Kooinda Milk Porter

Back to Kooi for a new arrival, their milk porter with lactose.

This is a slightly lighter than expected pour, with a loose uncommitted head that's soon gone. The wateriness comes through a little on the smell too which is a wavering cross between a foreign extra stout and a choc porter.

Hmm. It's not bad this, a milk porter very much in style, with the silky sweetness coming through nicely. Nothing revolutionary here but competent and on target.

While milk porters are never a massive beer, I felt this could have been a bit fuller malt-wise to take full benefit from the mellow lactose. As it is it's just a little too light on - pleasant but not compelling. 6.5

Kooinda Red Ale

Exciting times: a new Kooinda to try!

Interesting pour this, a fair bit darker than expected particularly given the conciliatory abv. Nose is of nuts but also some sticky sugary notes, slight sour citrus to balance. Not quite what I was expecting all round, but not bad nonetheless.

Taste-wise there's a nice nutty presence but also a little bit of sourness and almost metallic sort of character that limits full enjoyment.. it's fine beer in itself but you're left longing for a softer palate to avoid any jarring notes. You're looking, in short, for Rogue.

It's a short review but it feels to be honest like a 'shorter' beer than most everything else from Kooinda. Far from bad - but in a context of frequent brilliance from this stable, just a little off the pace. 7.0

Kooinda Belgian Witbier

So - a Belgian Witbier. You know, as opposed to the other kind.

Still, its rare for a brewery to perform really well across their whole range of beers, no matter how ambitious, and Kooinda have done excellently to date with a couple of real standouts and a strong performance across the stable.

Pours with a frothy head I initially feared might dissipate, but instead it remained with a meniscus of snowlike froth throughout the glass. Good yellow orange colour but visible aeration in the tall glass. Aroma of citrus peel, sweet, slight coriander, and yes checking the label reveals orange peel and coriander in line with traditional trends.

Mouthfeel here is a little too fizzy, kind of floaty and soft effervescent in character, not the worst but could be improved. Spices particularly pepper come through pretty strong on the palate along with ongoing orange fruit sweetness. There is an edge of booze present in this too which is a bit of a shame at just 5.5%. Where does this leave us? Kooinda have again demonstrated solid skills and a commitment to quality brewing. No complaints. But certainly no standout either in the shadow of their stronger beers. 5.0

Kooinda Valhalla Golden Ale

Woohoo, another Kooinda to try!

Can't say golden ales are typically my favourite but these guys have a good record so far.

Turns out this has a caramel nose, caramel opening notes, then a rather surprising caramel midsection before some caramel comes in at the end.

That's not to say it's bad - in fact I found it quite drinkable - but it's not Kooinda's best. 7.0

Kooinda Black I.P.A.

No pop, just gently carbonated. A good start.

Nose is chocolate stout, but with nelson sauvin hops passionfruit edge.. a different but mouthwatering proposition. I get chocolate cherry sorts of notes also, bit like a black forest cake. Opaque black body, lovely tan coloured head that laces all over the shop but does dissipate a little.

This label's got a bit more on it than their pale ale. 70+ IBUs, using dehusked malt to produce the black beer along with a swathe of other malt types, plus late 7-day dry hopping. At 7% there's 1.8 drinks to the bottle. All of this sounds very good indeed.

On first taste it's almost more bitter than expected but a wonderfully complex development takes you through the initial burst of fruity bitter hops (slight nectarine again?) and through to a cocoa finish. Takes a few seconds to get through the stages to the end.

Another bloody brave effort from these guys - nothing held back here, it's big and bold in all ways and I like that a lot. Great stuff. 8.0

Kooinda Pale Ale

It's an oddly dreary looking bottle this, with no real words about the beer save the brand, that it's a pale ale, and it's made with the standard set of ingredients.

Open it up though and it's a different story. This is no shrinking violet. Apparently this is a tiny little brewery but man, they've hit the mark with this one at least. Bold in aroma and taste it's a strong competitor to most IPAs sampled, let alone the generally less assertive pale ale crowd.


It's nice as it warms this one too - let it sit for a while and the grassier astringent flavours become more prominent. Delicious and complex throughout.

Very keen to try some more of their stuff (black ipa with nelson sauvin hops anyone?). 8.5