Skitbit Aug 2017: Teerenpeli SavanniSamu

Brewery: Teerenpeli
Country: Finland
Style: American Pale Ale
Abv: 4,5 %
@RateBeer

What about the beer?

Colour is hazy orange with a huge white head. Aroma has grainy malts and stingy hops. Taste begins with biting fruity tartness. Tart citrus, sweet fruits (passion fruit?) and slightly malty caramel take over with strong carbonation. Towards the end sweet-tart fruit mix is joined by malty flavours. Aftertaste has sweet passion fruit and tart citrus.

Special but strange. Categorized as American Pale Ale but I'd call this a Fruit Beer. It's not awful but it's far from enjoyable. Probably the passion fruit dominates too much. Prefer traditional APA's before these fruit-tuned ones.

Skitbit

This month went by with too good beer, so actually there weren't many options for the worst one. Actually this one was only not good bottled beer of August. At Winston Fest there were couple worse but those doses aren't counted in. So the song choice isn't from the total crap department. It's still bad, though, like the rest of the band's production.

Ultra Bra: Savanni nukahtaa (YouTube)

From the 1997 album Kroketti, the song was written by Kerkko Koskinen and Anni Sinnemäki.

Ölbeat 300: Stigbergets Amazing Haze

Brewery: Stigbergets Bryggeri (in Swedish)
Country: Sweden
Style: India Pale Ale
Abv: 6,5 %
@RateBeer

What about the beer?

Colour is hazy juicy yellow with a two-finger thick white head. Aroma has orange, mango, lemon, pineapple and all the other fruits in the world - dangerously luring stuff. Taste starts with super-fruity citrus bitterness. Fresh lemon-orange juice with bitter grapefruity and resinous notes takes over. Towards the end bitter grapefruit and sweet orange get on top. Aftertaste has sweet-sour-bitter citrus and some spicy piny dryness.

Now we have reached the extreme citrus of India Pale Ale. Probably some true and trending Vermont style stuff here. Fruit leads beautifully, pine and bitterness follow in harmony. Damn, this is delicious from opening the bottle to the last sip. Best spent 33 Swedish crowns of my life.

Ölbeat

#300. Never thought it'd get this far. But since we're already here, why stop? Let's listen some music and then continue this neverending sleepwalk on deep waters.

Jimi Hendrix: Purple Haze (YouTube)

From the 1967 album Are You Experienced, the song was written by Jimi Hendrix.

Iron Maiden: Wasted Years (YouTube)

From the 1986 album Somewhere in Time, the song was written by Adrian Smith.

Ölbeat 299: Põhjala Cellar Series - Taara Avita!

Brewery: Pôhjala
Country: Estonia
Style: Imperial Stout
Abv: 10,8 %
@RateBeer

What about the beer?

Colour is black with a tiny diminishing beige crown. Aroma has sweet roasted malts, chocolate, coffee and booze. Taste begins with syrupy malty roast. Syrupy roast and sweet rye-bready malts take over with gentle bitterness. Towards the end syrup-sweet malts and roasty bitterness are accompanied by fruity sugary booze warmth. Aftertaste has sweet rye-bready malts, bitter roast and warming alcohol.

Excellent rum barrel-aged Baltic Porter. Sweet roast comes in front, rum and malts follow. I've actually tasted this great beer couple of times before it was ready to be reviewed the blog. But still it's always nice to yell war cries with Estonian gods of dark brews a.k.a. brewmasters of Põhjala brewery.

Ölbeat

The brew is named after an ancient Estonian war cry - or prayer, since avita! means 'help!' - addressed to Taara, the Estonian god of war. Asking any god for help was a good enough reason to pair the beer with this song. And because the brew is black as the night(mare), there should be no place for objections. 

Black Sabbath: Black Sabbath (YouTube)

From the 1970 album Black Sabbath, the song was written by Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward and Ozzy Osbourne.

Ölbeat 298: Victory HopDevil

Brewery: Victory Brewing Company
Country: United States
Style: India Pale Ale
Abv: 6,7 %
@RateBeer

What about the beer?

Colour is amber orange with a small white  head. Aroma has resin, orange and alcohol. Taste starts with bittersweet piny citrus kick. Strong resiny bitterness takes over with grapefruit and sweetish orange. Towards the end bitter pine and grapefruit come dominant with alcohol kicking in. Aftertaste has very dry & bitter pine and warming fruity alcohol.

Strong piny India Pale Ale. Bitter pine goes to the limit just without going over it. Nice orange, grapefruit and alcohol flavours, too. Stands out of the crowd. High quality brew.

Ölbeat

I'm starting to slowly believe that Ölbeat is not just random word play and that this blog is actually used to promote Volbeat. It's those damn Danes. But, as long as breweries name beers with heaven/hell themes, that shit keeps happening and it's ok.

Volbeat: Heaven Nor Hell (YouTube)

From the 2010 album Beyond Hell/Above Heaven, the song was written by Michael Poulsen.

Ölbeat 297: Emelisse Black & Tan Port Charlotte BA

Brewery: Brouwerij Emelisse
Country: Netherlands
Style: Imperial Stout
Abv: 10,5 % 
@RateBeer

What about the beer?

Colour is black with a tiny tan crown. Aroma has mostly peaty smoke and some roasted malts. Taste begins with strong peaty Islay whisky smoke. Bitter campfire smoke takes over with hints of roast, liquorice and espresso. Towards the end sweetish smoky bitterness rises above other flavours. Aftertaste has heavily bitter smoke, dry roasted malts and burned liquorice.

Smoky and deep Imperial Stout. The Port Charlotte whisky has almost complete dominance here. But in a beautifully raw Islay way. If you love Islay peat - enjoy. If not - avoid. For me this was extreme pleasure.

Ölbeat

There are moments when something you've completed is broken to pieces and burned to the ground by someone else. And sometimes it's you who tears things built by someone else apart: "When you fall, I'll take my turn / And fan the flames / As your blazes burn." Sadly, that's the way people are taught to act.

Linkin Park: Burn It Down (YouTube)

From the 2012 album Living Things, the song was written by Linkin Park.