Beerfection

Tag: BreWskey

  • Brew Juice 100% Framboise | BreWskey

    Brew Juice 100% Framboise | BreWskey

    Score: 90/100 – Great

    Appearance 2/6

    The beer pours a murky red with a low, thin, pink head. Poor foam retention. The beer looks like thick juice.

    Aroma 23/24

    Strong intensity with sweet-ish balance.

    The aroma is packed with an intense raspberry character. There’s not much else to it… just a low pale malt at the back. No hops, alcohol, or any off-notes. Very enticing aroma with great clarity of character.

    Flavour 38/40

    Strong intensity with sweet balance and low perceived bitterness.

    The flavour is dominated by raspberries and sugar with low grainy-crackery malt playing a supportive role. No hops, no alcohol, and no apparent off-flavours. Rustic and delicious.

    Mouthfeel 10/10

    Full body with moderate carbonation. The mouthfeel is thick yet fizzy with no apparent alcohol warming and a luscious finish. No astringency with no harshness on the palate. Superb.

    Overall 17/20

    BreWskey’s Brew Juice 100% Framboise is a great beer.

    Thick and juice-like, the brew is packed with intense raspberry flavour. There’s not much complexity but the clarity of flavour is fantastic. This is one of the better versions of Brew Juice and it lives up to expectations. If you happen to see it, give it a try!

    OMG, read another breview!
  • Widow Vibe 2023 | BreWskey

    Widow Vibe 2023 | BreWskey

    Score: 90/100 – Great

    From a 375ml bottle (wax seal) served warm at 16 degrees Celsius into a TeKu glass. Bottled as a 2023 release for the brewery taproom’s 4th anniversary.

    I picked up the beer straight from the brewery back in March – it’s been in my fridge every since… six plus months I suppose? Two breviews in one day – why stop there?

    Some time back, I decided to not focus on reviewing beers that will not be available again. I’m making an exception here in order to round out my BreWskey list. High expectations for a barrel-aged barleywine/imperial stout blend.

    Appearance 5/6

    The beer pours a clear black (opaque black in glass) with 1cm of frothy, dark brown head which dissipates into a partial film within a minute. No lacing with poor head retention. Gloomy appearance – ’tis the season.

    Aroma 24/24

    Strong intensity with good balance. The aroma is deep and luxurious with significant complexity.

    A rich chocolate brownie character and dark caramel pair well with significant bourbon (vanilla + oak) notes. Prominent jammy dried fruit with figgy, prune-like tones contribute perceived sweetness while noticeable black licorice spice along with considerable aged meatiness (leather + marmite) add depth and interest. Perfumy alcohol chimes in here and there. I’m even noting some earthy nuttiness. No apparent hop aroma.

    The dry nose is rich and pungent with notes of butterscotch, chocolate, earth, fresh yeast, soy sauce, bourbon, and nuts. Exceptional and intriguing aroma.

    Flavour 37/40

    Follows the aroma with strong intensity, great balance, and aggressive perceived bitterness.

    The brash palate opens up salty-sweet with notes of jammy figs + prunes, bourbon, and some meatiness (soy sauce + broth) – making way for a rich center filled with boozy dried fruit (figs + prunes), marmite, leather, oak, chocolate, salted black licorice, molasses, and butterscotch.

    The long finish is strong and bitter with notes of marmite, bourbon (oak + vanilla), chocolate, earthy nuts, prunes, dark caramel, and salted black licorice. Tremendous complexity.

    Mouthfeel 6/10

    Full body with low carbonation. The mouthfeel is thick, oily, and chewy with hot alcohol warming and a luscious finish. No apparent astringency but the palate has a burn from what seems like the alcohol. It’s rare, but I find this too hefty for my senses.

    Overall 18/20

    BreWskey’s Widow Vibe 2023 is a great beer.

    The inky appearance with a quickly collapsing foam sets up the expectations for something substantial. The aroma exudes richness and scrumptiousness with mind-boggling complexity. On the palate, the beer is a true sledgehammer. Massive dark/specialty malt character pairs with robust barrel and hefty oxidation. The mouthfeel follows with an unctuous quality and a burning sensation.

    Overall, Widow Vibe is a compelling sipper with remarkable depth. At the same time, there’s no question it’s heavy-handed and comes with fangs that bite. I’m sensing a stressed out yeast and the oxidation can overwhelm much of the other characteristics.

    This is not a beer for the faint of heart. I think it’s worth trying if you have a chance – it doesn’t disappoint even if it doesn’t stand out.

    OMG, read another breview!
  • Super Koko | BreWskey

    Super Koko | BreWskey

    Score: 97/100 – World-Class

    From a 473ml can served warm at 18 degrees Celsius into a TeKu glass. Canned on 07/12/2022 – making this around six weeks old.

    I picked up the beer straight from the brewery a few days after the release date. I had a small sample of it in the taproom and found it absolutely delightful.

    The last stout I reviewed by BreWskey was their Rupture – a world-class pastry stout. Therefore, my expectations for Super Koko are very high.

    Appearance 6/6

    The beer pours a clear black (opaque in glass) with 3 cm of frothy, moderately dense, brown head which dissipates into a partial film within 2+ minutes. No lacing with decent head retention.

    Aroma 24/24

    Strong intensity with sweet balance. The aroma is lavish, dark, and dessert-like.

    Incredibly rich chocolate milk character paired with coconut, caramel, and vanilla dominate the nose. Mild alcohol cuts through the sweetness while low black licorice note helps ground the aroma. There’s also a deep nuttiness beneath the surface.

    The dry nose is rich, deep, and sweet with notes of caramel, coconut, chocolate, nuts, and vanilla.

    Flavour (38/40)

    Follows the aroma with strong intensity, sweet balance, and assertive perceived bitterness.

    The luxurious palate opens up salty-sweet with a mix of raw sugar, coconut, caramel, black licorice, and booze. The center remains plush and heavy with the sweet character of caramel, chocolate, coconut, and vanilla being pierced by alcohol and moderate black licorice spice. A candied nut character appears fashionably late, right at the tail end of the center.

    The long finish is strong and quite balanced with notes of raw sugar, chocolate, dark caramel, black licorice, coconut, and a wisp of smoke. A succulent mofo this one.

    Mouthfeel 9/10

    Full body with low carbonation. The mouthfeel is heavy, round, and chewy with significant alcohol warming and a luscious finish. No astringency or harshness on the palate but the alcohol is getting dangerously close to hot.

    Overall 20/20

    BreWskey’s Super Koko is a world-class pastry stout.

    Solid appearance even if I’ve seen heavy stouts with tighter bubbles and better head retention compared to this. Sweet and glamorous aroma urges you to have a sip. On the palate, the beer slaps you with flavour reminiscent of a boozy chocolate milk topped with coconut and caramel. But there’s a surprise – significant salty character of black licorice, nuttiness, and an umami richness add depth while aiding with balance. The mouthfeel is almost velvety-smooth with a round, chewy, mouth-coating quality. However, when warm, the beer does show it’s heavy alcohol content which is pushing to the territory of being hot. It still works here considering the level of residual sugar in the beer.

    Overall, I love BreWskey’s Super Koko – it delivers a wonderful drinking (sipping) experience without going overboard in any of its elements. It’s an extreme beer and I guarantee some people will find it too sweet. Yet, within heavy pastry stouts, Super Koko shines.

    BreWskey has really nailed the base recipe which is almost guaranteed to stand out in any of their different iterations of it. I highly recommend trying the brewery’s imperial stouts – they’re truly exceptional.

    OMG, read another breview!