Jacobsen – Forårsbryg

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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

Bryggeriet Skands – Humlefryd

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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 92 / 100

A. Le Coq – Alexander

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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

Saku – Das Echte Hefeweizen

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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

Blandy’s Bual Colheita 1996

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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

Jacobsen – Velvet Ale

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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 81 / 100

Erdinger Weissbier

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This wheat beer comes from the Erdinger brewery located at Erding in Bayern.

Erdinger have been making beer here since 1886, the brewery was established and later in 1930 it is bought by a malt factory, F.W. Otto. In 1935, the managing director Franz Brombach is offered to buy the brewery. Since then the brewery became very popular and it a widely exported weissbier. The brewery is still owned by the Brombach family today.

I bought this 5,3% 500 ml bottle in the Gardermoen airport (OSL) taxfree shop in Norway at 2,5 Euro, expected price, certainly in Norway.

The colour is what you expect for a weissbier, a good solid yellow revealing the unfiltered nature of the beer.

The head structure is more than acceptable, it is good. Stays for the duration of enjoying the beer.

There is sediment on the bottom of the bottle that you can enjoy swirling out with the last bit of  beer in the bottle.

The aroma is weak and does not tell me much about what I am about to drink nor does it override the taste of the beer.

The taste is what I would call a thin medium fruit that quickly goes into normal beer in after taste. It is in my opinion lacking fruit and yeast notes to the taste.

Overall rating is 72 / 100

St. Michaelsberg Hefe-Weissbier

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This wheat beer comes from a brewey group in Vejle, Denmark, called United Beverage. Originally the beer was brewed by Maisel Bräu Bamberg in Bayern, Germany. This brewery was founded in 1894 but was closed in 2008, beer brands was taken over by the danish company.

I found this beer at a local supermarket in Denmark at the of price of 1,05 Euro for a 500 ml can with a strength of 5,3%.

The colour is almost dark orange from the heaviness of this unfiltered beer. It is unfortnately looking a bit muddy. This does not look as delicious as I would hope for.

The head structure is light bubbles that quickly disappears into a thin layer. Barely covering the top of the glass.

The aroma is good but the taste does not follow up upon drinking it. It is vague, watery and is not making much fuzz about itself, which it indeed should when its a Hefe Weissbier. Not only was I disappointed when drinking this, my girlfriend was also very disappointed with it.

I would hope something could save this beer for a terrible rating, but its just a too anonymous beer that have too many claims unfulfilled. A source to this beer not being good could be found in the fact that the brewery brand was sold and the beer is no longer made in Bayern according to the old German cleanliness rules.

Overall rating is 63 / 100

Thisted bryghus – Weisse

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Thisted Bryghus was founded in 1908 where it bought up the broke Thisted Aktiebryggeri that had existed for a mere 10 years before it had to close. The brewery is mainly owned by local people holding shares in the brewery. Thisted bryghus is located in Thisted in Denmark.

I found this beer at a local supermarket in Denmark at the price of 2,5 Euro for a 500 ml bottle with a strength of 5%.

The colour is a bright yellow and this beer only have the look of a fog in the glass. There is no sediment in the bottle to swirl around and add to the glass.

The head structure is rough and quickly disappears into nothing.

The taste is light, fresh and only barely fruity as to what I expected. It almost lacks the aftertaste of yeast completely.

Thisted chose to name their beer weisse and when naming a beer in resemplence to a weissbier, it will also get judge as such.

Do not buy this beer to enjoy a weissbier but if you want a pilsner type with a distinct fruit taste.

Overall rating is 62 / 100

Nørrebro bryghus – Stuykman wit

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Nørrebro Bryghus is a Danish micro brewery founded in 2000 by Anders Kissmeyer and is located in Copenhagen, Denmark. The brewery also functions as a restaurant.

I found this beer at a local supermarket in Denmark at the price of 2,66 Euro for a 400 ml bottle with a strength of 5%.

The colour is a light hazy yellow and this unfiltered beer lacks the good cloudy look. There is some sediment in the bottle to swirl around and add to the glass.

The head structure is rough and quickly disappears into almost nothing.

The taste is a fresh with a hint of yeast but it is certainly lacking the good fruity qualities a witbier should show. Aroma is light as a pilsner type and I would recommend this as a pilsner that has some yeast and fruit to the taste.

The beers from Nørrebro bryghus is all organic and this definitely weighs up. The bottle got a good shape that impresses with its clucking when the beer is poured into a glass.

Overall rating is 69 / 100