With the craft industry changing so fast we have started to notice a lot of people are focusing on just the American craft side of the beer wall and are still kind of scared of the imported specialty beers. Craft beer is exploding all over the world and the US is not the only country that is pushing the envelope when it comes to great craft beer. So I took a little tour around the store and picked out six different imported beers that are new to us and are a little confusing to some and still rank with some of the best in the world. A lot has to do with the foreign languages that are on the labels and just like French wine they don't always tell you what is in the bottle.
The first brewery is Epic Beer and not to be confused with Epic Brewing out of Utah this brewery is from New Zealand. New Zealand's craft industry has been one of the faster growing in the world and there are small regional and nano breweries popping up everyday. Epic is one of the larger and we carry their Mayhem which uses a native NZ hop called riwaka in their American Strong Pale Ale that gets B+ on Beer Advocate and a 95 on RateBeer.com.
Next we will go to Denmark and check out Norrebro Bryghus La Granja Espresso Stout. Some times you have to read to the end of the label to find out what type of beer it is. This Espresso Stout has a slight sweetness to it with a well balanced coffee flavor and it receives a B on BA and a 96 RateBeer.com
Also in Denmark is the brewery Amager Bryghus and we carry their Imperial Stout which receives an A- on BA and 99 rating on RateBeer.com. At 10% ABV this is an extreme beer that presents flavors of vanilla, coffee and chocolate.
A brewery that we here at the store have grown to love in the last couple of years is Haandbryggeriet and one of their more interesting beers besides Norwegian Wood is Darkforce which is a double imperial wheat stout. As their label says this is the only known beer of this style in the universe so why not give it a try. Beer Advocate tried it and gave this Norwigian beer a B+ and RateBeer.com said it was worth a 99.
Keeping with the Norwegian theme we will try out Nogne O and their Two Captains. This is their double IPA that some say is a Pliny the Elder clone but I will let you be the judge. It is a 100 IBU beer with an 8.5% ABV that would be a fun gift or worthy of bringing to your next beer tasting with friends. BA gave it an A- and RateBeer.com a 98.
And last was a new beer I brought in after trying it on cask and it was a treat to say the least. Thornbridge Jaipur IPA is and English IPA that has more earthiness flavors in it compared to American hopped up IPA's we are accustomed to in the US but it is definatly a very well balanced beer that can be enjoyed my many. BA gave it an A- and RateBeer.com said 95.
Here was just a quick snapshot of some imported beers that some might pass by so if you are looking for a little adventure try grabbing one of your favorite beers and pick up an import you have never heard of that is in the same style and have your own tasting to see if the craft breweries on the other side of the world have the same tastes that you might.
Cheers and enjoy something you've never tried before
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