Clarkvv (16523) reviewed Vinlandic from Liquid Riot 7 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
375mL bottled early 2017, drunk 8/11/18.
Deep chestnut-copper-mahogany body shows good clarity, though some sediment is stirred up by the slight gushing. Large, dark beige head shows strong retention.
Nose is full of beautifully-aged, expressive, not-overworked Brett. Floral and mineral-rich with very light citrus and deeper earth notes, it elevates and brightens things while the juniper is very light and adds a pinch of vegetal acid-like character, further brightening the nose. Some of this may be from the gin, but I don't get any of the spirit/alcohol character, which is probably a good thing, nor much oak/wood. Cracker, biscuit, honey and cereal with a light caramel influence, as well, all support the bright aromatics nicely, without interjecting too much of themselves. No alcohol or flaw.
In the mouth it's tart, never quite puckering, with red fruit (red apple, red berry, strawberry, prune), softer Brett acids (lime, mineral, floral notes) and soft, biscuity and lightly caramel-laced malts. Great dryness, yet a supple texture, with strong, but tight carbonation and no alcohol or flaw. A lot going on here, but the tart notes and boisterous berry-like acid are nearly perfectly matched to the deeper earthy funk and mineral. The malt keeps it from ever growing sharp or too acidic.
Clarkvv (16523) reviewed Herbie from Liquid Riot 7 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Draught at Publick House, 8/1/18.
Clear, straw-golden. White head sits at cover.
Yellow fruit plays nicely with grass and herbal notes. It's soft, yet lightly spicy, clean and shows no NE yeast character. Kind of a breath of fresh air here, with yellow fruits galore and biscuity, light honey-providing malts. No alcohol, resin or flaw.
Light and drinkable in the mouth with great honey, cereal and soft herbal notes. Peach and nectarine are strong, as well, with low bitterness. Almost hoppy golden ale-like. Clean and dry, but still shows malt depth. No alcohol, flaw, resin, heavy yeast character.
Sloefmans (15389) reviewed Blushing Star from Liquid Riot 7 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Very stable snowwhite head over pale golden beer. Lemony nose, herbs, dried chamomille, strange yeasts. Peach, lemon, lemonrind, lactic acid, fruitacids. Medium bodied, very carbonated. Not bad, even when I find the idea of lager with brett and fruit... it wouldn't completely work.
Sloefmans (15389) reviewed Ka$h Money IPA from Liquid Riot 7 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5
Medium off-white head over very carbonated golden beer. Sweet grainy flavour with dried herbs, and dissolved fruit sweets. Cheesy, cheap wine plonk with a bitter finish. Dried, aromadeprived herbs. Bit sticky, medium bodied. Poor! Plonk IPA.
Clarkvv (16523) reviewed Spiritus Sancti from Liquid Riot 7 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Bottle drunk 12/30/17.
Frothy, large, beige head shows moderate retention. Dark chestnut-mahogany body seems clear on edges.
The nose is full of bread, raisin, fig, light caramel and warming but not sharp or pervasive alcohol. No weird shit goin on and pretty low on the clove w no banana or bubble gum. Acidity surges forth on the end with big vinous notes and other dark fruits.
Rich, full, moderately sweet and well-carbonated. Raisin, fig and grape notes control the sweetness while the texture is rich and soft. Nothing particularly interesting from the yeast, but its low on clove and banana and produces only minimalky sharp ester character overall. Sticky at times with a growing pepper and bread character that keeps the finish very dry. Well done.
Clarkvv (16523) reviewed Cuckoo - Barrel Aged from Liquid Riot 7 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
500mL bottle fresh from the brewery, drunk 12/30/17.
Dark mahogany with good clarity, magenta highlights and a small, tan head showing moderate retention.
Rich layers of chocolate, vanilla and caramel are nonetheless balanced by roasted acidity yet they seem well-attenuated themselves and don't require much to achieve said balance. Surprisingly low on both barrel and adjunct, I only get a touch of coconut with no toasted oak, as well. Alcohol well-concealed with no flaw. Just a well-rounded, cleanly presented, aromatic porter.
In mouth it fares similarly mostly due to the strong malt character and high attenuation. I'm very wary of coconut in beer (anything really) and this doesn't come close to overdoing it. Chocolate, peanut brittle, fudge, maple and other desirable porter qualities without any syrup or overbearing roast or toast. Really well done and enjoyable.
Clarkvv (16523) reviewed Straight to Blackout - Madeira from Liquid Riot 7 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Draught at the brewery, 12/29/17.
Deep, dark ebony, undetermined clarity with a small, tan head atop showing moderately-low retention.
Madeira-like character is noted in the nose, smelling old, woody, musty and slightly sharp on the end. More barrel, bacteria, liquor and dark fruit than actual roasty, fudgey or even chocolatey stout character, which is fine with me.
In the mouth it's dry, clean and shows snappy bitterness and acidity from roast but moreso dark fruits with prominent raisin, fig and prune. Light oxidation completes the madeira picture with tons of grassy, floral and other interesting sherry-like notes lingering. Soft and malty, well-attenuated with no chocolate or fudge nor even much caramel to speak of. Still has a vanilla and toffee-like character with chewy, almost molasses or treacle-like elements. Very interesting, different and good.
Clarkvv (16523) reviewed What's In The Box? from Liquid Riot 7 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6
Draught at the brewery and Novare Res, 12/29/17.
Lightly-to-moderately hazy, peach-tangerine with a small, off-white head showing moderate-to-low retention.
Dusty old biscuit and cracker malt mix with strong marmalade-like hop notes. Tangerine, lemon, light grapefruit and leafy, low-resin pine all seem to suggest this is a bit old, though that's kind of hard to believe. No alcohol or flaw.
Dry and malty in the mouth with a good, soft texture and low but engaging carbonation. Lots of biscuit and light caramel with tons of orange rind, grapefruit, other spicy citrus and moderate bitterness. Not too juicy, all told, with much more of a West Coast DIPA feel to it, though again, a bit muted and more malt-forward than I'd prefer, despite being clean and lacking hard resin or big pine.
Clarkvv (16523) reviewed Heart of Glass from Liquid Riot 7 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
Draught at the brewery, 12/29/17.
Brass-golden, intensely clear with no head.
Light lactic acid in the nose with wax, biscuit and hard mineral/earth. Moderate amount of wheat-like character, though it could very well be heavy grassiness from the Brett and lacto. Speaking of Brett, there isn't really much here....
In the mouth it is similarly full of lactic acid, with high attenuation, probably too much so at this point. Light cherry-like character almost suggest acetic components, but could be remnants of B. Lambicus, I guess. Straw, grass, grain and a somewhat thin, very tired, old texture/feel to it. These stainless "sours" don't age well at all.
CLW (16859) reviewed Easy Like Sunday Morning from Liquid Riot 8 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
16 oz. can. Aroma has mild shades of maple, bolder amounts of coffee, and light chocolate. Flavor is a direct reflection. The body is full and thick. I was worried the texture would be overly syrupy and sticky. It isn’t bad. It could be dryer in texture but it is not cloying. A pretty nice showing of a morning stout. Some mild balance.