Edelweiss Weissbier

Posted on 15. May 2013 by Mads Barnkob

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Edelweiss weissbier have been brewed since 1646 and is based on the original recipe from the brewery Kaltenhausen that was founded in 1475,

I found this beer at a local supermarket in Denmark at the reasonable price of 1,5 Euro for a 330 ml can with a strength of 5%.

A bright glowing yellow unfiltered beer fills the glass from a bottle that clucks when poured.

The head is nice, fine and settles into a thinner layer.

Aroma comes off with a good fruity invitation. A very mild taste is not expected from the aroma. Seems to contain very little CO2, so little that it gets a flat feeling.

There is nothing to hold up against this beer except the flat feeling and mild taste, just under average.

Overall rating is 69 / 100

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Ørbæk bryggeri – KORS ØØLL

Posted on 6. May 2013 by Mads Barnkob

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Ørbæk brewery was founded in 1906 by the Madsen family but was sold off in the late 1970′s. Due to heavy competition from larger breweries the brewery kept changing hands until it closed down for good in the early 1990′s. In 1996 Niels and Nicolai Rømer bought and restored the brewery to its former glory and is today producing organic juice and beers on the original brewery equipment.

KORS ØØLL is made in cooperation with Nyborg castle museum to try and make a beer as the one drank by the Johannenite order.

I found this beer at a local supermarket in Denmark at the reasonable price of 4 Euro for a 750 ml bottle with a strength of 7,5%.

The medium dark beer fills the glass, a heavy aroma of caramel and darkness is apparent.

The head is subtle and just covers the beer.

Taste is heavy, dark, middleage like, caramel and with a flat CO2 as expected from such a beer. It really hides its 7,5% alcohol so well that it goes unnoticed. The after taste have a funny tinkling to it.

Did they succeed in brewing a beer like in the middleages, I do not know. But they succeeded in making a good beer that deserves to be tried out, especially to the price. Not to mention it is organic, a big plus in my book!

Overall rating is 87 / 100

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Jacobsen – Weissbier

Posted on 29. April 2013 by Mads Barnkob

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At the age of 24 J.C. Jacobsen starts the brewery Carlsberg in 1847 on Valby bakke. In the pursuit of brewing the best beer he develops breakthrough methods for refining the yeast in his laboratory. In 2005 the Carlsberg group opens up a small experimental brewery in the old original buildings used by J.C. Jacobsen, a small brewery made to experiment with developing new types of beer.

I found this beer at a local supermarket in Denmark at the price of 4 Euro for a 750 ml bottle with a strenght of 5,9%.

A delicate yellow going to orange colour fills the glass and is with the right look of unfiltered beer.

The head is big, rough and fine on the top. It will sadly disappear within minutes.

Aroma is very delightful and good fruit, a slight hint of banana can be smelt.

Taste is wonderful, sprinkling and have a nice and long aftertaste. A really good beer, but it is no weissbier as it is not brewed according to the german purity law, glukose have been added to adjust the taste.

The label uses words like it was a french wine taster describing it, I have no desire to see this trend to spread to beers too. Since it is a Weissbier brewed with other ingredients than described in the german purity law it will stay in the range of average beers.

Still a very enjoyable beer!

79 / 100

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Benediktiner Weissbier

Posted on 19. April 2013 by Mads Barnkob

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Ettal Monastery was founded by Louis IV, Emperor of Bavaria, on 28 April 1330. In the 15th and 16th century, the monastery had its own brewery in nearby Oberammergau. The brewery was established at Ettal Monastery in 1609.  Beer has been brewed here on a continuous basis for more than 400 years.

I found this beer at a local supermarket in Denmark at the reasonable price of 1,5 Euro for a 500 ml can with a strength of 5,4%.

A thick mass of orange glowing beer fills the glass as this unfiltered is being poured, it is actually a joy to pour this heavy

flowing weissbier.

The head is big and leaves a fine thick layer of foam.

A less fruity but fresh aroma and taste gives the beer a nice touch, the hint of yeast and alcohol gives itself away as the taste

fades out.

A well balanced weissbier that will always be worth buying.

Overall rating is 79 / 100

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Jacobsen – Forårsbryg

Posted on 8. April 2013 by Mads Barnkob

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At the age of 24 J.C. Jacobsen starts the brewery Carlsberg in 1847 on Valby bakke. In the pursuit of brewing the best beer he develops breakthrough methods for refining the yeast in his laboratory. In 2005 the Carlsberg group opens up a small experimental brewery in the old original buildings used by J.C. Jacobsen, a small brewery made to experiment with developing new types of beer.

I found this beer at a local supermarket in Denmark at the price of 4 Euro for a 750 ml bottle with a strenght of 6,3%.

The beautiful red colour is as described when it is poured into the glass.

The head quickly disappears into almost nothing and it is hardly a cream like foam as the label promisses.

The aroma is revealing notes from the hops and is generally inviting.

The taste starts out with a fresh bitternes sprinkling the tongue, light caramel aftertaste that resembles candy on wooden sticks. The high alcohol percentage can be a little too dominating.

The label uses words like it was a french wine taster describing it, I have no desire to see this trend to spread to beers too.

Overall rating 72 / 100

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Bryggeriet Skands – Humlefryd

Posted on 25. March 2013 by Mads Barnkob

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This beer comes from a private owned micro brewery located at Brøndby in the Denmark. The micro brewery is from 2003 and is run by Birthe and Morten Skands that also own it. They try to target a small market with their special beers and especially their focus on making good beers by the hand from their small 1500 Litre equipment. Birthe comes from a long career at the Carlsberg breweries.

I bought this beer at Hjerting Badehotel in Denmark at 8 Euro in their restaurant for a 500 ml bottle with a strength of 5,5%.

A bright yellow beer fills the glass and have a good regular look.

The head structure is light bubbles that soon disappears into a thin layer.

A very well balanced pilsner with a delicate aroma. Taste and aroma goes so well hand in hand when drinking it that one can only want to drink more. A expensive beer that is certainly worth to try and enjoy, only problem is that you will want more and that will cost you.

Overall rating is 95 / 100

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A. Le Coq – Alexander

Posted on 20. March 2013 by Mads Barnkob

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The A. Le Coq brewery is the oldest continuously operating brewery in Estonia. It was formed from the two breweries B. J. Hesse of 1800 and J. R. Schramm of 1826, in a joint venture called Tivoli Ltd. In 1913 the owners renamed the brewery A. Le Coq.

The biggest market was for many years the Russian market and over the latest 200 years it have changed hands to new owners many times. During the Soviet era the name changed to Tartu Õlletehas (Tartu Brewery) but was renamed back to A. Le Coq in 1997, as the brewery was privatised by the Finish company Olvi.

I bought this beer at a local supermarket in Tartu, Estonia. 500 ml bottle with a strength of 5,2% for 0.75 Euro.

A yellow beer fills the glass and have a bright regular pilsner look.

The head structure is light, big and fine bubbles that soon disappears into a thin layer, it seems to have a heavy CO2 going off.

The aroma can seem a little bitter in the start, but as it gasses off and the head disappears it regains a light pilsner aroma. Taste is a bit too much on the light side, it quickly taste like water. It is remarkably less sparkling than I would expect from the pouring. Overall a good regular beer.

Overall rating is 78 / 100

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Saku – Das Echte Hefeweizen

Posted on 13. March 2013 by Mads Barnkob

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Saku brewery was established in 1820 by the owner of Saku manor, German Earl Karl Friedrich Rehbinder. The first production was in October 1820. The brewery is located in Estonia.

Caused by 1st World War, Saku brewery did not brew from 1914 to 1921. Saku soon after settled as the largest brewery in the northern Estonia as they introduced beer on 0,5L bottles instead of the normal half toop bottles. (1 toop is 1,23 litres).

In 1940 the brewery became nationalized due to Estonia being occupied by the Soviet Union. During the Soviet times the brewery was in 1976 changed to a experimental brewery and was close to closing in 1985, where investments into the brewery was stopped.

A new era begins for Saku in 1991 where a joint venture Baltic Beverages Holding was founded by Pripps brewery from Sweden and Hartwall from Finland. They acquired 75% of the shares in Saku brewery. The brewery was reconstructed and the old equipment was replaced with new machines that produced the new Saku Originaal in 1993. In 2008 Saku brewery was bought 100% by the Carlsberg group A/S.

During my stay in Tartu, Estonia, I found this 500 ml bottle in a supermarket near the hotel at 0,75 Euro.

Light fruit aroma, yellow colour like it should be, head starts out big, leaves a thin layer.

Light fruit taste which goes into weak and watery taste with light speed, a flat CO2 feeling leaves it with no play on the tongue and overall it does not have much taste.

Lots of sediment in bottle to swirl out.

Calling it the real weissbier takes some nerve and will also be its downfall.

Overall rating is 60 / 100

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1996 Blandy’s Bual Colheita

Posted on 21. February 2013 by Mads Barnkob

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Blandy’s Madeira Wine was founded in 1811 by John Blandy that came to Madeira to be treated for his illness in the warm climate and to work in the banking sector. The company is still on family hands and is today run by the 6th generation.

I bought this 20%, 500 ml bottle of Blandy’s 1996 Bual Colheita in the Blandy’s wine store in airport on the island of Madeira at the price 39 Euro.

The bual grapes are used for the medium sweet wines. This single harvest Colheita wine was bottled ready to drink and does therefore not posses a ageing potential as the vintage wines.

This wine was matured on oak cask for 15 years and was bottled in 2011. This was from cask 24071/2 and bottle number 1469. A total of 3000 bottles was filled.

A  golden colour fills the glass and the alcohol sticks to the sides of the glass leaving nicely rounded curtains to set apart from the sharp line.

A sweet aroma with the pinch of alcohol, but nothing too strong to put out the pleasure of enjoying its aroma before tasting. A short sting of acid and a split second later the sweet flavour floats around the tongue. Best served in regular quantities as the taste fades within a minute. A good madeira that was well enjoyed during christmas by my family and I.

Overall rating is 90 / 100

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Jacobsen – Velvet Ale

Posted on 11. February 2013 by Mads Barnkob

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Found in a local supermarket in Denmark at 2,75 Euro for a 5,9% 750 ml bottle.

At the age of 24 J.C. Jacobsen starts the brewery Carlsberg in 1847 on Valby bakke. In the pursuit of brewing the best beer he develops breakthrough methods for refining the yeast in his laboratory. In 2005 the Carlsberg group opens up a small experimental brewery in the old original buildings used by J.C. Jacobsen, a small brewery made to experiment with developing new types of beer.

A bright white sparkling winelike beer fills the glass and gives the impression of sparkling wine.

The head structure is light bubbles that soon disappear.

A different kind of beer, it is descibed as velvet, winelike and without bitterness. This is one of the few times where I agree with what is written on the label. It is a pleasure to drink, resembles white wine without bitternes, something to enjoy.

A good and different beer that is everything you would expect and to the price it is excelent!

Overall rating is 91 / 100

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