Damm Damm Lemon 6-4

Today's beer: Damm Lemon 6-4 by Damm

Yet another post in May! Who knows, maybe June will be just as productive. Today was another scorching day with the temperature above 30°. It was a good day to have another of the beers I put in the fridge for just such an occasion. I wasn't sure if Damm Lemon was going to be an actual beer, or more like Rekorderlig or a cider. Turns out to be an actual beer. The 6-4 in the name refers to it's composition: 6 parts beer to 4 parts lemon. On with the review!

Damm Lemon pours into the glass a dusty straw colour with a moderate white head that dissipates fairly quickly. My first sniff revealed the smell of citrus and hops. No identifiable or overwhelming lemon smell, but certainly a citrus smell. Further deep sniffs did result in the extremely faint smell of lime. With my first sip, a burst of lemon shot through my mouth as the beer passed my lips. There is a very faint malt after taste. Damm Lemon manages to achieve an almost perfect balance between the hops and the malt. It's not too bitter and not too malty. The taste is very hard to describe. There was, of course, a citrus taste through out the sip. Damm Lemon is the perfect beer for a hot day, and at only 3.2%, you could have more than one. If you are looking for a really good summer beer, look no further than this beer.

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May your glass always be full of good beer!

Mikkeller The American Dream

Today's beer: The American Dream by Mikkeller

Three posts this month! Amazing! If the heatwave continues there may be more yet. Today was cooler than the past few days, today got to about 25°, Thursday got up to above 30°. I've had this beer for several years and since the heatwave began I have put two other beers that I've had for a while into the fridge. This was just the one that happened to be picked. One of them isn't a beer really, but I can let that slide, the other says that it should be drunk at 10°, or cellar temperature. Should be interesting. On to the review!

American Dream pours into the glass a copper colour and develops a very large light tan head. In fact the head develops so rapidly and is so large, I can't fit it all 330ml into my glass, which is designed to hold a 330ml beer. My first sniff gives only the smell of hops. A further sniff does reveal the faint smell of malt. My first sip almost overpowered me with the amount of hops. I've had some really hoppy beers and this one is way up the list. I was surprised that hiding behind the hops was the faint taste of chocolate. It's there, but just barely. I am a lover of all beers, but given a choice, I prefer beers that are more balanced. I don't mind hops, and I do like my IPAs, but at a certain point there is too much hops. If you are a real hop lover this is a beer for you.

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May your glass always be full of good beer!

Elysian The Immortal IPA

Today's beer: The Immortal IPA by Elysian

Wow! Two reviews in two days! I picked this beer up shortly after reviewing Night Owl, also by Elysian, so I've had this beer for a few years. Yes, beer can keep that long, provided you keep it in a dark, (preferably cool) place. Some brews improve with age (the Unibroue Quatre-Centieme is  a good example, as is the Harviestoun Ola Dubh), but some do definitely expire. If you have a beer that has "floaties" in it, or stuff on the bottom, it may still be good, just be careful when you pour. This is the kind of beer I was looking for yesterday, a nice IPA. Since today is as hot (or hotter than) yesterday it seemed the logical choice for a beer. I have found some other "summer" type beers I had stashed away and have placed them in the fridge. Who knows, this may turn into a 3 or more review month! On to the review!

The Immortal IPA pours into the glass a beautiful golden colour. I could smell the hops even as I poured it. A small off-white head forms, but it dissipates fairly quickly. My first sniff revealed exactly what I expected, a huge hit of hops. What was unexpected was the light flower scent that I also got. My first sip gave me lots of hops and, again a surprise, a slight taste of pepper. Malt is not completely absent from this brew, as can be the case with so many IPAs, which was a nice touch. There was also the light taste of citrus. This is a nice crisp beer, perfect for a hot day like today.

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May your glass always be full of good beer!

Tin Whistle Black Widow

Today's beer: Black Widow by Tin Whistle

It's been over a month since my last post, despite my promise to myself that I would try to update the blog twice a month. Perhaps I can get two posts done this month. I've had this beer for quite a while. It was quite warm today, around 27°C, not including the humidity, and I felt the need for a nice cool beer. I poked around in my fridge looking for something that was on the lighter colour side, something not stout or porter like. There's a really nice dark lager by Vancouver Island Brewery called Hermann's Dark Lager. I do intend to review it, but so far the price is a little high. For some reason a 650ml bottle is almost twice the price of almost any other. On to the review!

Black Widow pours into the glass a deep brown. I was surprised at this because I was expecting a golden colour.  Very little head developed and any that did develop dissipated almost immediately. My first sniff gave me the smell of hops with the faintest hint of pepper. Perhaps it would be a mild ale, like the label says. My first taste however revealed that it is in fact a porter. I got the taste of roasted malt with a slight coffee taste. There is also the taste of hops, but it is quite faint. There was another taste that I can't identify. It's not a bad taste and it was very faint. Black Widow has almost no carbonation and goes down very smoothly. On a slightly cooler day this would be a wonderful beer. However it definitely would not be my first choice on a hot day.

Rating:




May your glass always be full of good beer!