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I'd personally still pick this over Epic's Armageddon. That is a fine beer but it seems to be playing it a little on the safe side to me. Sure, it is more focussed than the MPA of today (and possibly even better made) but it also seems further removed from the American Pales both seem to be aspiring to. I agree with your point on the unpleasant mingling to a certain extent but I did get used to it after a few mouthfuls.
 
Interesting. I'm really sick of people brewing double iipa's without any regard for the style guidelines or what makes a good beer of that style. Wrote a somewhat scathing review of the mountain goat iipa today after trying it last night. Terrible balance for the style.

And with the armageddon, I sort of agree. Depends which bottle though (it is probably me as much as it is the beer though). Sometimes i've had it and thought it was good but nothing special, other times it has tasted like godly nectar.
 
To be honest I don't really know a style guideline from some other thing that is completely disconnected from a style guideline but I do know that this beer (MPA) reminds me much more of beers I had there. I haven't had MG's IIPA but I will give it a crack should I get the chance.
 
Sorry about the lack of photos - it's in a glass, it's dark and I'm drinking in front of my computer that's surrounded by bits of paper, too many beer bottles, a container of ground black pepper and a tape measure. Other miscellaneous mess may or may not be cluttering up my desk.

Drinking St Peters Cream stout. It comes in a bottle with a purple label which has a pic of a bird in the upper right section.

Pours deep black with a whitish head which gradually disipate with little lacing (glass is not as clean as I would make for reviewing a fellow HBer's beer though).

Colour is pretty dense black. Aroma of faint liqourice and a hint of treacle.

Flavour is pretty damn nice. I make cream stouts but I've never had a commercial example. This is not overly sweet but the usual dryness of a stout is just offset a touch. The molasses/treacle element is there and a tiny hint of bitterness to balance. None of the metal that sometimes infests dark beers (Zyviec porter would be a lovely beer without the hit of iron filings I seem to get recently) - I can taste what might be a precursor to that but it's not there and that's great.

Would be happy if I brewed it and happy to drink it again.

Nice thick body too, chalky dryness on the palate that makes me want to have another sip.
 
St Peters Cream stout. It comes in a bottle with a purple label which has a pic of a bird in the upper right section.

Thanks for that - i was considering purchasing a bottle myself (or 3 for $20) and it sounds like it's worth a go. My local bottlos don't have much range but they have got a few St Peter's in at the moment.
 
dieu du ciel - aphrodisiaque cocoa & vanilla stout 6.5%
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yeah terrible iphone picture. drank this last night over about a 30min period at room temp (which is pretty cool in melbourne atm).

nice dark brow/chocolate coloured dense rocky head.

very sutble aromoas for a stout. no big roasts tones hitting you over the head. very subtle vanilla and dark malt aromas
a dryer stout than i was expecting (which im assuming it due to low mash/high attenutation), but i think it works well as its a very subtle beer with the vanilla and cocoa gently coming through. Its a defiite cocoa with a little choch malt id say. as there are times where it tastes like cocao nibs have been used for 'dry hopping' but then there are sublte flavours that i think are distinctly grain characteristics espcifically choc grain.

good solid body that drinks very smooth and velvety.

there was a certain flavour in there that was a type of bitterness that i coudlnt identify. it reminded my of that slight bourbon 'bitterness' or bite. it certainly added something.

I think they have been very clever with the malt as you get that roast malt flavour with out the 'roast' if you get what i mean. very hard to describe.

it reminded my a little of Maple's Vanilla bourbon porter but a little more sophisticated.



cant wait to try the other bottle: Dernire Volont - Blond Abbey-style beer, peche mortal - imperial coffee stout, Rose d'hibiscus - Hibiscus flower Wit
 
I loved the Peche ....very nice, have not tried the others, look forward to the other reviews.
 
I loved the Peche ....very nice, have not tried the others, look forward to the other reviews.

I've tried them all and IMHO there's not a bad one in there, although I thought the Rose & Hibiscus was particularly nice (I actually drink Rosehip and Hibiscus tea sometimes so maybe i'm biased towards it.)

Rye and peppercorn was superb, too.
 
I've tried them all and IMHO there's not a bad one in there, although I thought the Rose & Hibiscus was particularly nice (I actually drink Rosehip and Hibiscus tea sometimes so maybe i'm biased towards it.)

Rye and peppercorn was superb, too.

THe Peche and the Hibiscus were my particular favourites, although I haven't tried the rye one yet...
 
just been to Platinum cellars at Concord and picked up various beers...

Will report over the next few weeks..

picked up 3 Mikellar Single Hop IPA's. Somcoe, NS and Nugget (I think )... looking forward to these very much!
 
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Brewdog 5am Saint - Smells glorious. Really nice US hop aromas. But, and I can tell I'm gonna be alone on this one, I still can't fathom why all their US style ales are so well regarded. Like all their beers from that style the bittering here is amateurish and far too rough. I can bitter my beers bigger and stay smoother than this (not that I'm suggesting this needs more IBUs, if anything it needs less). Why the hell can't they? The rough bitterness ruins anything nice the malt might have to say on the matter.

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Rogue XS RIS - This, on the other hand, is a pretty wonderful. Alc is a little hot towards the end but apart from that they really haven't put a foot wrong. Still not quite up there with Old Rasputin for complexity, for my money, but still a very nice example. Big, smooth bitterness. Nice choc and roast flavours. Long fade which once the hot alc is gone leaves a tiny bit of malt sweetness readying you for your next mouthful. Maybe a little ashy to the end which might not be to everyone's taste - but I've never heard of a crowd pleasing RIS, so you know...
 
weihenstephaner(sp?) hefe in a souvineer soccer world cup glass. From memory I think it was 20, maybe 25, for 4 + the glass and the dates on them were quite far in the future so they must have been about as fresh as an imported hefe gets here....
This photo actually was taken a few weeks ago however so I don't recommend rushing down to your local Dan Murphy's looking for these, but they may have some left...
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Murrays Anniversary Ale 4. $34 a bottle at a great little USA bar off Oxford St. I also had Alpha Queen Pale Ale, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Mad Abbot Tripel, Trumer Pils and another beer or two.

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By the way, don't you hate it when the last guy in a round starts putting drinks on the corporate card. Would've saved me $40 if he'd done it earlier...
 
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Brewdog/Stone Bashah - Bottle poured much too cold, beer had warmed before tasting. The label suggests that this is a black Belgian DIPA - I honestly have no frame of reference to assess this beer against. The aroma of this beer is amazing - rich, thick, chewy. Yeah, I know nose of those describe smells - deal with it. Malt, choc, roast, a little floral (better?). The taste is really very nice. Very much like the aroma but the choc sits pretty far in the background for me though still finishing sweeter than I might have expected. Easily the smoothest bittering I've had in one of Brewdog's beers but still quite firm. Alc seems slightly warm for the ABV% for me but I do enjoy a little warming alc in the right beer so this isn't a criticism. I'm really enjoying this beer.

[EDIT: wrong pic]
 
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Flying Horse Dirty Angel - First had this beer months ago at Mrs Parmas and really liked it. Lots of dark fruit, rich maltiness, light warming alc. Tried it again a few months later and was less impressed but was happy to put it down to dirty lines or me having already had a gutful of other beers all day. Last weekend I saw it bottled and I have to admit I was a little bit excited. Turns out I needn't have been. The rich malt and dark fruit has been replaced by a general sweetness but it seems quite sugary. There warming alc is still there but it is also much less pleasantly now present in the aroma.here's a strange mid palate bitterness. Massively overcarbed - I'm not really all that picky in regards to carb levels but this is almost to Coke levels in this beer. When you take a bit of a break from it there is a really cloying, sickly-sweet feeling left in the mouth and a lingering twang-ish sensation. Very disappointed.
 
3 crappy iphone pics of what I had over the weekend.

Simcoe Single Hop IPA - this is now officially my favourite hop, as American as it gets. Highly drinkable IPA. A fav and one I'm looking at trying to replicate

Nugget Single Hop IPA - Never has a beer with this hop before. To me it was a cross between Cascade and Amarillo.

Great divide Belgica Belgian IPA - Never had a Belgian IPA before so unsure what to expect. classic belgian yeast flavour combined with american hops.. Pretty good, not great but a nice beer.


Also had a "Left Hand Brewing Co Imperial Stout" - My first Imperial Stout. Black as black can be with little to no head. Roast, chocolate, rasins, dried fruit. Beautiful beer. and packed a kick at 10.4% alc.

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Simcoe Single Hop IPA - this is now officially my favourite hop, as American as it gets. Highly drinkable IPA. A fav and one I'm looking at trying to replicate


If you love simcoe get your hands on Great Divide TITAN IPA. That got me loving simcoe. i couldnt believe the amount of pine they crammed into one bottle! :icon_drool2:
 
Sorry no picture

Dan Murphys in Mandurah has finally got White Rabbit Dark Ale (at least I have just found it)

Tried a couple of these over the weekend. What stood out is that the Junipers add a sour twang - This beer reminds me of LC Rogers with a lavender note on the nose.

Nice (ish) - would like to try it on tap.

RM
 
Brewdog/Stone Bashah - Bottle poured much too cold, beer had warmed before tasting. The label suggests that this is a black Belgian DIPA - I honestly have no frame of reference to assess this beer against. The aroma of this beer is amazing - rich, thick, chewy. Yeah, I know nose of those describe smells - deal with it. Malt, choc, roast, a little floral (better?). The taste is really very nice. Very much like the aroma but the choc sits pretty far in the background for me though still finishing sweeter than I might have expected. Easily the smoothest bittering I've had in one of Brewdog's beers but still quite firm. Alc seems slightly warm for the ABV% for me but I do enjoy a little warming alc in the right beer so this isn't a criticism. I'm really enjoying this beer.

I've got one of these too... cant wait to try...
 
I went down to my local last night and had a pint of James Squire Golden Ale with a mate. Now I am not sure if its because I have been drinking Brew Dog IPA and my 3 week old Golden Ale Clone, but the beer out of the tap was watery bland and had very little aroma and flavour. Has anyone else found this the case?
 
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