Bach Brewing from Auckland New Zealand. A new brewery to me. And my first beer from them is a style I pretty much dislike. West Coast IPA.
Bach Brewing – Throbbing Grist, West Coast IPA. 6.6% 440ml can. Amarillo, Citra, Idaho 7 and Talus hops. Stinks like mango, passionfruit, guava etc.. but theres a bunch of other stuff going on I cant place. The earthy character balanced with the dryness from the really deep pine resin is the best bit. Its not over malty or sweet and cloying from trying to “balance” the malts with the bitterness or anything. Its a good IPA with nice modern hop weirdness, not much else to say. 2.5/5.
Haha! I got the Deluxe box set & Limited blue LP! That blue is looks fantastic and I think same as the limited to Scandinavia version of Eternal Hails (that I obviously missed out on)
Also, probably the best album cover of the last 30 years! for any band!
The Space Donut was sold out by the time I found the Rocky Ridge stand at Froth Fest (I’m sure there were maps but I’m and idiot and was stuck trying the great Artisan Brewing stuff). So I took a bus trip to a liquor store I knew had it in stock and grabbed 2 of them, then I saw the Double Dragonfruit (excellent and first “reviewed” here) and grabbed two of those. And lastly grabbed a Rosé Gose. I didn’t even want to try the Rosé Gose at Froth Fest, because its basically 2 things I’m just not a fan off, I was wrong, kind of.
Rocky Ridge – Rosé Gosé. 9%ABV 375ml can. Smells very Rosé wine, a light lacto funk, and the taste is like a big fucking punch in the mouth, Its basically Rosé grape juice, carbonated and soured, with a bit of Gose saltiness in there. But like 110% amped for all of it. Truly incredible in its just brutal fuck you-ness. Wild stuff. 3 because yes it is good, its, fantastic even and made well, and you do kind of adjust or succumb to it eventually and its actually nice, my personal dislike for Rosé wine put aside.
★★★
Rocky Ridge – Space Donuts Maple Bacon Stout. 8%ABV 500ml can. Great big tan head. Nice smoke, burnt sugar, maple syrup maybe? There’s some very roasted black malt smells. The taste is…. smoke and then… just the bottom of hell dark malt flavour’s. Fucking weird. There’s some sweetness to kind of try and level it out in the mouth, but that first sip is just a vertical drop into pure darkness. This needs to be in a bottle and aged for like at least a year or more and I would love to drink the results. Its not maple, or bacon, but its fucking awesome and bizarre. 3.5 stars. Even after it warms more and it gets a bit more sweetness its still just insane dark rich black roasted viscous insane malts. I don’t even know what the name is referencing.
Update 2/9/22: Just had this again and its a bit more boozy this time, more richer? viscous? More cloying, Still extremely dark and bitter, but it has this boozy almost sickly edge to it now.
★★★★
Rocky Ridge – Double Dragon Imperial Dragonfruit Sour. 8%ABV 375ml can. The thing I missed about this the first time was the a mount of strawberry in it. In all the gaps and bits of sides of your tongue where its not the big lacto sourness, or the more big citrus side stuff, its all just strawberry. The only Dragonfruit could possibly be just the smell. Weird beer, Great beer. Really big and intense and scary drinkable. 3/5.
Didn’t listen to anything new except Crime. Listened to Sodom In the Sign of Evil a bunch of times, mostly. Sodom – Burst Command til War Skinny Puppy – Rodent Crime – Baby You’re So Repulsive
Blackman’s Brewing – Arthur, Smoked Porter. 6%ABV 375ml can. Smell is a good amount of smoke, some caramel malt. Taste has that slight acidity that comes with smoked beers, but also some dark beers. (Marris Otter, Beechwood smoked malt, Carafa T3, Munich). The hops are 100% Cascade, the bitterness is mild but fitting. No real mouthfeel, good carbonation. It’s a real nice porter, and the smoke just makes it better. 2.5/5.
★★★
Artisan Brewing – Waffles, Belgian Oatmeal Porter. 4.2%ABV 375ml can. Pretty standard dark roasty malts on the nose, some caramel, nice enough. Not much mouthfeel, its pretty light actually considering oatmeal is in the name. It is 4.2% but still…I let this warm up a bit and it did slightly increase in malt flavour. This is very much a straight up Porter with very light hop bitterness. It tastes fine, is clean and nice, looks lovely. I would like more Belgian and Oatmeal and Porter, though. 2/5
Earl Grey Crème Brûlée’, Dark Creme Ale. 8%ABV, 375ml can. Their GABS ’22 release. This is quite amazing. The nose is custard/custard powder, caramel, vanilla (not lactose vanilla), Bergamot, honey, other stuff? Nice smooth mouthfeel with good light carbonation. The taste is massive, and very different, initially it seems kind of like Belgian ale style malts (the grist is Pale, wheat, oat and honey malts) with vanilla cream, honey, custard, caramel, there’s a back note of the tea initially that appears a bit more as it warms, a slight citrus note as well from the hops? (Warrior and Wai-iti hops) There’s Belgian candi sugar in here so that probably adds somewhat to the depth and “sweetness” and initial Belgian thoughts. The smell just keeps bringing back all the flavours. The Bergamot is secretly everywhere after a while melding with the honey malt notes. There’s some very mild hop bitterness, a little bit medicinal, far more more citrus/lemony. It calms down a bit after your senses are overpowered and becomes more of a weird cream ale, a milk ale? with honey, Bergamot, tea and citrus/lemon. There’s a lot going on, a lot of depth. Really deserves a long time just sitting and sipping as it warms and changes to enjoy it all. A real cool oddball beer. 4/5
★★★★I had only just drank some water out of this glass, its clean, honestly!
Small or medium pours of each using the provided I guess its an IPA style beer glass (see image below).
Artisan Brewing Legacy ’21 Farmhouse Red Saison. Rich, great mouthfeel, malty, a bit of spicyness, a bit funky, great aged saison. Farmhouse Gold ’22 Saison. A real good well balanced Saison, amazing lacing in the glass (see image below). Un Monde Á Nous # 1 Biere de coupage, sour + hoppy. Really funky, bretty, god i miss this stuff, great. Un Monde Á Nous # 3 Biere de coupage, 2 cherry beers. Opaque full of cherry, like a super funky Rodenbach with a hint of balsamic vinegar, so good.
Impi Brewers. Imperial S’mores White Stout. Belgian-ish forward malt, theres a nice toasted marshmallow taste, great ingredient choices to make that pop.
Black Brewing Co. Affogato Hazelnut Ice Cream Stout. Like a nice milk stout with a heap of Nuttella added to it? pretty damn good.
Campus Brewing Happy Birthday Mr Walrus Imperial Birthday Cake Stout. A big nice stout with a lot of lactose but not enough birthday cake.
Feral Bewing Co. Sky Rocket In Flight Turkish Delight Ale. You can taste the rosewater, its OK.
Wilson Brewing Company Scurvy Nights Strawberry Sour Dark Ale. A real nice dark sour, really well used sourness and cherry in a well made dark ale.
Rocky Ridge Brewing Double Dragon Imperial Dragonfruit Sour. Very Dragonfruit and very sour, its a great sour, really nice final beer of the night.
As predicted and not just by number alone the star of the night was all the less common Artisan Brewing stuff. Only thing I really wanted and couldn’t get was the Rocky Ridge Space Donut. Really great well set up event, not over crowded, no lines, heaps of brewers and beer. Great event. 5/5.
Incredible lacing on the Farmhouse Gold ’22 from Artisan BrewingWilson Brewing Company, Scurvy Nights Strawberry Sour Dark Ale
I’ve steered away from the standards and the 85% or so beers on tap that are just straight Hops Beers because boring. There’s more vendors listed particularly from over east who may have stuff I cant regularly get here (pretty much just Moon Dog Brewing), who knows. Also getting some things in fresh kegs rather than questionable cans might be a thing. Beers listed with ^ are “official” festival only releases.
Far too many, will probably do the the Artisan Brewing stuff, then just the weirdest.
In no particular order…
Artisan Brewing -Farmhouse Gold ’22, Legacy ’21, 1721, Un Monde Á Nous #1 & #3
Black Brewing Co : Hazelnut Affogato Ice Cream Stout^
Rocky Ridge Brewing : Space Donut Vol 1 Maple Bacon Stout. Double Dragon Imperial Dragonfruit Sour.
Campus Brewing : Happy Birthday Mr Walrus Imperial Birthday Cake Stout^. Long Black Lager.
Wilson Brewing : Scurvy Nights Sour Strawberry Dark Ale
Big Shed : Cherry Rhubarb Dark Lager
Wolf of the Willows : Lark Barrel Aged Whiskey Sour
Feral Brewing : Sky Rockets In Flight Turkish Delight Ale^
