596. Oud Beersel Oude Kriek Vieille
I purchased this at Downtown Wine & Spirits along with a bottle of Oude Kriek Boon. I served it at around 50º F in my New Belgium glass.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Oud Beersel
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle, 375 mL
Style: Fruit Lambic, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (5.0): Pours a cloudy, deep burgundy. It's topped by a fluffy, two-finger, pink head that sticks around as a quarter-inch layer.
Smell (4.0): Sharp acidic tartness, sweet cherries and a mild funkiness, that almost seems to be musty. This is a characteristic of Oud Beersel lambics that I've noticed. Swirling brings out the funkiness, but it's still relatively mild.
Taste (4.0): Sour throughout, but fairly mild. The fact that the sweetness is relatively low helps to accentuate the sourness. There are also sharp cherry flavors that mingle with the sweet flavors. There's a mild medicinal quality in the finish, which has a light pucker as well as some woodiness and a mild earthiness that's accompanied by a low bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light-bodied, low carbonation, with a mildly dry finish.
Drinkability (4.5): Sourness is present, but isn't overpowering.
Overall (4.25): Milder, but still has some nice lambic qualities.
I purchased this at Downtown Wine & Spirits along with a bottle of Oude Kriek Boon. I served it at around 50º F in my New Belgium glass.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Oud Beersel
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle, 375 mL
Style: Fruit Lambic, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (5.0): Pours a cloudy, deep burgundy. It's topped by a fluffy, two-finger, pink head that sticks around as a quarter-inch layer.
Smell (4.0): Sharp acidic tartness, sweet cherries and a mild funkiness, that almost seems to be musty. This is a characteristic of Oud Beersel lambics that I've noticed. Swirling brings out the funkiness, but it's still relatively mild.
Taste (4.0): Sour throughout, but fairly mild. The fact that the sweetness is relatively low helps to accentuate the sourness. There are also sharp cherry flavors that mingle with the sweet flavors. There's a mild medicinal quality in the finish, which has a light pucker as well as some woodiness and a mild earthiness that's accompanied by a low bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light-bodied, low carbonation, with a mildly dry finish.
Drinkability (4.5): Sourness is present, but isn't overpowering.
Overall (4.25): Milder, but still has some nice lambic qualities.
Labels: Brouwerij Oud Beersel, Fruit Lambic, Lambic, Sour Beer
This is just a list of various beer related links. I've added a link to this post in the tabs at the top of the blog. This will replace the sidebar links. I've just added links to the blogs that I know link here. If your blog links to mine and it's not on the list leave a comment and I'll add it.
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Labels: Links
595. Viking Light Beer
Christian, my friend/labmate, had a layover in Iceland on his way to Germany and brought me back a can of Icelandic beer. This comes in a blue 500 mL can. I served it right out of the fridge in on of my Harpoon IPA glasses.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Viking Brewery
Alcohol: 2.25%
Serving: Can, 500 mL
Style: Light Lager, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a crystal clear, light golden with a two-finger, fluffy, white head that fades to a heterogeneous film leaving patchy lace.
Smell (2.0): Light sweet malts and a light graininess.
Taste (2.0): Lightly sweet upfront, almost flavorless in the center, with some grain and an almost imperceptible bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (2.5): Light-bodied and watery with moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (3.0): Decently drinkable until it starts to warm.
Overall (2.45): I said it for High Life Light and I'll say it for this, I've had better and I've had worse. I think this is a little better than high life light.
Christian, my friend/labmate, had a layover in Iceland on his way to Germany and brought me back a can of Icelandic beer. This comes in a blue 500 mL can. I served it right out of the fridge in on of my Harpoon IPA glasses.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Viking Brewery
Alcohol: 2.25%
Serving: Can, 500 mL
Style: Light Lager, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a crystal clear, light golden with a two-finger, fluffy, white head that fades to a heterogeneous film leaving patchy lace.
Smell (2.0): Light sweet malts and a light graininess.
Taste (2.0): Lightly sweet upfront, almost flavorless in the center, with some grain and an almost imperceptible bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (2.5): Light-bodied and watery with moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (3.0): Decently drinkable until it starts to warm.
Overall (2.45): I said it for High Life Light and I'll say it for this, I've had better and I've had worse. I think this is a little better than high life light.
Labels: Light Lager, Viking Brewery
594. Oude Kriek Boon
I haven't been terribly impressed with the Boon lambics that I've had in the US, I don't have notes on the Gueuze, so perhaps I'll revisit that soon. I find the Kriek and Framboise to be overly sweet.
I remember reading about Brouwerij Boon in The Brewmaster's Table. Garrett Oliver spoke highly of the Boon Mariage Parfait lambics. So when I saw Boon Oude Geuze Mariage Parfait at Moeder Lambic in Brussels I jumped at the chance to try it, and was very impressed. I saw the Oude Kriek at several bars in Belgium, but I never tried it, and assumed that I wouldn't get another chance to unless I worked out a trade or returned to Europe. I was surprised to see it on the shelves when I stopped by Downtown Wine & Spirits Thursday night, so I grabbed a bottle, undeterred by the $10.45 price tag.
This comes in a corked and caged green 375 mL bottle. With a burgundy label that says "Oude Kriek Boon." The back of the bottle has an awesome Best before date of 12/22/2025. The back also has this blurb:
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Boon
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle, 375 mL
Style: Fruit Lambic, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (5.0): Pours a very cloudy, deep burgundy. It's topped by a thick, fizzy, pink head that fades quickly to a very persistent quarter-inch layer.
Smell (4.5): When sitting the dominant aromas are a sharp tart aroma along with cherries, and a mild, earthy funkiness that increases when the dregs are poured in. Swirling really brings out the funkiness, making woody and wet wool aromas evident.
Taste (4.0): The first flavor to hit the palate is a sweet cherry fruitiness. An acidic sourness quickly becomes dominant and remains so to the finish, though it never completely overshadows the sweet fruitiness. The finish is sour with woody and earthy flavors. Very nice, though the sourness could have been a little stronger.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Medium-bodied, thicker feeling than most other lambics. Though it does have the characteristic low carbonation and strong dryness in the finish.
Drinkability (4.0): Sour, but balanced well by the sweetness. Nice crisp dryness.
Overall (4.35): A very nice fruit lambic. I wish it weren't so expensive. At this price it's cheaper per ounce to buy a Cantillon.
I haven't been terribly impressed with the Boon lambics that I've had in the US, I don't have notes on the Gueuze, so perhaps I'll revisit that soon. I find the Kriek and Framboise to be overly sweet.
I remember reading about Brouwerij Boon in The Brewmaster's Table. Garrett Oliver spoke highly of the Boon Mariage Parfait lambics. So when I saw Boon Oude Geuze Mariage Parfait at Moeder Lambic in Brussels I jumped at the chance to try it, and was very impressed. I saw the Oude Kriek at several bars in Belgium, but I never tried it, and assumed that I wouldn't get another chance to unless I worked out a trade or returned to Europe. I was surprised to see it on the shelves when I stopped by Downtown Wine & Spirits Thursday night, so I grabbed a bottle, undeterred by the $10.45 price tag.
This comes in a corked and caged green 375 mL bottle. With a burgundy label that says "Oude Kriek Boon." The back of the bottle has an awesome Best before date of 12/22/2025. The back also has this blurb:
Boon Oude Kriek is 100% spontaneously fermented, aged in oak barrels and made with a minimum of 300 grams of real cherries per liter. A delicious, full flavored, and traditional lambic experience!I had this beer last night and served it in my New Belgium glass at around 50º F.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Boon
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle, 375 mL
Style: Fruit Lambic, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (5.0): Pours a very cloudy, deep burgundy. It's topped by a thick, fizzy, pink head that fades quickly to a very persistent quarter-inch layer.
Smell (4.5): When sitting the dominant aromas are a sharp tart aroma along with cherries, and a mild, earthy funkiness that increases when the dregs are poured in. Swirling really brings out the funkiness, making woody and wet wool aromas evident.
Taste (4.0): The first flavor to hit the palate is a sweet cherry fruitiness. An acidic sourness quickly becomes dominant and remains so to the finish, though it never completely overshadows the sweet fruitiness. The finish is sour with woody and earthy flavors. Very nice, though the sourness could have been a little stronger.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Medium-bodied, thicker feeling than most other lambics. Though it does have the characteristic low carbonation and strong dryness in the finish.
Drinkability (4.0): Sour, but balanced well by the sweetness. Nice crisp dryness.
Overall (4.35): A very nice fruit lambic. I wish it weren't so expensive. At this price it's cheaper per ounce to buy a Cantillon.
Labels: Brouwerij Boon, Fruit Lambic, Lambic, Sour Beer
On the morning of Thursday the 21st I rented a car and drove to my friend Scott's mom's house on the north side of San Antonio. Our friend Eric arrived shortly after I did and we packed up Scott's truck for our trip out to Scott's ranch near Junction, TX. We stopped by an HEB and bought some beer. Scott and Eric picked up two 18-packs of High Life Light, and two cans of Foster's. I picked up a six-pack of New Belgium 1554 and a 750 of Chimay Blue.
The drive out was pretty uneventful. We stopped at a country story near the ranch to by some deer feed, we also bought some homemade beef jerky.
When we arrived we spread some deer feed at one spot and then had some target practice with a revolver that Scott brought. After returning to the cabin we had some chicken salad sandwiches that Scott's mom had made for us, and we sat around drinking beer until five or so when we started the campfire. After we got the campfire started we drank more beer and then made hot dogs and smores after it was dark. We walked away from the cabin and campfire to look at the stars. The difference between what's visible at the ranch and in the city is amazing. We hung around the fire until midnight or so and then went to bed.
The next morning we woke up at around eleven. We started the campfire again, put a pot of coffee on the embers, and made breakfast smores. We then moved a deer feeder from one part of the ranch to another. We left the ranch at around 2:30 to drive back to San Antonio.
We stayed at Scott's mom's house in San Antonio on Friday night. She made delicious fratellis (I think that's what they're called) for dinner and then we watched Bad Santa before getting in the hot tub.
View from the cabin
Target practice
Scott's dog Belle
Sunset
Campfire
Eric and Scott
Stars
593. Miller High Life Light
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Miller Brewing Co. / SABMiller
Alcohol: 4.50%
Serving: Can, 12 oz.
Style: Light Lager, BJCP Style Guide
I just drank these out of the can, so I don't have full notes. Overall this was a pretty standard light beer. There was mild sweetness and some light grainy bitterness. It was watery with not a lot of flavor, but for the trip this wasn't bad to have. I've had better light beers and I've had worse
The drive out was pretty uneventful. We stopped at a country story near the ranch to by some deer feed, we also bought some homemade beef jerky.
When we arrived we spread some deer feed at one spot and then had some target practice with a revolver that Scott brought. After returning to the cabin we had some chicken salad sandwiches that Scott's mom had made for us, and we sat around drinking beer until five or so when we started the campfire. After we got the campfire started we drank more beer and then made hot dogs and smores after it was dark. We walked away from the cabin and campfire to look at the stars. The difference between what's visible at the ranch and in the city is amazing. We hung around the fire until midnight or so and then went to bed.
The next morning we woke up at around eleven. We started the campfire again, put a pot of coffee on the embers, and made breakfast smores. We then moved a deer feeder from one part of the ranch to another. We left the ranch at around 2:30 to drive back to San Antonio.
We stayed at Scott's mom's house in San Antonio on Friday night. She made delicious fratellis (I think that's what they're called) for dinner and then we watched Bad Santa before getting in the hot tub.
View from the cabin
Target practice
Scott's dog Belle
Sunset
Campfire
Eric and Scott
Stars
593. Miller High Life Light
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Miller Brewing Co. / SABMiller
Alcohol: 4.50%
Serving: Can, 12 oz.
Style: Light Lager, BJCP Style Guide
I just drank these out of the can, so I don't have full notes. Overall this was a pretty standard light beer. There was mild sweetness and some light grainy bitterness. It was watery with not a lot of flavor, but for the trip this wasn't bad to have. I've had better light beers and I've had worse
Labels: Light Lager, SABMiller, Travel
The night my aunt's family arrived in town I took my younger cousins (15 and 18) to Cricket's, where we met up with Win, Jordan and Bethany. We played shuffleboard and pool for awhile. I spent some time determining which beers on the menu I hadn't had, but in the end only had two new ones because my cousins wanted to call it an early night since they'd been up since 4 AM PST.
592. Hacker-Pschorr Münchner Dunkel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Hacker-Pschorr Bräu GmbH
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Munich Dunkel Lager, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear, ruby-brown with a dense, one-finger, beige head that fades to a patchy film.
Smell (3.5): Caramel, dark fruit and a light roastiness.
Taste (3.5): Some nondescript sweet malts, hints of caramel, light fruitiness and moderate roasty bitterness.
Mouthfeel (3.0): Watery with low carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): Easy enough to drink.
Overall (3.55)
I also had a Red Hook IPA, which I was more impressed with than when I had it at The Muddy this summer.
592. Hacker-Pschorr Münchner Dunkel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Hacker-Pschorr Bräu GmbH
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Munich Dunkel Lager, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear, ruby-brown with a dense, one-finger, beige head that fades to a patchy film.
Smell (3.5): Caramel, dark fruit and a light roastiness.
Taste (3.5): Some nondescript sweet malts, hints of caramel, light fruitiness and moderate roasty bitterness.
Mouthfeel (3.0): Watery with low carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): Easy enough to drink.
Overall (3.55)
I also had a Red Hook IPA, which I was more impressed with than when I had it at The Muddy this summer.
Labels: Hacker-Pschorr Bräu, Munich Dunkel Lager
Needing to get out of the black hole of entertainment that is my grandparents' house, I headed to Cricket's for some beer on Monday the 18th. When I arrived I called Win and Jordan. Jordan arrived first and we played darts for an hour or so. Win arrived later, after we had moved to a table on the balcony.
I started off with the always tasty Live Oak Hefe before moving on to new beers.
588. New Belgium Saison Harvest Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: New Belgium Brewing
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear copper with a thick off-white head that fades to a film leaving patchy lace.
Smell (3.5): There's a light Belgian yeast fruitiness, bananas are particularly evident. There are some hints of grain as well as some peppery spice.
Taste (3.5): Some toasty malts and sweet fruitiness. The finish is peppery with some citric tartness and a low but lasting bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, high carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Tasty, but I was hoping for a bit more.
Overall (3.7)
589. 60 Minute IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear, copper color with a thick off-white head that thins to a patchy film.
Smell (4.5): Some light, toasty malts and some floral and grassy hops.
Taste (4.5): Toasty malts upfront followed by some sweet caramel. The finish is a strong grassy hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation with a touch of oiliness.
Drinkability (5.0): Sessionable as hell.
Overall (4.4)
590. Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest-Märzen
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Hacker-Pschorr Bräu GmbH
Alcohol: 5.80%
Serving: Tap
Style: Märzen / Oktoberfest, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear amber with an off-white head that thins to a film.
Smell (4.5): Rich and malty with lots of caramel and toffee and a little bit of a tart fruitiness.
Taste (4.0): Some light toasty malts that meld with sweet caramel and toffee flavors. There's a very light bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium to full-bodied and creamy with low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Nice, but a little rich.
Overall (4.1)
288. Live Oak Liberation
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Live Oak Brewery
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Very lightly hazy copper with an off-white head that thins to a patchy film.
Smell (5.0): A bit of toasty malts, but the aroma is dominated by a wonderful citrusy and grapefruity hop aroma.
Taste (4.0): Toasty upfront with some light citric sweetness and tartness, followed by a bit of peppery spice. The finish is a nice grapefruit and grassy hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, low carbonation with a smooth oiliness.
Drinkability (4.5): Nicely balanced with a great grapefruit character.
Overall (4.25)
591. Münchner Kindl Weissbier
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Staatliches Hofbräuhaus
Alcohol: 5.10%
Serving: Tap
Style: Hefe Weizen, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a cloudy, straw golden with a white head that fades to a patchy layer.
Smell (4.5): Bananas, citrus, bubble-gum, cloves and a light graininess.
Taste (4.0): The taste is much like the smell. There are strong bananas, light bubblegum, cloves and a light graininess in the finish.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Medium-bodied, low carbonation
Drinkability (5.0): Tasty and very easy to drink.
Overall (4.35)
I started off with the always tasty Live Oak Hefe before moving on to new beers.
588. New Belgium Saison Harvest Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: New Belgium Brewing
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear copper with a thick off-white head that fades to a film leaving patchy lace.
Smell (3.5): There's a light Belgian yeast fruitiness, bananas are particularly evident. There are some hints of grain as well as some peppery spice.
Taste (3.5): Some toasty malts and sweet fruitiness. The finish is peppery with some citric tartness and a low but lasting bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, high carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Tasty, but I was hoping for a bit more.
Overall (3.7)
589. 60 Minute IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear, copper color with a thick off-white head that thins to a patchy film.
Smell (4.5): Some light, toasty malts and some floral and grassy hops.
Taste (4.5): Toasty malts upfront followed by some sweet caramel. The finish is a strong grassy hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation with a touch of oiliness.
Drinkability (5.0): Sessionable as hell.
Overall (4.4)
590. Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest-Märzen
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Hacker-Pschorr Bräu GmbH
Alcohol: 5.80%
Serving: Tap
Style: Märzen / Oktoberfest, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear amber with an off-white head that thins to a film.
Smell (4.5): Rich and malty with lots of caramel and toffee and a little bit of a tart fruitiness.
Taste (4.0): Some light toasty malts that meld with sweet caramel and toffee flavors. There's a very light bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium to full-bodied and creamy with low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Nice, but a little rich.
Overall (4.1)
288. Live Oak Liberation
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Live Oak Brewery
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Very lightly hazy copper with an off-white head that thins to a patchy film.
Smell (5.0): A bit of toasty malts, but the aroma is dominated by a wonderful citrusy and grapefruity hop aroma.
Taste (4.0): Toasty upfront with some light citric sweetness and tartness, followed by a bit of peppery spice. The finish is a nice grapefruit and grassy hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, low carbonation with a smooth oiliness.
Drinkability (4.5): Nicely balanced with a great grapefruit character.
Overall (4.25)
591. Münchner Kindl Weissbier
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Staatliches Hofbräuhaus
Alcohol: 5.10%
Serving: Tap
Style: Hefe Weizen, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a cloudy, straw golden with a white head that fades to a patchy layer.
Smell (4.5): Bananas, citrus, bubble-gum, cloves and a light graininess.
Taste (4.0): The taste is much like the smell. There are strong bananas, light bubblegum, cloves and a light graininess in the finish.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Medium-bodied, low carbonation
Drinkability (5.0): Tasty and very easy to drink.
Overall (4.35)
Labels: American IPA, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Hacker-Pschorr Bräu, Hefe Weizen, Live Oak Brewery, Märzen / Oktoberfest, New Belgium Brewing, Saison, Staatliches Hofbräuhaus
I flew into Dallas on Friday the 15th and stayed at my sister's apartment Friday night. We went to the Flying Saucer in Addison with two of her friends, none of whom are into beer. I was able to successfully recommend some quality beers that my sister and her friends liked (Lindemans Framboise, Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse and Chimay Grande Réserve).
584. Foret
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Dupont sprl
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy, amber-golden with a thick white head.
Smell (4.0): Sweet malt and fruit aromas are dominant, there are notes of raw sugar and citrus. There's also a little alcoholic spice and a hint of earthiness.
Taste (4.5): High carbonation upfront masks initial flavors, but the initial flavors are sweet, but quickly become lemony and tart. The finish is grassy with a nice light, but lingering bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): High carbonation, light-bodied with a mild dryness.
Drinkability (4.0): Tasty and balanced with a nice bitterness.
Overall (4.2)
585. Sierra Nevada Porter
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 5.60%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Porter, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a dark black with ruby tints. A one-inch, creamy, brown head tops the beer, but fades to a film leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.5): Roasty with a bit of fruitiness, nice chocolate aromas.
Taste (4.5): A little bit of tart fruitiness, chocolate, roasted bitterness and juicy hops.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, high carbonation, creamy.
Drinkability (5.0): Delicious.
Overall (4.5)
586. Dogtown Pale Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear copper with a fluffy, one-inch, off-white head that thins to a film leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Hops dominate the aroma, predominantly grapefruit/citrus. There are some malty caramel notes.
Taste (4.0): Toasty malts, high citric tartness, with a nice grassy and citric hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation, some hop oiliness.
Drinkability (4.0): Definitely tasty and sessionable.
Overall (3.95)
587. Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
Beer Stats:
Brewery: North Coast Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 9.00%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Russian Imperial Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (5.0): Black as night with a thick, creamy, brown head that retains as a quarter-inch layer leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.5): Strong roasted aromas of chocolate and coffee as well as some hops.
Taste (5.0): There are nice flavors of chocolate throughout, as well as some tart fruitiness. The finish is roasted with notes of coffee as well as some hops.
Mouthfeel (5.0): Full-bodied and creamy with low to moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): It's a high alcohol RIS, but I definitely wanted more when I finished the bottle.
Overall (4.8)
584. Foret
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Dupont sprl
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy, amber-golden with a thick white head.
Smell (4.0): Sweet malt and fruit aromas are dominant, there are notes of raw sugar and citrus. There's also a little alcoholic spice and a hint of earthiness.
Taste (4.5): High carbonation upfront masks initial flavors, but the initial flavors are sweet, but quickly become lemony and tart. The finish is grassy with a nice light, but lingering bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): High carbonation, light-bodied with a mild dryness.
Drinkability (4.0): Tasty and balanced with a nice bitterness.
Overall (4.2)
585. Sierra Nevada Porter
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 5.60%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Porter, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a dark black with ruby tints. A one-inch, creamy, brown head tops the beer, but fades to a film leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.5): Roasty with a bit of fruitiness, nice chocolate aromas.
Taste (4.5): A little bit of tart fruitiness, chocolate, roasted bitterness and juicy hops.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, high carbonation, creamy.
Drinkability (5.0): Delicious.
Overall (4.5)
586. Dogtown Pale Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear copper with a fluffy, one-inch, off-white head that thins to a film leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Hops dominate the aroma, predominantly grapefruit/citrus. There are some malty caramel notes.
Taste (4.0): Toasty malts, high citric tartness, with a nice grassy and citric hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation, some hop oiliness.
Drinkability (4.0): Definitely tasty and sessionable.
Overall (3.95)
587. Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout
Beer Stats:
Brewery: North Coast Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 9.00%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Russian Imperial Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (5.0): Black as night with a thick, creamy, brown head that retains as a quarter-inch layer leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.5): Strong roasted aromas of chocolate and coffee as well as some hops.
Taste (5.0): There are nice flavors of chocolate throughout, as well as some tart fruitiness. The finish is roasted with notes of coffee as well as some hops.
Mouthfeel (5.0): Full-bodied and creamy with low to moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): It's a high alcohol RIS, but I definitely wanted more when I finished the bottle.
Overall (4.8)
Labels: American Pale Ale, American Porter, Brasserie Dupont, Lagunitas Brewing Company, North Coast Brewing, Russian Imperial Stout, Saison, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
583. Flemish Primitive Wild Ale (Surly Bird)
Published by Thom on Wednesday, December 20, 2006 at 1:55 AM.
583. Flemish Primitive Wild Ale (Surly Bird)
I purchased a 750 mL bottle of this at Downtown Wine & Spirits and served it in one of my Duvel tulip glasses. There are several different labels, all with Flemish Primitive artwork, I'm not sure if these are different beers or not.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: De Proefbrouwerij
Alcohol: 9.00%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (5.0): The cork hit the ceiling when I opened the bottle. Since the yeast is a compact layer on the bottom of the bottle this pours a brilliant, clear golden. The thick, white head fades slowly leaving patches of thick lace.
Smell (4.5): Medicinal phenols, Brett aromas, as well as some nice fruitiness, especially sour apples.
Taste (4.5): Fruitiness upfront including bananas, sour apples, which are present through the center before they meet a peppery and alcoholic spice. The finish is very strong on the Brett. There's some phenolic character as well as a nice persistent bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Light-bodied, high carbonation with some warming alcohol and a dry finish.
Drinkability (5.0): Crisp and very flavorful.
Overall (4.65): Very interesting. Fruity with a good dose of Brett.
I purchased a 750 mL bottle of this at Downtown Wine & Spirits and served it in one of my Duvel tulip glasses. There are several different labels, all with Flemish Primitive artwork, I'm not sure if these are different beers or not.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: De Proefbrouwerij
Alcohol: 9.00%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (5.0): The cork hit the ceiling when I opened the bottle. Since the yeast is a compact layer on the bottom of the bottle this pours a brilliant, clear golden. The thick, white head fades slowly leaving patches of thick lace.
Smell (4.5): Medicinal phenols, Brett aromas, as well as some nice fruitiness, especially sour apples.
Taste (4.5): Fruitiness upfront including bananas, sour apples, which are present through the center before they meet a peppery and alcoholic spice. The finish is very strong on the Brett. There's some phenolic character as well as a nice persistent bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Light-bodied, high carbonation with some warming alcohol and a dry finish.
Drinkability (5.0): Crisp and very flavorful.
Overall (4.65): Very interesting. Fruity with a good dose of Brett.
Labels: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, De Proefbrouwerij
I had dinner at Cambridge Common on the 8th. I had two pints of this with dinner.
582. Berkshire Steel Rail Extra Pale Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Berkshire Brewing Company Inc.
Alcohol: 5.30%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a lightly hazy copper with a thin head that fades to a ring.
Smell (4.0): Some light maltiness, toasty with a bit of raw sugar, and some leafy hops.
Taste (4.0): Toasty malts that move into mild sweetness. The finish has a nice hop bitterness with some spiciness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): High carbonation, light to medium-bodied.
Drinkability (4.5): Balanced, a great session beer.
Overall (4.05)
582. Berkshire Steel Rail Extra Pale Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Berkshire Brewing Company Inc.
Alcohol: 5.30%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a lightly hazy copper with a thin head that fades to a ring.
Smell (4.0): Some light maltiness, toasty with a bit of raw sugar, and some leafy hops.
Taste (4.0): Toasty malts that move into mild sweetness. The finish has a nice hop bitterness with some spiciness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): High carbonation, light to medium-bodied.
Drinkability (4.5): Balanced, a great session beer.
Overall (4.05)
A few Fridays ago I went to the CBC to have dinner and some beer.
120. Charles River Porter
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.90%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Porter, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours an opaque black with a thin beige head.
Smell (4.0): Roasted coffee and chocolate in the nose.
Taste (4.5): There's a nice roasted bitterness that dominates. There's also some dark fruit sweetness and a mild sourness. The aftertaste is roasted and hoppy bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4): Medium-bodied with mild carbonation.
Drinkability (4.5): Nice and roasty and very drinkable.
Overall (4.25)
581. Pisser Mauvais
I had two or three glasses of this. From the website:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Wild Ale
Appearance (4.0): Pours an opaque brown-black with a two-finger, brown head that fades to a film leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.5): Lambic-like tart aroma, medicinal phenols and a mild earthiness.
Taste (5.0): Tart with a light cherry like sweetness, though the tartness is still eveident. There's a medicinal character with a light, woody roastiness that contributes character, but not bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied. Low but prickly carbonation.
Drinkability (4.5): A delicious sour ale.
Overall (4.55)
122. Great Pumpkin Ale
I'm not ashamed to say that I like pumpkin ales to be sweeter, rather than balanced and to have spicing that really reminds me of a pumpkin pie. CBC's Great Pumpkin Ale fits the bill.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.20%
Serving: Tap
Style: Pumpkin Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear amber with a thin head that fades to a ring.
Smell (4.5): Very strong aromas of pumpkin with secondary nutmeg and cinnamon aromas.
Taste (4.5): Sweet pumpkins upfront, with nutmeg and cinnamon spices. The finish is lightly bitter.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation, smooth.
Drinkability (4.0): Sweet, but not overly so, though my opinions on the style may differ from others.
Overall (4.35): A great pumpkin ale!
120. Charles River Porter
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.90%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Porter, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours an opaque black with a thin beige head.
Smell (4.0): Roasted coffee and chocolate in the nose.
Taste (4.5): There's a nice roasted bitterness that dominates. There's also some dark fruit sweetness and a mild sourness. The aftertaste is roasted and hoppy bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4): Medium-bodied with mild carbonation.
Drinkability (4.5): Nice and roasty and very drinkable.
Overall (4.25)
581. Pisser Mauvais
I had two or three glasses of this. From the website:
Inspired by the famous Mannekin Pis, Brussels’ fountain statue of a young boy urinating. The name translates very loosely as “Wicked Pissah.” Brewed in Autumn, 2004, this black beer was aged in oak barrels which previously held the funky-yet-famous Benevolence. Fermentation ensued spontaneously in the barrel from the various wild yeast and other organisms residing in the porous wood, and after fermentation it rested for twenty-four months. Following this extended quiescence, the beer was racked and blended, conditioned, and chilled for your pleasure today. The nose features an obvious lactic tartness, notes of hay and horse blankets, and an underlying maltiness with hints of chocolate and burnt oak (in a good way). The palate has a nascent sharp sourness leading to flavors reminiscent of a lambic beer, finishing dry with plenty of oak and a clean roasty finale. Initially challenging, this beer becomes quite accessible, and opens up considerably as it warms in the glass.Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Wild Ale
Appearance (4.0): Pours an opaque brown-black with a two-finger, brown head that fades to a film leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.5): Lambic-like tart aroma, medicinal phenols and a mild earthiness.
Taste (5.0): Tart with a light cherry like sweetness, though the tartness is still eveident. There's a medicinal character with a light, woody roastiness that contributes character, but not bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied. Low but prickly carbonation.
Drinkability (4.5): A delicious sour ale.
Overall (4.55)
122. Great Pumpkin Ale
I'm not ashamed to say that I like pumpkin ales to be sweeter, rather than balanced and to have spicing that really reminds me of a pumpkin pie. CBC's Great Pumpkin Ale fits the bill.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cambridge Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.20%
Serving: Tap
Style: Pumpkin Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear amber with a thin head that fades to a ring.
Smell (4.5): Very strong aromas of pumpkin with secondary nutmeg and cinnamon aromas.
Taste (4.5): Sweet pumpkins upfront, with nutmeg and cinnamon spices. The finish is lightly bitter.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation, smooth.
Drinkability (4.0): Sweet, but not overly so, though my opinions on the style may differ from others.
Overall (4.35): A great pumpkin ale!
Labels: American Porter, American Wild Ale, Cambridge Brewing Company, Pumpkin Ale
I've finally finished posting everything from our Belgium trip. Everything has the Belgium 2006 tag. I've listed the posts below in chronological order.
Brussels
Brussels
Day One: Flight; Grand Place; Manneken PisAntwerp
Day One: Brasserie Cantillon
Day One: Delirium Café
Day One: Dinner, Moeder Lambic
Day Two: Poechenellekelder, Mort Subite, Ploegmans
Day Two: Warm Water, Delirium Café, Absinthe
Day Three: Arrival in Antwerp, De Berenbak, Sightseeing, Oud ArsenaalGhent
Day Three: Dinner, Paters Vaetje, Waagstuk
Day Four: Lunch and Sightseeing, Kulminator, Dinner, Elfde Gebod
Day Five: Departure/Arrival, Aba-Jour, GravensteenBrugge
Day Five: De Hopduvel
Day Five: Deus, Trollekelder, Waterhuis aan de Bierkant
Day Six: Sightseeing, Lunch, Brouwerij De Halve MaanWest Flanders
Day Six: Kelk, De Garre
Day Six: Brugs Beertje, Dickie's
Day Seven: Kortrijk, Ieper, Poperinge, Paix, Ter PosterieBrussels
Day Seven: Kortrijk, Boulevard
Day Eight: Westvleteren
Day Eight: Poechenellekelder, Delirium Café, PackingNew York
Day Nine: Flight, New York CityThere are few general observations about Belgium that I have.
1. I've been cheated out of knowing more than one language becuase I've grown up in the US. Almost everyone in Belgium spoke at least two to three languages. According to the bartender at Moeder Lambic they start teaching English in schools at around age 10 or 12.Stories that I didn't include in the main post.
2. Belgians are crazy drivers. We were constantly being passed at high speeds when we had rented the car, and we were speeding somewhat.
3. Belgian restrooms are strange. There's often a single door for men and women that opens into a room with a sink, that room has doors for men and women, but it also often contains a urinal.
1. An aspiring DJ in Antwerp helped us determine the best Tram stop for us, which also happened to be his stop. When we got off he waited until the very last minute before he went down into the subway to say "By the way, your president is an asshole."We've decided to go on beer trips to Germany, The UK and The Czech Republic at some point in the future. I think we've decided on The Czech Republic as our next stop.
2. We were getting cash from an ATM in Antwerp, Ghent or Brugge (David?) when a guy came up to us and started speaking in Dutch. When I said we only speak English he then said "Do you have a joint to spare."
Labels: Belgium 2006, Travel
Our flight left Brussels at around 10:00 on Sunday morning and arrived in New York at around noon. We woke up at around 6 AM, got ready and left before 7 AM. We made the mistake of walking from our hostel to Bruxelles-Nord, about a mile, which was painful with the two heavy bags. We took the express train to the airport, and were chastised by the guy who punched our tickets for sitting in the first-class section when we only had second-class tickets.
We checked in and had the bag with the beer labeled fragile. We went to the duty free shop so David could buy a book, and then went through security. We had breakfast and coffee at Coffee Corner near our gate. David later picked up a deck of Manneken Pis playing cards.
The flight was uneventful. We played Sudoku, mocked the Sky Mall catalog, read and played War with the cards. When the plane landed our oxygen masks fell down, not the entire plane's, just ours. The customs agent who I talked through was a pretty easy going guy with a thick New York accent. He asked what kind of beer I had. I told him it was brewed by monks. "Is it dark?" "Yeah." "Is it strong?" "Yeah" "Alright! Drink in moderation, and don't drive."
We made it back to David's apartment, dropped off our bags, and then went to Kitchenette for a late brunch. We stopped by Columbia Deli & Market and picked up a bottle of Southampton IPA, which we drank while watching South Park. Afterwards we went to see Casino Royale and then called it an early night.
580. Southampton IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Southampton Publick House
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle, 22 oz.
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a hazy orange with a flufyy, off-white head that persists, leaving thick lace.
Smell (4.0): Some caramel maltiness with nice grassy, herbal and citric hop aromas.
Taste (4.5): Toasty malts, with some light sweetness, followed by a nice resiny and herbal hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation, with oiliness from the hops.
Drinkability (4.0): Not too sweet, with a nice strong hop presence.
Overall (4.3)
We checked in and had the bag with the beer labeled fragile. We went to the duty free shop so David could buy a book, and then went through security. We had breakfast and coffee at Coffee Corner near our gate. David later picked up a deck of Manneken Pis playing cards.
The flight was uneventful. We played Sudoku, mocked the Sky Mall catalog, read and played War with the cards. When the plane landed our oxygen masks fell down, not the entire plane's, just ours. The customs agent who I talked through was a pretty easy going guy with a thick New York accent. He asked what kind of beer I had. I told him it was brewed by monks. "Is it dark?" "Yeah." "Is it strong?" "Yeah" "Alright! Drink in moderation, and don't drive."
We made it back to David's apartment, dropped off our bags, and then went to Kitchenette for a late brunch. We stopped by Columbia Deli & Market and picked up a bottle of Southampton IPA, which we drank while watching South Park. Afterwards we went to see Casino Royale and then called it an early night.
580. Southampton IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Southampton Publick House
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle, 22 oz.
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a hazy orange with a flufyy, off-white head that persists, leaving thick lace.
Smell (4.0): Some caramel maltiness with nice grassy, herbal and citric hop aromas.
Taste (4.5): Toasty malts, with some light sweetness, followed by a nice resiny and herbal hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation, with oiliness from the hops.
Drinkability (4.0): Not too sweet, with a nice strong hop presence.
Overall (4.3)
Labels: American IPA, Belgium 2006, Travel
Having arrived in Brussels we checked in to the hostel. The first thing I did was shave, then we decided to head out for dinner and beer. Our first stop was Poechenellekelder where we had a dinner of croque monsieurs and a round.
572. Urthel Hop-It
Beer Stats:
Brewery: De Leyerth Brouwerijen
Alcohol: 9.50%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian IPA
Appearance (4.5): Pours a cloudy golden with a thick, four-finger head that fades to an irregular film leaving heavy lace.
Smell (4.0): Fruity with peppery spice, alcohol and light hops.
Taste (4.0): Sweet fruits upfront, there are some cherry notes. The finish is peppery before moving into a significant hop bitterness that has a nice interplay with some lemony tartness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): High carbonation, light to medium-bodied.
Drinkability (4.0): Good hoppiness to provide balance.
Overall (4.1)
573. Barbãr Winter Bok
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Lefèbvre SA
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a hazy brown with a beige head that thins to a ring leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Dark fruit, spices and an almost evergreen aroma.
Taste (3.5): Sweet fruit and maltiness upfront. The finish is spicy with a light bitterness. A little too sweet.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): Easy to drink, despite sweetness.
Overall (3.65)
After finishing dinner and our beers at Poechenellekelder we went to Delirium Café for a few more rounds. The bar was pretty crowded, but we were able to find seats at the bar.
574. Gentse Tripel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a cloudy golden-amber with a white head that thins to a persistent film leaving no lace.
Smell (3.5): Cherries and caramel. Odd aromas for a tripel, but it smells nice.
Taste (4.0): Some tartness and toasty malts upfront. There's an almost a honey sweetness before the finish, which is peppery, grainy and lightly bitter.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, high carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Quite nice, not too sweet.
Overall (3.8)
575. Abbaye De Rocs Blond
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs s.a.
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.0): Pours a very light blond color with a white head that thins to a ring leaving little lace.
Smell (3.0): Sweet maltiness with some tart fruit (maybe sour apple). Very light.
Taste (3.0): Sweet and fruity throughout. There's some light tart apples, light pepper and light bitterness.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light to medium-bodied, moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): Not terribly flavorful.
Overall (3.1)
After the first round we each had an Orval. My bottle was from September 2006 and David's was from July 2006. The Brettanomyces aroma and flavors were much more evident in David's bottle. Just two months had made a huge difference in flavor and aroma.
576. Saison De Pipaix
The bartender said he hadn't seen this one, and that he'd have to look. He brought back a dusty bottle with a best by date of August 2003.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie à Vapeur
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a cloudy orange-amber (though our first pours were crystal-clear). It's topped by a thick, off-white head that thins to a film leaving heavy lace.
Smell (4.0): Sourish almost lambic-like hints, cherry fruitiness and some light maltiness that's hard to place.
Taste (4.5): Sour cherries with some light medicinals, some Brett character and a mild bitterness. Nice tartness
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light-bodied, low carbonation, with a mild dryness.
Drinkability (4.0): Quite drinkable and interesting.
Overall (4.2): Even though the best by date had long since passed this beer had aged quite well.
577. Het Kapittel Dubbel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Van Eecke N.V.
Alcohol: 7.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Dubbel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a cloudy ruby-brown with a brown head that fades to a quarter-inch layer leaving little lace.
Smell (3.5): Light, but notes of caramel malts and dark fruit.
Taste (3.5): Sweet upfront with raisins and brown sugar. The finish is lightly peppery with hints of roastiness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Full-bodied, moderate carbonation, and light warming alcohol.
Drinkability (3.5): A little too sweet.
Overall (3.65)
578. Het Kapittel Pater
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Van Eecke N.V.
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy amber-brown with an off-white head that fades to a quarter-inch layer leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Caramel maltiness, with an intriguing smoky character.
Taste (3.5): Caramel sweetness, light pepper, toasty malts with a neutral finish.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, low carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): Too sweet.
Overall (3.75)
We still needed to pack, so we left Delirium Café and started the walk back to our hostel. Across the alleyway from the bar is the Janneken Pis, the female counterpart of the Manneken Pis.
Janneken Pis
I still needed to buy chocolate for the lab so decided to stop at a chocolate shop on the way back to the hostel. The Manneken Pis themed chocolatier was eliminated because of sheer kitsch, as evidenced by the photo below. We ended up stopping at Corne Port Royal where I dropped 25 € on a box of chocolates, 2 milk chocolate bars and two 77% cocoa bars. The lab was very pleased.
Kitsch
We got back to the hostel and packed. We had two six-packs of Westvleteren to pack as well as a 750 mL bottle of Cantillon St. Lamvinus, an 11.2 oz bottle of Duvel Gefilterd and an 11.2 oz bottle of Verboden Vrucht. The Westvleteren and the Cantillon were highest priority. We put David's clothes in my bag, and put the beer in David's small duffle. We wrapped each bottle of Westvleteren in socks and then newspaper and placed them back in the six-pack holders. We wrapped the Cantillon in a shirt. We padded the bag heavily with paper and then put the beers in. We left the Verboden Vrucht and decided to drink the Duvel Gefilterd.
579. Duvel Gefilterd
I did this blind and side-by-side with a normal Duvel, which we bought from the hostel bar.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat NV
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Bottle, 25 cL
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance:
Duvel: Hazy golden with a huge white head.
Gefilterd: Clear golden with a huge white head.
Smell:
Duvel: Bananas, pepper and some graininess.
Gefilterd: Bananas, pepper and some graininess, but much fruitier than the standard Duvel.
Taste:
Duvel: Fruity, but less so than the Gefilterd. It is more peppery, more grainy and more bitter than the Gefilterd.
Gefilterd: Fruity, mostly bananas with peppery spice in the finish, alcoholic warmth with a little bit of burning. Sweeter and fruitier than the Duvel.
Mouthfeel:
Duvel: High carbonation, light-bodied.
Gefilterd: High carbonation, light-bodied.
572. Urthel Hop-It
Beer Stats:
Brewery: De Leyerth Brouwerijen
Alcohol: 9.50%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian IPA
Appearance (4.5): Pours a cloudy golden with a thick, four-finger head that fades to an irregular film leaving heavy lace.
Smell (4.0): Fruity with peppery spice, alcohol and light hops.
Taste (4.0): Sweet fruits upfront, there are some cherry notes. The finish is peppery before moving into a significant hop bitterness that has a nice interplay with some lemony tartness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): High carbonation, light to medium-bodied.
Drinkability (4.0): Good hoppiness to provide balance.
Overall (4.1)
573. Barbãr Winter Bok
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Lefèbvre SA
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a hazy brown with a beige head that thins to a ring leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Dark fruit, spices and an almost evergreen aroma.
Taste (3.5): Sweet fruit and maltiness upfront. The finish is spicy with a light bitterness. A little too sweet.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): Easy to drink, despite sweetness.
Overall (3.65)
After finishing dinner and our beers at Poechenellekelder we went to Delirium Café for a few more rounds. The bar was pretty crowded, but we were able to find seats at the bar.
574. Gentse Tripel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a cloudy golden-amber with a white head that thins to a persistent film leaving no lace.
Smell (3.5): Cherries and caramel. Odd aromas for a tripel, but it smells nice.
Taste (4.0): Some tartness and toasty malts upfront. There's an almost a honey sweetness before the finish, which is peppery, grainy and lightly bitter.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, high carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Quite nice, not too sweet.
Overall (3.8)
575. Abbaye De Rocs Blond
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs s.a.
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.0): Pours a very light blond color with a white head that thins to a ring leaving little lace.
Smell (3.0): Sweet maltiness with some tart fruit (maybe sour apple). Very light.
Taste (3.0): Sweet and fruity throughout. There's some light tart apples, light pepper and light bitterness.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light to medium-bodied, moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): Not terribly flavorful.
Overall (3.1)
After the first round we each had an Orval. My bottle was from September 2006 and David's was from July 2006. The Brettanomyces aroma and flavors were much more evident in David's bottle. Just two months had made a huge difference in flavor and aroma.
576. Saison De Pipaix
The bartender said he hadn't seen this one, and that he'd have to look. He brought back a dusty bottle with a best by date of August 2003.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie à Vapeur
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a cloudy orange-amber (though our first pours were crystal-clear). It's topped by a thick, off-white head that thins to a film leaving heavy lace.
Smell (4.0): Sourish almost lambic-like hints, cherry fruitiness and some light maltiness that's hard to place.
Taste (4.5): Sour cherries with some light medicinals, some Brett character and a mild bitterness. Nice tartness
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light-bodied, low carbonation, with a mild dryness.
Drinkability (4.0): Quite drinkable and interesting.
Overall (4.2): Even though the best by date had long since passed this beer had aged quite well.
577. Het Kapittel Dubbel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Van Eecke N.V.
Alcohol: 7.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Dubbel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a cloudy ruby-brown with a brown head that fades to a quarter-inch layer leaving little lace.
Smell (3.5): Light, but notes of caramel malts and dark fruit.
Taste (3.5): Sweet upfront with raisins and brown sugar. The finish is lightly peppery with hints of roastiness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Full-bodied, moderate carbonation, and light warming alcohol.
Drinkability (3.5): A little too sweet.
Overall (3.65)
578. Het Kapittel Pater
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Van Eecke N.V.
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy amber-brown with an off-white head that fades to a quarter-inch layer leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Caramel maltiness, with an intriguing smoky character.
Taste (3.5): Caramel sweetness, light pepper, toasty malts with a neutral finish.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, low carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): Too sweet.
Overall (3.75)
We still needed to pack, so we left Delirium Café and started the walk back to our hostel. Across the alleyway from the bar is the Janneken Pis, the female counterpart of the Manneken Pis.
Janneken Pis
I still needed to buy chocolate for the lab so decided to stop at a chocolate shop on the way back to the hostel. The Manneken Pis themed chocolatier was eliminated because of sheer kitsch, as evidenced by the photo below. We ended up stopping at Corne Port Royal where I dropped 25 € on a box of chocolates, 2 milk chocolate bars and two 77% cocoa bars. The lab was very pleased.
Kitsch
We got back to the hostel and packed. We had two six-packs of Westvleteren to pack as well as a 750 mL bottle of Cantillon St. Lamvinus, an 11.2 oz bottle of Duvel Gefilterd and an 11.2 oz bottle of Verboden Vrucht. The Westvleteren and the Cantillon were highest priority. We put David's clothes in my bag, and put the beer in David's small duffle. We wrapped each bottle of Westvleteren in socks and then newspaper and placed them back in the six-pack holders. We wrapped the Cantillon in a shirt. We padded the bag heavily with paper and then put the beers in. We left the Verboden Vrucht and decided to drink the Duvel Gefilterd.
579. Duvel Gefilterd
I did this blind and side-by-side with a normal Duvel, which we bought from the hostel bar.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat NV
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Bottle, 25 cL
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance:
Duvel: Hazy golden with a huge white head.
Gefilterd: Clear golden with a huge white head.
Smell:
Duvel: Bananas, pepper and some graininess.
Gefilterd: Bananas, pepper and some graininess, but much fruitier than the standard Duvel.
Taste:
Duvel: Fruity, but less so than the Gefilterd. It is more peppery, more grainy and more bitter than the Gefilterd.
Gefilterd: Fruity, mostly bananas with peppery spice in the finish, alcoholic warmth with a little bit of burning. Sweeter and fruitier than the Duvel.
Mouthfeel:
Duvel: High carbonation, light-bodied.
Gefilterd: High carbonation, light-bodied.
Labels: Belgian Dark Ale, Belgian IPA, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Belgium 2006, Dubbel, Saison, Travel, Tripel
We had to return the car by noon on Saturday. We figured we'd have plenty of time to drive to Westvleteren, buy beer and return to Ieper to return the car. We had planned on arriving at the abbey's café at 10 AM, when it opened, which would give us ample time to return the car before noon. Estimating an hour drive from Kortrijk, we planned to leave the hotel at 9 AM. After waking up and having breakfast, which was essentially identical to a hostel breakfast, we were on the road by around 9:15.
We took A19 from Kortrijk to Ieper and then got onto N8, which we again couldn't seem to follow due to abysmal signage. We were eventually able to successfully navigate to N321 using our map, but the fuel light came on so we had to drive to Poperinge to get gas. After getting fuel we headed back towards the abbey on N321, and arrived by 10:30. I purchased four Westvleteren 12 and two Westvleteren Blond, and David purchased 3 and 3. We would have stayed for a beer, but we needed to return the car. I would have taken some pictures, but we were feeling a little rushed.
We drove through Poperinge to Ieper where we had some difficulty navigating to the train station. Eventually we found it and dropped off our bags in a luggage locker. From the station it was an easy drive to the dealership, where we arrived only to find that the manager who could unlock the safe and give David his credit card wasn't there. He arrived promptly and we walked from the dealership back to the city center.
Belgian drivers are crazy. We were probably the slowest moving vehicle on any of the roads, and we were usually speeding. Cars would constantly pass us, seemingly going dangerously fast.
Having neglected to bring a razor, I was suffering from having not shaved the entire trip. We stopped at a grocery store and purchased some disposables and shaving cream. This lead to a joke about shaving on the train back to Brussels, which eventually led to the idea that someone shaving, with razor and shaving cream, on the subway in NYC would pretty much be ignored.
We had a lunch of pasta bolognese at In't Stadhuis before returning to Brussels via train.
We took A19 from Kortrijk to Ieper and then got onto N8, which we again couldn't seem to follow due to abysmal signage. We were eventually able to successfully navigate to N321 using our map, but the fuel light came on so we had to drive to Poperinge to get gas. After getting fuel we headed back towards the abbey on N321, and arrived by 10:30. I purchased four Westvleteren 12 and two Westvleteren Blond, and David purchased 3 and 3. We would have stayed for a beer, but we needed to return the car. I would have taken some pictures, but we were feeling a little rushed.
We drove through Poperinge to Ieper where we had some difficulty navigating to the train station. Eventually we found it and dropped off our bags in a luggage locker. From the station it was an easy drive to the dealership, where we arrived only to find that the manager who could unlock the safe and give David his credit card wasn't there. He arrived promptly and we walked from the dealership back to the city center.
Belgian drivers are crazy. We were probably the slowest moving vehicle on any of the roads, and we were usually speeding. Cars would constantly pass us, seemingly going dangerously fast.
Having neglected to bring a razor, I was suffering from having not shaved the entire trip. We stopped at a grocery store and purchased some disposables and shaving cream. This lead to a joke about shaving on the train back to Brussels, which eventually led to the idea that someone shaving, with razor and shaving cream, on the subway in NYC would pretty much be ignored.
We had a lunch of pasta bolognese at In't Stadhuis before returning to Brussels via train.
Labels: Belgium 2006, Trappist, Travel
We returned to the hotel in Kortrijk and headed to a bar called Boulevard. The inside reminded me of a house, there was a distinct front room filled with tables. The waitress, who wore a bright red hat, took us through the menu and was very friendly. I was impressed at how easily she moved through the packed bar carrying a tray. It was crowded so we ended up having the first round standing. The waitress eventually found us a spot at a large table where a young couple was sitting. We talked with them until they had to leave. I don't remember the context, but the guy said, "The Germans also made mistakes."
David's careful examination of a bottle of Cantillon caught the eye of the couple at the next table, they were probably late 50s or early 60s. They invited us over and bought us a round, we chose Rodenbach. We talked for a while, but language was a little bit more of an issue. Somehow the topic turned to WWI or WWII and the guy said "Without the Americans we would all be Germans." The quote isn't exact because his construction of the statement wasn't exact.
We also had a great plate of snacks that included cheese, sausage with mustard, cornichons, yellow cocktail onions and pine nuts. In addition to the new beers listed below, we had a bottle of Cantillon Broucsella Grand Cru, which was brought out in a champagne bucket, and the Rodenbachs that were purchased for us.
569. Moinette Blond
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Dupont sprl
Alcohol: 8.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a cloudy golden with a thick, white head that fades to a persistent, quarter-inch layer leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Bananas, pepper and graininess.
Taste (4.0): Well attenuated, there are notes of fruit that lack the accompanying sweetness. Pepper in the finish gives way to grainy flavors as well as some light bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Very nice and not too sweet.
Overall (4.0)
570. Urchon
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Des Géants
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy brown with a thick, brown head that fades to a quarter-inch layer leaving patchy but light lace.
Smell (4.0): Raisins. caramel, toffee and some light cherry aromas.
Taste (4.0): Malty, like the smell there are raisins, caramel and toffee. There are also some toasted malt flavors. The finish has a light spiciness and a light bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Quite nice.
Overall (4.0)
571. De Ranke Guldenberg
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Ranke
Alcohol: 8.50%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy golden with a white, whipped-cream head that fades to a thin film leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Light fruitiness and some peppery spice.
Taste (4.0): On the sweet side, but it balances out. Fruity with a significant peppery spice. A sour apple tartness emerges in the finish with a light bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied with high carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Very drinkable.
Overall (4.0)
David's careful examination of a bottle of Cantillon caught the eye of the couple at the next table, they were probably late 50s or early 60s. They invited us over and bought us a round, we chose Rodenbach. We talked for a while, but language was a little bit more of an issue. Somehow the topic turned to WWI or WWII and the guy said "Without the Americans we would all be Germans." The quote isn't exact because his construction of the statement wasn't exact.
We also had a great plate of snacks that included cheese, sausage with mustard, cornichons, yellow cocktail onions and pine nuts. In addition to the new beers listed below, we had a bottle of Cantillon Broucsella Grand Cru, which was brought out in a champagne bucket, and the Rodenbachs that were purchased for us.
569. Moinette Blond
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Dupont sprl
Alcohol: 8.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a cloudy golden with a thick, white head that fades to a persistent, quarter-inch layer leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Bananas, pepper and graininess.
Taste (4.0): Well attenuated, there are notes of fruit that lack the accompanying sweetness. Pepper in the finish gives way to grainy flavors as well as some light bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Very nice and not too sweet.
Overall (4.0)
570. Urchon
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Des Géants
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy brown with a thick, brown head that fades to a quarter-inch layer leaving patchy but light lace.
Smell (4.0): Raisins. caramel, toffee and some light cherry aromas.
Taste (4.0): Malty, like the smell there are raisins, caramel and toffee. There are also some toasted malt flavors. The finish has a light spiciness and a light bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Quite nice.
Overall (4.0)
571. De Ranke Guldenberg
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Ranke
Alcohol: 8.50%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy golden with a white, whipped-cream head that fades to a thin film leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Light fruitiness and some peppery spice.
Taste (4.0): On the sweet side, but it balances out. Fruity with a significant peppery spice. A sour apple tartness emerges in the finish with a light bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied with high carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Very drinkable.
Overall (4.0)
Labels: Belgian Dark Ale, Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Belgium 2006, Travel, Tripel
Day Seven, West Flanders: Kortrijk, Ieper, Poperinge, Paix, Ter Posterie
Published by Thom on at 2:06 AM.
We had breakfast at the hostel in Brugge and then caught the train to Kortrijk. We walked around the city and saw what there was to see, which was essentially just the Stadhuis. We stopped for lunch at a restaurant called "Pomodoro, Pomodoro," where David had an alleged slice of pizza and I had salmon ravioli.
Having exhausted the tourism opportunities in Kortrijk, we decided to take to train to Ieper, rent a car and drive to some of the WWI grave sites in the surrounding countryside. The rental place was a Ford dealership on the edge of town. We were able to rent a Ford KA without any problems, though the guy thought it was weird that we just wanted it for one day. We stopped for gas (petrol!) and purchased a road atlas of Belgium. The picture below isn't the car we drove, but it gives you an idea of how small the car was.
The tiny Ford KA
We drove to various WWI cemeteries around Ieper including the German Cemetery.
WWI cemetery
WWI cemetery
WWI cemetery
WWI cemetery
A monument to Canadian soldiers
German cemetery
German cemetery
After driving to the cemeteries, which where wholly depressing, we decided to drive to Abdij St. Sixtus to see if In De Vrede, the brewery café, was open. We tried to take N8 to Westvleteren, but due to abysmal signage, we were unable to follow the road. We ended up getting lost and taking a circuitous route. Finding the abbey on the back roads was difficult as well. We eventually found it, but the café is closed on Fridays so we weren't able to get anything.
We then drove into Poperinge for dinner. The plan was to eat at Paix, which was listed in the Good Beer Guide, but the food was a little too haught. Instead we stopped at a Belgian fast food palce. I ordered a burger and fries (with mayo) and a can of Hoegaarden, and David ordered a chicken kabob with fries (with ketchup). The burger was okay, but the fries were good. As we were leaving the fast food place we saw the guy we rented the car from in line, though he didn't notice us.
We then went to Paix for a round before heading to Ieper.
565. Queue De Charrue Brune
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Vanuxeem
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a clear ruby with a thin brown head that fades to a sudsy film.
Smell (3.5): Notes of cherries with some medicinal phenols.
Taste (3.5): Cherry sweetness with a flash of tartness and a medicinal finish. Too sweet overall.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Medium-bodied, low carbonation, a bit syrupy.
Drinkability (3.5): Too sweet and syrupy, but otherwise not bad.
Overall (3.5)
566. Queue De Charrue Blonde
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Vanuxeem
Alcohol: 9.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a cloudy golden with a thick, white head that fades to a persistent quarter-inch layer leaving patchy lace.
Smell (3.5): Grainy with some pepper and light citrus.
Taste (4.0): Subdued fruity sweetness upfront with a peppery and grainy finish with a light bitterness.
Mouthfeel (3.5): High carbonation, light-bodied with a grainy dryness.
Drinkability (4.0): Good, sweet and spicy.
Overall (3.85)
After leaving Paix we headed to Ieper and went to Ter Posterie for a round. We were the only people in the bar aside from a large group of British people who asked if I was writing a thesis on beer, and later called us tickers under their breath.
567. Yperman
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Leroy
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a lightly hazy amber-golden with a thin off-white head that persists as a thin layer.
Smell (3.5): Light fruit, sugar and peppery spice.
Taste (3.5): Light sweetness, fruit and toasty malts upfront. The finish is peppery with some mild bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, low carbonation, lightly dry finish.
Drinkability (4.0): Decently drinkable. Not too sweet.
Overall (3.7)
568. Kuurnse Witte
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Bavik
Alcohol: 7.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy golden with a thick, ecru head that fades to a thin film leaving heavy lace.
Smell (3.5): Sweet and fruity with bananas, tart orange, some sweet malt, pepper and coriander.
Taste (3.5): Sweet bananas, some orangey tartness, with a light spiciness and a light graininess in the finish.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, low carbonation, dry graininess and warming alcohol.
Drinkability (3.5): Too sweet.
Overall (3.65)
Having exhausted the tourism opportunities in Kortrijk, we decided to take to train to Ieper, rent a car and drive to some of the WWI grave sites in the surrounding countryside. The rental place was a Ford dealership on the edge of town. We were able to rent a Ford KA without any problems, though the guy thought it was weird that we just wanted it for one day. We stopped for gas (petrol!) and purchased a road atlas of Belgium. The picture below isn't the car we drove, but it gives you an idea of how small the car was.
The tiny Ford KA
We drove to various WWI cemeteries around Ieper including the German Cemetery.
WWI cemetery
WWI cemetery
WWI cemetery
WWI cemetery
A monument to Canadian soldiers
German cemetery
German cemetery
After driving to the cemeteries, which where wholly depressing, we decided to drive to Abdij St. Sixtus to see if In De Vrede, the brewery café, was open. We tried to take N8 to Westvleteren, but due to abysmal signage, we were unable to follow the road. We ended up getting lost and taking a circuitous route. Finding the abbey on the back roads was difficult as well. We eventually found it, but the café is closed on Fridays so we weren't able to get anything.
We then drove into Poperinge for dinner. The plan was to eat at Paix, which was listed in the Good Beer Guide, but the food was a little too haught. Instead we stopped at a Belgian fast food palce. I ordered a burger and fries (with mayo) and a can of Hoegaarden, and David ordered a chicken kabob with fries (with ketchup). The burger was okay, but the fries were good. As we were leaving the fast food place we saw the guy we rented the car from in line, though he didn't notice us.
We then went to Paix for a round before heading to Ieper.
565. Queue De Charrue Brune
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Vanuxeem
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a clear ruby with a thin brown head that fades to a sudsy film.
Smell (3.5): Notes of cherries with some medicinal phenols.
Taste (3.5): Cherry sweetness with a flash of tartness and a medicinal finish. Too sweet overall.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Medium-bodied, low carbonation, a bit syrupy.
Drinkability (3.5): Too sweet and syrupy, but otherwise not bad.
Overall (3.5)
566. Queue De Charrue Blonde
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Vanuxeem
Alcohol: 9.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a cloudy golden with a thick, white head that fades to a persistent quarter-inch layer leaving patchy lace.
Smell (3.5): Grainy with some pepper and light citrus.
Taste (4.0): Subdued fruity sweetness upfront with a peppery and grainy finish with a light bitterness.
Mouthfeel (3.5): High carbonation, light-bodied with a grainy dryness.
Drinkability (4.0): Good, sweet and spicy.
Overall (3.85)
After leaving Paix we headed to Ieper and went to Ter Posterie for a round. We were the only people in the bar aside from a large group of British people who asked if I was writing a thesis on beer, and later called us tickers under their breath.
567. Yperman
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Leroy
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a lightly hazy amber-golden with a thin off-white head that persists as a thin layer.
Smell (3.5): Light fruit, sugar and peppery spice.
Taste (3.5): Light sweetness, fruit and toasty malts upfront. The finish is peppery with some mild bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, low carbonation, lightly dry finish.
Drinkability (4.0): Decently drinkable. Not too sweet.
Overall (3.7)
568. Kuurnse Witte
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Bavik
Alcohol: 7.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy golden with a thick, ecru head that fades to a thin film leaving heavy lace.
Smell (3.5): Sweet and fruity with bananas, tart orange, some sweet malt, pepper and coriander.
Taste (3.5): Sweet bananas, some orangey tartness, with a light spiciness and a light graininess in the finish.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, low carbonation, dry graininess and warming alcohol.
Drinkability (3.5): Too sweet.
Overall (3.65)
Labels: Belgian Dark Ale, Belgian Pale Ale, Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Belgium 2006, Travel, Witbier
We arrived at Brugs Beertje, which means "The Little Bruges Bear." It's a small two room bar with a nice shabby atmosphere. The walls are covered with beer signs, a picture of which is on the cover of The Good Beer Guide. We sat in the front room at a table near the German guys who we had seen earlier in the day. As the guide says, there's a"virtual guarantee of meeting like-minded beer travelers from everywhere." The beer list was extensive with a lot of quality beers by solid breweries. Having skipped dinner we ordered a snack plate, which had sausage, pâté, cheese and garnishes. I'm now convinced that plates like this are the perfect bar snack.
We ended up socializing at this bar much more than at other bars that we'd been to. Perhaps it was the alcohol taking effect. Whatever the reason, it was a great time.
The Germans:
We spent quite awhile talking to the German guys who we'd run into three times already. The conversation was mostly about politics and the EU. At one point David said "Right now Americans think they can destroy everything." To which one of them replied, "Yeah, there was a time when the Germans thought we could destroy everything too." Not knowing if this was a joke or not David and I remained silent until they started laughing themselves. They eventually moved on to Dickie's, where we would run into them later.
The Brewer and Wife:
A British couple came in who we also talked with. He was the Brewer for Green Jack in the UK. They were ostensibly there on vacation, but his wife seemed to think that on this trip he had managed to bring work into it by the virtue of being at a bar talking about beer. He said his brewery was near St. Peters, and that all of "the boys that work at St. Peters drink my beer because St. Peters is shite." We mostly talked beer. He couldn't say enough good things about American hops.
Bob and Shelagh:
Bob and Shelagh were a couple from the UK, Edinburgh if I remember correctly. David was practicing coaster flips when Bob asked him to try it left handed. A task at which David failed miserably. Bob wrote the following in my book:
Bob and David
Bob and I
David and Bob
We eventually decided to head to Dickie's to finish out the night.
559. N'Ice Chouffe
Where I got it and serving details.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie d'Achouffe
Alcohol: 10.00%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy brown-amber with a thick, brown head that thins to a film leaving good lace.
Smell (4.0): Sweet, notes of caramel, cherries and raisins with light pepper on swirling.
Taste (4.0): Sweet and fruity malts: light cherries and raisins. There's lots of pepper in the finish with some nice roasted flavors.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation, lightly dry.
Drinkability (4.0): Good drinkability for a strong winter beer.
Overall (4.0)
560. Watou Tripel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy amber with a thick white head that retains well leaving patchy lace as the glass is emptied.
Smell (4.0): Mixed fruit aromas, bananas and sour apples. There's also some honey sweetness.
Taste (4.0): Banana, berry and sour apple fruitiness. The finish is peppery with a moderat hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation, dry finish.
Drinkability (4.5): Very drinkable.
Overall (4.1)
561. Het Kapittel Abt
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Van Eecke N.V.
Alcohol: 10.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a cloudy golden with a thick, white head that remains as a persistent half-inch layer leaving heavy lace.
Smell (4.0): Fruity, mostly sour apples with a leafy hop aroma
Taste (3.5): Some fruity sweetness, some tartness, moderate peppery spice with a light bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Very drinkable.
Overall (3.9)
561. De Dolle Extra Export Stout
I let the brewer for Green Jack try this. He thought it was a good stout, but you could tell it was Belgian.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Dolle Brouwers
Alcohol: 9.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Foreign / Export Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (5.0): Pours an opaque black with a thick brown head.
Smell (4.0): Nice stout roasted aromas of chocolate and coffee as well as some tart cherry aromas.
Taste (4.5): Cherry and chocolate with a nice sourness. The finish has some nice roasted bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Medium to full-bodied, velvety, moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (4.5): A very nice and tasty stout.
Overall (4.5)
563. Wostyntje
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Regenboog
Alcohol: 7.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a cloudy orange with a fluffy, white head that leaves patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Fruity, peppery. I can't smell mustard.
Taste (3.5): Fruity and sweet banana flavors. The finish is spicy with some pepper and mustard, which is surprisingly, not overpowering.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Not bad for such a strange beer.
Overall (3.8)
564. Jan Van Gent
I've made a note to myself in the book not to trust the numbers because I'm drunk, so I haven't put them here (overall: 4.05).
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Liefmans
Alcohol:5.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a lightly hazy golden with a white head that retains well and leaves no lace.
Smell: Some light fruitiness, with noticeable grainy aromas.
Taste: Sweet and fruity with some dry graininess.
Mouthfeel: Low carbonation, medium-bodied and lightly dry.
Drinkability: Very!
We left Brugs Beertje and headed to Dickie's where we saw the Germans again. This time we got a picture with them as they were leaving.
With the Germans
We didn't have anything new, though David had a Chimay before I cut him off, while I had a Chimay and two Orvals.
There was a large group of people in the back singing Irish folk songs. It was a mixed group, there were three Irish people, and Englishman and a few Belgians. David walked over and got them to start singing James Taylor. Then David and I sang all three verses of Mercedes Benz, though when we were on the second and third verses they were still singing the only verse people know. They invited us to sit with them, so we talked for a while, about what I don't remember.
There was a lot more singing, but eventually we got into pub games, like blowing cards off of a glass. David, being David got competitive and started to irritate the laid back Europeans. He was chastised four times by various people, five if you count what the owner said to me.
We somehow managed to stumble back to our hostel. I have no idea how we found it, but we did.
We ended up socializing at this bar much more than at other bars that we'd been to. Perhaps it was the alcohol taking effect. Whatever the reason, it was a great time.
The Germans:
We spent quite awhile talking to the German guys who we'd run into three times already. The conversation was mostly about politics and the EU. At one point David said "Right now Americans think they can destroy everything." To which one of them replied, "Yeah, there was a time when the Germans thought we could destroy everything too." Not knowing if this was a joke or not David and I remained silent until they started laughing themselves. They eventually moved on to Dickie's, where we would run into them later.
The Brewer and Wife:
A British couple came in who we also talked with. He was the Brewer for Green Jack in the UK. They were ostensibly there on vacation, but his wife seemed to think that on this trip he had managed to bring work into it by the virtue of being at a bar talking about beer. He said his brewery was near St. Peters, and that all of "the boys that work at St. Peters drink my beer because St. Peters is shite." We mostly talked beer. He couldn't say enough good things about American hops.
Bob and Shelagh:
Bob and Shelagh were a couple from the UK, Edinburgh if I remember correctly. David was practicing coaster flips when Bob asked him to try it left handed. A task at which David failed miserably. Bob wrote the following in my book:
David, the cocky bastard, lost to a UK pensioner at left handed beer mat flips.Bob was a consummate joker, so our choice of Belgium over the UK as a vacation destination was ridiculed with, "Name five famous people from Belgium." When he found out I was a grad student at MIT he said "Name me five famous people to graduate from MIT." Somehow the topic of stature came up and I referred to myself as thin. Bob responded by calling me "porky" for the rest of the evening, "are you sure you should be wearing that sweater porky? Horizontal stripes are a bad choice for you." David was also talking about author Ian Rankin, but couldn't remember a title. Bob wrote this in my book:
23/11
Ha Ha, Bob Richards
"I know every Ian Rankin book I just cannot remember one title."
Bob and David
Bob and I
David and Bob
We eventually decided to head to Dickie's to finish out the night.
559. N'Ice Chouffe
Where I got it and serving details.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie d'Achouffe
Alcohol: 10.00%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy brown-amber with a thick, brown head that thins to a film leaving good lace.
Smell (4.0): Sweet, notes of caramel, cherries and raisins with light pepper on swirling.
Taste (4.0): Sweet and fruity malts: light cherries and raisins. There's lots of pepper in the finish with some nice roasted flavors.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation, lightly dry.
Drinkability (4.0): Good drinkability for a strong winter beer.
Overall (4.0)
560. Watou Tripel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy amber with a thick white head that retains well leaving patchy lace as the glass is emptied.
Smell (4.0): Mixed fruit aromas, bananas and sour apples. There's also some honey sweetness.
Taste (4.0): Banana, berry and sour apple fruitiness. The finish is peppery with a moderat hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation, dry finish.
Drinkability (4.5): Very drinkable.
Overall (4.1)
561. Het Kapittel Abt
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Van Eecke N.V.
Alcohol: 10.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a cloudy golden with a thick, white head that remains as a persistent half-inch layer leaving heavy lace.
Smell (4.0): Fruity, mostly sour apples with a leafy hop aroma
Taste (3.5): Some fruity sweetness, some tartness, moderate peppery spice with a light bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Very drinkable.
Overall (3.9)
561. De Dolle Extra Export Stout
I let the brewer for Green Jack try this. He thought it was a good stout, but you could tell it was Belgian.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Dolle Brouwers
Alcohol: 9.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Foreign / Export Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (5.0): Pours an opaque black with a thick brown head.
Smell (4.0): Nice stout roasted aromas of chocolate and coffee as well as some tart cherry aromas.
Taste (4.5): Cherry and chocolate with a nice sourness. The finish has some nice roasted bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Medium to full-bodied, velvety, moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (4.5): A very nice and tasty stout.
Overall (4.5)
563. Wostyntje
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Regenboog
Alcohol: 7.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a cloudy orange with a fluffy, white head that leaves patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Fruity, peppery. I can't smell mustard.
Taste (3.5): Fruity and sweet banana flavors. The finish is spicy with some pepper and mustard, which is surprisingly, not overpowering.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Not bad for such a strange beer.
Overall (3.8)
564. Jan Van Gent
I've made a note to myself in the book not to trust the numbers because I'm drunk, so I haven't put them here (overall: 4.05).
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Liefmans
Alcohol:5.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a lightly hazy golden with a white head that retains well and leaves no lace.
Smell: Some light fruitiness, with noticeable grainy aromas.
Taste: Sweet and fruity with some dry graininess.
Mouthfeel: Low carbonation, medium-bodied and lightly dry.
Drinkability: Very!
We left Brugs Beertje and headed to Dickie's where we saw the Germans again. This time we got a picture with them as they were leaving.
With the Germans
We didn't have anything new, though David had a Chimay before I cut him off, while I had a Chimay and two Orvals.
There was a large group of people in the back singing Irish folk songs. It was a mixed group, there were three Irish people, and Englishman and a few Belgians. David walked over and got them to start singing James Taylor. Then David and I sang all three verses of Mercedes Benz, though when we were on the second and third verses they were still singing the only verse people know. They invited us to sit with them, so we talked for a while, about what I don't remember.
There was a lot more singing, but eventually we got into pub games, like blowing cards off of a glass. David, being David got competitive and started to irritate the laid back Europeans. He was chastised four times by various people, five if you count what the owner said to me.
1. Ex Belgian Military - "You have to be who you are."
2. Englishman - "Don't kid a kidder."
3. Portuguese Owner - "You are in Europe, not America. Try and learn something.
4. Belgian Tour Guide - "You're so competitive you can't help but defeat yourself."
5. Portuguese Owner (to me as I was paying) - "Your friend is too American, you're not, but your friend is."
We somehow managed to stumble back to our hostel. I have no idea how we found it, but we did.
Labels: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Belgium 2006, Export Stout, Travel, Tripel
After getting energy in the form of coffee and waffles, we walked to Kelk, which seemed like a grungy local bar. There was a very friendly dalmatian who came up to us. We had a round before heading on to De Garre.
555. Bourgogne Des Flandres
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Timmermans-John Martin N.V.
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Flanders Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear, dark brown with ruby tints. A thick, brown head thins to a sudsy film leaving sheets of lace.
Smell (3.5): There's a sweet cherry aroma, notes of caramel and toffee, and light medicinal phenols.
Taste (3.0): Light cherry sweetness, with a bit of bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): Drinkable, but a bit bland.
Overall (3.4)
556. Witte Trappist
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bierbrouwerij De Koningshoeven B.V.
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a clear golden with a white head that thins to a persistent layer leaving patchy lace.
Smell (3.5): Heavy notes of bananas. Swirling brings out some pepper and spice.
Taste (3.0): Lightly sweet upfront, some notes of banana. There's graininess in the center with a light peppery spice and tartness. This tastes more like a Belgian Pale Ale than a wit.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light-bodied, moderate to low carbonation with a bit of creaminess.
Drinkability (4.0): Easy enough to drink, though not to style.
Overall (3.4)
After Kelk, we walked to De Garre, which we had a hard time finding, because the streeet it was on turned out to be a very narrow 500 year-old alley. We grabbed a table upstairs, in the alleged non-smoking section and had a round before leaving for Brugs Beertje.
557. Tripel Van Der Garre
This was served in a Garre glass at De Garre in Brugge. It came with a small bowl of piquant cheese that was quite nice.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.
Alcohol: 11.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a lightly hazy golden-orange with a three-finger, off-white head with excellent retention that leaves intact sheets of lace as it fades.
Smell (4.0): Has a nice fruity smell with a blend of bananas and sour apple with a bit of pepper.
Taste (4.0): Light, but fruity with sweet bananas and sour apples. The fruitiness is balanced nicely with some spiciness and bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light to medium-bodied, creamy, moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Very well balanced, but watch out for the alcohol.
Overall (4.1)
558. Judas
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Alken-Maes
Alcohol: 8.50%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a lightly hazy golden with a huge, four-finger, white head that fades to a thin film leaving patchy lace.
Smell (3.0): Sour apples and maybe some light graininess.
Taste (2.5): Fruity sour apples with some light pepper, not much else going on.
Mouthfeel (2.5): Low carbonation reveals that this beer feels a bit thin.
Drinkability (3.0): Fine, but nothing to keep your interest.
Overall (2.95)
De Garre was pretty smoky, so we headed to Brugs Beertje next.
555. Bourgogne Des Flandres
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Timmermans-John Martin N.V.
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Flanders Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear, dark brown with ruby tints. A thick, brown head thins to a sudsy film leaving sheets of lace.
Smell (3.5): There's a sweet cherry aroma, notes of caramel and toffee, and light medicinal phenols.
Taste (3.0): Light cherry sweetness, with a bit of bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): Drinkable, but a bit bland.
Overall (3.4)
556. Witte Trappist
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bierbrouwerij De Koningshoeven B.V.
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a clear golden with a white head that thins to a persistent layer leaving patchy lace.
Smell (3.5): Heavy notes of bananas. Swirling brings out some pepper and spice.
Taste (3.0): Lightly sweet upfront, some notes of banana. There's graininess in the center with a light peppery spice and tartness. This tastes more like a Belgian Pale Ale than a wit.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light-bodied, moderate to low carbonation with a bit of creaminess.
Drinkability (4.0): Easy enough to drink, though not to style.
Overall (3.4)
After Kelk, we walked to De Garre, which we had a hard time finding, because the streeet it was on turned out to be a very narrow 500 year-old alley. We grabbed a table upstairs, in the alleged non-smoking section and had a round before leaving for Brugs Beertje.
557. Tripel Van Der Garre
This was served in a Garre glass at De Garre in Brugge. It came with a small bowl of piquant cheese that was quite nice.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.
Alcohol: 11.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a lightly hazy golden-orange with a three-finger, off-white head with excellent retention that leaves intact sheets of lace as it fades.
Smell (4.0): Has a nice fruity smell with a blend of bananas and sour apple with a bit of pepper.
Taste (4.0): Light, but fruity with sweet bananas and sour apples. The fruitiness is balanced nicely with some spiciness and bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light to medium-bodied, creamy, moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Very well balanced, but watch out for the alcohol.
Overall (4.1)
558. Judas
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Alken-Maes
Alcohol: 8.50%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a lightly hazy golden with a huge, four-finger, white head that fades to a thin film leaving patchy lace.
Smell (3.0): Sour apples and maybe some light graininess.
Taste (2.5): Fruity sour apples with some light pepper, not much else going on.
Mouthfeel (2.5): Low carbonation reveals that this beer feels a bit thin.
Drinkability (3.0): Fine, but nothing to keep your interest.
Overall (2.95)
De Garre was pretty smoky, so we headed to Brugs Beertje next.
Labels: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Belgium 2006, Flanders Red Ale, Travel, Tripel, Witbier
We woke, had the typical hostel breakfast, checked out and caught the train to Brugge. After arriving in Brugge, we found our hostel, checked in and then set out.
The view from our hostel.
We went to the Groening Museum to see their collection of Flemish Primitive art. There were two things that struck me: the level of detail and realism in some of the paintings, and the surreal imagery of some of the religious paintings.
After the museum we went to lunch at a café called Erasmus, which was mentioned in the Good Beer Guide. The normal menu was pretty expensive, so we went with the 10 € lunch special, which consisted of an overly salted pea soup and a plate of grilled meats with a salad. We each had a Saison Dupont with lunch.
After lunch we went to Brouwerij De Halve Maan, which is apparently the only brewery still operating in Brugge. We decided against taking the tour and instead had the two beers that were offered in their large tasting room. The atmosphere seemed to be geared towards tourists as did the beers. The two Germans arrived shortly after we did, and we briefly said hello.
553. Brugse Zot Dubbel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Straffe Hendrik / De Halve Maan
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Dubbel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a clear ruby-brown with a thick, brown head that fades to a quarter-inch layer leaving thick lace.
Smell (3.5): Some roasty malt, pepper, graininess and alcohol.
Taste (3.5): Toasty malts, light fruity sweetness with a roasty finish. Alcohol is evident, but subdued.
Mouthfeel (3.0): Light-bodied, a tad watery, moderate carbonation with a dry finish.
Drinkability (3.5): Good, but not a lot going on.
Overall (3.45)
554. Brugse Zot
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Straffe Hendrik / De Halve Maan
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.0): Pours a clear, pale golden with a thick, white head that fades to athin film leaving a small amount of lace.
Smell (3.5): Hints of fruitiness with some grain and hops.
Taste (3.5): Light fruit, with notes of bananas. Light spiciness with grain and hops in the finish.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light-bodied, low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Crisp, with a light fruitiness and some nice hoppiness.
Overall (3.45)
After the brewery we went to the Begijnhof, a set of houses facing a wooded inner courtyard that's currently used by Benedictine sisters as a monastery. It was once home to the beguines of Brugge, members of a religious order. After seeing the Begijnhof we walked to the park in the south of the city and then to one of the old city gates. We stopped at a café near the city center for coffee and waffles before heading to the a bar.
This was outside of a bar.
The view from our hostel.
We went to the Groening Museum to see their collection of Flemish Primitive art. There were two things that struck me: the level of detail and realism in some of the paintings, and the surreal imagery of some of the religious paintings.
After the museum we went to lunch at a café called Erasmus, which was mentioned in the Good Beer Guide. The normal menu was pretty expensive, so we went with the 10 € lunch special, which consisted of an overly salted pea soup and a plate of grilled meats with a salad. We each had a Saison Dupont with lunch.
After lunch we went to Brouwerij De Halve Maan, which is apparently the only brewery still operating in Brugge. We decided against taking the tour and instead had the two beers that were offered in their large tasting room. The atmosphere seemed to be geared towards tourists as did the beers. The two Germans arrived shortly after we did, and we briefly said hello.
553. Brugse Zot Dubbel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Straffe Hendrik / De Halve Maan
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Dubbel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a clear ruby-brown with a thick, brown head that fades to a quarter-inch layer leaving thick lace.
Smell (3.5): Some roasty malt, pepper, graininess and alcohol.
Taste (3.5): Toasty malts, light fruity sweetness with a roasty finish. Alcohol is evident, but subdued.
Mouthfeel (3.0): Light-bodied, a tad watery, moderate carbonation with a dry finish.
Drinkability (3.5): Good, but not a lot going on.
Overall (3.45)
554. Brugse Zot
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Straffe Hendrik / De Halve Maan
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.0): Pours a clear, pale golden with a thick, white head that fades to athin film leaving a small amount of lace.
Smell (3.5): Hints of fruitiness with some grain and hops.
Taste (3.5): Light fruit, with notes of bananas. Light spiciness with grain and hops in the finish.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light-bodied, low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Crisp, with a light fruitiness and some nice hoppiness.
Overall (3.45)
After the brewery we went to the Begijnhof, a set of houses facing a wooded inner courtyard that's currently used by Benedictine sisters as a monastery. It was once home to the beguines of Brugge, members of a religious order. After seeing the Begijnhof we walked to the park in the south of the city and then to one of the old city gates. We stopped at a café near the city center for coffee and waffles before heading to the a bar.
This was outside of a bar.
Labels: Belgian Pale Ale, Belgium 2006, Dubbel, Travel
Day Five, Ghent: Deus, Trollekelder, Waterhuis aan de Bierkant
Published by Thom on Tuesday, December 12, 2006 at 11:08 PM.
After De Hopduvel and dinner, if we had dinner after De Hopduvel and not sometime later in the evening, we went to Deus, which was in the Good Beer Guide. The entrance opens onto a room filled with seating. The bar is relatively secluded in the back. I got the impression that they were going for an upscale feel. We had one round before heading to the next bar.
544. Hanssens Oude Kriek
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Hanssens Artisanaal bvba
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Bottle
Style: Fruit Lambic, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a hazy red with a fizzy, pinkish-orange head that fades to a sparse ring.
Smell (4.0): Sweet cherries, acidic sourness and lambic funkiness. Swirling, like it does for most lambics, brings out the funk.
Taste (4.0): Intensely sour with sweet cherries that do little to cut the sourness in the center. The finish is earthy.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Light-bodied, low carbonation and intensely dry.
Drinkability (3.5): Definitely too tart to drink a lot of.
Overall (4.1)
545. Floreffe Prima Melior
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Lefèbvre SA
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.0): Pours a dark brown with ruby tints. A thin brown head fades quickly leaving no lace.
Smell (2.0): Sweet raisins and little else.
Taste (3.5): Sugary raisins upfront and through to the finish. The finish has light pepper and a bit of roasted bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Moderate carbonation, medium-bodied and lightly dry.
Drinkability (4.0): The dry finish bumped this up a notch.
Overall (3.2)
After leaving Deus we passed Ghent's red-light district on the way to Trollekelder, which means "Troll's Cellar." The front window had large trolls on display. The bar was two levels, we opted for the less crowded lower level, where we sat at a table right under the stairs down. Aside from us, there was only one other group downstairs. David spent much of the time trying to figure out what they were talking about.
The waiter seemed to be annoyed that it took us awhile to decide on beers and annoyed with us in general. On our way out, we left the money on the table, which the waiter made us go back downstairs and get when he saw us leaving.
546. La Trappe Blond
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bierbrouwerij De Koningshoeven B.V.
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a very lightly hazy golden-orange with a white head that thins to a persistent film.
Smell (3.5): Light Belgian yeast fruitiness with sour apple particularly noticeable. There's also some peppery notes.
Taste (4.0): Very light fruitiness upfront. The finish is a clean spiciness with a nice hoppy bitterness with some crisp graininess.
Mouthfeel (4.0): High carbonation, light-bodied, lightly dry finish.
Drinkability (4.0): Solidly drinkable, good hoppiness.
Overall (3.8)
547. Trollebier Bruin
This is a house beer that I know very little about. Without knowing the alcohol I can't really make a guess on style other than a Dubbel, a Dark Ale or a Strong Dark Ale.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: ?
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: ?
Appearance (4.5): Pours a cloudy, dark brown with a thick, whipped-cream, brown head that eventually fades to a thin film leaving thick lace.
Smell (4.0): Light, but I noticed dark fruit, light phenols, roasty malts and hops.
Taste (3.5): Dark fruit upfront with some cherry tartness. The finish is a mix of light roasty bitterness and hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, low carbonation with a smooth texture.
Drinkability (4.5): Very drinkable with a nice bitterness for balance.
Overall (3.95)
548. Goudenband
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Liefmans
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Flanders Oud Bruin, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear ruby with a brown head that thins quickly.
Smell (4.0): Very malty: raisins, caramel and toffee, as well as a bit of a medicinal character.
Taste (4.0): Sweet with some cherry tartness, some toffee and some raisins.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Full-bodied and a little syrupy with low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Pretty good, sweet with a little bit of sourness.
Overall (3.95)
549. Trollebier Blonde
My knowledge about this beer is pretty much the same as for the Bruin. I'm guessing it's a strong pale ale.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: ?
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a lightly hazy golden with a thick white head that has good retention and leaves thick lace.
Smell (3.5): Belgian yeast fruitiness and sour apples, light spice.
Taste (3.5): Some light sweet fruitiness with a little peppery spice and a good hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light-bodied, low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.5): Nice drinkability thanks to the hops.
Overall (3.85)
After leaving Trollekelder we were fairly intoxicated, having been drinking for about twelve hours. We went to Waterhuis aan de Bierkant (Waterhouse on the Beerside) to finish the night out. The Waterhuis seemed to be one of the last bars open when we arrived, and as might be expected it was crowded. We ended up with a booth by a window where David promptly began trying to flip as many coasters as he could. Oddly this is written in my notes, "Lane wants to get jaw broken over a bet on coaster flipping."
We had two rounds before I was able to convince David that we'd had enough for the day.
550. Troubadour Obscura
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Musketiers
Alcohol: 8.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a lightly hazy ruby-brown with a thick brown head that thins to half an inch leaving heavy lace.
Smell (3.5): Light fruity aromas of raisins and cherries. Malty with some light caramel.
Taste (4.5): Sweet malts, a bit of caramel. Tart with a roasty bitterness. Nice.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation with a lightly dry finish.
Drinkability (4.0): Balanced!
Overall (4.1)
551. Gandavum Dry Hopping
This is the house beer for The Waterhuis.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: De Proefbrouwerij
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a lightly hazy golden with a thick whit ehead that fades to a thin film leaving heavy lace.
Smell (4.0): Peppery spice with light fruity notes and a good hop undertone.
Taste (4.5): Nice peppery notes throughout with light fruit and a substantial hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Moderate carbonation, light to medium-bodied.
Drinkability (4.5): Very drinkable, nicely balanced.
Overall (4.25)
552. Bière Du Boucanier Golden
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.
Alcohol: 11.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a hazy golden with a white head that fades to a film leaving a small amount of patchy lace.
Smell (3.5): Sour apple fruitiness with alcohol and peppery spice.
Taste (4.0): Very spicy, though sweet fruit is evident. The finish is grainy with a light bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, high carbonation with a dry finish.
Drinkability (3.5): The alcohol is very evident, though not overpowering.
Overall (3.75)
544. Hanssens Oude Kriek
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Hanssens Artisanaal bvba
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Bottle
Style: Fruit Lambic, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a hazy red with a fizzy, pinkish-orange head that fades to a sparse ring.
Smell (4.0): Sweet cherries, acidic sourness and lambic funkiness. Swirling, like it does for most lambics, brings out the funk.
Taste (4.0): Intensely sour with sweet cherries that do little to cut the sourness in the center. The finish is earthy.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Light-bodied, low carbonation and intensely dry.
Drinkability (3.5): Definitely too tart to drink a lot of.
Overall (4.1)
545. Floreffe Prima Melior
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Lefèbvre SA
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.0): Pours a dark brown with ruby tints. A thin brown head fades quickly leaving no lace.
Smell (2.0): Sweet raisins and little else.
Taste (3.5): Sugary raisins upfront and through to the finish. The finish has light pepper and a bit of roasted bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Moderate carbonation, medium-bodied and lightly dry.
Drinkability (4.0): The dry finish bumped this up a notch.
Overall (3.2)
After leaving Deus we passed Ghent's red-light district on the way to Trollekelder, which means "Troll's Cellar." The front window had large trolls on display. The bar was two levels, we opted for the less crowded lower level, where we sat at a table right under the stairs down. Aside from us, there was only one other group downstairs. David spent much of the time trying to figure out what they were talking about.
The waiter seemed to be annoyed that it took us awhile to decide on beers and annoyed with us in general. On our way out, we left the money on the table, which the waiter made us go back downstairs and get when he saw us leaving.
546. La Trappe Blond
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bierbrouwerij De Koningshoeven B.V.
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a very lightly hazy golden-orange with a white head that thins to a persistent film.
Smell (3.5): Light Belgian yeast fruitiness with sour apple particularly noticeable. There's also some peppery notes.
Taste (4.0): Very light fruitiness upfront. The finish is a clean spiciness with a nice hoppy bitterness with some crisp graininess.
Mouthfeel (4.0): High carbonation, light-bodied, lightly dry finish.
Drinkability (4.0): Solidly drinkable, good hoppiness.
Overall (3.8)
547. Trollebier Bruin
This is a house beer that I know very little about. Without knowing the alcohol I can't really make a guess on style other than a Dubbel, a Dark Ale or a Strong Dark Ale.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: ?
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: ?
Appearance (4.5): Pours a cloudy, dark brown with a thick, whipped-cream, brown head that eventually fades to a thin film leaving thick lace.
Smell (4.0): Light, but I noticed dark fruit, light phenols, roasty malts and hops.
Taste (3.5): Dark fruit upfront with some cherry tartness. The finish is a mix of light roasty bitterness and hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, low carbonation with a smooth texture.
Drinkability (4.5): Very drinkable with a nice bitterness for balance.
Overall (3.95)
548. Goudenband
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Liefmans
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Flanders Oud Bruin, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear ruby with a brown head that thins quickly.
Smell (4.0): Very malty: raisins, caramel and toffee, as well as a bit of a medicinal character.
Taste (4.0): Sweet with some cherry tartness, some toffee and some raisins.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Full-bodied and a little syrupy with low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Pretty good, sweet with a little bit of sourness.
Overall (3.95)
549. Trollebier Blonde
My knowledge about this beer is pretty much the same as for the Bruin. I'm guessing it's a strong pale ale.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: ?
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a lightly hazy golden with a thick white head that has good retention and leaves thick lace.
Smell (3.5): Belgian yeast fruitiness and sour apples, light spice.
Taste (3.5): Some light sweet fruitiness with a little peppery spice and a good hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light-bodied, low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.5): Nice drinkability thanks to the hops.
Overall (3.85)
After leaving Trollekelder we were fairly intoxicated, having been drinking for about twelve hours. We went to Waterhuis aan de Bierkant (Waterhouse on the Beerside) to finish the night out. The Waterhuis seemed to be one of the last bars open when we arrived, and as might be expected it was crowded. We ended up with a booth by a window where David promptly began trying to flip as many coasters as he could. Oddly this is written in my notes, "Lane wants to get jaw broken over a bet on coaster flipping."
We had two rounds before I was able to convince David that we'd had enough for the day.
550. Troubadour Obscura
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Musketiers
Alcohol: 8.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a lightly hazy ruby-brown with a thick brown head that thins to half an inch leaving heavy lace.
Smell (3.5): Light fruity aromas of raisins and cherries. Malty with some light caramel.
Taste (4.5): Sweet malts, a bit of caramel. Tart with a roasty bitterness. Nice.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation with a lightly dry finish.
Drinkability (4.0): Balanced!
Overall (4.1)
551. Gandavum Dry Hopping
This is the house beer for The Waterhuis.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: De Proefbrouwerij
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a lightly hazy golden with a thick whit ehead that fades to a thin film leaving heavy lace.
Smell (4.0): Peppery spice with light fruity notes and a good hop undertone.
Taste (4.5): Nice peppery notes throughout with light fruit and a substantial hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Moderate carbonation, light to medium-bodied.
Drinkability (4.5): Very drinkable, nicely balanced.
Overall (4.25)
552. Bière Du Boucanier Golden
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.
Alcohol: 11.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a hazy golden with a white head that fades to a film leaving a small amount of patchy lace.
Smell (3.5): Sour apple fruitiness with alcohol and peppery spice.
Taste (4.0): Very spicy, though sweet fruit is evident. The finish is grainy with a light bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, high carbonation with a dry finish.
Drinkability (3.5): The alcohol is very evident, though not overpowering.
Overall (3.75)
Labels: Belgian Pale Ale, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Belgium 2006, Flanders Oud Bruin, Fruit Lambic, Lambic, Sour Beer, Travel
After seeing Gravensteen we took the Number 1 Tram south, and then walked to De Hopduvel for a few rounds. The bar is dimly lit and fairly large. There's a small bar to the left as you enter, a room of seating to the right, and another room with lots of seating towards the back. There's an outside courtyard that's probably nice in warmer weather. The front room is decorated with an extensive collection of empty bottles and the walls of the back room are decorated with various beer signs. Aside from the decorations the place has the feel of a medieval house. The beer selection was excellent.
As a service to other patrons who can't read Dutch, the sign on the door to the restroom probably warns you about the step down that you'll encounter when you walk through the door.
David spent a while drawing various Belgian beer images on the back of a coaster, which included a version of the devil on the Hopduvel menu disco dancing. He gave it to the bartender, who seemed to like it.
537. De Dolle Dulle Teve
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Dolle Brouwers
Alcohol: 10.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a lightly hazy golden. Topped by a fluffy, meringue-like, white head with good retention and nice lacing.
Smell (4.0): Lightly fruity with peppery spice, citrus and grain.
Taste (4.5): Significantly bitter. Light fruity nites up front are quickly followed by strong peppery spice and hoppy bitterness. The finish is bitter with residual sweet and tart fruit flavors.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation, lightly dry finish.
Drinkability (5.0): Easy to drink with a good balance.
Overall (4.4)
538. Witkap Pater Dubbel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Slaghmuylder
Alcohol: 7.20%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Dubbel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear ruby-brown with a thick beige head with good retention and lace.
Smell (4.0): The aromas are light overall, with notes of tropical fruit and cherries. Light, but interesting
Taste (4.0): Light and fruity with notes of cherry and dark fruit. The finish is a delicate interplay of spice and bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, low carbonation, velvety texture.
Drinkability (4.0): Very mild and drinkable.
Overall (4.0): Nothing is over the top, but still manages to be a nice brew.
539. Grottenbier
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a clear ruby-brown with a three-finger, fluffy, beige head with impressive retention that leaves thick rings of lace.
Smell (4.0): Light overall. Notes of cherries, grain and sweet malts.
Taste (4.5): Notes of cherries and chocolate not accompanied by sweetness or tartness. The finish has some light roasted character.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, high carbonation with a light dryness in the finish.
Drinkability (5.0): Very balanced.
Overall (4.4)
540. Oudbeitje Lambic
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Hanssens Artisanaal bvba
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Fruit Lambic, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Lightly hazy pinkish-orange with no head whatsoever, only large bubbles from pouring that disappear quickly.
Smell (4.0): My first impression was of overwhelming strawberries, but after letting it sit I could detect some nice funkiness, which was enhanced by swirling.
Taste (4.5): Intense acidic sourness is dominant from start to finish. Some strawberry flavors appear briefly with mild sweetness. The finish is earthy funkiness along with the acidic sourness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light-bodied, very low carbonation, lightly dry finish.
Drinkability (4.0): Pretty drinkable despite sourness.
Overall (4.1): Initially I wasn't impressed, but it really grew on me as I drank it.
541. Cuvée Des Trolls
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Dubuisson Frères
Alcohol: 7.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Served in a frosted glass, so I have no idea if this is clear or cloudy, my guess is lightly hazy. Golden in color with a white head that quickly fades to a sudsy film leaving patchy lace.
Smell (3.0): Sweet Belgian yeast fruitiness along with light pepper and light grain.
Taste (3.0): Sweet banana and berry fruitiness with a peppery finish.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light to medium-bodied with moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): A little too sweet.
Overall (3.25)
542. Hoppetje
I believe that this is the house beer brewed by De Proef. It's described as a 6º blond abdijbier.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: De Proefbrouwerij
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a cloudy blond with a white head that fades to a patchy film leaving sheets of lace.
Smell (4.0): Interesting fruitiness. It's not the typical Belgian yeast aroma, though there are some sour apples. There's also a nice funkiness.
Taste (4.0): Lightly fruity with hints of bananas, some sour apples and a grainy finish.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light-bodied with high carbonation.
Drinkability (4.5): Very drinkable, a good session beer.
Overall (4.1)
543. Moriau Geuze
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Boon
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Bottle, 37.5 cL
Style: Gueuze, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy golden with an off-white head.
Smell (3.0): Pretty light for a gueuze, but the acidic sourness and funkiness are there, you just have to swirl to get them.
Taste (4.0): Halfway between a sweet lambic and a sour lambic. The sourness is balanced by some sweetness. The finish has some earthy funk to it.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light-bodied, moderate carbonation with a dry finish.
Drinkability (4.0): Not bad for a sweet gueuze.
Overall (3.8)
I know David and I had dinner and played pool at some point on the trip. It's not written in my notebook, but I believe it was in Ghent. I had lasagna, in cream sauce, and David had pasta with pesto sauce.
As a service to other patrons who can't read Dutch, the sign on the door to the restroom probably warns you about the step down that you'll encounter when you walk through the door.
David spent a while drawing various Belgian beer images on the back of a coaster, which included a version of the devil on the Hopduvel menu disco dancing. He gave it to the bartender, who seemed to like it.
537. De Dolle Dulle Teve
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Dolle Brouwers
Alcohol: 10.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a lightly hazy golden. Topped by a fluffy, meringue-like, white head with good retention and nice lacing.
Smell (4.0): Lightly fruity with peppery spice, citrus and grain.
Taste (4.5): Significantly bitter. Light fruity nites up front are quickly followed by strong peppery spice and hoppy bitterness. The finish is bitter with residual sweet and tart fruit flavors.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation, lightly dry finish.
Drinkability (5.0): Easy to drink with a good balance.
Overall (4.4)
538. Witkap Pater Dubbel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Slaghmuylder
Alcohol: 7.20%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Dubbel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear ruby-brown with a thick beige head with good retention and lace.
Smell (4.0): The aromas are light overall, with notes of tropical fruit and cherries. Light, but interesting
Taste (4.0): Light and fruity with notes of cherry and dark fruit. The finish is a delicate interplay of spice and bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, low carbonation, velvety texture.
Drinkability (4.0): Very mild and drinkable.
Overall (4.0): Nothing is over the top, but still manages to be a nice brew.
539. Grottenbier
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a clear ruby-brown with a three-finger, fluffy, beige head with impressive retention that leaves thick rings of lace.
Smell (4.0): Light overall. Notes of cherries, grain and sweet malts.
Taste (4.5): Notes of cherries and chocolate not accompanied by sweetness or tartness. The finish has some light roasted character.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, high carbonation with a light dryness in the finish.
Drinkability (5.0): Very balanced.
Overall (4.4)
540. Oudbeitje Lambic
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Hanssens Artisanaal bvba
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Fruit Lambic, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Lightly hazy pinkish-orange with no head whatsoever, only large bubbles from pouring that disappear quickly.
Smell (4.0): My first impression was of overwhelming strawberries, but after letting it sit I could detect some nice funkiness, which was enhanced by swirling.
Taste (4.5): Intense acidic sourness is dominant from start to finish. Some strawberry flavors appear briefly with mild sweetness. The finish is earthy funkiness along with the acidic sourness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light-bodied, very low carbonation, lightly dry finish.
Drinkability (4.0): Pretty drinkable despite sourness.
Overall (4.1): Initially I wasn't impressed, but it really grew on me as I drank it.
541. Cuvée Des Trolls
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Dubuisson Frères
Alcohol: 7.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Served in a frosted glass, so I have no idea if this is clear or cloudy, my guess is lightly hazy. Golden in color with a white head that quickly fades to a sudsy film leaving patchy lace.
Smell (3.0): Sweet Belgian yeast fruitiness along with light pepper and light grain.
Taste (3.0): Sweet banana and berry fruitiness with a peppery finish.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light to medium-bodied with moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): A little too sweet.
Overall (3.25)
542. Hoppetje
I believe that this is the house beer brewed by De Proef. It's described as a 6º blond abdijbier.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: De Proefbrouwerij
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a cloudy blond with a white head that fades to a patchy film leaving sheets of lace.
Smell (4.0): Interesting fruitiness. It's not the typical Belgian yeast aroma, though there are some sour apples. There's also a nice funkiness.
Taste (4.0): Lightly fruity with hints of bananas, some sour apples and a grainy finish.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light-bodied with high carbonation.
Drinkability (4.5): Very drinkable, a good session beer.
Overall (4.1)
543. Moriau Geuze
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Boon
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Bottle, 37.5 cL
Style: Gueuze, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy golden with an off-white head.
Smell (3.0): Pretty light for a gueuze, but the acidic sourness and funkiness are there, you just have to swirl to get them.
Taste (4.0): Halfway between a sweet lambic and a sour lambic. The sourness is balanced by some sweetness. The finish has some earthy funk to it.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light-bodied, moderate carbonation with a dry finish.
Drinkability (4.0): Not bad for a sweet gueuze.
Overall (3.8)
I know David and I had dinner and played pool at some point on the trip. It's not written in my notebook, but I believe it was in Ghent. I had lasagna, in cream sauce, and David had pasta with pesto sauce.
Labels: Belgian Dark Ale, Belgian Pale Ale, Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Belgium 2006, Dubbel, Fruit Lambic, Gueuze, Lambic, Sour Beer, Travel, Tripel
Day Five, Ghent: Departure/Arrival, Aba-Jour, Gravensteen
Published by Thom on Monday, December 11, 2006 at 9:46 PM.
We woke up, had the standard hostel breakfast and checked out. We were told that there was a labor slowdown on train service, but decided to continue on to Ghent. We went to Antwerpen Centraal and easily got on the next train to Ghent.
We arrived in Ghent and took the Number 1 Tram from the station to the area near our hostel. We checked in and took some of the free maps of Ghent. David spent five minutes trying to match up locations on two different maps becoming increasingly frustrated. One was a map of Ghent, the other was a map of Brugge.
We had decided on Aba-Jour, based on a positive description of the food in The Good Beer Guide. The bar was centered on the left wall as you entered. There were small tables filling most of the floor space. We sat towards the back at a table by the large windows that overlook the canal. Queen was playing on the stereo our entire visit. We were eating lunch fairly late so there were only a few other patrons there. Our waiter was very friendly and was more than happy to make beer and food recommendations. We also had a nice conversation about beer, the waiter was pretty interested in how Westvleteren acquired such a sought after status in America, he was also interested in American beers. He recommended Popperings Hommel Bier, which was nicely hoppy. He also recommended a beef stew made with Rodenbach and Westmalle that came with a small salad and a bowl of fries. The stew was excellent, as were the fries, which were served in a huge bowl with a nice flavored mayo for dipping. David asked for ketchup in the following exchange:
David: I know I'm a horrible American...
Waiter: No, no...
David: ...but could I get some ketchup?
Waiter: (jokingly) Yes, you are a horrible American.
The beer list was short, around 60, but the quality was pretty good. There was a nice selection of trappists, including all three Westvleteren beers. There was a nice lambic selection that included mostly authentic lambics. We had a great lunch and two rounds, before heading out.
533. Poperings Hommel Bier
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Van Eecke N.V.
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian IPA
Appearance (4.5): Pours a hazy golden with an orange tint. A thick, white head slowly fades leaving sheets of lace.
Smell (4.5): Fruity with hints of bananas and light citrus with peppery spice to match. Swirling brings out aromas of grassy hops.
Taste (4.0): Fruity and sweet with some citric tartness upfront, which is met by a peppery bite in the center. The finish has a moderate hoppy bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light to medium-bodied, highly carbonated with a bit of oiliness from the hops.
Drinkability (4.5): A fine beer, nice balance bewteen "Belgian" flavors and hoppiness.
Overall (4.25)
534. Villers Oud Vieille
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Huyghe
Alcohol: 7.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Dubbel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a cloudy brown with a thick brown head that fades to a patchy layer leaving no lace.
Smell (3.5): Very sweet smelling. Notes of raisins, caramel, toffee and alcohol.
Taste (3.5): Sweet with raisins, toffee and caramel. The peppery finish serves to provide some balance.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Medium-bodied, with high carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Pretty easy to drink.
Overall (3.65)
535. Girardin Kriek 1882
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Girardin
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Fruit Lambic, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a hazy red-orange with a sudsy, pink head that fades to a thin film.
Smell (3.0): Has the acidic, cherry and funky aromas expected, but there's an odd buttery aroma as well.
Taste (3.5): Acidic tartness with some sweet cherries. The finish is tart with light funkiness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light-bodied, low carbonation, dry finish.
Drinkability (4.5): Balanced with good, but subdued lambic characters.
Overall (3.75)
536. Hoegaarden Grand Cru
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij van Hoegaarden
Alcohol: 8.70%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a cloudy golden-amber. A thickish, off-white head thins to a film with a prominent ring. Leaves no lace.
Smell (4.5): Coriander, banana, orange, cloves, pepper and yeast.
Taste (4.0): Sweet and fruity upfront, strong flavors of banana with mild berry notes. Coriander spice and citric tartness emerge in the center and fade into a finish with light residual sweetness and mild bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Pretty drinkable.
Overall (4.1)
After lunch we walked to Gravensteen, a castle in Ghent that was built in 1180. The name means "castle of the count" in Dutch. The castle tour was nice, especially since it seemed like you could visit most of the castle. There was in in depth exhibit on crime, punishment and torture. David wants to be reminded that if he ever gets a time machine he should not go back to medieval Ghent and commit a crime.
One of the canals in Ghent
Gravensteen
Gravensteen
A stairwell inside
A view of the canal from the castle
Ghent from the top
Presumably an archer would have been here.
A canal
The guillotine
Inside
More castle
Even more castle
The basement area
The ruins of the kitchen
This was a stable before it was a prison.
We arrived in Ghent and took the Number 1 Tram from the station to the area near our hostel. We checked in and took some of the free maps of Ghent. David spent five minutes trying to match up locations on two different maps becoming increasingly frustrated. One was a map of Ghent, the other was a map of Brugge.
We had decided on Aba-Jour, based on a positive description of the food in The Good Beer Guide. The bar was centered on the left wall as you entered. There were small tables filling most of the floor space. We sat towards the back at a table by the large windows that overlook the canal. Queen was playing on the stereo our entire visit. We were eating lunch fairly late so there were only a few other patrons there. Our waiter was very friendly and was more than happy to make beer and food recommendations. We also had a nice conversation about beer, the waiter was pretty interested in how Westvleteren acquired such a sought after status in America, he was also interested in American beers. He recommended Popperings Hommel Bier, which was nicely hoppy. He also recommended a beef stew made with Rodenbach and Westmalle that came with a small salad and a bowl of fries. The stew was excellent, as were the fries, which were served in a huge bowl with a nice flavored mayo for dipping. David asked for ketchup in the following exchange:
David: I know I'm a horrible American...
Waiter: No, no...
David: ...but could I get some ketchup?
Waiter: (jokingly) Yes, you are a horrible American.
The beer list was short, around 60, but the quality was pretty good. There was a nice selection of trappists, including all three Westvleteren beers. There was a nice lambic selection that included mostly authentic lambics. We had a great lunch and two rounds, before heading out.
533. Poperings Hommel Bier
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Van Eecke N.V.
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian IPA
Appearance (4.5): Pours a hazy golden with an orange tint. A thick, white head slowly fades leaving sheets of lace.
Smell (4.5): Fruity with hints of bananas and light citrus with peppery spice to match. Swirling brings out aromas of grassy hops.
Taste (4.0): Fruity and sweet with some citric tartness upfront, which is met by a peppery bite in the center. The finish has a moderate hoppy bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light to medium-bodied, highly carbonated with a bit of oiliness from the hops.
Drinkability (4.5): A fine beer, nice balance bewteen "Belgian" flavors and hoppiness.
Overall (4.25)
534. Villers Oud Vieille
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Huyghe
Alcohol: 7.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Dubbel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a cloudy brown with a thick brown head that fades to a patchy layer leaving no lace.
Smell (3.5): Very sweet smelling. Notes of raisins, caramel, toffee and alcohol.
Taste (3.5): Sweet with raisins, toffee and caramel. The peppery finish serves to provide some balance.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Medium-bodied, with high carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Pretty easy to drink.
Overall (3.65)
535. Girardin Kriek 1882
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Girardin
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Fruit Lambic, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a hazy red-orange with a sudsy, pink head that fades to a thin film.
Smell (3.0): Has the acidic, cherry and funky aromas expected, but there's an odd buttery aroma as well.
Taste (3.5): Acidic tartness with some sweet cherries. The finish is tart with light funkiness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light-bodied, low carbonation, dry finish.
Drinkability (4.5): Balanced with good, but subdued lambic characters.
Overall (3.75)
536. Hoegaarden Grand Cru
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij van Hoegaarden
Alcohol: 8.70%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a cloudy golden-amber. A thickish, off-white head thins to a film with a prominent ring. Leaves no lace.
Smell (4.5): Coriander, banana, orange, cloves, pepper and yeast.
Taste (4.0): Sweet and fruity upfront, strong flavors of banana with mild berry notes. Coriander spice and citric tartness emerge in the center and fade into a finish with light residual sweetness and mild bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Pretty drinkable.
Overall (4.1)
After lunch we walked to Gravensteen, a castle in Ghent that was built in 1180. The name means "castle of the count" in Dutch. The castle tour was nice, especially since it seemed like you could visit most of the castle. There was in in depth exhibit on crime, punishment and torture. David wants to be reminded that if he ever gets a time machine he should not go back to medieval Ghent and commit a crime.
One of the canals in Ghent
Gravensteen
Gravensteen
A stairwell inside
A view of the canal from the castle
Ghent from the top
Presumably an archer would have been here.
A canal
The guillotine
Inside
More castle
Even more castle
The basement area
The ruins of the kitchen
This was a stable before it was a prison.
Labels: Belgian IPA, Belgium 2006, Dubbel, Fruit Lambic, Lambic, Sour Beer, Travel, Witbier
Day Four, Antwerp: Lunch and Sightseeing, Kulminator, Dinner, Elfde Gebod
Published by Thom on Sunday, December 10, 2006 at 11:27 PM.
We woke up fairly late on Tuesday and went to Horta for breakfast. We got there too late and ended up having to get lunch, with which we had a round. I got the pasta in pesto sauce with sun-dried tomatoes. I don't remember what David got, but I vaguely remember cream sauce.
526. Brugge Tripel
The name on BA is listed as Brugse Tripel, but people seem to be reviewing Brugge Tripel on the same page.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Gouden Boom
Alcohol: 9.00%
Serving: Bottle,
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.0): Pours a clear amber with a smooth, white head that fades to thin layer.
Smell (3.5): Fruity bananas, some graininess, a little peppery spice.
Taste (4.0): Berry and banana fruitiness upfront. Moving into the finish there are grainy notes as well as some peppery spice. The finish also has a nice hoppy bitterness that balances nicely.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light-bodied with high carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): Overly carbonated.
Overall (3.6)
527. Steendonk
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Palm NV
Alcohol: 4.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a cloudy, straw color with a white head that thins to a ring, leaving patchy lace.
Smell (3.0): Bananas, cloves and yeast. The pepper and characteristic witbier spice are present, but very light.
Taste (2.0): Lightly sweet fruitiness, bananas especially. There's some graininess and spice, but nothing strong or characteristic of a witbier. Lightly hoppy.
Mouthfeel (2.0): Watery with low carbonation.
Drinkability (3.0): Watery without sufficient carbonation, therefore not that great to drink.
Overall (2.6)
After lunch we visited Rubenshuis, the former home of painter Peter Paul Rubens. I was pretty tired, so I honestly don't remember much, other than being impressed at the size of the house. Afterwards we stopped at a café for coffee before heading to Bierhuis Kulminator.
Kulminator was definitely my favorite bar that we visited while in Belgium. The brightly lit interior had large plants growing near the front window and dried hop vines on the ceiling towards the back. Classical music played in the background, providing a nice atmosphere. There were several large wooden tables arranged throughout bar that were topped by large beer bottles used to hold candles and variety of press clippings. I counted at least four different cats that lounged around the bar. The selection was good, but the selection of aged beers was amazing.
We stayed for several hours, during which time the bar never got crowded. There were two older men who sat at the table next to us for awhile drinking Lefe and Westmalle, a group of American guys our age from Connecticut, and a couple who came in around dinner time.
Bierhuis Kulminator
Dried hops
One of the bar cats
Two of the bar cats
David, intoxicated
Thom, intoxicated
Their card
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Corsendonk
Alcohol: 8.50%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a lightly hazy amber-brown with a fluffy brown head that slowly fades, leaving heavy lace.
Smell (4.0): Sweet cherry aroma, caramel and a light vinuous character.
Taste (4.0): Upfront there are toasty malts, with a mild roasted character. Light tartness that's reminiscent of cherries emerges in the center. The finish has some peppery spice and bitterness.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light to medium-bodied with high carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Well-balanced, no character dominates over the others.
Overall (3.95)
529. Liefmans Kriekbier
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Liefmans
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Fruit Beer, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a lightly hazy orange-red with a foamy pink head that fades to a thin ring.
Smell (4.0): Sour and acidic with notes of cherries, as well as a moderate funkiness that emerges upon swirling.
Taste (4.5): Very sour throughout, there's some sweetness that emerges with the cherries, but it's always dominated by the sourness and persistent cherry tartness.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Light-bodied, low carbonation, very dry.
Drinkability (3.5): Sour, definitely a sipper.
Overall (4.2)
519. Oud Beersel Oude Gueuze Vieille 2001
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Oud Beersel
Year: 2001
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Gueuze, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a cloudy golden, with a massive off-white head that fades to a thin ring.
Smell: Sour and funky with a little bit of fruitiness. The fruitiness becomes stronger upon swirling.
Taste: This has definitely mellowed with age. The sourness is diminished, but the funkiness has increased.
Mouthfeel: Light-bodied, light carbonation with a dry finish.
Drinkability: Nicely balanced and mellowed.
Overall: I think age has definitely improved this Gueuze.
33. Chimay Grande Réserve 1999
An aged bottle from 1999 served at cellar temperature in a Chimay chalice. They had bottles of Chimay Blue all the way back to 1981.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bières de Chimay
Year: 1999
Alcohol: 9.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a hazy brown-ruby with a creamy beige head that fades to a thin film, leaving patches of lace.
Smell (5.0): This definitely smells aged. Rich and malty with notes of caramel, toffee, and dark fruit. There are also vinuous notes as well as some alcoholic spiciness.
Taste (4.5): Malty upfront with toasty flavors as well as sweet caramel and dark fruit, sweet, but not too sweet. The finish has a light tartness with pepper, alcohol and a very light bitterness.
Mouthfeel (5.0): Full-bodied and thick, with low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.5): Smooth and full flavored, but mellow.
Overall (4.65): This is definitely one that improves with age. I think that it might be worth it to buy a case of Chimay every year just to cellar.
195. Orval Trappist Ale 2002
A dust-covered 2002 bottle, served in an Orval chalice.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie d'Orval S.A.
Year: 2002
Alcohol: 6.20%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a hazy-golden with a thick, off-white head that fades to a thin film leaving heavy patches of lace.
Smell (5.0): Strong Brettanomyces aroma as well as some grassy and citric aromas.
Taste (5.0): Tart citric and Brett characters, with a light sweetness. The finish has a nice mellowed hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Light to medium-bodied, low carbonation with a dry finish.
Drinkability (4.5): Tart with nice dominant Brett character.
Overall (4.8)
530. Gouden Carolus Carolus D'Or - Cuvée Van De Keizer
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Het Anker
Alcohol: 11.00%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy brown with a reddish tint. A thick off-white head fades to a sudsy quarter-inch layer, leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Sweet and very fruity smelling. Lots of bananas and peppery alcohol. Swirling brings out notes of cherry and raisins.
Taste (3.5): Very sweet with nice fruitiness: bananas, raisins and light tartness. There's a very mild alcoholic spice in the finish.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Thick and full-bodied with low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.5): Smooth and sweet. Neither the alcohol nor sweetness is overpowering.
Overall (3.8)
531. Westvleteren Special 6 1998
David spotted some unlabeled bottles with red caps on the shelf behind the bar. He asked about them and was told that they were bottles of Westvleteren 6 from 1998, the last year that it was produced. We ordered two bottles, which were served in Abdij St. Sixtus goblets at cellar temperature.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Westvleteren
Year: 1998
Alcohol: 6.20%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a hazy dark-brown with ruby tints. A one-inch beige head fades to a quarter-inch layer leaving sheets of lace.
Smell (5.0): Smells aged. Notes of tart cherries, dark fruit and light toffee maltiness. Has the characteristic vinous aroma of an aged beer. Smells amazing.
Taste (4.5): Sweet with some malty caramel notes and fruity notes of dates and raisins, not too sweet though. Light peppery spice and a nice amount of hoppy bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Full-bodied, low carbonation.
Drinkability (5.0): Mellow, but flavorful.
Overall (4.65): It's amazing how well this beer has held up, very delicious. I feel very lucky to have had one.
After leaving Kulminator we went to Congo for dinner. David had lasagna in... cream sauce. I had pasta in pesto sauce. We then found an internet cafe and made some phone calls and checked e-mail.
After dinner we went to Elfde Gebod for a final round before walking around the city and turning in. The bar was near the cathedral. David sat the round out and opted to have a piece of cake, which came with a large glob of whipped cream. The inside of the bar was heavily decorated with religious imagery. David implied that the waitress, who was very cute, was a teenager. She was actually 22.
Then why are so many nuns strippers?
532. La Trappe Quadrupel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bierbrouwerij De Koningshoeven B.V.
Alcohol: 10.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Quadrupel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear amber with a beige head that fades to a thin sudsy layer leaving plentiful lace.
Smell (3.5): Dark fruit, light pepper, and hint of alcohol.
Taste (4.0): A neutral grainy character upfront moves into a raisiny sweetness. The finish is lightly spicy with a trailing bitterness. Not too sweet.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation with a lightly dry finish.
Drinkability (3.5): Not too sweet, but it could use a bit more spiciness or bitterness to balance.
Overall (3.85)
The Lonely Planet guide said "The Boots" was the most disreputable bar in Belgium. We walked by, the plan was to decide if we would stop in based on the look of the place. It was closed, but I think the sign would have kept us out if it had been open.
David in front of the most disreputable bar in Belgium.
526. Brugge Tripel
The name on BA is listed as Brugse Tripel, but people seem to be reviewing Brugge Tripel on the same page.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Gouden Boom
Alcohol: 9.00%
Serving: Bottle,
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.0): Pours a clear amber with a smooth, white head that fades to thin layer.
Smell (3.5): Fruity bananas, some graininess, a little peppery spice.
Taste (4.0): Berry and banana fruitiness upfront. Moving into the finish there are grainy notes as well as some peppery spice. The finish also has a nice hoppy bitterness that balances nicely.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light-bodied with high carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): Overly carbonated.
Overall (3.6)
527. Steendonk
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Palm NV
Alcohol: 4.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a cloudy, straw color with a white head that thins to a ring, leaving patchy lace.
Smell (3.0): Bananas, cloves and yeast. The pepper and characteristic witbier spice are present, but very light.
Taste (2.0): Lightly sweet fruitiness, bananas especially. There's some graininess and spice, but nothing strong or characteristic of a witbier. Lightly hoppy.
Mouthfeel (2.0): Watery with low carbonation.
Drinkability (3.0): Watery without sufficient carbonation, therefore not that great to drink.
Overall (2.6)
After lunch we visited Rubenshuis, the former home of painter Peter Paul Rubens. I was pretty tired, so I honestly don't remember much, other than being impressed at the size of the house. Afterwards we stopped at a café for coffee before heading to Bierhuis Kulminator.
Kulminator was definitely my favorite bar that we visited while in Belgium. The brightly lit interior had large plants growing near the front window and dried hop vines on the ceiling towards the back. Classical music played in the background, providing a nice atmosphere. There were several large wooden tables arranged throughout bar that were topped by large beer bottles used to hold candles and variety of press clippings. I counted at least four different cats that lounged around the bar. The selection was good, but the selection of aged beers was amazing.
We stayed for several hours, during which time the bar never got crowded. There were two older men who sat at the table next to us for awhile drinking Lefe and Westmalle, a group of American guys our age from Connecticut, and a couple who came in around dinner time.
Bierhuis Kulminator
Dried hops
One of the bar cats
Two of the bar cats
David, intoxicated
Thom, intoxicated
Their card
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Corsendonk
Alcohol: 8.50%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a lightly hazy amber-brown with a fluffy brown head that slowly fades, leaving heavy lace.
Smell (4.0): Sweet cherry aroma, caramel and a light vinuous character.
Taste (4.0): Upfront there are toasty malts, with a mild roasted character. Light tartness that's reminiscent of cherries emerges in the center. The finish has some peppery spice and bitterness.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light to medium-bodied with high carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Well-balanced, no character dominates over the others.
Overall (3.95)
529. Liefmans Kriekbier
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Liefmans
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Fruit Beer, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a lightly hazy orange-red with a foamy pink head that fades to a thin ring.
Smell (4.0): Sour and acidic with notes of cherries, as well as a moderate funkiness that emerges upon swirling.
Taste (4.5): Very sour throughout, there's some sweetness that emerges with the cherries, but it's always dominated by the sourness and persistent cherry tartness.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Light-bodied, low carbonation, very dry.
Drinkability (3.5): Sour, definitely a sipper.
Overall (4.2)
519. Oud Beersel Oude Gueuze Vieille 2001
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Oud Beersel
Year: 2001
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Gueuze, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a cloudy golden, with a massive off-white head that fades to a thin ring.
Smell: Sour and funky with a little bit of fruitiness. The fruitiness becomes stronger upon swirling.
Taste: This has definitely mellowed with age. The sourness is diminished, but the funkiness has increased.
Mouthfeel: Light-bodied, light carbonation with a dry finish.
Drinkability: Nicely balanced and mellowed.
Overall: I think age has definitely improved this Gueuze.
33. Chimay Grande Réserve 1999
An aged bottle from 1999 served at cellar temperature in a Chimay chalice. They had bottles of Chimay Blue all the way back to 1981.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bières de Chimay
Year: 1999
Alcohol: 9.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a hazy brown-ruby with a creamy beige head that fades to a thin film, leaving patches of lace.
Smell (5.0): This definitely smells aged. Rich and malty with notes of caramel, toffee, and dark fruit. There are also vinuous notes as well as some alcoholic spiciness.
Taste (4.5): Malty upfront with toasty flavors as well as sweet caramel and dark fruit, sweet, but not too sweet. The finish has a light tartness with pepper, alcohol and a very light bitterness.
Mouthfeel (5.0): Full-bodied and thick, with low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.5): Smooth and full flavored, but mellow.
Overall (4.65): This is definitely one that improves with age. I think that it might be worth it to buy a case of Chimay every year just to cellar.
195. Orval Trappist Ale 2002
A dust-covered 2002 bottle, served in an Orval chalice.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie d'Orval S.A.
Year: 2002
Alcohol: 6.20%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a hazy-golden with a thick, off-white head that fades to a thin film leaving heavy patches of lace.
Smell (5.0): Strong Brettanomyces aroma as well as some grassy and citric aromas.
Taste (5.0): Tart citric and Brett characters, with a light sweetness. The finish has a nice mellowed hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Light to medium-bodied, low carbonation with a dry finish.
Drinkability (4.5): Tart with nice dominant Brett character.
Overall (4.8)
530. Gouden Carolus Carolus D'Or - Cuvée Van De Keizer
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Het Anker
Alcohol: 11.00%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy brown with a reddish tint. A thick off-white head fades to a sudsy quarter-inch layer, leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Sweet and very fruity smelling. Lots of bananas and peppery alcohol. Swirling brings out notes of cherry and raisins.
Taste (3.5): Very sweet with nice fruitiness: bananas, raisins and light tartness. There's a very mild alcoholic spice in the finish.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Thick and full-bodied with low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.5): Smooth and sweet. Neither the alcohol nor sweetness is overpowering.
Overall (3.8)
531. Westvleteren Special 6 1998
David spotted some unlabeled bottles with red caps on the shelf behind the bar. He asked about them and was told that they were bottles of Westvleteren 6 from 1998, the last year that it was produced. We ordered two bottles, which were served in Abdij St. Sixtus goblets at cellar temperature.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Westvleteren
Year: 1998
Alcohol: 6.20%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a hazy dark-brown with ruby tints. A one-inch beige head fades to a quarter-inch layer leaving sheets of lace.
Smell (5.0): Smells aged. Notes of tart cherries, dark fruit and light toffee maltiness. Has the characteristic vinous aroma of an aged beer. Smells amazing.
Taste (4.5): Sweet with some malty caramel notes and fruity notes of dates and raisins, not too sweet though. Light peppery spice and a nice amount of hoppy bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Full-bodied, low carbonation.
Drinkability (5.0): Mellow, but flavorful.
Overall (4.65): It's amazing how well this beer has held up, very delicious. I feel very lucky to have had one.
After leaving Kulminator we went to Congo for dinner. David had lasagna in... cream sauce. I had pasta in pesto sauce. We then found an internet cafe and made some phone calls and checked e-mail.
After dinner we went to Elfde Gebod for a final round before walking around the city and turning in. The bar was near the cathedral. David sat the round out and opted to have a piece of cake, which came with a large glob of whipped cream. The inside of the bar was heavily decorated with religious imagery. David implied that the waitress, who was very cute, was a teenager. She was actually 22.
Then why are so many nuns strippers?
532. La Trappe Quadrupel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bierbrouwerij De Koningshoeven B.V.
Alcohol: 10.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Quadrupel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear amber with a beige head that fades to a thin sudsy layer leaving plentiful lace.
Smell (3.5): Dark fruit, light pepper, and hint of alcohol.
Taste (4.0): A neutral grainy character upfront moves into a raisiny sweetness. The finish is lightly spicy with a trailing bitterness. Not too sweet.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation with a lightly dry finish.
Drinkability (3.5): Not too sweet, but it could use a bit more spiciness or bitterness to balance.
Overall (3.85)
The Lonely Planet guide said "The Boots" was the most disreputable bar in Belgium. We walked by, the plan was to decide if we would stop in based on the look of the place. It was closed, but I think the sign would have kept us out if it had been open.
David in front of the most disreputable bar in Belgium.
Labels: Belgian Pale Ale, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Belgium 2006, Fruit/Vegatable Beer, Gueuze, Lambic, Quadrupel, Sour Beer, Trappist, Travel, Tripel, Witbier
Day Three, Antwerp: Dinner, Paters Vaetje, Waagstuk
Published by Thom on Saturday, December 09, 2006 at 12:24 AM.
After leaving Oud Arsenaal, we decided to go to Eethuisje de Stoemppot, a restaurant that was recommended by one of our guidebooks. The specialty was listed as Flemish cuisine, which sounded more appealing than "Brussels Specialties." David ordered a chicken and mushroom pie with spinach, which turned out to be chicken and mushrooms in cream sauce. I ordered sausage with mashed potatoes, which came with a dizzying array of mustards. We each had a Duvel with dinner. The sausage was very good, as were the potatoes. During the middle of the meal the alarm clock that we had purchased in the hostel in Brussels went off. Neither of us realized what it was and the waitress was walking around the restaurant trying to find the source. She ended up realizing it was coming from our bag before we did.
After dinner we walked back to the cathedral to go to Paters Vaetje (Monk's Tomb), which was located a mere 10 paces away. There were two levels. On the lower level there were benches and tables against the wall, where we sat, as well as some tables at the front and back. There were stained glass windows above the bar, as well as various beer signs. Oddly, they played a Death Cab for Cutie song while we were there. We ran into the German guys again, and ended up talking to them for awhile.
Distance from the bar to the cathedral.
521. Piraat
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.
Alcohol: 10.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian IPA
Appearance (4.0): Pours a cloudy, dark golden, with a white head that fades to a thin film, leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Caramel and toffee maltiness, light fruitiness, a bit vinuous with evident alcohol.
Taste (3.5): Sweet upfront, with berry fruitiness. The finish is peppery with a light bitterness.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation, and very strong alcoholic warming.
Drinkability (3.5): The alcohol is pretty strong in this one.
Overall (3.7)
522. Moeder Overste
Moeder Overste means Mother Superior in Dutch/Flemish.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Lefèbvre SA
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a cloudy brownish golden. Topped by a thick, dense, white head with good retention, leaving patchy lace. Seems a bit dark for a tripel.
Smell (3.0): Fruity, with some berry aromas as well as a light floral quality. No detectable spiciness or alcohol.
Taste (3.0): Sweet berry fruitiness that fades into a neutral center with light spice and bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light to medium-bodied, moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): Too sweet.
Overall (3.2)
For the next round we went with two De Koninck beers that I haven't seen in the US. We got a scratch card with the Winter Koninck. If we saw a glass we would have won a free De Koninck, but we came up empty handed on that one.
523. Winter Koninck
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Koninck NV
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear, dark ruby-brown with a beige head that fades to a thin film, leaving sheets of lace.
Smell (3.0): Lightly malty, light dark fruit. Pretty clean overall, though what is evident is pleasant.
Taste (3.5): Light sugary sweetness throughout. Some light fruitiness, with some good spiciness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, low-carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Quite drinkable for a winter beer.
Overall (3.6)
524. De Koninck Tripel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Koninck NV
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a clear orange-copper. The head fades to a thin film, leaving small patches of lace.
Smell (3.0): Very light fruitiness, light graininess and alcohol.
Taste (3.5): Mostly sweet, with some notes of bananas. The finish is lightly spicy.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Medium-bodied, low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.5): Sweet and pleasant.
Overall (3.5)
David
Thom
After leaving Paters Vaetje, we went to 't Waagstuk to finish out the night. I seem to remember the bar being hard to find, but I may be mistaken. It had a tiled floor interior, with wooden tables and chairs, various beer items on the walls and an array of ceramic mugs hung from hooks on the ceiling. We had all three Westvleteren beers while we were there. We also had a nice conversation with the bartender, who was very friendly. He made some recommendations of beer bars and beers to try in Brugge and Gent. We talked about beer in America and I recommended he seek out some Ommegang. Later David challenged him to a tricep contest. He stopped before David. David claimed victory, but the bartender claimed to have work to do.
The tricep contest
12, 8, Blonde
525. Westvleteren 12
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Westvleteren
Alcohol: 10.20%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz
Style: Quadrupel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (5.0): Pours a hazy, dark ruby-brown. A one-inch, beige head fades to a very persistent, thin layer, leaving thick lace.
Smell (4.5): Fairly light overall, but nice. Raisins and other dark fruit, light roastiness, with a light graininess. Alcohol is also evident, but is mild.
Taste (4.5): Very nice. Lots of dark fruit like raisins and dates. It's sweet but is balanced well by a peppery and alcoholic bite. The finish has nice bitterness to balance.
Mouthfeel (5.0): Full-bodied, low carbonation with alcoholic warming in the finish.
Drinkability (5.0): Sweet, but very well balanced.
Overall (4.7): This is a great beer. It might not be the best in the world, but it certainly is fantastic.
After dinner we walked back to the cathedral to go to Paters Vaetje (Monk's Tomb), which was located a mere 10 paces away. There were two levels. On the lower level there were benches and tables against the wall, where we sat, as well as some tables at the front and back. There were stained glass windows above the bar, as well as various beer signs. Oddly, they played a Death Cab for Cutie song while we were there. We ran into the German guys again, and ended up talking to them for awhile.
Distance from the bar to the cathedral.
521. Piraat
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.
Alcohol: 10.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian IPA
Appearance (4.0): Pours a cloudy, dark golden, with a white head that fades to a thin film, leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Caramel and toffee maltiness, light fruitiness, a bit vinuous with evident alcohol.
Taste (3.5): Sweet upfront, with berry fruitiness. The finish is peppery with a light bitterness.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation, and very strong alcoholic warming.
Drinkability (3.5): The alcohol is pretty strong in this one.
Overall (3.7)
522. Moeder Overste
Moeder Overste means Mother Superior in Dutch/Flemish.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Lefèbvre SA
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a cloudy brownish golden. Topped by a thick, dense, white head with good retention, leaving patchy lace. Seems a bit dark for a tripel.
Smell (3.0): Fruity, with some berry aromas as well as a light floral quality. No detectable spiciness or alcohol.
Taste (3.0): Sweet berry fruitiness that fades into a neutral center with light spice and bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light to medium-bodied, moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): Too sweet.
Overall (3.2)
For the next round we went with two De Koninck beers that I haven't seen in the US. We got a scratch card with the Winter Koninck. If we saw a glass we would have won a free De Koninck, but we came up empty handed on that one.
523. Winter Koninck
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Koninck NV
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear, dark ruby-brown with a beige head that fades to a thin film, leaving sheets of lace.
Smell (3.0): Lightly malty, light dark fruit. Pretty clean overall, though what is evident is pleasant.
Taste (3.5): Light sugary sweetness throughout. Some light fruitiness, with some good spiciness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, low-carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Quite drinkable for a winter beer.
Overall (3.6)
524. De Koninck Tripel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Koninck NV
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a clear orange-copper. The head fades to a thin film, leaving small patches of lace.
Smell (3.0): Very light fruitiness, light graininess and alcohol.
Taste (3.5): Mostly sweet, with some notes of bananas. The finish is lightly spicy.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Medium-bodied, low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.5): Sweet and pleasant.
Overall (3.5)
David
Thom
After leaving Paters Vaetje, we went to 't Waagstuk to finish out the night. I seem to remember the bar being hard to find, but I may be mistaken. It had a tiled floor interior, with wooden tables and chairs, various beer items on the walls and an array of ceramic mugs hung from hooks on the ceiling. We had all three Westvleteren beers while we were there. We also had a nice conversation with the bartender, who was very friendly. He made some recommendations of beer bars and beers to try in Brugge and Gent. We talked about beer in America and I recommended he seek out some Ommegang. Later David challenged him to a tricep contest. He stopped before David. David claimed victory, but the bartender claimed to have work to do.
The tricep contest
12, 8, Blonde
525. Westvleteren 12
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Westvleteren
Alcohol: 10.20%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz
Style: Quadrupel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (5.0): Pours a hazy, dark ruby-brown. A one-inch, beige head fades to a very persistent, thin layer, leaving thick lace.
Smell (4.5): Fairly light overall, but nice. Raisins and other dark fruit, light roastiness, with a light graininess. Alcohol is also evident, but is mild.
Taste (4.5): Very nice. Lots of dark fruit like raisins and dates. It's sweet but is balanced well by a peppery and alcoholic bite. The finish has nice bitterness to balance.
Mouthfeel (5.0): Full-bodied, low carbonation with alcoholic warming in the finish.
Drinkability (5.0): Sweet, but very well balanced.
Overall (4.7): This is a great beer. It might not be the best in the world, but it certainly is fantastic.
Labels: Belgian Dark Ale, Belgian IPA, Belgium 2006, Quadrupel, Trappist, Travel, Tripel
Day Three, Antwerp: Arrival in Antwerp, De Berenbak, Sightseeing, Oud Arsenaal
Published by Thom on Friday, December 08, 2006 at 12:20 AM.
Note: All of the pictures, except the beer pictures are clickable for full size (~2 MB each).
We woke up at 8:30, had another minimal breakfast, checked out and then headed to Gare Central to catch a train to Antwerp. We sat next to some old Flemish ladies who were talking about Doctors and prescription as far as David could tell (Dutch and German similarities). We arrived in Antwerp Centraal, which was quite beautiful. I took pictures on the way out, so those will be up in a few posts.
We headed for the tourist information booth to get maps of Antwerp. Having lost our Lonely Planet guidebook, we also asked for directions to a bookstore. Luckily we were directed to Standaard Boekhandel, which, in our estimation, has the finest selection of books in all of Antwerp. We were able to replace our Lonely Planet guide.
We took the #2 Tram to Antwerp Expo, near our hostel. We arrived only to find that they were closed until the afternoon. There were lockers, but no keys. We had to walk around the back of the hostel and buzz the back entrance. An employee let us in and let us drop off our bags.
We headed back into town and decided to have lunch and a round or two at Berenbak, which is a pleasant bar/café. There's a back room with seating for dining, as well as several booths in the bar area. Large windows lining the front of the bar provided good lighting. The music was almost exclusively hits from the 90s. I can remember hearing Ice Ice Baby, The Macarena, Winds of Change and What is Love. We had omelettes and frietens. The omelettes were good, though a little different from what I'm used to getting in the US. The fried were served with mayo, which I was happy to use, but David asked for ketchup. We had a round with lunch and a round afterwards before heading out for some sightseeing.
516. Pauwel Kwak
These were served in round bottomed flask-shaped glasses that were held on wooden stands.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Bosteels
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a hazy brown with a sudsy, beige head that fades to a thin film leaving patchy lace. Chunks of yeast float around.
Smell (4.0): Malty in the nose with toffee, caramel, raisins with a light spiciness.
Taste (4.0): Sweet caramel maltiness, followed by raisin fruitiness in the center. The finish is lightly spicy and bitter.
Mouthfeel (3.0): Low carbonation, light-bodied and a tad watery.
Drinkability (4.0): Easy to drink.
Overall (3.8)
517. Corsendonk Agnus
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Corsendonk
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a lightly hazy golden. A thick, foamy, white head thins to a quarter-inch layer leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Very fruity, with strong sour apple aromas, yeast and light spice.
Taste (3.5): Light, sweet fruit upfront, mostly sour apple. This fades into a peppery and grainy finish.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light to medium-bodied, moderate carbonation, a little bit of creaminess.
Drinkability (4.5): Tasty and easy to drink, with a nice refreshing quality.
Overall (3.95)
After leaving Berenbak we went to The Old Stock Exchange, or Den Rhijn, which was the site of the Antwerp stock exchange until 1533.
Inner courtyard of Den Rhijn
Inner courtyard of Den Rhijn
Inner courtyard of Den Rhijn
Inner courtyard of Den Rhijn
We walked through the Grote Markt and saw the Stadhuis, or City Hall, which was built in the 1560s.
The Stadhuis
The statue depicting the legend behind Antwerp's name.
According to Wikipedia:
A street near the Grote Markt
Nearby was The Cathedral of Our Lady, for which construction started in 1351. Construction on the first phase was completed in 1521. We paid the admission to go inside, mainly to see the famous Rubens, including The Raising of the Cross and The Descent of the Cross.
The Cathedral of Our Lady
The Cathedral of Our Lady
The Cathedral of Our Lady
The Cathedral of Our Lady
The Cathedral of Our Lady
We were looking through the guidebook trying to get our bearings, when I noticed an old man paying particular attention to us. He eventually came up to us and was very friendly. He told us about various sights in Antwerp that he thought were notable, one of which was a tunnel under the Scheldt River. We then walked to the river to see Het Steen (The Stone), a castle built in the 1200s to control access to the Scheldt.
Het Steen
Het Steen
A small alley that was notable for some reason.
Having done enough sightseeing and not enough drinking we headed to Oud Arsenaal. On the way we walked by the first skyscraper in Europe, The Boerentoren (Farmer's Tower). There was a single row of tables that lined a bench on the right side, while the bar was on the left side. There was considerable standing room in between. When we arrived the bar was pretty empty, but as soon as we had decided on drinks the bar filled with a large group of middle aged to retired men. One of them sat at the table next to us and struck up a conversation. He explained to us that he was from Ghent and was part of a group called "The Brotherhood of the Monday Friends," a group that got together to drink on the four Mondays a year that are holidays. We also told us a bit about beer, it was nothing that I didn't already know, but I listened anyway. Oud Arsenaal was their last stop for the day, which was fine with him since he had to be back in Ghent later that evening to drink with the rest of the Medieval Crossbow club that he was a member of. I asked him if it was a good idea to drink while shooting crossbows. He maintained that one needs to drink while shooting crossbows in order to be relaxed enough. He got up to talk to other members of The Brotherhood, but before they left he returned to our table and slammed his fist down in what seemed to be a friendly goodbye gesture.
We also saw two men across the bar who had both The Good Beer Guide: Belgium, and The Lonely Planet Belgium guide. On our way out we spoke to them. They were both from Germany and were on vacation in Belgium. More about them later, since we would run into them several more times.
Our first round was an Achel 8° Brune, which I had had before, and an Achel 8° Blond.
518. Achel 8° Blond
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij der St.Benedictusabdij de Achelse
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a lightly hazy golden with a very thick, meringue-like, off-white head. The retention is good with thick patches of lace.
Smell (3.5): Fruity, bananas, definite black peppery spice.
Taste (4.0): Light fruitiness upfront. The finish is peppery and spicy with a significant aged-hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Thick and full-bodied, low carbonation with a dry finish.
Drinkability (4.0): The bitterness is quite nice.
Overall (4.05)
Our next round was side by side Gueuzes.
519. Oud Beersel Oude Gueuze Vieille
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Oud Beersel
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Gueuze, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a lightly hazy golden with a fluffy, off-white head that fades very, very slowly.
Smell (4.0): Some fruity aromas are evident above an acidic sourness, there's also a light funkiness. Swirling brings out more sourness.
Taste (3.5): Sour and acidic with a fruity citric sweetness. The finish is lightly funky with a slight bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light-bodied, low carbonation, lightly dry finish.
Drinkability (4.0): Good. Sour and funky with a nice balance. Has all of the lambic characters, but isn't extreme.
Overall (3.9)
520. Hanssens Oude Gueuze
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Hanssens Artisanaal bvba
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Gueuze, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a lightly hazy golden (slightly darker and clearer than the Oud Beersel). Topped by a fluffy, white head that fades, leaving patchy lace.
Smell (5.0): Sour and acidic with considerable funkiness. Swirling increases the funkiness.
Taste (4.5): An intense sourness is evident upfront and lasts throughout. There's some citric character in the center that brings along a very mild sweetness. There are light grassy and earthy elements in the finish.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Light-bodied, low carbonation, very dry.
Drinkability (3.5): Sour and funky, but delicious. This definitely wins in a side-by-side
Overall (4.45)
We woke up at 8:30, had another minimal breakfast, checked out and then headed to Gare Central to catch a train to Antwerp. We sat next to some old Flemish ladies who were talking about Doctors and prescription as far as David could tell (Dutch and German similarities). We arrived in Antwerp Centraal, which was quite beautiful. I took pictures on the way out, so those will be up in a few posts.
We headed for the tourist information booth to get maps of Antwerp. Having lost our Lonely Planet guidebook, we also asked for directions to a bookstore. Luckily we were directed to Standaard Boekhandel, which, in our estimation, has the finest selection of books in all of Antwerp. We were able to replace our Lonely Planet guide.
We took the #2 Tram to Antwerp Expo, near our hostel. We arrived only to find that they were closed until the afternoon. There were lockers, but no keys. We had to walk around the back of the hostel and buzz the back entrance. An employee let us in and let us drop off our bags.
We headed back into town and decided to have lunch and a round or two at Berenbak, which is a pleasant bar/café. There's a back room with seating for dining, as well as several booths in the bar area. Large windows lining the front of the bar provided good lighting. The music was almost exclusively hits from the 90s. I can remember hearing Ice Ice Baby, The Macarena, Winds of Change and What is Love. We had omelettes and frietens. The omelettes were good, though a little different from what I'm used to getting in the US. The fried were served with mayo, which I was happy to use, but David asked for ketchup. We had a round with lunch and a round afterwards before heading out for some sightseeing.
516. Pauwel Kwak
These were served in round bottomed flask-shaped glasses that were held on wooden stands.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Bosteels
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a hazy brown with a sudsy, beige head that fades to a thin film leaving patchy lace. Chunks of yeast float around.
Smell (4.0): Malty in the nose with toffee, caramel, raisins with a light spiciness.
Taste (4.0): Sweet caramel maltiness, followed by raisin fruitiness in the center. The finish is lightly spicy and bitter.
Mouthfeel (3.0): Low carbonation, light-bodied and a tad watery.
Drinkability (4.0): Easy to drink.
Overall (3.8)
517. Corsendonk Agnus
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Corsendonk
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a lightly hazy golden. A thick, foamy, white head thins to a quarter-inch layer leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Very fruity, with strong sour apple aromas, yeast and light spice.
Taste (3.5): Light, sweet fruit upfront, mostly sour apple. This fades into a peppery and grainy finish.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light to medium-bodied, moderate carbonation, a little bit of creaminess.
Drinkability (4.5): Tasty and easy to drink, with a nice refreshing quality.
Overall (3.95)
After leaving Berenbak we went to The Old Stock Exchange, or Den Rhijn, which was the site of the Antwerp stock exchange until 1533.
Inner courtyard of Den Rhijn
Inner courtyard of Den Rhijn
Inner courtyard of Den Rhijn
Inner courtyard of Den Rhijn
We walked through the Grote Markt and saw the Stadhuis, or City Hall, which was built in the 1560s.
The Stadhuis
The statue depicting the legend behind Antwerp's name.
According to Wikipedia:
According to folklore, the city got its name from a legend involving a mythical giant called Antigoon that lived near the river Scheldt, exacting a toll from those crossing the river. On refusal, the giant severed one of their hands and threw them into the Scheldt. Eventually, the giant was slain by a young hero named Brabo, who cut off the giant's hand and threw it into the river. Hence the name Antwerpen from Dutch hand werpen (hand-throwing).
A street near the Grote Markt
Nearby was The Cathedral of Our Lady, for which construction started in 1351. Construction on the first phase was completed in 1521. We paid the admission to go inside, mainly to see the famous Rubens, including The Raising of the Cross and The Descent of the Cross.
The Cathedral of Our Lady
The Cathedral of Our Lady
The Cathedral of Our Lady
The Cathedral of Our Lady
The Cathedral of Our Lady
We were looking through the guidebook trying to get our bearings, when I noticed an old man paying particular attention to us. He eventually came up to us and was very friendly. He told us about various sights in Antwerp that he thought were notable, one of which was a tunnel under the Scheldt River. We then walked to the river to see Het Steen (The Stone), a castle built in the 1200s to control access to the Scheldt.
Het Steen
Het Steen
A small alley that was notable for some reason.
Having done enough sightseeing and not enough drinking we headed to Oud Arsenaal. On the way we walked by the first skyscraper in Europe, The Boerentoren (Farmer's Tower). There was a single row of tables that lined a bench on the right side, while the bar was on the left side. There was considerable standing room in between. When we arrived the bar was pretty empty, but as soon as we had decided on drinks the bar filled with a large group of middle aged to retired men. One of them sat at the table next to us and struck up a conversation. He explained to us that he was from Ghent and was part of a group called "The Brotherhood of the Monday Friends," a group that got together to drink on the four Mondays a year that are holidays. We also told us a bit about beer, it was nothing that I didn't already know, but I listened anyway. Oud Arsenaal was their last stop for the day, which was fine with him since he had to be back in Ghent later that evening to drink with the rest of the Medieval Crossbow club that he was a member of. I asked him if it was a good idea to drink while shooting crossbows. He maintained that one needs to drink while shooting crossbows in order to be relaxed enough. He got up to talk to other members of The Brotherhood, but before they left he returned to our table and slammed his fist down in what seemed to be a friendly goodbye gesture.
We also saw two men across the bar who had both The Good Beer Guide: Belgium, and The Lonely Planet Belgium guide. On our way out we spoke to them. They were both from Germany and were on vacation in Belgium. More about them later, since we would run into them several more times.
Our first round was an Achel 8° Brune, which I had had before, and an Achel 8° Blond.
518. Achel 8° Blond
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij der St.Benedictusabdij de Achelse
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a lightly hazy golden with a very thick, meringue-like, off-white head. The retention is good with thick patches of lace.
Smell (3.5): Fruity, bananas, definite black peppery spice.
Taste (4.0): Light fruitiness upfront. The finish is peppery and spicy with a significant aged-hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Thick and full-bodied, low carbonation with a dry finish.
Drinkability (4.0): The bitterness is quite nice.
Overall (4.05)
Our next round was side by side Gueuzes.
519. Oud Beersel Oude Gueuze Vieille
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Oud Beersel
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Gueuze, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a lightly hazy golden with a fluffy, off-white head that fades very, very slowly.
Smell (4.0): Some fruity aromas are evident above an acidic sourness, there's also a light funkiness. Swirling brings out more sourness.
Taste (3.5): Sour and acidic with a fruity citric sweetness. The finish is lightly funky with a slight bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light-bodied, low carbonation, lightly dry finish.
Drinkability (4.0): Good. Sour and funky with a nice balance. Has all of the lambic characters, but isn't extreme.
Overall (3.9)
520. Hanssens Oude Gueuze
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Hanssens Artisanaal bvba
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Gueuze, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a lightly hazy golden (slightly darker and clearer than the Oud Beersel). Topped by a fluffy, white head that fades, leaving patchy lace.
Smell (5.0): Sour and acidic with considerable funkiness. Swirling increases the funkiness.
Taste (4.5): An intense sourness is evident upfront and lasts throughout. There's some citric character in the center that brings along a very mild sweetness. There are light grassy and earthy elements in the finish.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Light-bodied, low carbonation, very dry.
Drinkability (3.5): Sour and funky, but delicious. This definitely wins in a side-by-side
Overall (4.45)
Labels: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Belgium 2006, Gueuze, Lambic, Sour Beer, Travel, Tripel
Day Two, Brussels: Warm Water, Delirium Café, Absinthe
Published by Thom on Sunday, December 03, 2006 at 10:31 PM.
After leaving Ploegmans, we headed to nearby Restobières for dinner since it came highly recommended by the Good Beer Guide, but it was closed. Instead we went to Warm Water, which was also recommended by the Guide.
The café was two floors, we took a table upstairs and were served by a Moroccan waitress (David asked). The main menu was in French and Dutch, which we struggled through for a while, focusing on the "Brussels Specialties". I was able to identify a smoked fish plate on the French menu. We were both eying the Brussels tomatoes with kip-kap, but neither of us knew what kip-kap was. We asked for an English menu only to see "kip-kap". The waitress said it was pork, but couldn't tell us what type of pork. David threw caution to the wind and ordered the "Brussels Tomatoes with Kip-Kap" and I ordered "Four Brussels Meats". Perhaps being adventurous here wasn't the best of ideas.
Our food arrived. David's was four tomato halves on a bed of lettuce with a dressing and little globs of meat, that he tried, but couldn't eat many of (Google tells me kip-kap is pig cheeks). Mine was slices of four different types of meat. One was a pâté, one was duck held together by a clear jelly, one was dark brown with white chunks, and the last was a reddish-orange with chucks that may have been tripe. I managed to get through a surprising amount, but had to give up in the end. The highlight of the dinner was the 750 mL bottle of Girardin Gueuze 1882 White Label that we split.
509. Girardin Gueuze 1882 White Label
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Girardin
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Gueuze, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Very lightly hazy, with a fluffy off-white head that clings to the glass.
Smell (4.0): Sour and acidic, with lemony and grassy notes and a light funkiness.
Taste (4.5): Sour, lemony and fruity, with a grassy and funky finish that has a light bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light-bodied, moderate-carbonation, dry finish.
Drinkability (4.0): Crisp and sour, but nice.
Overall (4.3)
After dinner we took the Subway to the EU building to do some token sight-seeing. It was hard to get good pictures since it was dark.
We then returned to Delirium Café to have more beer. We snagged a barrel and had four rounds. We ended up talking to a few people. A group of Brits sat down at a barrel nearby. One of them noticed that I had been taking notes and he came up to ask about them. When I told him I take notes on the new beers that I try and that I was on number 512 he said "So, a beginner eh?" Tickers, I suspect, and I suspect they thought I was a ticker. David drew a picture of him.
On a trip up to the bar to get the next round David ran into a guy from Canada. A few minutes later the Canadian came by with a girl named Christine from Philadelphia who wanted to meet the other Americans in the bar. We talked for about 10 minutes. The Canadian was going to school in Rotterdam and Christine was in Brussels visiting her sister who had cancer. I don't know if I suspected that she was hitting on me when she made a point to tell me that the guy that she was with was the cousin of a friend and that she had only met him tonight, when she suggested we hang out later in the week, or when she started touching my leg. After they went back to the bar I pointed this out to David, who I had to convince to stay put because I wasn't interested. When we saw them leave David bolted out of the bar a minute later. He was back ten minutes later with a rose and Christine's number in Belgium. He had purchased the rose as a backup apparently.
The conversation went something like this:
David: Gets her attention by yelling something about the Philadelphia Eagles
David: My friend thinks you're really beautiful, could he have your number?
Christine: Writes down number Tell him to call me anytime, day or night.
That's pretty much the end of that story. I wasn't really interested and we were leaving for Antwerp the next day.
David also had a conversation with someone nearby about finance. I don't remember where he was from or what exactly they were talking about. I think David gave the rose to him when we left to give to one of the three girls he was there with.
510. Witkap Pater Tripel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Slaghmuylder
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a hazy, pale blonde, with a sudsy, white head that fades to a quarter-inch layer leaving lace that coats the inside of the glass.
Smell (4.0): Bananas, pepper and a hint of cloves.
Taste (4.0): Lightly sweet fruitiness upfront. The finish is peppery and grainy with a bit of chalky yeast. There's also light bitterness, light residual sweetness and mild tartness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light-bodied, high-carbonation, lightly dry.
Drinkability (3.5): Fairly spicy and strong.
Overall (4.05)
511. Witkap Pater Stimulo
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Slaghmuylder
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a cloudy, pale-straw color. A thin white head fades to a patchy film.
Smell (4.0): Fruity aromas that are almost tropical. Swirling brings out pepper and hints of alcohol.
Taste (4.0): Fairly well attenuated given the fruitiness in the aroma. There's some dry graininess and mildly sweet fruitiness. The finish is nicely spicy with some chalky yeast.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light-bodied, moderate carbonation, light dryness.
Drinkability (4.0): Spicy and fruity, not overdone, very drinkable.
Overall (4.05)
512. St. Bernardus Pater 6
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV
Alcohol: 6.70%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Dubbel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear ruby-brown, with a beige head that thins to a film, leaving patchy lace.
Smell (3.5): Roasty with a light fruity sweetness.
Taste (4.0): Toasty maltiness upfront, with a tart cherry fruitiness, followed by a lightly bitter roasted finish.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Medium-bodied, high carbonation.
Drinkability (4.5): Definitely very drinkable and balanced.
Overall (3.9)
23. Corsendonk Pater (2001)
Corsendonk Pater, vintage 2001, was one of the aged beers available at Delirium. We ordered a bottle to try. The bartender poured the first bottle, which had no head, he also sniffed the beer before discarding it and pouring another.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Corsendonk
Year: 2001
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Dubbel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a cloudy reddish-brown. A one-inch head fades quickly leaving a ring of bubbles.
Smell (4.5): This reminds me a lot of the De Dolle Stille Nacht that we tried at the Belgian Beer Fest. Strong notes of caramel and toffee, with a nice vinuous character.
Taste (4.5): Caramel and a little bit of a dark fruit sweetness. The fruity sweetness strengthens in the finish.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Full-bodied, low-carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): Sweet, a sipper.
Overall (4.15)
513. Fantôme Spéciale De Noel
This seemed to be another reimport. It had the US label and said Imported by Shelton Bros.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Fantôme
Alcohol: 10.00%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a clear, dark brown with an amber tint when held up to the light. It's topped by a thick, light brown head with excellent retention and nice lace.
Smell (4.0): Light roast, sweet raisins and cherries.
Taste (4.5): Cherry fruitiness with a lambic like sourness. The finish has a nice chocolate and coffee bitterness with spicy alcohol.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): An interesting mix of flavors.
Overall (4.3)
514. De Cam Oude Kriek
When I ordered this one the bartender said he hadn't seen it, but he would check. He brought out a dusty bottle that was labeled 09.2004.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: De Cam Geuzestekerij
Year: 2004
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Fruit Lambic, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): When I poured out the first half the beer was crystal clear, but the second half had some cloudiness. That tells you how long the bottle had been sitting in the cellar undisturbed. The beer pours an orange-red color with a thin pinkish head that quickly fades to a thin ring.
Smell (5.0): Without swirling cherries and acidic sourness dominate the aroma with a light funky barnyard aroma. Upon swirling the barnyard aroma becomes very intense. Exactly what I want a kriek to smell like.
Taste (5.0): Very acidic and sour. There are tart cherry flavors that bring along no sweetness. The finish is noticeably earthy and funky... Marvelous.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Light-bodied, low carbonation with an intensely dry finish.
Drinkability (4.0): A sipper, but a fantastic sipper.
Overall (4.75)
515. Bieken
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Huisbrouwerij Boelens
Alcohol: 8.50%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a lightly cloudy golden with chunks of yeats floating about. A white head fades to a patchy film.
Smell (4.0): Sweet and fruity with notes of honey and toffee.
Taste (3.5): Sweet honey flavors, with a lightly sweet finish with pepper to balance.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium to full-bodied, with moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Sweet, but not overly so.
Overall (3.7)
After leaving Delirium we noticed that we had forgotten our map. David ran back down to retrieve it. Our barrel had been occupied. When David asked the people there if a map had been left, they said yes. David asked if they were going to give it back, but they made no indication of it. They coughed it up when David threatened to punch them.
After getting the map.
There was an absinthe bar across the street called Maison Fondee. We decided to each have a shot of absinthe since we can't in the US. We asked the bartender for two shots of the best absinthe he had. He explained that thujone is regulated in the EU, so commercial absinthe is low in thujone. He pointed out that the absinthe that he served us was 89.9% alcohol by volume, though low in thujone. We were given two shots of absinthe, two slotted spoons and two cubes of sugar. He explained that we were supposed to burn the sugar and drop it in, though I had always thought that water was poured over the sugar making the absinthe opalescent.
The absinthe itself was bright green and smelled heavily of anise. We followed the bartenders instructions and took the shots, which I can only describe as pure pain. The flavor was straight anise, with little else aside from burning alcohol. We got two tap waters, paid up and then left. The shot definitely pushed me from tipsy to drunk, but other than that I didn't feel anything out of the ordinary. David claimed to be seeing mild visual effects that he said were beyond just being drunk.
We eventually got back to the hostel, after some false turns, disputes about direction and trying to cut through a parking garage with no exit on the other side.
Walking back along Rue des Bouchers
Walking back along Rue des Bouchers
This building was pretty interesting, especially when drunk.
We got back to the hostel and bet money on ping-pong. I beat David handily, which he attributes to the absinthe.
The café was two floors, we took a table upstairs and were served by a Moroccan waitress (David asked). The main menu was in French and Dutch, which we struggled through for a while, focusing on the "Brussels Specialties". I was able to identify a smoked fish plate on the French menu. We were both eying the Brussels tomatoes with kip-kap, but neither of us knew what kip-kap was. We asked for an English menu only to see "kip-kap". The waitress said it was pork, but couldn't tell us what type of pork. David threw caution to the wind and ordered the "Brussels Tomatoes with Kip-Kap" and I ordered "Four Brussels Meats". Perhaps being adventurous here wasn't the best of ideas.
Our food arrived. David's was four tomato halves on a bed of lettuce with a dressing and little globs of meat, that he tried, but couldn't eat many of (Google tells me kip-kap is pig cheeks). Mine was slices of four different types of meat. One was a pâté, one was duck held together by a clear jelly, one was dark brown with white chunks, and the last was a reddish-orange with chucks that may have been tripe. I managed to get through a surprising amount, but had to give up in the end. The highlight of the dinner was the 750 mL bottle of Girardin Gueuze 1882 White Label that we split.
509. Girardin Gueuze 1882 White Label
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Girardin
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Gueuze, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Very lightly hazy, with a fluffy off-white head that clings to the glass.
Smell (4.0): Sour and acidic, with lemony and grassy notes and a light funkiness.
Taste (4.5): Sour, lemony and fruity, with a grassy and funky finish that has a light bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light-bodied, moderate-carbonation, dry finish.
Drinkability (4.0): Crisp and sour, but nice.
Overall (4.3)
After dinner we took the Subway to the EU building to do some token sight-seeing. It was hard to get good pictures since it was dark.
We then returned to Delirium Café to have more beer. We snagged a barrel and had four rounds. We ended up talking to a few people. A group of Brits sat down at a barrel nearby. One of them noticed that I had been taking notes and he came up to ask about them. When I told him I take notes on the new beers that I try and that I was on number 512 he said "So, a beginner eh?" Tickers, I suspect, and I suspect they thought I was a ticker. David drew a picture of him.
On a trip up to the bar to get the next round David ran into a guy from Canada. A few minutes later the Canadian came by with a girl named Christine from Philadelphia who wanted to meet the other Americans in the bar. We talked for about 10 minutes. The Canadian was going to school in Rotterdam and Christine was in Brussels visiting her sister who had cancer. I don't know if I suspected that she was hitting on me when she made a point to tell me that the guy that she was with was the cousin of a friend and that she had only met him tonight, when she suggested we hang out later in the week, or when she started touching my leg. After they went back to the bar I pointed this out to David, who I had to convince to stay put because I wasn't interested. When we saw them leave David bolted out of the bar a minute later. He was back ten minutes later with a rose and Christine's number in Belgium. He had purchased the rose as a backup apparently.
The conversation went something like this:
David: Gets her attention by yelling something about the Philadelphia Eagles
David: My friend thinks you're really beautiful, could he have your number?
Christine: Writes down number Tell him to call me anytime, day or night.
That's pretty much the end of that story. I wasn't really interested and we were leaving for Antwerp the next day.
David also had a conversation with someone nearby about finance. I don't remember where he was from or what exactly they were talking about. I think David gave the rose to him when we left to give to one of the three girls he was there with.
510. Witkap Pater Tripel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Slaghmuylder
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a hazy, pale blonde, with a sudsy, white head that fades to a quarter-inch layer leaving lace that coats the inside of the glass.
Smell (4.0): Bananas, pepper and a hint of cloves.
Taste (4.0): Lightly sweet fruitiness upfront. The finish is peppery and grainy with a bit of chalky yeast. There's also light bitterness, light residual sweetness and mild tartness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light-bodied, high-carbonation, lightly dry.
Drinkability (3.5): Fairly spicy and strong.
Overall (4.05)
511. Witkap Pater Stimulo
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Slaghmuylder
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a cloudy, pale-straw color. A thin white head fades to a patchy film.
Smell (4.0): Fruity aromas that are almost tropical. Swirling brings out pepper and hints of alcohol.
Taste (4.0): Fairly well attenuated given the fruitiness in the aroma. There's some dry graininess and mildly sweet fruitiness. The finish is nicely spicy with some chalky yeast.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light-bodied, moderate carbonation, light dryness.
Drinkability (4.0): Spicy and fruity, not overdone, very drinkable.
Overall (4.05)
512. St. Bernardus Pater 6
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV
Alcohol: 6.70%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Dubbel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear ruby-brown, with a beige head that thins to a film, leaving patchy lace.
Smell (3.5): Roasty with a light fruity sweetness.
Taste (4.0): Toasty maltiness upfront, with a tart cherry fruitiness, followed by a lightly bitter roasted finish.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Medium-bodied, high carbonation.
Drinkability (4.5): Definitely very drinkable and balanced.
Overall (3.9)
23. Corsendonk Pater (2001)
Corsendonk Pater, vintage 2001, was one of the aged beers available at Delirium. We ordered a bottle to try. The bartender poured the first bottle, which had no head, he also sniffed the beer before discarding it and pouring another.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Corsendonk
Year: 2001
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Dubbel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a cloudy reddish-brown. A one-inch head fades quickly leaving a ring of bubbles.
Smell (4.5): This reminds me a lot of the De Dolle Stille Nacht that we tried at the Belgian Beer Fest. Strong notes of caramel and toffee, with a nice vinuous character.
Taste (4.5): Caramel and a little bit of a dark fruit sweetness. The fruity sweetness strengthens in the finish.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Full-bodied, low-carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): Sweet, a sipper.
Overall (4.15)
513. Fantôme Spéciale De Noel
This seemed to be another reimport. It had the US label and said Imported by Shelton Bros.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Fantôme
Alcohol: 10.00%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a clear, dark brown with an amber tint when held up to the light. It's topped by a thick, light brown head with excellent retention and nice lace.
Smell (4.0): Light roast, sweet raisins and cherries.
Taste (4.5): Cherry fruitiness with a lambic like sourness. The finish has a nice chocolate and coffee bitterness with spicy alcohol.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): An interesting mix of flavors.
Overall (4.3)
514. De Cam Oude Kriek
When I ordered this one the bartender said he hadn't seen it, but he would check. He brought out a dusty bottle that was labeled 09.2004.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: De Cam Geuzestekerij
Year: 2004
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Fruit Lambic, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): When I poured out the first half the beer was crystal clear, but the second half had some cloudiness. That tells you how long the bottle had been sitting in the cellar undisturbed. The beer pours an orange-red color with a thin pinkish head that quickly fades to a thin ring.
Smell (5.0): Without swirling cherries and acidic sourness dominate the aroma with a light funky barnyard aroma. Upon swirling the barnyard aroma becomes very intense. Exactly what I want a kriek to smell like.
Taste (5.0): Very acidic and sour. There are tart cherry flavors that bring along no sweetness. The finish is noticeably earthy and funky... Marvelous.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Light-bodied, low carbonation with an intensely dry finish.
Drinkability (4.0): A sipper, but a fantastic sipper.
Overall (4.75)
515. Bieken
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Huisbrouwerij Boelens
Alcohol: 8.50%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a lightly cloudy golden with chunks of yeats floating about. A white head fades to a patchy film.
Smell (4.0): Sweet and fruity with notes of honey and toffee.
Taste (3.5): Sweet honey flavors, with a lightly sweet finish with pepper to balance.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium to full-bodied, with moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Sweet, but not overly so.
Overall (3.7)
After leaving Delirium we noticed that we had forgotten our map. David ran back down to retrieve it. Our barrel had been occupied. When David asked the people there if a map had been left, they said yes. David asked if they were going to give it back, but they made no indication of it. They coughed it up when David threatened to punch them.
After getting the map.
There was an absinthe bar across the street called Maison Fondee. We decided to each have a shot of absinthe since we can't in the US. We asked the bartender for two shots of the best absinthe he had. He explained that thujone is regulated in the EU, so commercial absinthe is low in thujone. He pointed out that the absinthe that he served us was 89.9% alcohol by volume, though low in thujone. We were given two shots of absinthe, two slotted spoons and two cubes of sugar. He explained that we were supposed to burn the sugar and drop it in, though I had always thought that water was poured over the sugar making the absinthe opalescent.
The absinthe itself was bright green and smelled heavily of anise. We followed the bartenders instructions and took the shots, which I can only describe as pure pain. The flavor was straight anise, with little else aside from burning alcohol. We got two tap waters, paid up and then left. The shot definitely pushed me from tipsy to drunk, but other than that I didn't feel anything out of the ordinary. David claimed to be seeing mild visual effects that he said were beyond just being drunk.
We eventually got back to the hostel, after some false turns, disputes about direction and trying to cut through a parking garage with no exit on the other side.
Walking back along Rue des Bouchers
Walking back along Rue des Bouchers
This building was pretty interesting, especially when drunk.
We got back to the hostel and bet money on ping-pong. I beat David handily, which he attributes to the absinthe.
Labels: Belgian Pale Ale, Belgium 2006, Dubbel, Fruit Lambic, Gueuze, Saison, Travel, Tripel
Day Two, Brussels: Poechenellekelder, Mort Subite, Ploegmans
Published by Thom on Saturday, December 02, 2006 at 10:58 PM.
We woke up Sunday morning and had to hurry to get our free hostel breakfast. The breakfast established two patterns that remained constant the entire trip: Oxfam fair trade products everywhere, and the standard minimal breakfast consisting of bread, cheese (always the same lightly funky variety), cold cuts, spreads for the bread, and muesli.
Having lost our Lonely Planet guide, we purchased a map of Brussels from the hostel for 0.40 € (or is it 0,40?). We returned to our room, marked some bars on the map and headed out. Our first stop was Poechenellekelder on Rue du Chêne. We took the subway to the Arts-Loi (Kunst-Wet) stop and walked through Park van Brussel on our way to the Grand' Place.
Poechenellekelder, which means "Mannequin Cellar," is across from the Manneken Pis, which was dressed in a costume that morning.
As its name suggests Poechenellekelder is heavily decorated with puppets. It wasn't terribly crowded when we arrived so we were able to easily get a table in the larger room away from the entrance. We sat near a group of Americans whose heavy accents suggested that they were from somewhere in the south. Snippets of their conversation that we caught suggested that they were the academic types.
504. Geuze De Cam
Having enjoyed the Boon Mariage Parfait Geuze at Moeder Lambic the night before, we decided to try the De Cam Geuze. Incidentally, aside from the serving baskets at Cantillon, this was the first time we'd been given a serving basket for a bottle of Gueuze. I think this is the beer that led us to propose a morning Gueuze break instead of a coffee break.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: De Cam Geuzestekerij
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Gueuze, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (5.0): Pours a lightly hazy golden, with a thick creamy head that has great retention, and leaves patchy lace on the side of the glass.
Smell (4.5): Sour acidic tartness, light fruit, and light barnyard aromas that are enhanced upon swirling.
Taste (4.5): A very intense acidic sourness is dominant. There's a light lemony citrus character in the center that brings along a bit of sweetness, followed by a mild earthiness. Excellent, excellent sourness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light-bodied, low carbonation, with a moderately dry finish.
Drinkability (3.5): The sourness necessitates that this is a sipper.
Overall (4.45)
505. Bush Blonde
We also had this at Poechenellekelder.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Dubuisson Frères
Alcohol: 10.50%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a cloudy, straw color, with a thick white head that fades to a thin film leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Very fruity, but hard to place. Sugar, alcohol and grain are also evident. There's also a bit of a phenolic aroma upon swirling.
Taste (4.0): Fruity and sweet upfront, with hints of banana. The center is grainy, and the finish is a nice mix of berry sweetness, yeast and peppery alcohol, with a light bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Full-bodied and creamy with low carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): Ten and a half percent alcohol and it shows.
Overall (3.85)
After leaving Poechenellekelder we went to A la Mort Subite (Sudden Death) on Rue Montagne aux Herbes Potagères. The Good Beer Guide: Belgium describes it as a fin de siècle (turn-of-the-century) long bar. There's a bench that runs the length of the establishment with accompanying tables. The inside was nice (check the website for pictures). We had a round of the Mort Subite beers and a salami and cheese plate with pearl onions and cornichons. The beers catered to the mainstream palate, but the food hit the spot.
506. Mort Subite Framboise
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Keersmaeker
Alcohol: 4.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Fruit Lambic, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a cloudy red-orange, with a rocky, pink head that retains well and leaves heavy lace on the inside of the glass.
Smell (2.0): A sweet raspberry fruitiness dominates, with only a light funkiness evident.
Taste (1.5): Sweet and syrupy raspberry is all that is evident.
Mouthfeel (3.0): Medium-bodied, tingly carbonation, syrupy.
Drinkability (3.5): Drinkable, but too sweet.
Overall (2.45)
507. Mort Subite Gueuze
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Keersmaeker
Alcohol: 4.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Gueuze, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy golden-orange. Topped by a white head that thins to a patchy film leaving heavy lace.
Smell (3.0): Acidic sourness. Swirling brings out light funkiness and an odd sugary aroma.
Taste (3.5): Moderate sourness with some citric notes, lightly sweet in the center. There's a light funkiness in the finish. All of the lambic characteristics are there, but they're toned down.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light-bodied, low carbonation, lightly dry.
Drinkability (4.0): Toned down and easy to drink.
Overall (3.55)
After leaving Mort Subite, we took the Metro to the Palais de Justice. We walked past a WWI or WWII statue of large barrel-chested soldiers with crossed arms, on which someone had placed a Chimay Blue empty. There was an elevator that went from the high ground near the Palais, to a lower part of the city where Ploegmans was located. The bar itself was nothing special, the beer selection was pretty pedestrian. We ordered a Lindemans Gueuze and the ubiquitous Jupiler, which seems to be the Belgian equivalent of Bud.
508. Jupiler
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Piedboeuf
Alcohol: 5.20%%
Serving: Tap
Style: Euro Pale Lager, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a clear, straw color with a foamy white head that fades leaving heavy lace.
Smell (2.0): Pretty standard lager smell. Light hops, sweet malt, with a little graininess.
Taste (2.5): Standard. Malty sweetness followed by light grain and a mild hop bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (3.0): Crisp, with moderate carbonation, somewhat watery.
Drinkability (3.5): Easy to drink because it's boring.
Overall (2.75)
Having lost our Lonely Planet guide, we purchased a map of Brussels from the hostel for 0.40 € (or is it 0,40?). We returned to our room, marked some bars on the map and headed out. Our first stop was Poechenellekelder on Rue du Chêne. We took the subway to the Arts-Loi (Kunst-Wet) stop and walked through Park van Brussel on our way to the Grand' Place.
Poechenellekelder, which means "Mannequin Cellar," is across from the Manneken Pis, which was dressed in a costume that morning.
As its name suggests Poechenellekelder is heavily decorated with puppets. It wasn't terribly crowded when we arrived so we were able to easily get a table in the larger room away from the entrance. We sat near a group of Americans whose heavy accents suggested that they were from somewhere in the south. Snippets of their conversation that we caught suggested that they were the academic types.
504. Geuze De Cam
Having enjoyed the Boon Mariage Parfait Geuze at Moeder Lambic the night before, we decided to try the De Cam Geuze. Incidentally, aside from the serving baskets at Cantillon, this was the first time we'd been given a serving basket for a bottle of Gueuze. I think this is the beer that led us to propose a morning Gueuze break instead of a coffee break.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: De Cam Geuzestekerij
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Gueuze, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (5.0): Pours a lightly hazy golden, with a thick creamy head that has great retention, and leaves patchy lace on the side of the glass.
Smell (4.5): Sour acidic tartness, light fruit, and light barnyard aromas that are enhanced upon swirling.
Taste (4.5): A very intense acidic sourness is dominant. There's a light lemony citrus character in the center that brings along a bit of sweetness, followed by a mild earthiness. Excellent, excellent sourness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light-bodied, low carbonation, with a moderately dry finish.
Drinkability (3.5): The sourness necessitates that this is a sipper.
Overall (4.45)
505. Bush Blonde
We also had this at Poechenellekelder.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Dubuisson Frères
Alcohol: 10.50%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a cloudy, straw color, with a thick white head that fades to a thin film leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Very fruity, but hard to place. Sugar, alcohol and grain are also evident. There's also a bit of a phenolic aroma upon swirling.
Taste (4.0): Fruity and sweet upfront, with hints of banana. The center is grainy, and the finish is a nice mix of berry sweetness, yeast and peppery alcohol, with a light bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Full-bodied and creamy with low carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): Ten and a half percent alcohol and it shows.
Overall (3.85)
After leaving Poechenellekelder we went to A la Mort Subite (Sudden Death) on Rue Montagne aux Herbes Potagères. The Good Beer Guide: Belgium describes it as a fin de siècle (turn-of-the-century) long bar. There's a bench that runs the length of the establishment with accompanying tables. The inside was nice (check the website for pictures). We had a round of the Mort Subite beers and a salami and cheese plate with pearl onions and cornichons. The beers catered to the mainstream palate, but the food hit the spot.
506. Mort Subite Framboise
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Keersmaeker
Alcohol: 4.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Fruit Lambic, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a cloudy red-orange, with a rocky, pink head that retains well and leaves heavy lace on the inside of the glass.
Smell (2.0): A sweet raspberry fruitiness dominates, with only a light funkiness evident.
Taste (1.5): Sweet and syrupy raspberry is all that is evident.
Mouthfeel (3.0): Medium-bodied, tingly carbonation, syrupy.
Drinkability (3.5): Drinkable, but too sweet.
Overall (2.45)
507. Mort Subite Gueuze
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Keersmaeker
Alcohol: 4.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Gueuze, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy golden-orange. Topped by a white head that thins to a patchy film leaving heavy lace.
Smell (3.0): Acidic sourness. Swirling brings out light funkiness and an odd sugary aroma.
Taste (3.5): Moderate sourness with some citric notes, lightly sweet in the center. There's a light funkiness in the finish. All of the lambic characteristics are there, but they're toned down.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light-bodied, low carbonation, lightly dry.
Drinkability (4.0): Toned down and easy to drink.
Overall (3.55)
After leaving Mort Subite, we took the Metro to the Palais de Justice. We walked past a WWI or WWII statue of large barrel-chested soldiers with crossed arms, on which someone had placed a Chimay Blue empty. There was an elevator that went from the high ground near the Palais, to a lower part of the city where Ploegmans was located. The bar itself was nothing special, the beer selection was pretty pedestrian. We ordered a Lindemans Gueuze and the ubiquitous Jupiler, which seems to be the Belgian equivalent of Bud.
508. Jupiler
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Piedboeuf
Alcohol: 5.20%%
Serving: Tap
Style: Euro Pale Lager, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a clear, straw color with a foamy white head that fades leaving heavy lace.
Smell (2.0): Pretty standard lager smell. Light hops, sweet malt, with a little graininess.
Taste (2.5): Standard. Malty sweetness followed by light grain and a mild hop bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (3.0): Crisp, with moderate carbonation, somewhat watery.
Drinkability (3.5): Easy to drink because it's boring.
Overall (2.75)
Labels: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Belgium 2006, Euro Pale Lager, Fruit Lambic, Gueuze, Lambic, Sour Beer, Travel
After leaving Delirium Café we decided to head to Moeder Lambic (Mother Lambic) on Rue Savoie in the Sint-Gilles section of Brussels. To get there we had to figure out the Subway/Tram system. There are no actual turnstiles, and you never have to swipe your card. The entire public transportation system seems to be built on the honor system. Getting caught without a ticket will net you a 55 € fine, but we never saw any enforcement, nor did we see many people swiping. Someone helped us find the stop we wanted, David interacted with him primarily, so I don't remember much about this.
We stopped for dinner at a neighborhood Lebanese restaurant called Snack Pita Royal. The restaurant was narrow with a single row of seating that opened up towards the rear. The walls were heavily decorated with various trinkets and knick-knacks. The owner pointed out a fake dollar bill with a picture of Bill Clinton that said "Make love, not war" in French. The proprietor was dressed in a white t-shirt with a Lebanses flag inside of a heart and a Lebanese flag cap. The service was a little high pressure, but friendly. I, Thomas Carlile, ordered port with lemonade and fresh ginger. Surprisingly, it was better than it sounds, and though David agreed, he still insists that the concept itself is a crime against port. We had "Lebanese Nachos" as an appetizer. They were essentially lightly spiced pita chips with a spiced dipping sauce that I can only guess, based on our other culinary experiences in Belgium, was mayonnaise based. Then we each had the chili shawarma sandwich (wrap), which was quite tasty. The proprietor was surprised that we knew what shawarma was, and insisted his was the best anywhere.
After dinner we continued on to Moeder Lambic. The bar is a small single, dimly lit room with seating at the bar and at several tables. The bar has some of the dinginess of a nice dive, with a solid layer of dust on most of the empty bottles that line the walls. The place was packed when we arrived, so we grabbed the two empty seats at the bar. We had a nice conversation with the bartender who was pretty knowledgeable about beer. We had two rounds here before heading back to the hostel.
502. Fantôme Saison
We split a 750 mL of this.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Fantôme
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy golden, with a fluffy white head that clings to the side of the glass as it fades.
Smell (4.5): Fruity and citric aromas with nice notes of aged hops.
Taste (4.5): Sweet and fruity upfront, especially sour apples and citrus. These fade into a lightly spicy finish with a mellow hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.5): High carbonation, low to medium-bodied, dry finish.
Drinkability (4.5): Crisp and refreshing. Balanced well.
Overall (4.4)
503. Boon Oude Geuze Mariage Parfait
This was our last round at Moeder Lambic. The bottle wasn't quite a 750, but it was larger than a 330.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Boon
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Gueuze, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a lightly hazy golden, with a thick white head that thins to a patchy film, leaving heavy lace.
Smell (4.5): Sour and acidic with hints of lemon and apple. There's also some nice grassy earthy funkiness.
Taste (4.5): Sour and acidic tartness upfront. The center is fruity, but only lightly sweet. Like the smell this fruitiness is reminiscent of lemon and apple. The finish has a light, aged-hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Light-bodied, high carbonation, very dry finish.
Drinkability (5.0): Crisp and refreshing, very drinkable despite or perhaps because of the sourness.
Overall (4.55)
Looking back over what we drank for the day it doesn't seem like much, perhaps it was the lack of quality sleep on the overnight flight to Brussels, but we were both fairly drunk. We walked back to the Tram and got on. David found a package of tobacco and rolling papers and attempted to roll some cigarettes, but failed. By this time we were being stared at by two teenagers who were playing Francophone hip-hop loudly on their cell-phones. David ended up stuffing 12 rolling papers in his mouth and laughing hysterically. When we got off the Tram our Lonely Planet guide must have fallen out of the pocket of my jacket, so we had to wing it on the way back to the hostel.
The hostel had a bar so we each had an Orval and played foosball, on which I won a few bucks. Back in the room David plugged my alarm clock in using an adapter that I'd borrowed from a Spanish post-doc in my lab. I didn't realize that it didn't convert the voltage, so my alarm clock got fried. We opened the drapes and decided to let the light wake us up in the morning.
We stopped for dinner at a neighborhood Lebanese restaurant called Snack Pita Royal. The restaurant was narrow with a single row of seating that opened up towards the rear. The walls were heavily decorated with various trinkets and knick-knacks. The owner pointed out a fake dollar bill with a picture of Bill Clinton that said "Make love, not war" in French. The proprietor was dressed in a white t-shirt with a Lebanses flag inside of a heart and a Lebanese flag cap. The service was a little high pressure, but friendly. I, Thomas Carlile, ordered port with lemonade and fresh ginger. Surprisingly, it was better than it sounds, and though David agreed, he still insists that the concept itself is a crime against port. We had "Lebanese Nachos" as an appetizer. They were essentially lightly spiced pita chips with a spiced dipping sauce that I can only guess, based on our other culinary experiences in Belgium, was mayonnaise based. Then we each had the chili shawarma sandwich (wrap), which was quite tasty. The proprietor was surprised that we knew what shawarma was, and insisted his was the best anywhere.
After dinner we continued on to Moeder Lambic. The bar is a small single, dimly lit room with seating at the bar and at several tables. The bar has some of the dinginess of a nice dive, with a solid layer of dust on most of the empty bottles that line the walls. The place was packed when we arrived, so we grabbed the two empty seats at the bar. We had a nice conversation with the bartender who was pretty knowledgeable about beer. We had two rounds here before heading back to the hostel.
502. Fantôme Saison
We split a 750 mL of this.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Fantôme
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy golden, with a fluffy white head that clings to the side of the glass as it fades.
Smell (4.5): Fruity and citric aromas with nice notes of aged hops.
Taste (4.5): Sweet and fruity upfront, especially sour apples and citrus. These fade into a lightly spicy finish with a mellow hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.5): High carbonation, low to medium-bodied, dry finish.
Drinkability (4.5): Crisp and refreshing. Balanced well.
Overall (4.4)
503. Boon Oude Geuze Mariage Parfait
This was our last round at Moeder Lambic. The bottle wasn't quite a 750, but it was larger than a 330.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Boon
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Gueuze, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a lightly hazy golden, with a thick white head that thins to a patchy film, leaving heavy lace.
Smell (4.5): Sour and acidic with hints of lemon and apple. There's also some nice grassy earthy funkiness.
Taste (4.5): Sour and acidic tartness upfront. The center is fruity, but only lightly sweet. Like the smell this fruitiness is reminiscent of lemon and apple. The finish has a light, aged-hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Light-bodied, high carbonation, very dry finish.
Drinkability (5.0): Crisp and refreshing, very drinkable despite or perhaps because of the sourness.
Overall (4.55)
Looking back over what we drank for the day it doesn't seem like much, perhaps it was the lack of quality sleep on the overnight flight to Brussels, but we were both fairly drunk. We walked back to the Tram and got on. David found a package of tobacco and rolling papers and attempted to roll some cigarettes, but failed. By this time we were being stared at by two teenagers who were playing Francophone hip-hop loudly on their cell-phones. David ended up stuffing 12 rolling papers in his mouth and laughing hysterically. When we got off the Tram our Lonely Planet guide must have fallen out of the pocket of my jacket, so we had to wing it on the way back to the hostel.
The hostel had a bar so we each had an Orval and played foosball, on which I won a few bucks. Back in the room David plugged my alarm clock in using an adapter that I'd borrowed from a Spanish post-doc in my lab. I didn't realize that it didn't convert the voltage, so my alarm clock got fried. We opened the drapes and decided to let the light wake us up in the morning.
Labels: Belgium 2006, Gueuze, Saison, Travel
