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Monthly Archives: September 2012

Review of Norrebro Bryghus Little Korkny Ale (2008)

Hello everyone. For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be trying a 2008 Little Korkny Ale produced by Norrebro Bryghus located in Kobenhavn, Denmark.

I’ve only had one other brew from these guys, the North Bridge Extreme, and I liked it fairly well, so I’m really looking forward to test driving this one.

The website, noerrebrobryghus.dk, was written in Danish, so I’m stepping over to ratebeer.com to find a commercial description of this particular beer.

A very full-bodied beer brewed from ale and crystal malts. Strong 12.25% ABV with a pronounced sweetness and distinctive flavor of cascade hops, plums, and caramel.

Let’s pour.

This one comes in a 20.3 oz. bottle and, according to the label, has an ABV of 12.0%.

It poured a burgundy/brown color with a light tan head that was so fizzy that it dissipated about as fast as any beer I’ve ever seen. It left absolutely no lacing behind either. A few alcohol legs were noticed, but overall, I wasn’t that impressed with the aesthetic appeal of this beer.

The nose presented a lot of sweet caramel malt. Tones of baked breads and quite a bit of dark fruit. Stabs of raisin, fig and plum. The fragrance was rather robust, but balanced fairly well. Not near as much alcohol as one would expect considering the high ABV either.

The taste let the alcohol come out much more. The dark fruits (plum mostly) seemed to jump to the forefront as well. Still plenty of caramel and toffee sweetness was to be found though. This thing was extremely “big” and sweet. Almost too much so for me honestly.

The mouthfeel was medium to full bodied. Smooth, chewy, dry and sticky. The carbonation was very low. A significant amount of warmth and burn was felt from the alcohol, which in turn, left a bunch of flavor behind on the palate after each sip.

Well, I think the Norrebro Bryghus Little Korkny Ale was pretty good I guess. It was just a little bit tough for me to drink. A definite sipper that’s for sure. Easily a beer that I would much prefer during the cooler months. That’s not saying that you guys wouldn’t love it. You may very well think it’s outstanding, and that’s great, but for me it just didn’t set well during my tasting. I figure I need to try it again in the future and give it another chance. I’d suggest picking it up and giving it a go for yourself though. Be sure to let me know what you thought of it. I’d love to hear a second opinion.

Thanks for reading everyone. I really appreciate it.

Until next time. Cheers.

Score: 3.3 out of 5
Grade: B-

Review of Dogfish Head Burton Baton

27 Sep

Hi guys. For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be trying the Dogfish Head Burton Baton produced by the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery located in Milton, Delaware.

Let’s get right to the website, dogfish.com, and see what kind of information we can find out about this beer.

This oak-aged gentle giant has been gaining popularity over the past few years and is now available year-round.

For Burton Baton, we brew two “threads,” or batches, of beer: an English-style old ale and an imperial IPA.

After fementating the beers separately in our stainless tanks, they’re transferred and blended together in one of our large oak tanks. Burton Baton sits on the wood for about a month.

When enjoying the Burton Baton, you’ll find an awesome blend of the citrus notes from Northwestern hops melding with woody, vanilla notes from the oak. The wood also tends to mellow the 10% ABV of Burton, so tread cautiously!

Let’s do this.

This brew has a 10.0% ABV and it comes in a 12 oz. bottle.

It poured a deep orange color with an off white head that was nicely sized. The texture was thick, smooth and kind of creamy. The retention time was long lasting and it left behind some very nice lacing too. A ton of clear alcohol legs were left on the sides of the snifter when I tilted it from side to side as well.

The nose was sweet and sugary with a good deal of dank, piny, resiny hops. Citrus of orange and tangerine. Quite malty too with just a little bit of vanilla and oak bringing up the rear and bumping up the complexity.

The taste let loose with more wood/oak. Again, just a slight touch of vanilla. More of the resiny and piny hops with further bits of orange and tangerine. The bitterness was solid and manageable. Some sweet caramel malt and bready aspects add a smidgen more complexity. The alcohol comes into play with the taste, but it never really distracts from the other flavors.

The mouthfeel was medium to full bodied. Sticky, chewy, dry and smooth. The carbonation was a tad on the lower side. A substantial amount of warmth was felt from the alcohol and an excellent dose of flavor was left behind on the palate for me to enjoy throughout.

Well, this is a fairly big, but good beer. It’s solid all around. The drinkability was “ok” considering the size, however I doubt that I could make a night of it. It definitely has plenty of flavor and character to be pondered for the duration and I’m sure that this brew would be suitable for most any craft beer drinker, but it’s not my favorite in the Dogfish catalog. I don’t know…. it just didn’t blow me away like I thought it might. Only my opinion however. So, the next time you see the Dogfish Head Burton Baton give it a try if you have yet to do so. Feel free to leave your opinion in the comment box if you wish.

Thanks for reading everyone. I really appreciate it.

Until next time. Cheers.

Score: 4.0 out of 5
Grade: B+

Review of Goose Island Nut Brown Ale

25 Sep

Hi guys. For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be sipping on a Goose Island Nut Brown Ale produced by the Goose Island Beer Company located in Chicago, Illinois.

It’s been a long time since I last had this brew. If I remember correctly I enjoyed it quite well, so I wanted to give it a proper review for you guys.

From the website, gooseisland.com, we find this description of the brew.

Our Nut Brown Ale combines the finest domestic and imported malts to produce a chestnut-hued ale of unusual complexity. Subtle notes of chocolate, honey and fine tobacco give this ale an enjoyable and satisfying “nutty” finish.

Let’s pour.

This beverage comes in a 12 oz. bottle and it has an ABV of 5.3%.

It poured a clear, brown color with glowing burnt orange highlights at the bottom of the nonic glass. The cap was tan, soft, fluffy, somewhat creamy and just a touch rocky. It was excellently sized and the retention time was more than commendable. The lacing didn’t look too bad either. A nice ring of foam was left after each sip.

The bouquet seemed a touch mild, however I was able to pick out some toasted grains and wheat bread. The nuttiness was not the forerunner. It was found, but touches of caramel and chocolate were a bit more pronounced. A solid “leafy” base was discovered underneath and it really helped create a harmonious aroma.

Within the taste I found more of the toasted/roasted grains and breads. The nuttiness jumped out a tad more in the form of a hickory nut type of flavor. Considerable earthiness, yet minimal sweetness from the caramel and chocolate malt. I didn’t really find any of the tobacco or honey that was mentioned in the description though. Oh well. It still tasted pretty nice I thought.

The mouthfeel was a solid medium. Dry, smooth and slick with a good amount of carbonation. Nevertheless, not an extreme amount of flavor was left behind on the palate after the sips.

Overall, I thought this was a decent Brown Ale. It really set the mood for Fall when I tried it. It’s definitely worth a try. It’s nothing out of the ordinary or outstanding, yet it’s solid enough to enjoy and contemplate on a lazy afternoon. The drinkability was good and I think I could have a few of these during one sitting with no problem whatsoever. So, if you guys have yet to try the Goose Island Nut Brown Ale or if it has been awhile since you last did so… pick one up, give it a go and let me know what you think. Feel free to leave a comment at anytime.

Thanks for reading everyone. I really appreciate it.

Until next time. Cheers.

Score: 3.7 out of 5

Grade: B