Lunch accompaniment. I thought this was Honey Beer but it is actually a Braggot which is a drink containing honey and malt. That is a Mead that contains malted grains. Which, I guess, is pretty close to a Honey Beer. Okay, semantics aside. The drink shows a dark copper face that allows the light to go through. A creamy lacing appears on the top and retreats to the sides. An interesting scent indeed: honey shakes hands with gingerbread dough. Is this a dessert? Let me sip. Sweet honey dominates. Not bad if we are talking about a Mead. It's powerful but not overwhelming. Biscuit, cookie, faint dark chocolate, sweet bun, perhaps very distant tea and dried apricot. And as if a hint of cardamom. Quite a package. But, unlike many supersweet Meads, this is not icky. The sugar doesn't glue my mouth shut. The body is fairly full. Or is it the honey that mesmerizes my gustatory sense? Anyway. The tail is a familiar malt–honey swirl but with reduced sweetness. Not much but still. The mouthfeel is full, lip-glueing, savory, spiced and desserty. Manageable, hence, appealing.

Lucid amber beer with fizzy carbonation serves a white airy head that elevates one finger high. The short retention kills the foam quickly, and all we have then is a still top. Honey, caramel and biscuit feature in the scent. Honey is the lead player and fairly bold already at this stage. Honey is truly ample also on the tastebuds. It's not particularly inviting but a Honey Beer must surely give the taste of honey. Biscuit, waffle, lemon curd and a drop of tea complete the list of flavors. The body is light. Honey gets somewhat diluted in the end, perhaps also slightly crisp with a malty effort. The beer feels light, very juicy, somehow traditional, sappy and surprisingly little lip-glueing. An interesting curiosity, obviously a very traditional brew that, however, doesn't appeal too much to my beer tooth. Still, I appreciate the fact that a Honey Beer tastes like honey.

Basically translucent but dark brown beer builds a silky beige head that shoots three fingers high. The short retention pulls the froth down to a lovely lace ring and haze on the top. Syrup, cane sugar, black coffee and a pinch of dark chocolate find their way to my nose. Nice and predictable. Syrup, malt extract, dark malt, brown sugar, molasses, cappuccino and dark chocolate. That's what the taste profile is woven of. Beautifully malt-forward. And moderately sweet-leaning. The body is light to light-medium. The finish allows one to experience a whiz of grassy hops before the familiar syrup–malt–choco medley brainwashes my tastebuds. The coffeeish element turns now slightly bitter. The mouthfeel is light, lip-glueing and balanced. Pleasant, the level of sweetness is under control. Still quite predictable. The age (bb 19 Feb) has no negative effect on the beer.

I'm surprised as I pour the beer in a glass: a Black IPA that isn't black but limpid, deep copper. Interesting. A velvety, creamy head climbs almost three fingers high and dissolves gradually to a neat fluffy lacing on the top. The nose receives interesting aromas: toffee, caramel and even a sweet nutty hint. Caramel malt maybe? Definitely out of the box when it comes to a Black IPA. The tastebuds like the unexpected flavors: caramel, malt cracker, much less toffee than in the air, nut, maybe hazelnut, and a bit of sweet multigrain bread. But caramel is surely the leading chord here. Otherwise quite far from the style – or any IPA for that matter – but the piney hoppy slam in the background draws a distinct link to it. The body is medium. Goes without saying that it's welcome at 6 %. The tail lifts crisper hoppy nuances higher in the ranking and makes the caramelly and nutty elements slightly bitter. The mouthfeel is medium, marginally sticky, lip-glueing at least, and crisp. Very different from what I anticipated – style qualifications aside –, but truly enjoyable anyway.

Dry January behind, let the Wet Rest-of-the-year begin! It's crazy, it's party! Alright, Earth calling. A rice lager is my starter. Gotta destroy this since the best before is 19 February. That's very soon. But this is now. Lucid, deep gold is the color. Looks safe. A creamy head grows two fingers tall, keeps surviving for quite a long time and eventually descends to an airy, still rather pillowy lacing. A messy ornament clings to the glass. Sour natural yoghurt, rice krispies, rice flour and white bread hover in the air. Oddish. And a fairly ample sweet-leaning undertone, not honey, nor sugar, but something like a bun. Not a fresh bun. Rice krispies, rice waffle, biscuit, white bread and a yeasty suggestion constitute the gustatory supply. And again, something sweet-imitating among the components, can't specify exactly what. The body is light. Ends like it starts. The mouthfeel is light, faintly crisp and slick. Quite weird actually. But, having said that, I like it when a rice beer gives a rice flavor.

Nyt on makea olut. Hunajaa se toki sisältääkin. Aikaisemmat hunajaoluet ovat olleet vähemmän makeita. Tämä voisi olla vieläkin parempaa juustojen kanssa. Rasikuu ōlletehas -oluet ovat kyllä aina olleet hyviä. Niitä kannattaa maistaa, jos niitä löytää. Tallinnassa on useampi pieni myymälä, jossa toki voi nauttia näitä herkkuja. Niissä kannattaa pistäytyä. www.raasiku-olletehas.ee

Kvass time! This is the last beer/drink of my 18-day Christmas/New Year vacation. Tomorrow, back to work. The Kvass colors translucent black cola. The carbonation is not particularly aggressive but the emerging tawny froth is ridiculous: fills the glass entirely, leaving no space for the beer itself. Gradually it starts regaining its existence from the bottom upward. The best before date explains this: 5 Feb. Dark bread, nut, molasses and malt extract almost fulfill the gustatory circle. The most narrow sectors still to be fulfilled are toffee and cinnamon. Really intriguing. The taste is quite different from the olfactory supply: the tongue receives sweet flavors, such as malt extract, cola, blackcurrant jam, syrup, dark bread, molasses and cacao nibs. The body is thin. Many of the same flavors continue to the end but some are dropped along the way. The mouthfeel is lip-glueing, moderately sticky and effervescent like never before. It's also marginally spiced and desserty. Strange but I like this.