think :) At least when compared to some "extreme beers". There are American hops here, from Pacific Coast, so it is a combination of Nordic and American collaboration. Good craft from brewers in Grimstad, Norge. Still not my absolute favorite, yet. *** OK