Beer review: Gauloise Brune (8.1% Belgium: Brasserie du Bocq)

The Gauloise Brune is an ale, more specifically a Belgian style dubbel. It's brewed by Brasserie du Bocq, a small Belgian family-owned brewery located in Purnode, near Yvoir. The brewery was founded in 1858 and produces about 6 million litres annually.

Taste: The Gauloise Brune is a medium/full-bodied beer with a sweet malty body. It features aromas of dried fruit, some spices, faint yeast and the beer finishes with the taste of dried fruit, a faint bitterness and a slight taste of alcohol.

Overall, the Gauloise Brune was a slight disappointment. The high price, and the fancy bottle raised my expectations quite high, but in the end the beer is a very average Belgian dubbel. I would maybe buy it again if I found it relatively cheap, but in Finland the price is just too damn high!

70 Good

Beer review: Laitilan Kukko Vehnä (4.7% Finland: Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas)

The Laitilan Kukko Vehnä is a wheat beer, more specifically a Hefeweizen. It's brewed by Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas, the fourth largest brewery in Finland. The brewery was founded in 1995 and has since grown immensely. Since the Laitilan Kukko Vehnä has only 4.7% alcohol in it, it's available in Finnish supermarkets and therefore contends in the category of "supermarket strength Hefeweizens".

Taste: The Laitilan Kukko Vehnä is a medium-bodied wheat beer with all the classic characteristics of a Hefeweizen. The beer starts with a sweet fruity banana flavor and then moves on to deliver a wheaty malt body and faint sweet yeastiness. The beer finishes with a citric, herbal hoppiness.

Overall, the Laitilan Kukko Vehnä is a good Hefeweizen. Unfortunately the Finnish alcohol laws force the Finnish breweries to create beers which are slightly watery and lack strong flavors. However, in the category of "supermarket strength Hefeweizens" the Laitilan Kukko Vehnä is a well-accomplished individual.

70 Good

Beer review: Meteorite vs. Earth (8.5% Sweden: Modernist Brewery)

The Meteorite vs. Earth, is a pale ale, more specifically a Double India Pale Ale. It's brewed by Modernist Brewery, a Swedish microbrewery founded in 2012 and located in Stockholm. The name of the beer promises a powerful punch and the description on the bottle further pledges to "...give you the most pleasant whack on the chin you've ever had." That's saying a lot, let's see if the beer delivers what it promises.

Taste: The Metorite vs. Earth is a medium-bodied beer with a pleasant sweet front taste of raisins, and other dried fruit. It then delivers a nice maltiness and finishes with a medium-strength hoppiness and some berry aromas.

Overall, the Meteorite vs. Earth is a very nice DIPA with a distinct flavor and nice character. Personally, I'm left without the "whack on the chin" because the hoppiness is actually quite smooth and therefore the beer is a disappointment on that area. It does stand out among DIPAs because of its raisiny sweetness, and in my opinion that should be the factor the brewery should advertise this beer with.

70 Good

Beer review: Prykmestar Savukataja (9.0% Finland: Vakka-Suomen Panimo)

The Prykmestar Savukataja is a smoke beer, more specifically a smoke juniper beer (Savukataja= smoke juniper). It's brewed by Vakka-Suomen Panimo, a medium-sized Finnish brewery located on the western coast of Finland, in Uusikaupunki. The brewery was founded in 2007 and its products have received several awards since.

Taste: The Prykmestar Savukataja is a medium/full-bodied beer with a smooth, smoke dominant flavor. It delivers a slightly sweet smoky flavor, with a faint taste of smoked ham. The smoky flavor is then replaced by the flavor of juniper which, unfortunately, remains quite faint. The beer finishes with a nice sweet and smoky aftertaste.

Overall, the Prykmestar Savukataja is a mature beer with a surprisingly smooth taste, considering that it's quite strong alcohol-wise. However, because the name suggests that there should be juniper in it, I was a bit disappointed with the lack of it. There is a faint aroma of juniper but I was expecting a bit more. However, still definitely worth a try!

70 Good

Beer review: Mufloni IPA (4.5% Finland: Panimoravintola Beer Hunter's)

The Mufloni IPA is an ale, more specifically a session Indian Pale Ale, brewed by the Finnish brewery restaurant Beer Hunter's located in Pori. Although the beer selection of many Finnish supermarkets has widened nicely, IPAs are still quite uncommon. Therefore, a Finnish IPA is an interesting and welcomed product.

Taste: The Mufloni IPA is a medium-bodied Indian Pale Ale. It starts with a lemony, faintly sweet aroma which is surpassed by the strong, slightly dry and very bitter hoppiness. The aftertaste of the beer lasts quite long and the beer finishes with a strong bitterness that is left lingering in the mouth.

Overall, the Mufloni IPA is a nice beer, and it succeeds in nicely delivering all of the qualities associated with IPAs. The hoppiness is quite strong with this one, which is quite a good accomplishment considering the market strength of the beer. If you're into IPAs, this one's worth trying out, although it doesn't deliver anything memorable.

70 Good

Beer review: Wold Top Against The Grain (4.5% England: Wold Top)

Wold Top Against The Grain is a specialty beer, more specifically a gluten free beer made from lager malt, maize, hops and yeast. It's brewed by Wold Top, a small English brewery located in Yorkshire. Gluten free beers are quite rare, and therefore Wold Top Against The Grain is an interesting release, especially since at the moment it's found in some of the Finnish supermarkets. Let's give it a try!

Taste: Wold Top Against The Grain is a light/medium-bodied beer, with a faint malty taste. The maltiness is quite sweet and is combined with the flavor of maize. The beer is slightly fruity and features a medium strength taste of herbal hop. The aftertaste of the beer is slightly bitter.

Overall, the Wold Top Against The Grain is an interesting beer. It's gluten free and although, when it comes to brewing beer, it starts from this disadvantageous position, it manages to deliver a nice set of flavors. It's nothing unforgettable, yet it's a nice choice, especially for people sensitive to gluten.

70

Beer review: Keisari EloWehnä (4.7% Finland: Nokian Panimo)

Keisari EloWehnä is a wheat beer, more specifically a Hefeweizen. It is brewed by Nokian Panimo, one of the middle-sized breweries of Finland. Nokian Panimo prides itself in being an honest, independent brewery. Keisari EloWehnä can be found in supermarkets all over Finland and it offers an interesting alternative to the basic lager beers.

Taste: Keisari EloWehnä is a fine wheat beer. It offers a light-bodied wheat and yeast dominant flavor, with a hint of banana fruitiness. The aftertaste of the beer is pleasantly fruity and the beer finishes with a faintly bitter wheaty flavor.

Overall, Keisari EloWehnä is among the best wheat beers available in Finnish supermarkets. It's not the most refreshing one, since the flavor is quite rich. However, the flavors that it offers are really enjoyable and therefore the Keisari EloWehnä is definitely worth trying!

70 Good

Beer review: Robinsons Trooper (4.7% England: Robinsons)

Robinsons Trooper is an ale, more specifically an English Pale Ale. It is the official beer of the heavy metal group Iron Maiden and supposedly the recipe was created by the group. It's brewed by a British family-run regional brewery Robinsons. This sounds much more promising than the roots of the Kiss and Motörhead beers. Of course, being the beer of Iron Maiden, one of the most popular metal bands in the world, it's also meant for worldwide distribution. Let's see if this compromises the taste of the beer.

Taste: The Trooper starts with a faint sour lemony taste and then moves on to a medium-bodied sweet, malt dominant taste. It features hints of toffee, honey and finishes with a mild bitterness.

Overall, the Robinsons Trooper is miles above the beers of Kiss and Motörhead. It's not a beer with the most character, but considering the wide distribution and bulk quality of the beer, it's a really nice one. It's available in many Finnish supermarkets and it's one of the better beers there.

70 Good

Beer review: Leffe Brune (6.5% Belgium: InBev Belgium)

Leffe Brune is an ale, more specifically a dubbel ale, brewed by InBev Belgium. Although it is a monastery beer, receiving its name from a monastery, it is quite obvious that the bulk quantity of Leffe production means that the monastery is present only in the beer's name. The company which produces Leffe is part of the Anheuser-Busch corporation, the largest beer corporation in the world. Leffe is brewed under a license from the monastery and it receives royalties from the product. However, being part of a big corporation, being produced in a factory, yet selling under the name of a 'monastery beer' is a bit dubious, at least in my books. Let's not let that affect the review of the taste of Leffe Brune.

Taste: Leffe Brune is a very sweet ale. It is medium-bodied, soft and a bit fruity, although less so than the Blonde version of Leffe. The taste of sweet bready malt is quite dominant, and a faint aroma of smoke is present as well. Leffe Brune finishes with a sweet sugary and almost creamy malt flavor with a tiny hint of hops.

Overall, Leffe Brune is a very likable beer and is easily available. In my opinion, it's one of the best beers in wide distribution in Europe. It doesn't provide any mind-blowing taste experiences, and personally I prefer the Blonde version. However, they're both good bulk beers and I'm jealous of mid-Europeans for having this stuff in their supermarkets. + I guess it's a good thing that some of the profit goes to the monastery.

70 Good

Whisky review: Chivas Regal 12 Years Old (40.0% Scotland: Chivas Brothers)

Chivas Regal 12 Years Old is one of the most popular blended Scotch whiskies in the world. It is produced by Chivas Brothers, a company currently owned by Pernod Ricard. Price-wise it falls among the mid-range of blended Scotch whiskies. Since blended whiskies are, as the name suggests, blends of several whiskies, whisky connoisseurs often regard them as a no go. However, for its price Chivas Regal succeeds in offering a surprisingly sophisticated and smooth taste which makes it easy to enjoy. Of course, being a blended whisky, the aromas in Chivas Regal aren't as strong as in single malts.

Taste: Chivas Regal is a medium-bodied whisky with a hint of smoky aromas. However, what sets it apart from other blended Scotch whiskies in my books is the enjoyable aftertaste which provides a smooth, almost creamy finish.

Overall, Chivas Regal 12 Years Old is a very good quality blended Scotch whisky and its popularity doesn't come as a surprise. Of course, blended whiskies are nowhere near single malts but among its own, Chivas Regal comes close to the top.

70 Good