Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Bottle 330ml.Clear medium yellow orange color with a small to average, frothy - fizzy, fair lacing, mostly diminishing, white head. Aroma is moderate malty, toasted - caramel, moderate hoppy, orange - citrus, UK hops. Flavor is moderate sweet and bitter with a average to long duration, dry. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20101102]
yespr (55501) reviewed Nirvana Pale Ale from Murray's Craft Brewing Co. 15 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
33 cL bottle. Pours cloudy orange with a small white head. Aroma is peachy and grapefruity. Mild peachy and citrusy. Crisp hoppy. Mild bitter and peachy into a smooth finish. Rather malty too. Crisp hoppy and citrusy to peachy finish.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Bottle 33 cl. Courtesy of bluebetty. Pours a clear golden with a small white head. The nose has hops indeed - but reminds me more of British hops actually. Medium body, malt and fruit with a dry and hoppy finish. More English than American. 021110
Davros (5279) reviewed Whale Ale from Murray's Craft Brewing Co. 15 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Pours hazy pale amber/straw with a large lasting head.Nose shows lots of light fruit: pear, lemon, green apple and orange peel. Underneath is sweet light malt. Later on the citrus really dominates.First flavours are more sweet fruit before some grainy malt and a light metallic bitterness enter. The latter are not too strong but are mildly unpleasant.Carbonation is too high even for the style.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 8
Pours coppery amber with a large lasting head.Nose shows lots of tropical fruit: lychees, melon, paw-paw along with orange blossom. Underneath is lovely cookie-dough and a little nutty malt that becomes more prominent later on. Very nice!Flavours almost exactly mirror the flavours but the nutty malt really stands out now.Carbonation is much too high.Murray’s continue to impress me.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9
Bottle with a counter-signaling label. Black with a small dark tan head that lasts. Smells of cocoa, coffee, uncultivated berries and yes, the dark rum mentioned in the description. Oily texture. No alcohol hotness, but you wouldn’t be surprised by 10%. Quite nicely balanced: lots of sweetness with chocolate, dark toffee and some berries; roasted malt flavours that aren’t too aggressive; and clear hop bitterness that stops the sweetness from dominating but just avoids being dissonant. Dry, somewhat astringent finish has some oranges, pine and salt. Bitterness lingers a while. I suppose this will improve a bit as the hops tone down a little, but I don’t know how long that will take. As it is now, it’s very good. [3.9] [4/ 2011] Bottle, bought with the last. Black, small dark tan head that lasts all the way. Brooding aroma has roasted malt, dark berries, licorice, orange rind, dark rum, coffee. Silky verging on syrupy. Sweet caramel and berries, roasted flavours, vanilla, a little citrus and grass, only slightly salty. Still quite hoppy and with a bit of astringency - it’ll last a while but has improved to my tastes a little. No smudged edges here - all the flavours are just harmonics of a big straightforward stout. [3.9] [5/2012] Another 2010 bottle. Black with a 1 cm dark tan head that fades to a bit less than a coat but doesn’t disappear. Aroma of dark roasted malt, licorice, orange peel, rum, berries, licorice. Smooth, luscious oily mouthfeel. Sweet with dark rum, some berries, tar, bitter oranges, coffee, cocoa. Less hop aromatics, but plenty of bitterness. Quite salty and astringent at the tingly end, noticed aniseed there this time too. Smells slightly better, looks slightly worse. Score came out the same. [3.9][9/12] 2011 bottle. Tried one a few days after the last 2010 rating and thought it was settling down quicker than previous versions - it’s pretty brash fresh. This one suggests the same. No sign that it’s going down hill, just that everything’s nicely integrated. No tricks, no adornments, nothing to hide behind. Super stuff. [4.0]There was something funny about the 2012, but this 2013 one is back in town. Again, seems less brash young than previously, but it may well be that’s my palate adjusting. Lovely dark berries. A coat of tan head fades to the rim after a while. Salty, bitter, astringent finish.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Bottle. Slightly hazy yellow/ orange with a decent white head. Aroma has lemon and white pepper. Crisp, light and refreshing with a spicy dry finish. A little wheaty sourness and some nectarine sweetness, but it’s really the citrus and spice that dominates. Fine dust-cutter.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Bottle - most appropriate beer I have that I could come at on a warm night for rating 666. Pretty much black with a thick beige head that never quite disappears. Aroma of toast, cola, a little prunes and some charred notes. Taste has moderate amounts of quite dark roasted malt, cocoa, vanilla. Dry grassy finish has a little citrus and roast too. A little overcarbonated to my tastes, but the slight astringency is fine. Gently mouthfilling with subtle depth - I liked this one a lot more than their extra porter. [3.6]I had another one much like that last night, then tonight from the same four-pack, one with a crackling four inch head that wouldn’t go away. Left with a still overcarbonated beer with some unhappy sourness and no charm. Done with bottled Murray’s awhile. [edit] Left rating the same.Growler. Small beige head. Coffee, moderate roast, dried fruit. Tasty enough, particularly for 4.5%. Lovely balance, dryish finish.
Davros (5279) reviewed Grand Cru from Murray's Craft Brewing Co. 15 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Pours pale amber with a lasting white head.Nose shows doughy yeast, light spicy phenols, orange peel, passion fruit, white wine and wheat. Very expressive, seems to be a mix of a triple, a witbier and a new world pale ale.Very similar flavours but the alcohol is a little rough and overbearing. Quite sweet as well.The carbonation could be a fair bit higher to cut out the sweetness for a drier finish.Very interesting beer, very light and summer, although the alcohol needs to be curbed.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8
Bottle 750ml.Clear medium to dark orange amber orange color with a large, frothy, good lacing, fully lasting, beige head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, caramel, licorice, alcohol - bourbon alike, oak, dried fruit, light roasted, moderate hoppy, orange - citrus. Flavor is heavy sweet and bitter with a long duration, light alcohol - bourbon alike. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft, finish feel is light alcoholic. [20101024]