Bulmers Ireland (C&C Group) Magners Original Irish Cider at 4.5% ABV
Pours a crystal clear slightly pink copper with a brief fizzy head. Nose is predominantly apple, with a little dry champagne character. Taste is tangy apple, slightly metallic and artificial as the pint progresses. Light, crisp, and reasonably dry.
A decent thirst quencher by the fire, but a little too sweet for my preference.
6/10 #ryansbooze
Brasserie Artisanale Meduz Meduz Ambrée American Amber / Bière de Garde at 6.0% ABV
Pours a clear medium amber with one finger of loose white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim and no lacing. Nose is dominated by caramel malt, with a little yeast. Taste is sweet caramel with little hoppiness to speak of, and slightly spicy. Medium body and mild sustained carbonation, with a crisp, bitter finish.
Slightly more interesting than a domestic amber/red, but not by a whole lot. A solid work-a-day performer.
6.5/10 #ryansbooze
Brasserie Artisanale Meduz Meduz Blanche Bière de Garde at 5.0% ABV
Pours a cloudy straw yellow with a fat finger of foamy white head, good retention and minimal lacing. Nose is muted, wheat and sweet citrus, with a little floral hops. Taste is mildly tart citrus, slightly spicy. Mouth feel is light, with low but sustained carbonation and a mildly bitter finish.
Not bad at all. Decently crisp, citrusy and slightly spicy. Nothing earth shattering, but certainly quite drinkable.
7/10 #ryansbooze
The Bruery Saison Rue Saison / Farmhouse Ale at 8.5% ABV
Pours a clear deep gold with two fingers of foamy white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim and spotty lacing. Nose is subtle: light brett notes, pale malt, spicy rye, earthy, citrusy hops. Taste is complex, citrus and spice with a just a little brett and rye sourness. Carbonation remains high and fizzy, giving it a light mouthfeel.
Civilised and balanced – but perhaps a touch too civilised. The nose, in particular, is a touch too restrained. The flavour builds and deepens, with a mild alcohol warming, but the nose remains mild, with few indications of what’s to come. The flavour is balanced, sure, but it’s a bit out of sync with the nose – I’d like a little more emphasis there.
8/10 #ryansbooze #1001beers
Beer club order #9 – Brasserie Artisanale Meduz.
#ryansbooze
8 Wired Brewing Co. Super Conductor American Double/Imperial IPA at 8.8% ABV
Pours a hazy orange with minimal head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, minimal spotty lacing. Nose is tropical fruit, low piney and floral hops, caramel malt. Taste leads with sweet caramel malt, giving way to a lingering hoppy bitterness. Medium to heavy body, slick, with low sustained carbonation.
This seems to be my third stale IPA of the evening. No buttered popcorn, but the hops in the nose were quite muted. The taste is pleasantly bitter, though. Not convinced it was all that fresh, but not bad.
7/10 #ryansbooze
Brasserie Artisanale De Rulles SPRL La Rullés Cuvée Meilleurs Voeux (Bière De Gaume) Belgian Strong Dark Ale at 7.3% ABV
Pours a slightly hazy medium brown with a fluffy two finger tan head, great retention, and moderate sticky lacing. Nose is dark fruit, chocolate, brown sugar, cola. Taste starts out sweet and slightly tart, finishes moderately bitter and slightly tart, with a little spiciness. Medium body and slightly slick, with moderate to low carbonation, with a bitter slightly warming finish.
Yes, OK, it’s a wintereenmas beer, fine. I have to start paying more attention to expiry dates in my bottle shops – this one had a best before of February 2014 but I bought it in June. There’s no significant hop profile in this, but perhaps that can be attributed to being past its recommended maximum age of eighteen months. That being said, it doesn’t seem off in any way. An inoffensive Belgian dark, malt dominated and easy drinking.
7.5/10 #ryansbooze
Tuatara Brewing Co. Tuatara Double Trouble American Double/Imperial IPA at 9% ABV
Pours a clear medium gold with a loose white two finger head diminishing gradually to a thin cap and heavy sticky lacing. Nose is powerfully hoppy – dank, sticky, and resiny, with some floral tones, yet with a noticeable caramel malt base. Taste is grapefruit and pine, but balanced with light sweet malt. Medium body, slippery and sticky, with sustained moderate carbonation and a long, lingering bitter finish.
Woof. Nearly eye-watering hops when I cracked the bottle. A definite hop bomb palate wrecker. If this is after age degradation, I hesitate to think what this beast was when fresh. Though, for all that, I don’t find its 167 (!) IBU’s as “brutal” as the label claims, but it’s definitely in your face.
8/10 #ryansbooze
Epic Brewing Company Epic Hop Zombie American Imperial/Double IPA at 8.5% ABV
Pours a clear orange gold with a loose, soapy two finger white head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim around the edge, and no lacing. Nose is strongly hoppy, resiny pine and grapefruit, herbal and floral, but with noticeable malt in the background. Taste is emphatically hoppy, with pine resin dominating a little citrus and caramel malt. Medium to light body and slippery, with low carbonation and a long, lingering bitter finish with mild warming.
A bit of a palate wrecker, but still possessing a noticeable malt backbone. Definitely a little rough around the edges, but that’s part of its charm.
8/10 #ryansbooze
Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn Local 2 Belgian Strong Dark Ale at 9.0% ABV
Pours a somewhat murky medium brown with a fat fluffy tan head, great retention, and heavy, sticky lacing. Nose is mild, dark sweet malt, faintly spicy, and very little hops. Taste is honey-like sweetness, dark fruit (raisins and cherries), chocolate, and slight spiciness on a sweet dark malt base. Medium bodied, with a smooth and mellow texture and moderate sustained carbonation with a mildly bitter finish and mild warming.
Dark and sweet, very reminiscent of a Belgian Dubbel like Chimay Red, but with more pronounced warming. Almost as good as a Chimay Red, in fact, with perhaps just slightly less complexity and depth of flavour. Certainly the nose could stand to be more pronounced, though the flavour does go a long way to making up for that.
8.5/10 #ryansbooze
