Beer Ratings: Raves

Hill Farmstead Brewery Greensboro, Vermont

Bottle at home in Hackney - picked up via trade. Pours clear honey-gold with a creamy, white topping. Effervescent. Light-medium sweet flavour with a cleansing salinity, mellow citric tartness, sublet pale woody dryness, a suggestion of grass, funk, cantaloupe. Light to medium bodied with delicate carbonation. Clean finish, lightly drying, further refreshing salinity, citrus fruits. Delightful.

Browar Nepomucen Jutrosin, Greater Poland

Bardzo dużo wędzonej śliwki w nosie, w zasadzie dominuje zapach. Trochę się przebija alkohol, barely wine i czekolada. Ale zapach zajebisty. W smaku turbo turbo słodkie, jedne ze słodszych ciemnych piw jakie piłem. Jest przede wszystkim ta wędzona śliwka, bardzo przyjemna, potem czekolada, lekka kwaśność z barely wine, może lekka kawa. Alkohol jak na 12% nic nie wyczuwalny, mega ułożone. Piwo jest super, naprawdę daje ciekawe wrażenia, bo od pierwszej słodyczy przechodzi w lekki kwasek, a na koniec zostawia taką kawowo czekoladową gorycz. Gdybym nie wiedział, że to jest barely wine, to spokojnie strzelałbym w stouta albo porter. Bardzo udane piwo.

Perennial Artisan Ales St. Louis, Missouri

Sampled from the tap at Northern Taphouse. Pours black with a deep brown head that dissipates to the edges. Aroma has a great combination of vanilla, chocolate and cinnamon with just a bit of pepper. Flavor has smooth dark grains and chocolate supported by a nice vanilla and a bite of peppers and cinnamon in the finish.

Equilibrium Brewery Middletown, New York

Opaque black beer with a slight brown/dark brown head. Heavy aroma; taste starts heavy sweet and ends slightly bitter and dry. Vanilla, caramel, chocolate, mocha, roasted malts and coffee. 9/5/10/4

Pips Meadery Gurnee, Illinois

[MBCC 2024 Green Session, Copenhagen] Aroma: Mature raspberries, ice cream, waffles, oak, black currants, port wine and vanilla Appearance: Dark intense ruby red with no head Taste: Moderately sweet and heavily acidic, intense mature raspberries, vanilla, oak, black currants, black berries and sour cherries Mouthfeel: Smooth thick mouthfeel with creamy texture and no carbonation Overall: Insane complexity and intensity! Awesome fruit bomb 🍾 Huge thanks for the pour Hunger 🤘

Juicy Brewing Company Herndon, Virginia

Opaque orange beer with a slight off-white head. Heavy aroma; taste starts heavy sweet and ends slightly bitter and dry. Strawberry, guava and citrus. 9/5/9/4

Toppling Goliath Brewing Co. Decorah, Iowa

[MBCC 2024 Green Session, Copenhagen] Aroma: Huge toffee, caramel, brownie batter, waffles, ice cream and oak Appearance: Pitch black with no head Taste: Heavily sweet and mildly bitter, toffee, brownie, dark chocolate, waffles, intense dark chocolate and caramel Mouthfeel: Creamy thick mouthfeel with soft-no carbonation Overall: Insanely delicious 🤯. Crazy high quality 👌🏾

Bokke Hasselt, Limburg

[MBCC 2024 Green Session, Copenhagen] [2018] Aroma: Floral peaches, vineyard peaches, stone fruits, marzipan, oak and raspberries Appearance: Ruby red with a small fast disappearing white head Taste: Mildly sweet and moderately acidic, red currants, stone fruits, oak, raspberries, juicy and marzipan Mouthfeel: Smooth oily texture with soft carbonation Overall: Daaaamn every vineyard peach blend is just exceptional 👌

St. Bernardus Brouwerij Watou, West Flanders

Absolutely delicious. Had it a couple of years. So rich, fruitcake-like, subtle tang. Great stuff

Moksa Brewing Company Rocklin, California

MBCC. Black with a beige head. Aroma is sweet, roasted malt, coffee and bourbon. Flavor is very sweet and light bitter. Sweet finish with a little warming alcohol. Oily and soft. 110524

Marlobobo Sande i Vestfold, Vestfold og Telemark

MBCC. Courtesy of the US guys. Very dark red without head. Aroma is sweet, honey, sour cherry and vanilla. Flavor is very sweet. Dry finish with lots of warming alcohol. 110524

Pips Meadery Gurnee, Illinois

[MBCC 2024 Red Session, Copenhagen] Aroma: Mature raspberries, ice cream, waffles, oak, black currants, port wine and vanilla Appearance: Dark intense ruby red with no head Taste: Moderately sweet and heavily acidic, intense mature raspberries, vanilla, oak, black currants, black berries and sour cherries Mouthfeel: Smooth thick mouthfeel with creamy texture and no carbonation Overall: Insane complexity and intensity! Awesome fruit bomb 🍾

Marlobobo Sande i Vestfold, Vestfold og Telemark

MBCC. Very dark purple without head. Aroma is sweet, honey, sour cherries, vanilla and bourbon. Flavor is quite sweet. Dry finish with lots of warming alcohol. Oily. 110524

Brauerei Aying Franz Inselkammer Aying, Bavaria

Bottle. Dark brown pour with a foamy khaki colored head that has good retention. The aroma is sweet malts, dark fruits, anise and perhaps some chocolate liqueur. The taste is has in the forefront Dark fruits, followed by anise and rye breads. The palate is medium in viscosity and the carbonation soft. Finished short and dry. Overall: decent dopplebock--The dopplebock against which all others are compared and judged. Loved it. paired with some Reggiano cheese and that pairing was not so great as it overpowered the beer.

Brouwerij De Ranke Dottignies, Hainaut

Bottle. HOTM online. 8 and a bit quid for a 750. Can’t knock that with the biggest of sticks. Anyhoo. Mostly clear honey gold. Thick firm lasting almost fully lacing white foam. Looks the beans. Lemon rind and fresh clipped privet. Clean tangy yeast. Bright fresh malt. Taste has some honey sweetness before a big hit of fresh old world grassy hop leaf bitterness kicks in. Clean and fresh on the palate with rolling foamy carbonation. Leafy grassy bitterness to finish. Unreal condition on this. This is what a brewer like De Ranke does best. Super tasty classy beer in perfect nick.