Swakopmund Brewing Company Special Brew & Helles

Posted on by Evan

As I cruise the west coast of Africa, I keep finding local beer. Recently, while touring Walvis Bay, Namibia, I had a late lunch in nearby Swakopmund. I found a brewpub restaurant Brewery & Butcher that made Swakopmund Brewing Company beers. The first beer I had was their Special Brew, a smoked beer. This beer was a bock beer with an ABV of 7.4%. This bock beer pours a dark brown with a big three-finger beige mushroom head. The aroma is smoky and malty. The taste is sweet, smoky, malty, and deep. This beer has a full-bodied mouthfeel. Then this beer finishes with a malted smoked flavor. The smoky flavor fades in the aftertaste with hints of fading sweetness. This was such a delicious beer that is an A+. This isn’t like inhaling a campfire and is quite drinkable. This is a beer that you should have. 

Then I had a smaller Helles Lager. This beer is 5.2% ABV. This lager pours a mildly golden color with a two-finger white head. The aroma is sweet and fruity with a light bread note. The flavor is mildly sweet and fruity with subtle hop notes. This has a light-bodied mouthfeel. Then it has a semi-sweet finish. The aftertaste has fading sweetness and fruity flavors. This one was good, A-. It was refreshing and smooth. Easy to drink and another that is not to be missed. So if you are in Swakopmund, Namibia then you should go to the Brewer & Butcher. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly!

Accra Brewery Club Premium Lager

Posted on by Evan

I sailed into Sekondi-Tokoradi, Ghana. I toured this African city, and at the end of the tour, we stopped at the Rainbow Hotel to watch traditional Ghanaian dancers. They handed out local Club Beer. This is a premium lager produced by Accra Brewery, Accra is the capital city of Ghana. This lager is 5% ABV. This beer pours gold with a two-finger white head. The aroma is sweet and lightly hopped. The taste is sweet, lightly hopped, and smooth. This lager has a light-bodied mouthfeel. Then it finishes with a light sweetness and some hop notes. There is not much aftertaste but a light metallic flavor. This reminds me of most macro beers you find in the US. It’s not bad, but it’s not memorable. This Club beer is a D+. It’s interesting because you’d never see beer from Ghana in North America. I did enjoy it cause it was SO HOT out. But I would not run back to Club Premium Lager. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Bell Bottling Company Goldfinch Strong Premium Beer

Posted on by Evan

I toured Banjul, a city in The Gambia. Towards the end of the tour, we stopped at a local resort restaurant for a beverage. They had the local Bell Bottling Company Goldfinch. This is a 5% ABV premium strong beer. I drank this Goldfinch straight from the bottle. This Pilsner beer is golden in color with a one-finger white head. The aroma is sweet and malty. The flavor has a strong malt-sweet taste. This has a medium-bodied mouthfeel. This beer then comes to a strong malt finish. The aftertaste is sweet but a little less sweet. Overall all I enjoyed Goldfinch. I give this one an A- and would recommend this beer if you are in The Gambia. It has a nice malty backbone with just the right amount of sweetness. Refreshing too. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Ceris Strela Kriola

Posted on by Evan

I arrived in Cape Verde by ship and I took a hike. Later I had lunch by the seaside and had Ceris Strela Kriola the local Helles Lager of the island. This lager is 5% ABV. Strela means star in Portuguese. This beer pours golden with a one-finger white head. The head faded steadily. The aroma is lightly sweet and fruity with a faint malt note. The flavor is lightly sweet, hoppy, and fruity. I did get the faintest malt flavor. This has a light-bodied mouthfeel. Then it finishes with semi-sweet fruity with a tiny hop note. The aftertaste is a fading sweetness. This is not a bad beer, it is a refreshing beer. But I think I have had better Helle Lagers, but I would recommend this because you might never have it again. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Koninklijke Grolsch Premium Lager

Posted on by Evan

This 5 % ABV Lager beer from Enschede, Overijssel, Netherlands is Grolsch Premium Lager. This beer comes in a green glass bottle with a rubber swingtop. Grolsch is a traditional pilsner that has been dry-hopped. This pilsner pours golden with a one-finger foamy head of white. The aroma is a little sweet with tiny biscuit notes. The flavor is also sweet and warm. The flavor is smooth and clean. This is an easy-drinking beer. The beer has a light-bodied feeling in the mouth. Then it finishes clean with a little warmth and sweetness. There is not much on the aftertaste but a fading warmth. This is a decent beer with an interesting bottle. Grolsch Premium Lager is a low B-. I found nothing offensive with this pilsner. But I have had better ones and yet I would recommend Grolsch. You can have three or more. It’s not bad. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Morland Old Speckled Hen

Posted on by Evan

From Abington-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England Old Speckled Hen is a 4.8% ABV English Pale Ale. This ale was first brewed in 1979 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the MG factory. King Green now owns this brand. This beer pours deeper copper color with a two-finger pillowy beige head that sticks to the glass. The aroma is malty with a touch of sweetness. The flavor is malty, creamy, and smooth with a bitter end. This beer has a slightly off-putting bitter finish. The aftertaste is malty and bitter. But it is not there for long. This beer has a light body feel to the mouth. I would say that Old Speckled Hen is a C-. I’ve had this before and this is not as good as the first time. It’s not something I would suggest having. This isn’t a terrible drinking beer. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers! 

Damm Complot Mediterranean IPA

Posted on by Evan

I am in Barcelona, Spain, and I saw Damm Complot Mediterranean IPA at the hotel rooftop bar. This 6.6% ABV beer, made by Damm, is produced by Estrella Damm. This beer uses eight hops, such as Nugget, Summit, Willamette, Citra, Centennial, Simcoe, Amarillo, and Mosaic. These are grown on the Mediterranean coast. This beer is only sold in Spain. This IPA pours orange with a one-finger white head. The aroma is bitter and hoppy with a slight earthy note. The flavor is bitter up front with an earthy flavor. There is a slightly orange/grapefruit flavor on the back of the mouth. This has a medium body mouthfeel. Then this IPA finishes with a bitterness. The aftertaste is of bittering hops, and it goes quickly. This is an okay IPA, but it lacks the flavor of other IPAs. But you can drink a few of these. The flavor is not too much. I give this a C-. The flavor profile is just one note, but that is not too bad, and due to the uniqueness of this beer, I would recommend it. But if you don’t have this beer, you won’t miss much. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest Märzen

Posted on by Evan

Still on the Oktoberfest beer kick and this Oktoberfest Märzen is from Hacker-Pschorr. This is a Munich beer with an ABV of 5.8%. Thia Märzen is only made in October. This beer pours a darker copper color with a one-finger quick head. The aroma is malty and deep. But it is a medium malt aroma. The flavor is somewhat sweet and malty with a hint of a bread note. This has a medium-bodied mouthfeel. The finish is malty with less sweetness than the initial flavor. This beer has a malty sweet aftertaste that lingers briefly. This is a good solid German Oktoberfest, but it was plain and good overall. I give this Oktoberfest a C+. I would halfway recommend it but I think if you missed it then it would be fine. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Resident Culture Brewing Disco Baby India Pale Ale

Posted on by Evan

It has been a while since I’ve had a Resident Culture Brewing beer (residentculturebrewing.com). So I saw Disco Baby India Pale Ale at my local Harris Teeter grocery store. This beer is 6.5% ABV, and it is hopped with Amarillo, Citra, and Simcoe hops here in Charlotte, North Carolina. This beer pours a hazy yellow with a two-finger white head. The aroma is bitter and orangey, with a light, sweet note. It has a thick feeling in the mouth. This IPA finishes with a bitter orange flavor with a hint of sweetness. The aftertaste is not as orange-flavored as the one you get on the first sip. But the orange is there with a lingering bitterness. This IPA is good, B-. It is just bitter orange, and that is pretty much the only two flavors to it, so that is a slight knock against it. But this is still good, and I’d still recommend Disco Baby India Pale Ale. The orange bitter IPA is not a bad choice. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Highlander Brewing Clawhammer Oktoberfest

Posted on by Evan


It’s October and fest beers are on the store shelves. I like the Oktoberfest beer over the pumpkin beer. This one is a local North Carolina offering from Highland Brewing in Asheville (highlandbrewing.com). This beer is a Märzen Lager called Clawhammer Oktoberfest. This lager is 5% ABV. This beer has hops such as Hallertau, Mittlefrue, and German Spalt Select. It also features malts such as 2-row, Munich, Vienna, Caramel, and Pilsner. You can only find this beer from July through September, and can buy some that is leftover in October. This beer pours a copper/brownish color with a one-finger beige head. The head is fairly quick-fading. The aroma is malty, sweet, and clean. It does, however, have a light bread note. The flavor is sweet and malted with a light and clean body. The same goes for the mouthfeel. Then you come to a clean and malty-sweet finish. That same flavor carries over into the aftertaste with a slight linger. This beer is a good light Oktoberfest beer. I would say this is the best. I give Clawhammer Oktoberfest from Highland Brewing a B. The overall flavor of this beer is mild, but that’s okay. It is solid and worth a try. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly!