Blood Orange Wit by Refuge Brewery

March 7, 2015 by cloudx30 tagged Belgian Wheat Ale, Blood Orange, Blood Orange Wit, Blood Oranges, Blue Exorcist, Refuge Brewery, Shura Kirigakure, Witbier | Leave a comment

Rating: 4.75/5

Blood Orange Wit by Refuge Brewery is a 5%ABV Witbier brewed with Blood Oranges.

Label:
Without any doubt, the best things in life happen spontaneously, and this beer is no exception. Not having much experience with fresh blood oranges, we weren’t entirely sure what to do when one of our tasting room locals dropped off a couple of sacks from their harvest. We cut into them and discovered an orange unlike any variety we’d seen. They were dark in color, with huge aroma, and a semi-sweet yet slightly tart taste. So we took the fruit, peel and all, and threw it into a batch of Belgian Style Wit Ale. The Result is a bright and refreshing brew, perfect for any occasion, any time of the year.

==Introduction==

I obtained a single can of this from www.craftshack.com. It seems this beer sold out quick and maybe there is a reason. It is made with Blood Oranges after all, but maybe there is more to it. I have tried other Blood Orange beers like the Essence from Hangar 24 or the Dude’s Juice Box Series Blood Orange and those were damn awesome. I hope to review the Dude’s one soon but let us check this one out. I have had a minor fascination with blood oranges as unlike regular oranges, have a red pulp and juice that looks like blood but the skin is of a regular orange. The flavors are similar to oranges but there is a slight sweetness that is greater. So let us see how this one is. Cheers!

Aromas:
Belgian phenolic hints, honey, biscuit bread, rich blood oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, lemon peel, Banana cloves, honey, waffle cone, cane sugar, biscuit bread, tangerine preserves, white grapes, Curacao, peppercorns, floral, piney, herbal, and grassy hop notes, coriander spice, stone fruit peach and apricots, orange zest, and lemon candy.

Flavors:
Oranges, Blood Oranges, citrus, lemon candy, tangerines, Banana cloves, honey, waffle cone, cane sugar, biscuit bread, tangerine preserves, phenolic notes, orange zest, lemon peel, grapefruit, peppercorns, floral, piney, herbal, and grassy hop notes, coriander spice, white grape notes, Curacao citrus, lavender notes, apricot, peach notes and mild tart brettanomyces hints.

Aftertaste:
Rich citrus, Honey, biscuit bread, orange zest, blood orange juice, grassy, grapefruit and piney hint hops. No alcohol in the taste, crisp, refreshing, effervescent and bubbly mouthfeel, easy to drink, Hazy white pale honey medium body.

Overall:
A very delicious Witbier. For being pretty light, it is very flavorful and rich. I wish I had the opportunity to buy a pack of cans instead of just one can as this was very good. Unfortunately, craftshack only had one left. You get what you can I guess. I highly recommend this one since I will go back and get it if I can find it again. This is one of the truest summer beers out there. Very awesome indeed!

Anime Corner:
Shura Kirigakure from Blue Exorcist was used in this pairing since I wanted something that has to do with the colors of oranges and blood oranges. Essentially the reds and oranges coming from the fruit. Shura is an exorcist and by the definition of refuge, she is basically keeping your soul from harm by her need to fight off possessive demons. She is light and easy drink and best part, she loves beer just like many people do. Cheers!

Sources:
http://static.skynetblogs.be/media/37519/e13917771681edac3ce16baa5146b66d-thumb.jpg

Provenance (Orange & Grapefruit) by Jester King

November 17, 2014 by cloudx30 tagged ao no exorcist, Farmhouse Ale, grapefruit, jester king, orange, Provenance, Provenance Orange & Grapefruit, Saison, Shura Kirigakure, Wild ale | Leave a comment

Rating: 5/5

Provenance (Orange & Grapefruit) by Jester King is a 5.6% ABV Saison/Farmhouse Ale brewed and fermented with Oranges and Grapefruit.

Label:
In The Beginning there were only four but Someone bade them “Be fruitful and multiply”, so fruitfully, they multiplied. Maxima and Reticulata Begat Sinensi. Maxima and Sinensis Begat Paradisi. Sinensis and Reticula begat Nobilis, all on Someone’s command. Then Someone decide to squeeze them, crush them, and pulverize their skins, and to allow all of their sweetness to be consumed by invisible, microscopic, creatures so that they could be transformed into a delicious beverage for Someone to drink. Someone is a bit of jerk.

Jester King is an authentic farmhouse brewery in the beautiful Texas Hill Country, on the outskirts of Austin. We brew what we like, drink what we want and offer the rest to those who share our tastes.

ALC/VOL 5.6% FG 1,000 pH 3.5

Ingredients Hill County Well Water, Malted Barley, Malted Wheat Orange, Grapefruit, Hops, Farmhouse Yeast, Wild Yeast from the Texas Hill Country, Native Souring Bacteria.

Suitable for Vegetarians and Vegans

Notes: Our first batch of Provenance takes the vibrant flavors and aromas from the est and juice of Texas oranges and grapefruits presents them in the unique way that only wild fermentation with native yeast and bacteria can do Unfiltered, unpasteurized and 100% bottle conditioned.
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The poor bastards… and I do say this because my breakfast juicing does contain grapefruit and oranges so I know I do all that brutal stuff to Oranges and Grapefruit as I peel their skins and crush them in the blender. Thanks to from good friend Aaron Mendiola from www.beermetaldude.com who got me this awesome beer. You should definitely check out his Rockin’ reviews. The right Metal song for the right beer and epicness. So this beer is all about the saison/wild ale base along with the oranges and grapefruit. I can only imagine that this is gonna be rich, sweet, bitter and funky for sure. Let’s take a stroll down the Provenance.

Aromas:
Orange and grapefruit covered oak, funky notes, flowers, lemon peel, champagne, farmhouse hay, tejuino, tamarind hints, biscuit bread,stone fruit apricots, peaches, peppercorns, lychee, honey, plant notes, herbs and coriander spice.

Flavors:
Oranges, Grapefruit, farmhouse hay, lemon peel vanilla, biscuit bread, peppercorn, flowers, funky oak, honey, stone fruit peaches, apricots, strawberries, white grapes, celery, grassy hops, basil, clove spice, tejuino, red apples, sour green apples, coriander spice, champagne, tamarind, ginger, lychee and honey notes.

Aftertaste:
Bitter lemon peel, Grapefruit juice and peel, Orange peels, white grapes, coriander spice, grassy hops, flowers and peppercorn. No alcohol in the taste, crisp and refreshing, easy to drink, hazy pale milky body and smooth mouth feel.

Overall:
Well well, the lore of a great saison has many stories to tell about the journey of the Orange and the Grapefruit. In this instance, the addition of them makes this very perfect. Way too perfect. All in conjunction with the base saison/farmhouse ale this one became more of a tart orange sweet beer. There is a lot of sweet, bitter and sour flavors in this one so if you love saisons or wild ales, take this one for a spin.

Anime Corner:
Shura Kirigakure from Ao no Exorcist was used in this beer to pair with the orange and grapefruit. As you can see her hair is both red and orange like the color of grapefruit and oranges. The fact that she is an exorcist kind of goes with the mystical aspect of the label. It looks like a special seal or glyph to do some kind of magic. That what this beer really is though, a rich and delicious magic potion.

Sources:
http://www.deviantart.com/art/Ao-no-Exorcist-Shura-350489476

Rugbrød by The Bruery

November 22, 2013 by cloudx30 tagged Blue Exorcist, Dark Rye Ale, Julebryg, Rugbrød, Rye Ale, rye bread, Scandinavian Christmas beer, Shura Kirigakure, The Bruery | Leave a comment

Rating: 4.45/5

Rugbrød by The Bruery is an 8% ABV JuleBryg style Dark Rye Ale.

Label:
SAY WHAT?

A deep auburn colored robust Danish-style ale with spicy rye, and caramelly, bready malts.

Rugbrød Rye Ale is suitable for aging up to 2 years when cellared properly, around 55 F (13 C) in a dark place. Best served at 50 F (10 C). Pour carefully, leaving the yeast sediment behind in the bottle. Best served in a tulip or wine glass. For proper pronunciation, chef recommended food pairings and recipes, please visit our website.
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Rugbrød is Danish for Rye Bread. It is brewed in the Scandinavian Christmas beer tradition called Julebryg. This beer is actually available year round and is one that I have over looked for quite sometimes. I have not tried all the Bruery beers but I sure like the ones I have tried to far

Aromas:
Rich rye bread, caramel, maple, toffee, peanut butter, mild chocolate notes, some dark fruit character, light peppery spice, brown sugar, molasses, and light floral notes

Flavors:
Rye bread, peanut butter, roasted peanuts, some dark fruits like raisins, caramel, caramelized sugars, toffee, plums, cherries, sour dough bread, peppercorn notes, chocolate notes, brown sugar, molasses, coriander spice, floral notes and some hazelnut hints as well

Aftertaste:
Finishing off with some nice rye, caramel and dark fruit notes, this beer is a sipper but nothing hard in the alcohol

Overall:
The beer is very good and close as possible to the Autumn Maple but focusing more on the rich rye bread and nutty brown ale like qualities. Liquid Danish sour dough bread. Makes me wonder what a Danish Cookie beer would taste like. Surely a good idea for sure. A recommend if you like Belgian beers, brown ales and rye beers.

Anime corner:
Shura Kirigakure is a character from the series Blue Exorcist. She works as a Upper First-Class Exorcist and Inspector for the Vatican. She has a laid back personality using slang and is blunt speaking what ever she wishes to say. She even would rather slack off and drink while letting others do her work. The part of this piece of artwork I applied for this beer is in the label with the Red, to orange and yellow to even the brown on her jacket. She works for the Vatican so in terms of Belgian type of beer it works. Brown also works in terms of the Rye Flavors but also in her laid back and blunt personality which is present in the hidden alcohol yet sourdough bread like flavors. She seems to be a little nutty with her words but that is just the way this beer is. Just the fact that she is laid back and likes to drink says something about just grabbing a nice beer for the Holidays and taking a step back and enjoy. Cheers!