Tag Archives: World beers

Brewdog Lost

Brewdog Lost

Brewdog Lost Planet First Lager

www.brewdog.com

Brewed by BrewDog
Style: German Pilsner
Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Brewdog. The two lads from Scotland that have set the craft beer world alight. Started in April 2007 by two good friends James Watt and Martin Dickie, BrewDog is a British multinational brewery and pub chain based in Ellon, Scotland.

Brewdog LostStarting small to eventually becoming a bit of a sensation in the brewing world, with all sorts of high jinks and marketing bull. To their credit they have always tried to push the boat out with exciting and innovative styles, using a wide array of mad and exotic ingredients from chilli, honey, chocolate, hemp, and mustard to name but a few.  And generally, they do tend to get the basics right……IE. their beers are actually quite bloody good, continuing to rake up a tonne of awards and prizes all over the globe.

Third time having a brew from those Scottish whippersnappers, having had their 5 A.M. Saint a while back which I found to be disappointingly very bland all things considering, but their Brewdog Punk IPA was simply FANTASTIC, easily making my top ten of all time….its tropical fruits really adding to the flavours and setting it apart from more regular IPA’s. Recommended. So lets see how the LP First lager gets on……….

Review: 440ml can of Brewdog Lost Planet First Lager: 4.5% vol.

In some places can gets cans with 4.7% volume, and there is also a non alcoholic version which amazingly only has 10 calories in it per 100ml, WOW!. 

Brewdog LostAs per usual one has to wade thought the usual PR and woke nonsense from Brewdog. From the can we get all this………“United we stand for better beer, fiercely defiant and independent”, 
“The worlds first carbon negative beer”, “brewed with surplus fresh bread”, “using 1/3 less water”, “powered by Brewdog wind turbines”, “plant trees, the lost forest in the Scottish highlands is an reforestation plan to help create a carbon clean planet” and this lovely gem….“by drinking this beer you are having a positive impact on the planet”. How about fuck off.

So basically the spiel is that its the ultimate ECO-Friendly beer…..windpower/recycling/less resources/ etc etc……..great, ha. And for the name Lost Lager, it is the return of what lagers should be like, long lost but now thanks to Brewdog, back again……clever eh? Meh!

On pour, getting a clear, light golden coloured brew with a very nice frothy white head that has good retention. Looks very good it has to be said. 5 out of 5 for the appearance.

Looks good, and also leaves some decent lacing behind. Nice.  

Light and faint smell, floral hops, but very, very faint. Not much at all on the nose, mild. 

Brewdog LostOnto the taste. A very light and smooth tasting lager taste, lovely and crisp on the tongue, very clean. Nothing too heavy or tinty, all clean and smooth. Hops on the low level and well balanced. 

A very good clean tasting lager that hits all the right notes. Lovely crispy mouthfuls. Yes top marks again to the Brewdog lads, nothing amazing but for a lager it does the job. 

Getting the malted barley, some earthy hops, and some fruit and citrus notes of apple and pear. Using both German saphir hops which give it its fruity kick, and German yeast giving its clean crisp, and lager taste. 

Very smooth, refreshing and a solid lager. Nothing that’s going to knock you out of your seat, but its simplicity that is the key here. Very drinkable. 

As usual and I have said it before, if they could cut out all the woke bull crap and just sell it as a normal top quality lager. I liked this beer a lot, not a huge array of flavours but its a simple lager and a very solid effort and it works. Will return again……

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Solothurner “Oufi” Rotbier

Solothurner “Oufi” Rotbier.

Solothurner “Oufi” Rotbier  

www.oeufi-bier.ch/bier/

Brewed by Öufi Brauerei
Style: Rotbier
Solothurn, Switzerland

A family run brewery from the small picturesque town of Solothurn in the north-west of Switzerland by the banks of the Aare and on the foot of the Weissenstein Jura mountains.

Solothurner “Oufi” RotbierÖufi brewery, named after the “Solothurner city number 11”,  was founded on the 11th of November, in 2000 by Alex Künzle, who had had enough of his job as a mineral water sales manager and decided to concentrate on his passion, brewing beer, setting up the Öufi brewery.

The number 11 is everywhere in Solothurn. There are 11 fountains, chapels, churches and a clock with a face showing only 11 hours. No wonder the local brewery also bears the evocative name “Öufi”. But why 11?  Well Solothurn’s history is closely tied to the ‘holy’ number 11. and all of the towns residents, both young and old, regard the number 11 as magical or even sacred.

The Öufi brewers are a real beer family. Alex Künzle’s sons, Florian and Moritz, are also, like their father, involved in the brewing process while mother Barbara takes care of all the administration with daughter Sophie; and graphic designer Louise, the youngest of the Künzle children, designs the labels for the Öufi beers.

The family must be doing something right as they offload about 40 beers a year, from Helles, Pilsners, Rotbiers, Weizen, to a large variety of season beers, using local water from Solothurn and the best natural ingredients at hand.

At their brewery they offer guided tours, beer tastings and even a two day course in brewing. if that is too much for you, you can always relax in their own onsite pub and restaurant! 

Review: 33cl bottle of Solothurner “Ouf”Rotbier: 5% vol.

Solothurner “Oufi” RotbierOn the bottle it says this is a “bio” beer, whatever that means? I think organically friendly? 

On pour getting a very nice and big frothy head, lot of carbonation making the beer lively. Very golden coloured amber looking beer.

Once it all settles down, it all looks very appetizing. Nice colour and good looking. 

Smell is one of pure lager on the nose

Also getting a bit of wheat

Not a bad aroma, lagery, but is OK

Found the taste to be pretty bland, not getting a whole lot on the old tastebuds at all.

Solothurner “Oufi” RotbierTastes of toffee detected at times.and I am getting the hops, and I guess you can feel that it is an organic beer, but overall this is a pretty poor effort at a lager me thinks.

Not much flavour, no kick, not getting anything at all really. Very light beer.

Not nice at all and considering I bought it from the source (Solothurn) that is pretty disappointing.

Maybe I got a bad batch, but I couldn’t get anything from the few bottles I bought…..not a zilch, nothing…..

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Warka Strong

Warka Strong 

https://www.grupazywiec.pl/marki/warka/

Brewed by Browary Warka (Grupa Żywiec – Heineken)
Style: Strong Euro Lager 
Warka, Poland

Warka Strong 

The Warka Brewery is one of Poland’s oldest breweries and belongs to the Żywiec Group. Żywiec Group itself is majority owned by the Dutch Heineken Group.

The brewery is in Warka, a small town in east-central Poland, a location with centuries-old brewing traditions. In 1478 Bolesław V, the Mazovian Prince, reserved to Warka the exclusive privilege to supply beer to his court.

The current plant was opened in 1975, under the Zakłady Piwowarskie w Warszawie (Warsaw Brewing Industries) and in 1999, Warka Brewery was purchased by Grupa Żywiec S.A. The brewery was modernized in 2004 and now has a production capacity between 200-350 million litres annually.

Review: 500ml bottle of Warka Strong Beer: 6.3% vol.

The ABV may also be 6.5% in some outlets. Comes in cans, bottles and on draught. 

Warka Strong On the bottle there is a very distinctive portrait of General Pułaski, a Polish nobleman, soldier, and military commander, who was from Warka. He was driven into exile and ended up in North America to help in the American Revolutionary War where he distinguished himself throughout, most notably when he saved the life of George Washington. He has been called, together with his counterpart Michael Kovats de Fabriczy, “the father of the American cavalry.” as they created the Pulaski Cavalry Legion and reformed the American cavalry as a whole. A hero in both his native Poland, and in the USA. In any case, it looks pretty cool, and is a good look on the bottle.

On the pour I am getting a bloody good looking beer. In fact it looks magnificent, lovely sparkling amber colour with a decent sized head, which does die in time but the beer still keeps its inviting look. Not bad at all.

Smell is of the cheap lager variety, very faint, not a whole lot on the nose. Malted barley, caramel and yeast. 

Onto the taste……..initially I am liking it. Yes, its ok……as expected it is strong, and with a lot of sweet malts and grainy flavours……a little tough on the palate, but just about manageable.

Warka Strong Deep taste, and it does take a while to get the hang of it…….it is a strong Euro lager after all, not my most favourite type of beers…….but after enough of these, I eventually adapted to the kick and enjoyed this over time. 

Bit gassy and yeasty, but relatively,and I say relatively here, smooth considering its 6.5%. All a bit subtle. 

Taste is medium sweet to bitter, has a small kick in it but with a smooth finish. 

OK, passable, if you have enough of them!! I’d hazard to say this is one more for getting smashed than quality and sophistication. Decent.

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Manufaktura Piwna – Irish stout

Belfast Irish Stout

Manufaktura Piwna – Irish stout

https://jablonowo.pl

Brewed by Browar Jablonowo
Style: Irish Stout
Wólka Kosowska, Poland

Manufaktura Piwna – Irish stoutJabłonowo Brewery is a brewery established in 1992, located in the small village of Jabłonowo, north of Poland. The Brewery is one of the few Polish independent, and family-owned, breweries in the country.

Initially, they only produced for the local market but over time, and with it great success, it expanded the range of its distribution, where now the brand can be seen all across Poland. It mainly specializes in lagers, dark beers, and flavoured beers. 

Review: 500ml bottle of Marfaktura Piwna Irish Stout: 6.5% vol.

Manufaktura Piwna – Irish stoutOn the bottle, the lettering of “Belfast” stands out big and clear. Also “strong with stout” caught the eye……”Original recipe” and “1997”……all very interesting. 

Comes in bottles, cans and even on draught in certain places if you happen to be so lucky. 

On the pour I get the expected pitch black look of a stout, but with a smaller than expected head…….some activity here but it does die a death…which is a little disappointing. 

Getting a very strong aroma of chocolate, very strong on the nose.

Very strong smell of chocolate and roasted malts, very strong. I like it, its inviting and pleasant on the nose.

Onto the taste……initial impressions are this is not too bad. As an Irish guy with a love of the Guinness I am naturally wary of stouts that try to match up, but this is alright, a tad bitter but that’s ok and I am getting the coffee. 

Manufaktura Piwna – Irish stoutIts a little overbearing with the harsh tones, and it would be nicer to get a more balanced brew, but as I said, it is ok. And you get a lot in the bottle, which is always a bonus. 

Tastes a bit like treacle, all black chocolate syrup, with a molasses flavour. I like it. Coffee, chocolate and dark malts, all flavoured and strong.

I found overtime, it calmed down with the roasted bitterness less overpowering, very manageable, chocolate and coffee through out. Its a slow burner and the longer I drank it the more I grew to enjoy it. Did the business in the end, and I’d consider it good for a session. 

Surprisingly decent, not bad for the style.

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The Chimay Collection

The Chimay Collection

Bières de Chimay

https://chimay.com

Brewed by Bières de Chimay
Abbaye de Scourmont, Chimay, Belgium

Chimay is a Trappist Brewery produced at the Abbey of Our Lady of Scourmont, in the small town of Chimay, south west Belgium
It is one of six breweries in Belgium authorized to display the hexagonal Authentic Trappist Product logo guaranteeing that their products are made, on site, in a Trappist abbey, by or under the control of monks, operate as a non profit outfit and that part of the income from its marketing is devoted to charities.

In the summer of 1850, a small group of monks established a settlement on the wild plateau of Scourmont near Chimay. Around the monastery a farm, a cheese plant, a Church and Abbey came to be. Later using water drawn from the Abbey well, the monks started brewing in 1862. Today as one of the biggest Trappist breweries in the world, Chimay beers are now found all over the world, still operating out of the Scourmont Abbey under the supervision of the monks. 

The Chimay CollectionDuring World War II , the abbey was taken over by the Nazis who had the temerity to melt the brewing vats, the bastards! Luckily possession was restored after the War, but unfortunately the monks had to start everything afresh again as so much was destroyed. 

This coincided with Father Théodore De Haene, in 1948, attending the University of Louvain where he learned beer making with Professor De Clerck. Together, they create the new brewer’s yeast for future Chimay beers. And the rest they say is history! 

Their most well known beers are as follows….

• Chimay Bleue (brown – 9% Vol – 33 cl ), called Grande Réserve in 75 cl .
• Chimay Blanche (Triple) (blonde / amber – 8% Vol – 33 cl ), called Cinq Cents in 75 cl .
• Chimay Rouge (brown – 7% Vol – 33 cl ), called Première in 75 cl .
• Chimay Dorée (blonde – 4.8% Vol – 33 cl ), it is originally the table beer of the monks of the abbey.
• Chimay Bleue Aged in barrels (brown – 10%). 

I got their most iconic bottles in a three pack, its red, white and blue collection, with a branded tulip-shaped glass and each bottle has been cellared for about 2 years.

Review: 0,33l bottle of Chimay Biere Triple, a Tripel Trappist Ale (Blanche/White): 8% vol.

Chimay Biere TripleCan come in 33l or 75l bottles, or on tap if you are lucky enough to be in Belgium, and only from about 20 or so elite hostelries after having met the brewery’s strict criteria! Named Cinq Cents in the 75l bottles 

Has a massive score of 93 and with it an “Outstanding” remark, from a certain beer review site. I know this is bound to disappoint so, ha ha. 

Chimay beer is neither filtered nor pasteurized, also its a high fermentation beer that re-ferments in the bottle.

Decent frothy head on the pour, all fine, white and creamy looking, with an amber golden colour to the beer. Looks pretty fine in the appearance.

Biggish frothy head. Amber colour. Fine creamy head. Looks ok.

Chimay Biere TripleThe aroma has a very piercing smell, very strong on the nose, slightly citrusy and fruity esters, very strong, very yeasty with spicy hop aromas.

Onto the taste, oh wow, hit straight away with the taste, pretty hoppy for sure. That’s tough to stomach if I am honest. Earthy start, woody, barley malts from the beginning. Wheaty in the aftertaste too. 

Sweet tastes from the malts, then the yeast and the bitter hops, not very enjoyable, kind of tastes like a bad medicine to take, with bubbles. Their is some sort of balance there between the sweet and the bitter, and there are a wide array of flavours, just I didn’t like all that very much!

Chimay Biere TripleBitter tastes, urgh. Hoppy bite, very much so. Over more sips it becomes more manageable but its not very nice, not one to enjoy. Fruity tastes found, orange peel and citrus. 

I know this is very popular, but fuck me I found it very hard to drink, and couldn’t enjoy it at all.

Yeasty, very strong in the taste, and the alcohol at 8% kicks you right in the bollix. Didn’t find any balance between the hops and yeast. 

Not nice. Don’t like it, too harsh and not enjoying it at all. To all the fans sorry but I am just a regular beer drinker with a well worn out palate, simple tastes here, no pretensions, so the Belgian tripel’s are just not up my street… 

Review: 0,33l bottle of Chimay Biere Brune, a Brown Ale (Rouge/Red): 7% vol.

Chimay Red (Brune)Can come in 33l or 75l bottles but not on tap. Known as Première in 0.75l bottles, “Red Cap” in 0.33l. Bottle conditioned, in that Chimay Rouge is a high fermentation beer that re-ferments in the bottle, “beer fermented in the bottle”.

Another Chimay with a massive rating on that beer review site. Another “Outstanding” score. 

Chimay Red (Brune) is the oldest of the Chimay Trappist beers, first brewed back in 1862, but after WW2 it had slight tweaks in the flavour but still remaining true to the old recipes. 

Colour is of a dark brown appearance, with a very small dark chocolatey coloured tan head that didn’t fill the tulip glass which was a little disappointing, perhaps I didn’t pour it correctly.

Smell is piercing, the fruits, especially of apricots, attacking straight off the bat, but doesn’t last, also of sweet malts, and a yeasty aroma. Ok but light.

For the taste I am getting a very fruity flavour, light and not as hoppy as the Blue, more manageable for me anyway.

Chimay Biere BruneGetting caramel and brown sugar especially in the aftertaste, it lingers and hangs around on the tastebuds. 

Their blurb states that this should taste of a “fruity taste accompanied by a slight bitterness”, I would say that’s spot on. Mild bitterness and lots of dark fruits. Yeast and sweet malts found in the taste too. A lot of malt in fact!

Still a light kick with the alcohol, feeling it after, bit light in the head after a couple of these bad boys. 

Overall its ok, nothing amazing and to be honest I found it a little bit dull. 

By the end of the beers they did start to grow on me a little more, and I can see how they could be nice to relax with over a long night. I might return, not sure!    

Review: 0,33l bottle of Chimay Grande Réserve, a Strong Ale (Bleue / Blue) 9% vol.

Chimay Grande RéserveChimay Bleue which in the large 75 cl bottle is called “Grande Réserve, bottle conditioned. 

And another high ranking beer from Chimay on the old beer review sites, scored as World class on one……. Jesus they are fairly popular alright! 

On the pour, well fuck me, the carbonation is out of control, loads of it, not leaving a whole lot left in the glass to finish off when most of it is gone to the bubbles. FFS. 

When it all settles, a massive froth and creamy white head appears, with a dark purple look, like a plum. Looks pretty good once it all calms down. 

Very good lacing, all over the glass, expected what with all that foam.

Chimay Grande RéserveLeft the second one on the fridge for a bit to see if it made any difference to the pour. It did, much better on the pour, still though not getting the Chimay tulip glass full, which is a tad bit disappointing, and a much smaller head than the first bottle. Still creamy though and pitch black in colour. Looks very smart…

On the nose it is very, very fruity, getting a really nice aroma, very pleasant. Also hints of black currant/red berry/plums. 

Yeasty and dark malts, with toffee and caramel, lovely.  Nice on the nose.

Onto the taste, very, very sweet taste coming from the barley malts and caramel, also very hoppy, overly hopped, which I find pretty hard to digest. True to form, a Belgian sour. Also can get the dark fruits.

Later on it all goes a bit flat, and its another Belgian I can not seem to get acquainted with. Not enjoyable for me.

Chimay Grande RéserveThe yeast is also strong, hitting you near the end, bit light headed after these two bottles. I think if I had a good few of these in a pub I’d be off my head and I might even enjoy them! Very strong! 

Bit dry in the mouth. Like a red wine, a hard hitting version. Fruity, plumy and cherry kind of taste. My mother, a big red wine drinker, loved this beer. A glass of wine, but stronger.

Taste is so so but top marks to kickability, powerful stuff. Overall, by the end I did get into it a little more and started to enjoy it, so perhaps I need a crate of them to sample next time, over a long evening. Have to revisit then, perhaps a good beer to get for a special one off celebration or for Christmas.

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Dutch Gold

The ‘4 for 5’ Dutch Gold

Dutch Gold

https://www.facebook.com/dutchgold

Brewed by Anheuser-Busch InBev
Style: Pale Lager 
Leuven, Belgium

Dutch GoldLaunched in 1995, Dutch Gold is a low-cost, imported, pilsner lager beer sold exclusively to Ireland. Its damn popular, ranked as the third best selling beer in the country in canned form, after Budweiser and Heineken. Mainly due to its very cheap asking price, about a Euro a can, or traditionally “4 for 5” in a pack. Popular amongst students, the lower classes, and layabouts. Not a slight, I drink it myself, lol! 

Funnily enough its not Dutch at all, but brewed by Inbev, a company from Belgium, but it might be brewed in the Netherlands by a subsidiary, but not sure. Albeit most of Belgium can speak Dutch but they call it Flemish…… not that the punters care. 

Review: 500ml can of Dutch Gold Premium Imported : 4.0% vol.

Dutch GoldThe packaging on the cans have changed since the old days where it was pretty simple, now its all jazzed up but they kept the Iconic image of a Dutch man carrying a barrel on a blue can, mostly a bigger picture now and less gold. “Old Duchie”, what a beast of a man! 

Golden coloured beer, not a bad head, nice, white and frothy. For a cheap lager it looks pretty damn good. Some small carbonation on the go. Good lacing. Looks fine. 

Smell is light, very light, nearly odorless, more or less, which might be a good thing all things considering!

Taste is nice and lagery, with lovely big creamy mouthfuls on the tongue, bubbling away. Not much flavouring going on but this beer is very quenchable. 

Goes down smooth with its tasty malts, nice and crisp. 
No standout flavours or specific tastes , just a regular cheap lager for the masses, I like it, does the business, no faffing around. It really isn’t as bad as the critics say. 

I know beer snobs look down on this classic, but for the drinking population who like their cheap cans this is the OG of discount lagers…….

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Kitchen Brew

Kitchen Brew

Kitchen Brew

www.kitchenbrew.ch/

Brewed by Kitchen Brew 
Style: Helles/Lager
Allschwil, Basel-Landschaft, Switzerland

Swiss craft beers coming out of the small town of Allschwil, north Switzerland.

North American craft beer scene implanted in Switzerland, that is what Kitchen Brew are all about. Fabian Ehinger, brewer and founder of Kitchen Brew, inspired by the craft beer revolution in the USA, drinking imports from the States made his mind wander……what if!

Finally, in spring 2012, Fabian moved to North America. On a six-month trip across the USA, he was inspired by what he had seen, from small home brewing startups based in kitchens to mega bars with 100 plus taps on the go, Fabian took it all in……. and not all industrial beers too, he discovered a wide variety of specialties of all beer types imaginable . 

As a barman and manager of a small bar in Basel, North Switzerland, Fabian could get a birds eye view of the US craft beer imports and see what made them click with consumers. He started to create a few of his own beers with highly aromatic hops and made with innovative brewing techniques such as dry hopping. He worked from an empty kitchen hence the name of the brewery……Kitchen Brew! His customers were kind of like his guinea pigs, testing his new beers and seeing if North American craft beer trends could catch on in this part of the world. 

After guest brewing for local breweries, in and around the Basel region, Fabian finally got to open, with the support of Peter Oppliger, his new factory and event hall in the small suburb of Allschwil, near Basel, in November 2016, becoming one of the youngest microbreweries in Switzerland.

Kitchen BrewIn 2013, a Cascade Amber Ale was their first real foray onto the scene. The initial beer got off to a great start, proving very popular amongst the great Swiss drinking public, and also going on to win numerous awards for its taste and quality. After that came other beers, Kölsch style brews, wheat beers with Belgian yeasts, the usual IPA’s that the connoisseurs oh so love, a variety of beers but all well balanced and pleasant to drink. 

The brewery enriches the locals palate for good regional and Swiss beer varieties while at the same time offering brews from all around the world, exciting beer styles from a wide section of beer cultures, available at affordable prices for the Basel (and Basel land) natives to enjoy.

My second tryout of their products, having had their Everyday Pale Ale which I thoroughly enjoyed, finding it very smooth and crisp with nice big creamy mouthfuls, a beer I will be returning to in the future…..  

Review: 44cl small can of Kitchen Brew Lager: 4.8% vol.

Comes in cans and on tap in and around the Basel region. 

Love the look of the can, hops and soft greenish colouring, catches my eye in the beer shop. Simple lettering for the ordinary punter too, stating name and that its a lager, that’s all you need, nothing pretentious or too fancy here. 

Looks great on pour, a very nice decent sized frothy head on pour, yellow/light golden colour, looks very appetizing, a good looking brew. 

Kitchen BrewLiking the aroma, very nice and pleasant on the nose. Getting the hops, faint but there to sniff about.

Coming cold from the fridge, the beer is well tasty, nice and crisp. The hops are alive, mild and soft enough to enjoy and with enough flavour to notice their refreshing taste. Full bodied and well balanced.

Very nice, hoppy but light in the taste, very drinkable and a good clean taste. This is a well made beer that is very easy to drink and enjoy. Fruit flavour with Citra and Callista hops very much to the fore.

I don’t feel like its a lager but more a light IPA, as the tastes and hops are much more pronounced than your average lager swill. 

The alcohol is well hidden, but still has a little kick to it which gives it a slight edge.

I liked this a lot , very tasty and very smooth. Strongly recommended and a new favourite go to beer. Thank God they sell it in the local supermarket!

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Steam Brew Imperial IPA

Steam Brew Imperial IPA

Steam Brew 

https://steam-brew.com/en/

Brewed by Privatbrauerei Eichbaum
Style: Double IPA/Imperial IPA
Mannheim, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany

Steam Brew Imperial IPAThe Eichbaum Brewery was founded way, way back in 1679 by Jean du Chaine (Chêne) from Southern Belgium, originally as a small brewpub, and while the exact location changed, its home and heart has always been in the city of Mannheim, a southern German city touching the Rhine. The name Eichbaum came from the translation of his family name, .du Chêne, which means “Oak tree”, or “Eichbaum” in German.

All was going well for many years, even centuries, until the Nazis got into power. By this stage the company had a substantial Jewish shareholdership, and due to the toxic political atmosphere in the country, they were all expelled and the company was nationalized. 

WW2 resulted in the company ceasing to produce any beer at all, go figure! But after the war, the company reopened and did very well since they were the main beer supplier for the American army that was now based in Germany at that time! The after war boom in Germany, attributed to the rebuilding of the country and help from the Allies, especially in the 50’s and 60’s, all contributed as well. 

Steam Brew Imperial IPASince the 70’s the brewery has changed ownership many times but nowadays it is operated as a private brewery, Eichbaum GmbH & Co KG.

Today, the brewery is one of the largest and most efficient breweries in the Baden-Württemberg region of Germany. Not only is it the oldest company in Mannheim but it is also one of the most modern. State-of-the-art brewing and bottling technologies make for an annual output of 1.8 million hectolitres, resulting in more than 16 different beers produced yearly for its every widening market.

This is my third beer that I have tried from the Eichbaum Brewery, I had their Bottle of Eichbaum Maibock, which I have to say was a bit of a disappointment for me. I found it too bitter and a real struggle to drink. On the other hand, the Steam Brew Imperial Stout was very smooth and oh so tasty and one I will definitely be returning too. 

Review: 0,5l can of Steam Brew Imperial IPA: 7.8% vol.

Love the Steam Brew cans, full of character and with a story behind each one. I’m fucked if I know the exact storyline, probably some bollix, but it looks well good. A logo of what looks like a mechanic/steam man surrounded by all sorts of gadgets, wheels and rusty instruments, pretty eye catching and cool. On the can it says “lets oil the gears of life”, yes sure why not, for this beer that was hopped three times……

Steam Brew Imperial IPAOn pour get a lot of carbonation, mad alive, resulting in a big creamy white head and an amber coloured beer. When it all settles down, the result is a fantastic looking beer. Great head on it, and it looks very delicious, very inviting. Lovely on the eye.

Good amount of lacing left behind on glass.

The aroma is strong, getting a lot of rich tropical fruits on the nose. It has the typical IPA smell one would expect, and it hits you straight off the bat. Nice and powerful on the nose. Get the citrus and fruits, the hops, caramel and malts.

Onto the taste, getting a very hoppy and bitter brew, very deep tasting but its not bad at all, very manageable. Get the fruits, the citrus and the hops. 

The hops are very prominent in this beer. The heavy flavours certainly matched the sombre mood I was in, listening to some old rock music of the 90s, The Offspring, and this beer matched that good mood perfectly, kind of just worked. The 7.8% was very well hidden too, didn’t feel like I was drinking a strong brew as it was very sessionable. 

The taste is alive, the hops are to the fore (Yellow Sub and Mosaic), kicking it and I love it. Lovely tasting beer, well balanced with so much character, fantastic. The fruits, the malts and the hops all well balanced to produce a very decent beer that went down very well, tasting all good yet doing well to hide the alcohol but still having that bitter bite to it. 

Loved it, very solid brew, strongly recommended…..

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Trekhgornoe Three Hills Beer (Трехгорное)

Trekhgornoe Three Hills Beer (Трехгорное)

Trekhgornoe Three Hills Beer (Трехгорное)

https://mosbrew.ru/en/about/

Brewed by Moscow Brewing Company 
Style: Premium Bitter
Moscow, Russia

The history of Trekhgornoe Beer began in 1875. Then Trekhgornoe Brewing Partnership was founded and The Three Hills Factory was built in the suburbs of Moscow. Today it is still part of Moscow life, in the district of Krasnaya Presnya.

Moscow Brewing Company launched its operations in September 2008 and today is considered Russia’s most modern brewery. The company offers a wide range of its own and licensed beer and non-alcoholic beverages, as well as imported products. The company has restored the traditional Trekhgornoe Moscow beer for 21st century consumption.

The high quality of Trekhgornoe beer was testified by two state arms on bottles and labels, proving how well regarded this beer became during the times of the Tsars.

The Trekhgornoe brand is the official partner of legendary football club Spartak Moscow

Review: small 450 ml bottle of Trekhgornoe Three Hills Beer (Трехгорное): 4.9% vol.

Tpexrophoe Mockba which I have no idea what it means, perhaps it means “Three Hills Beer”, the English name of the beer, yes that’s it, it must be that! Got it in a lovely little 450 ml bottle with a handle. Also can find in bottles.

Produced according to the original recipe of 1875. 

Trekhgornoe Three Hills Beer (Трехгорное)Multiple award winner at the World Beer Awards, taking gold three times as Country Winner in 2015, 2017 and in 2019. Not bad.

On the appearance, looks like a cup of tea, dark golden colour with no head at all. Some small initial carbonation going on, but not a lot else. 

The smell is floral, of grains and the malts but a little light on the nose. No aroma really.

Taste is unusual for me, difficult to exactly pin down but its strong on the taste buds for sure. Hops are there but very manageable. Lot of grains, and barley malts like a barley wine in fact. The hops have a unique enough taste, of nice Polaris hops which are well fruity and spicy.

Getting a lot from the small bottle, always a plus in my book.

Liked this, was easy to drink with a delicate bitterness, nice and relaxing. Nothing amazing but a mood setter and will return for future inspection. 

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Vilkmerges Jouduju Serbentu Stout

Vilkmerges Jouduju Serbentu Stout

Vilkmerges Jouduju Serbentu Stout

http://vilkmergesalus.lt/

Brewed by Vilkmergė 
Style: Flavored – Fruit
Panevezys, Lithuania

Vilkmerges Jouduju Serbentu StoutFrom the city of Panevėžys, in the centre of Lithuania comes the brewery Vilkmerges. The region has a long history of brewing, mainly down to the natural surroundings of the countryside and its ideal conditions for making good beers… the purest spring waters, local malts and tasty hops all produced here. 

All the beers from Vilkmerges are top-fermented and unpasteurized, which is why they are filled into bottles of black glass to protect them from sunlight and preserve their superior taste and other unique characteristics.

Today the brand of “Vilkmerges” belongs to the Kalnapilio-Tauro Grupe, which is part of the Danish holding company Royal Unibrew.

 

Review: 0,41l bottle of Vilkmerges Jouduju Serbentu Stout: 5.5% vol.

Vilkmerges Jouduju Serbentu StoutA seasonal beer, “Vilkmergė Black Currant Stout” is billed as a dark stout beer with black currants coming in a lovely designed black bottle with imprints on the back.  

Looks well, yes obviously, like a glass of blackcurrant, purple/dark red colour. Not a bad head on the pour, creamy and decent looking, but dies a quick death. 

Smell is quite clear on the nose, it is a great big whiff of black currant. Smells like a Ribena. For me that’s a neutral, I am not bothered either way by the smell…..black currant doesn’t excite but its also not a bad aroma. 

No surprise to tell you that the taste is like a blackcurrant juice. Very sweet and nice enough to drink, but it really feels like I am drinking a Ribena. I am really struggling to see how this is classed as a stout, its more like a fruit beer or juice.

Vilkmerges Jouduju Serbentu StoutGet a sweet blackcurrant taste, a little of the malts and a berry aftertaste, with no bitterness. Too heavy on the fruits and sugar filled but not so much on the hops and alcohol flavours. 

It is nice to drink and easy to go down, but I cant find any alcohol or flavours to show this is anything but a fruit juice. The alcohol is very well hidden. 

I can feel the alcohol kicking in afterwards though! But still a big disappointment, as I was expecting an interesting stout (my favourite beer style) and here I am drinking a Ribena. It doesn’t look, smell or taste like a beer! And it came in such a nice bottle, oh well……

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