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Showing posts from 2015

Saimaan Brewer’s Special India Pale Ale (2nd review)

I may have promised 45 reviews this December from my summer-winter review archives, but obviously some of them were the same beers and some reviews were never even done, like my fist ever Estonian beer...but well, maybe next year. So, let's make it 45 all-in-all before the new year, because promise is a promise is a promise. Here's actually a beer I reviewed in January among the first reviews this year. Then I thought this was great. So one of the first and The last beer of this beer year is at hand. Let's pour can in glass...quite light brown, yellowish, a bit hazy look. Head is thick and nice. Smell/scent is quite lame, but it's because the beer was in my cellar and a bit too cold. Maybe this is not too fresh either, I'm not sure, the last use date is in summer 2016, but who knows what that means. That this was made in summer 2015? Aromatic hops aren't gonna last that long... Also, I have a tiny flu, so this is definitely not an optimal smelling situatio

Bryggeri Roggenfest

Smoky rye beer with wheat and barley. A hint of smoke in the smell, more in the taste. Very, very hoppy bitter. Nice. Alko says: “Chestnut brown, cloudy, full-bodied, medium hopped, caramel and malt notes, rye notes, fruity, caramel notes, hint of smoke, balanced, nuanced.” Well yeah, and I say: A good Finnish indie IPA/smoke/rye-hybrid which leaves a bit bitter-raw aftertaste, that could be better… *** Bittery smoky rye beer

BrewDog Santa Paws

Scotch Ale with wheat and oats malts to make it more scotch I guess? Very nice little beer this is. Easy-drinkable, nicely balanced with malts and hops, good. This could be even better with bigger body, but this is still very much okay! ***+ Very nice winter ale / Scotch Ale

NØGNE Ø God Jul

Dark brown / black with thick head. Not at all spicy overflow this time, feels like a porter. Chocolate, liquorice. Roasted malts rule! Very hoppy and nice. Easy-drinkable, round, nice. Wonderful beer, just right for my taste buds. This has wheat and rye with barley, very nice, malty & hoppy nicely balanced “winter ale”. **** Great

Maredsous Tripel

I may have reviewed this earlier, or so I think, but let me just say, that here is maybe the best Tripel there is! Absolutely wonderful beer, a really high class Belgian treat. Smell is typically Belgian -> yeasty. Not bad. But the taste is suberb. This is easy-drinkable for a 10% ABV beer. And what a fine, nice, subtle and fulfilling bitter taste it is. You just have to taste it, I can’t explain it properly. There are some spices, like peppery feel, that bites you in the tongue but only leaves you with this satisfied, warming, beautiful sensation of world class beer. ****+ Perfect Tripel

BrewDog Jack Hammer

In a can, 7,2%. Fresh, citrusy, piny. Light yellow IPA. In the can it says “Ruthless India Pale Ale”, but this is just fucking wonderful! Absolutely fantastically hoppy taste, sessionable for its strength, perfect balance, magnifique! ****+ Perfect IPA

Sierra Nevada IPA Hop Hunter

6,2% ABV clear yellow beer. A little soap watery feel at the scent. Taste is way better. This is hoppy bitter shit! Still, a bit too one-dimensional, but of course, if you are a hophead, you definitely will like this. And after a while I start to discover that this has more than one-dimensionality: This is a great, balanced, hoppy IPA! **** Great