Saku Pühadepruul

Saku Pühadepruul
Märzen
5.3% ABV 50cl bottle

BBE 21.04.2015

Pours light orange, with frothy head. Lacing is beautiful.

Aroma of a Saku Hele that is topped up with darker crystal malt and some extra hops extract.
Tastes like a medium quality märzen. Slightly powdery aftertaste. Gently bitter as a pale lager.
Medium bodied, a little soapy and slippery. Lively carbonated brew.
When you go through 1/2 glass, it starts to fizzle out.

Drink fast!

Saku Pühadepruul

Puls Extra Lager Eripruul Kuivhumalaga

Puls Extra Lager Eripruul Kuivhumalaga
Premium Lager

5.0%ABV50cl bottle.

Surprisingly fresh, summery aroma. Honey, fruit, fresh grass and whatnot. Really nice, bready, pale lager.

Pours clear golden with thin creamy head.Medium bitter, medium sweet. Hoppy for a local Estonian lager, and that is good.Smooth, medium bodied beer.

Only negative thing about it, is that it is just a bit too sweet.

Will buy again.

At the moment, this is a second best local mass produced beer for me.(Hard Lager from A. Le Coq is still slightly better.)

http://hfpuls.ee/et/tooted

Põhjala Põhja Konn

Põhjala Põhja Konn

Imperial/Double IPA

8.8%ABV

33cl bottle. Batch 016.

Aroma of Brie and Camembert cheese mixed with boiled hops leftovers. Musky and quite nasty to my nose.
Pours clear dark amber-orange with a thick, creamy head that leaves beautiful lacing.
Hoppy mixture of strong bitterness and sweet maltiness with a perfectly thick body for its ABV.
When compared to DogHead 90min IPA or BD Hardcore IPA aroma is what I find rather weak in comparison.
IBU is solid and quite noticeable - reminds me of Mikkeller 1000IBU.


Good, thick, hoppiness. 
I will try to get it on tap also.

P.S.

Wife said it tasted like frog, so I guess Põhjala got it right :-)

http://pohjalabeer.com/

Thornbridge Kipling

Thornbridge Kipling

APA

5.2%ABV


50cl bottle. BBE 02.12.14.

Strong aroma of pine and spruce.
Fruity and somewhat resembles Brewers Gold (just made a homebrew and have some left to sniff).

Pours clear pale lager like, with a thick creamy head that stays - and that makes it an APA. Strong carbonation alongside medium body makes and extremely easily drinkable and refreshing beer.

Tempting and lovely.

Thx Anton! 

P.S. Actually, I remembered having it @Pudel Bar Tallinn 

http://www.thornbridgebrewery.co.uk/

Põhjala Virmalised

Põhjala Virmalised

IPA

6.5%ABV

33cl 001 batch.

Now this is a proper adversary to Punk IPA, that is so popular around Estonia.

Perfect IPA.

Body might be slightly better in the next batch - this one is medium bodied, oily and with a bit sharp bitter finish.

First mouthfeel is supported by lively carbonation. Then it gets a bit thin-watery-oily and after that a hoppy bitterness steps up on a flat field.

Definitely has its own character.

IMHO, the best Estonian IPA! (and is far away in the lead).

http://pohjalabeer.com/

Eesti keeles: Gambrinuse õllepäevik

Puls Vaskne Lager

Puls Vaskne Lager

Amber Lager/Vienna
5.2%ABV

50cl bottle. First batch.

Pours amber clear, with a nice head, that goes rather quickly away.

Aroma of malt, caramel and some fruity yeast.

Sweet and with a load of burnt sugar (possibly unrefined cane sugar).
Hardly can taste anything else.

Goes flat in less than 5 minutes, and becomes not such a pleasant drink. 
Was served at 6°C.

Worth a try, but I doubt that you will go for a second bottle. I will wait for a second batch, if it ever comes.

http://hfpuls.ee/et/tooted/puls-vaskne-lager

A. Le Coq Extra Lager

A. Le Coq Extra Lager
Pale lager
4.5%ABV

33cl bottle. BBE 18.01.15

This is a niche drink - there is always a market for alco-pops like that.

It is not bad, but grownups do not drink beer like this one. It resembles it, yes, but it is not quite right there.

Teenagers, who are finding their way to beer, usually start with a brew from a clear bottle. It is slightly hoppy/malty/fizzy water. If you start from something too dark or to bitter - you possibly won't love it.

http://extra.alecoq.ee/

Lehe Blackmouth Cur

Lehe Blackmouth Cur
APA
5.2%ABV

33cl bottle. BBE 12.09.2014

Opening the bottle and pouring it in - gentle aroma of pine resin, and general hops - no promised grapefruit or citrus or anything else. Just gentle and pleasant aroma.
Pours clear amber, with thick soapy head, that leaves beautiful lacing. Light bitterness, some tree resin in the taste (kind of cherry resin there). Malt can be felt. Finish is rather yeasty and sour.
Close to medium body. Medium carbonation for an APA.

Overal, I was not amazed, but not disappointed. This is a decent try to make an APA.

Serve it cold, drink it fast. Once it is over 10degC, it looses its charm.

http://www.lehepruulikoda.ee/

Saku Humal & Oder Lager

Saku Humal & Oder Lager
Vienna
5%ABV

33cl bottle. BBE 08.10.2014

Pours amber-orange with slightly tanned head.
Strong aroma of grassy hops and iron. Reminds me how raw galena hops smell.
Pleasantly bready (as local rye bread), medium bodied, zesty beer with lively carbonation.
Very good one from Saku.
Beautiful bottle and the content does not disappoint.

Good luck in making a well balanced second batch.

www.saku.ee

Dundulis Labas Vakaras

Dundulis Labas Vakaras
Porter
5%ABV

50cl bottler. BBE30.05.2014

50cl bottle from Špunka/Tallinn.

Pours pitch balck - nearly 0 light passes through. Thin brown head, that disappears immediately.
Aroma of raw cocoa powder and Lithuanian live beer yeast. Oily, acidic and yeasty. Plenty of roasted malts and decent hops. Medium body with quite flat carbonation.
This is not a typical porter. It has a lot of character and originality. You will remember the taste.

http://dundulio.lt/

Saku Humal & Oder Pilsner

Saku Humal & Oder Pilsner
Pale Lager
5%ABV

33cl bottle. BBE08.10.14


Named as pilsener, but is not quite so (Saaz is more traditional choice for Czech Pilsener).

Pours pale golden, with a nice head, that stays for a long time. Creamy and kind a soapy.
Strong aroma of summer freshly cut grass and pines.
Gentle, medium bodied beer. Lively carbonation that supports the long lasting head (~10 minutes).
But, you have to drink it cold and quick - once the bubbles are gone (again, ~10 minutes), it turns in to a ordinary flat lager (as they all do).

Clean and simple. A good pale lager. As good as a nicely brewed batch of Saku Rock or Saku Hele.

http://www.saku.ee/

Vormsi Hele Eripruul

Vormsi Hele Eripruul
Premium Lager
5.4%ABV

33cl bottle. (L1312222? / BBE 09.2104)

Faint aroma of honey, yeast and cellar - does not smell like your ordinary premium lager, but more like a kellerbier.

Pours hazy orange, with a thin head. Color is what I like here. Head is setting to fast for a premium.
Fruity, yeasty, gently hoppy and fresh. Again, good, fresh water is used for brewing. Light-medium body, rather thin yet not watery.

Smooth, due to pleasant carbonation (bubbles are small and gentle).

Drink it fast, so you don’t lose it. Nice lager. Does stand out from typical Estonian lagers.

Good luck to newcomers!

http://www.pruulmeister.ee/vormsibeer.php

TANKER Kyte Peale

TANKER Kyte Peale
IPA
6.66%ABV

33cl bottle. 018/ BBE12/09/14.

Aroma of an old bar floor mop - hoppy, nasty but yet not so revolting.

Slightly malty. Pours beautiful hazy orange, with ginger thick and creamy head. Head stays till the last drop (that is why there is less aroma sensations - it is the way you pour your drink, and the glass you use). Beautiful lacing. Beer + Beer label = 5/5.
Taste is of a well balanced IPA - pleasant hops, quality malt and fresh water. Brew is medium bodied, velvety with a gentle, hidden carbonation. Bitter finish as it should be. Not powdery, and enjoyable till the last drop. Hope to see more brews from TANKER.

http://www.tanker.ee/

P.S. IMHO, it is Hoppy not hopy :-)

Õllenaut Wahtula

33cl bottle

Cloudy, transparrent and powdery. Pours dark brown, with thin brown head. Aroma of burnt malt and a ton of hopps. Smoky, malty and a bit acidic.

This is really surprising how much taste brewers stuffed in to this beer: despite being rather watery, once you take a mouthful and savor it - beer opens with a complex bouquet. You have caramel, coffee, hops and whatnot. Feels like it is a distilled porter of theirs. 

Oily, light bodied, very weakly carbonated stout (I love beers that have more body than this on here).

This is as good as it gets from local stouts.

Worth maturing for a year or two.

http://www.ollenaut.ee/

Lehe Lõbus Njuufa

Lehe Lõbus Njuufa

33cl bottle. 6.5%ABV

Earthy and muddy, charred (ashed) malt and hoppy, tangy freshness. Rather weird combo.
Pours dark brown-black, not a see-through drink. Some frothy, soapy head with nonexistent lacing.
Tastes of burn cereal - try it for yourself - pour some porridge on a frying pan a let it burn. This adds some zest to this brew.
Medium bodied, smooth and slightly oily (closer to the end of the glass). Not over-hopped, softly carbonated BIPA.
Totally worth a try.

http://www.lehepruulikoda.ee/

P.S.
For me, Trappist is better than tulip for the first acquaintance with BIPA's.

Anchor Porter

0.356 cl bottle.

Pours dark brown, with brown head.

Aroma of roasted malts, caramel, licorice.

Beautiful porter. Medium to full bodied. Complex, hoppy and refreshing.

This is porter is a standard for me. A perfect combination of texture, taste, aroma and looks.

If you ever have a chance - go get it.

10/10

http://www.anchorbrewing.com/

Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA

35cl bottle this time.

From the archives + updated:

Had this one on my US trip for the first time.

It was also in bottle (evening beer in some hotel @ Florida City (FL)). 

Found it in one of the local shops, and decided to refresh my memory.

Aroma of bread and citra/galena hops *(can I say that?). Pours dark orange with thick head. Very pleasing lacing.

Tastes of some juniper and hops. Nearly full-bodied IPA. Slightly powdery, and rather dry in the finish. Served at 11°C, but I would recommend to try it at 8°C also.

http://www.sierranevada.com/

A. Le Coq Imperial Märzen

40cl curvy bottle. Soft malty aroma that is highlighted with iron and rotten egg smell (H2S). Pours beautiful amber in color, with thicker than usual head that stays for 30s. Unfortunately, iron and eggs go past the smell, and disturb the taste. Still, it is pleasantly malty and bitter. Beer itself is medium bodied and smooth in texture. Carbonation is on the low side. Finish is dry, and rusty. Mixed feelings - beautiful beer, but the taste and smell are average at best. Will try next batch. Good to see the series of Imperial beers is not canceled. Hope A. Le Coq makes porter also.