We took the AVE train to Barcelona on April 20th. We had some tapas and Estrellas that day, and we had two new beers for me on April 21st.
1177. San Miguel Especial
Jadyn and I stopped for tapas and beer at La Taberna del Cobre in the La Ribera section of Barcelona. We had a couple of San Miguels on tap.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: San Miguel Fabricas De Cervaza Y Maltas
Alcohol: 5.40%
Serving: Tap
Style: Euro Pale Lager
San Miguel poured a clear golden, and was topped by a white head that faded to a film, leaving good lace. The aroma was mild with some grainy and grassy notes, and a mild sweetness in the aroma.
A neutral graininess upfront moves into a mildly sweet center. The finish is grassy with only a slight bitterness. San Miguel is light-bodied, moderately carbonated, and feels a bit thin.
This was a pretty standard Euro Pale Lager.
1178. Verboden Vrucht
After Tapas at La Taberna del Cobre Jadyn and I set out to find Churros con Chocolate, which resulted in quite a bit of wandering about. We ended up having them at Opera Suprema de Barcelona on Las Ramblas. They had a variety of beers available, so I decided to have a Belgian beer that's widely available, but that I've somehow never had.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij van Hoegaarden
Alcohol: 9.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.65
This beer pours a cloudy, reddish brown, and is topped by a fluffy, beige head that had small flecks in it, and left decent lace. The aroma is quite varied. There are notes of cherry, dark fruit, caramel, and slight notes of medicinal phenols.
This beer is well attenuated upfront, but quickly moves into a sweet center with notes of cherry and dark fruit. The finish was slightly medicinal. This beer is medium-bodied, well carbonated, and slightly dry in the finish.
Overall this beer was decent, a bit sweet overall.
1177. San Miguel Especial
Jadyn and I stopped for tapas and beer at La Taberna del Cobre in the La Ribera section of Barcelona. We had a couple of San Miguels on tap.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: San Miguel Fabricas De Cervaza Y Maltas
Alcohol: 5.40%
Serving: Tap
Style: Euro Pale Lager
San Miguel poured a clear golden, and was topped by a white head that faded to a film, leaving good lace. The aroma was mild with some grainy and grassy notes, and a mild sweetness in the aroma.
A neutral graininess upfront moves into a mildly sweet center. The finish is grassy with only a slight bitterness. San Miguel is light-bodied, moderately carbonated, and feels a bit thin.
This was a pretty standard Euro Pale Lager.
1178. Verboden Vrucht
After Tapas at La Taberna del Cobre Jadyn and I set out to find Churros con Chocolate, which resulted in quite a bit of wandering about. We ended up having them at Opera Suprema de Barcelona on Las Ramblas. They had a variety of beers available, so I decided to have a Belgian beer that's widely available, but that I've somehow never had.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij van Hoegaarden
Alcohol: 9.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 3.65
This beer pours a cloudy, reddish brown, and is topped by a fluffy, beige head that had small flecks in it, and left decent lace. The aroma is quite varied. There are notes of cherry, dark fruit, caramel, and slight notes of medicinal phenols.
This beer is well attenuated upfront, but quickly moves into a sweet center with notes of cherry and dark fruit. The finish was slightly medicinal. This beer is medium-bodied, well carbonated, and slightly dry in the finish.
Overall this beer was decent, a bit sweet overall.
Labels: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Euro Pale Lager
Jadyn and I went to Shelter Island, NY for memorial day weekend. We stayed at David's wife's family's house there. David (enabler) brought up several new beers for me to try.
1017. St-Ambroise Pale Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: McAuslan Brewing
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.2
St-Ambroise Pale Ale pours a cloudy, amber-copper color. It's topped by a light, off-white head that quickly fades to a film. Lace clings to the side of the glass. The aroma is an interesting mix. There's a bright interplay of fruit, caramel, citric hops, and a mild, phenolic twang.
The beer itself is well-attenuated with only a mild residual sweetness upfront. The malts are predominantly toasty before moving into a very mild malty sweetness that's a mix of caramel and fruity esters. The finish has a moderately bitter, herbal hop quality. This pale ale is light-bodied and moderately carbonated with a pleasing dryness in the finish.
I liked this beer a lot. It's balanced, but only mildly sweet. The dryness is pleasing and helps make this a good session beer.
1018. Southampton Altbier
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Southampton Publick House
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Altbier, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.7
This Alt pours a clear brown with copper tints. It's topped by a fizzy, three-quarter inch, eggshell colored head that rises quickly on the pour, and just as quickly fades to a film. Pinprick dots of lace adorn the glass. The aroma is quite nice. There are notes of caramel malts, hints of roastiness and a mineral twang.
Caramel malts upfront move into a mild estery fruitiness in the center. The finish has a mineral twang and a mild bitterness. Overall this beer is very clean on the palate. Its flavors are there, but don't pop. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it works well here to showcase a nice mineral character that would have otherwise been overpowered. This Alt is moderately carbonated and medium-bodied, and has a very nice crispness.
This beer is a decent Alt. I think a bit more hoppiness would have been nice, provided the beer stayed crisp.
1019. Brooklyn Local 2
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery
Alcohol: 9.00%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 4.25
I'd been looking forward to trying this beer, since Brooklyn Local 1 was so good. Local 2 pours a cloudy brown with reddish tints. It's topped by a sudsy beige head that fades to a continuous film. The aroma is incredibly bright for the style. There's a bright layer of citrus and honey, below which lie the rich malty aromas of a Belgian Strong Dark Ale: dark fruit and candi sugar. I think the addition of some more aromatic ingredients really did a lot for the aroma of this beer, making it seem more light and inviting than a typical Belgian Dark.
This beer's flavors tell the same story as the aroma: the honey and citrus upfront give a lighter, brighter impression before diving deeper into the darker, maltier depths. The dark malt flavors in the center are a nice mix of candi sugar, caramel, rasins, dates and other dark fruit. The finish has a nice mix of peppery and alcoholic spice, a brief reprise of citrus, and a mild bitterness. Local 2 has very prickly carbonation, is medium-bodied and is surprisingly smooth once some of the carbonation dissipates.
This is another winner for Brooklyn's Local series. It's strong, fizzy and has an interesting addition of honey and citrus that I think adds a lot to the mix.
1020. Batemans XXXB
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Batemans Brewery
Alcohol: 4.80%
Serving: Bottle, 500 mL
Style: Extra Special/Strong Bitter (ESB), BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.85
Based on the handwriting in my notebook, I dictated this review to Jadyn (you're the best, thanks for humoring me).
This ESB pours a crystal clear copper, and is topped by a sudsy, frothy, off-white head that fades to a film. Sustained bubbling seems to keep the film intact. The aromas are nicely malty: biscuity malts, toffee, and a little bit of an apricot aroma.
Upfront this beer is mildly sweet with a lot of maltiness. The sweetness is contributed by toffee flavors, but the bulk of the maltiness is buiscuity and toasty, which lasts through to the finish. The finish is moderately bitter with grassy and herbal hop flavors. This ESB is medium-bodied, moderately carbonated and has a mild dryness in the finish.
I thought that Batemans XXXB was a nice malt-forward beer that managed to keep the sweetness in check and that had a nice bitterness in the finish.
1021. Blue Point Summer Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Blue Point Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.40%
Serving: Bottle 12 oz.
Style: American Blonde Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 2.5 | Taste: 2.5 | Mouthfeel: 3.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 2.85
Blue Point's Summer Ale pours a clear golden and is topped by a thick, bright white head, which fades fairly quickly to a film. The aroma is fairly light. There's a hint of citrus and a mild graininess.
There's a mild sweetness as he beer first hits the palate with some neutral graininess as well. Fruity esters make a brief appearance in the center, and are met by a mild peppery character and mild bitterness in the finish. This beer is light-bodied and moderately carbonated, but feels a tad watery.
I was pretty disappointed with this beer. I know summer beers tend to be lighter, but this one was bland and lacked the crispness that makes a beer like this refreshing.
1017. St-Ambroise Pale Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: McAuslan Brewing
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 4.2
St-Ambroise Pale Ale pours a cloudy, amber-copper color. It's topped by a light, off-white head that quickly fades to a film. Lace clings to the side of the glass. The aroma is an interesting mix. There's a bright interplay of fruit, caramel, citric hops, and a mild, phenolic twang.
The beer itself is well-attenuated with only a mild residual sweetness upfront. The malts are predominantly toasty before moving into a very mild malty sweetness that's a mix of caramel and fruity esters. The finish has a moderately bitter, herbal hop quality. This pale ale is light-bodied and moderately carbonated with a pleasing dryness in the finish.
I liked this beer a lot. It's balanced, but only mildly sweet. The dryness is pleasing and helps make this a good session beer.
1018. Southampton Altbier
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Southampton Publick House
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Altbier, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.7
This Alt pours a clear brown with copper tints. It's topped by a fizzy, three-quarter inch, eggshell colored head that rises quickly on the pour, and just as quickly fades to a film. Pinprick dots of lace adorn the glass. The aroma is quite nice. There are notes of caramel malts, hints of roastiness and a mineral twang.
Caramel malts upfront move into a mild estery fruitiness in the center. The finish has a mineral twang and a mild bitterness. Overall this beer is very clean on the palate. Its flavors are there, but don't pop. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it works well here to showcase a nice mineral character that would have otherwise been overpowered. This Alt is moderately carbonated and medium-bodied, and has a very nice crispness.
This beer is a decent Alt. I think a bit more hoppiness would have been nice, provided the beer stayed crisp.
1019. Brooklyn Local 2
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery
Alcohol: 9.00%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 4.25
I'd been looking forward to trying this beer, since Brooklyn Local 1 was so good. Local 2 pours a cloudy brown with reddish tints. It's topped by a sudsy beige head that fades to a continuous film. The aroma is incredibly bright for the style. There's a bright layer of citrus and honey, below which lie the rich malty aromas of a Belgian Strong Dark Ale: dark fruit and candi sugar. I think the addition of some more aromatic ingredients really did a lot for the aroma of this beer, making it seem more light and inviting than a typical Belgian Dark.
This beer's flavors tell the same story as the aroma: the honey and citrus upfront give a lighter, brighter impression before diving deeper into the darker, maltier depths. The dark malt flavors in the center are a nice mix of candi sugar, caramel, rasins, dates and other dark fruit. The finish has a nice mix of peppery and alcoholic spice, a brief reprise of citrus, and a mild bitterness. Local 2 has very prickly carbonation, is medium-bodied and is surprisingly smooth once some of the carbonation dissipates.
This is another winner for Brooklyn's Local series. It's strong, fizzy and has an interesting addition of honey and citrus that I think adds a lot to the mix.
1020. Batemans XXXB
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Batemans Brewery
Alcohol: 4.80%
Serving: Bottle, 500 mL
Style: Extra Special/Strong Bitter (ESB), BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 3.5 | Drinkability: 4.0
Overall: 3.85
Based on the handwriting in my notebook, I dictated this review to Jadyn (you're the best, thanks for humoring me).
This ESB pours a crystal clear copper, and is topped by a sudsy, frothy, off-white head that fades to a film. Sustained bubbling seems to keep the film intact. The aromas are nicely malty: biscuity malts, toffee, and a little bit of an apricot aroma.
Upfront this beer is mildly sweet with a lot of maltiness. The sweetness is contributed by toffee flavors, but the bulk of the maltiness is buiscuity and toasty, which lasts through to the finish. The finish is moderately bitter with grassy and herbal hop flavors. This ESB is medium-bodied, moderately carbonated and has a mild dryness in the finish.
I thought that Batemans XXXB was a nice malt-forward beer that managed to keep the sweetness in check and that had a nice bitterness in the finish.
1021. Blue Point Summer Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Blue Point Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.40%
Serving: Bottle 12 oz.
Style: American Blonde Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: 3.5 | Smell: 2.5 | Taste: 2.5 | Mouthfeel: 3.0 | Drinkability: 3.5
Overall: 2.85
Blue Point's Summer Ale pours a clear golden and is topped by a thick, bright white head, which fades fairly quickly to a film. The aroma is fairly light. There's a hint of citrus and a mild graininess.
There's a mild sweetness as he beer first hits the palate with some neutral graininess as well. Fruity esters make a brief appearance in the center, and are met by a mild peppery character and mild bitterness in the finish. This beer is light-bodied and moderately carbonated, but feels a tad watery.
I was pretty disappointed with this beer. I know summer beers tend to be lighter, but this one was bland and lacked the crispness that makes a beer like this refreshing.
Labels: Altbier, American Blonde Ale, American Pale Ale, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Extra Special/Strong Bitter (ESB)
This is the final set of beers that I tasted at the 2009 Beer Advocate Extreme Beer Fest.
Overall I thought the fest was fun. Going with friends from lab was a different experience, more focused on drunkeness than times I've been with David and Win.
981. Cuvee de Castleton
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 8.00%
Style: American Wild Ale
Pours a cloudy, straw golden. The aroma is acidic and sour with a light graininess and citric hints. There's a nice sour backbone running throughout the beer with notes of citrus and grape fruitiness. The finish has a nice dry character.
982. Tröegs Mad Elf
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Tröegs Brewing Company
Alcohol: 11.00%
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a cloudy, dark amber. Topped by fizzy, soda-like carbonation. Sweet malts in the aroma: toffee and candi sugar. The taste is much like the aroma with a spicy alcohol in the finish.
983. Magic Hat Wild Ginger
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.00%
Style: Herbed/Spiced Beer, BJCP Style Guide
Ginger was added to this beer once during primary fermentation and once after fermentation was complete. It poured a dark copper. The aroma was dominated by ginger. There were mild caramel malts before the spiciness of the ginger took over.
984. Rosso e Marrone
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.
Alcohol: ?
Style: Flanders Oud Bruin, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a cloudy, reddish amber. The aroma is acidic and hints at the sourness to come. There's a nice tart acidity throughout over a backbone of fruity characters.
985. Plead the 5th
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dark Horse Brewing Company
Alcohol: 12.00%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Pours an opaque, dark black. The aroma is roast with notes of coffee. Dark roasted malts give a chocolate and fruity sweetness upfront, and a coffee bitterness in the finish.
986. Behemoth Blonde Barleywine
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Three Floyds Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 12.50%
Style: American Barleywine, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear copper. There are notes of citrus and fruit as well as caramel malts in the aroma. Caramel and raw sugar malt notes upfront, followed by a leafy and citric hop flavors in the finish. Overall the malts come through as only lightly sweet.
987. Samuel Adams Imperial White
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Boston Beer Company
Alcohol: 9.00%
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy golden. Standard witbier aroma: coriander, orange peel, Belgian yeast. The flavor profile is much the same with a nice spiciness in the finish.
988. Scotty Karate Scottish Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dark Horse Brewing Company
Alcohol: 9.75%
Style: Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy, dark amber-brown. The aroma is malty: caramel, molasses. Malty throughout the palate. Notes of caramel, toffee, hints of chocolate, and a lightly bitter finish.
989. Dry-Hopped 2008 Double Bastard Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 10.50%
Style: American Strong Ale
Double Bastard dry-hopped with Columbus and Amarillo hops. Pours a hazed copper. Sweet malts are evident in the aroma, as well as strong resiny hops. The flavors were similar. My notes were minimal because I was pretty drunk at that point.
Overall I thought the fest was fun. Going with friends from lab was a different experience, more focused on drunkeness than times I've been with David and Win.
981. Cuvee de Castleton
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 8.00%
Style: American Wild Ale
Pours a cloudy, straw golden. The aroma is acidic and sour with a light graininess and citric hints. There's a nice sour backbone running throughout the beer with notes of citrus and grape fruitiness. The finish has a nice dry character.
982. Tröegs Mad Elf
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Tröegs Brewing Company
Alcohol: 11.00%
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a cloudy, dark amber. Topped by fizzy, soda-like carbonation. Sweet malts in the aroma: toffee and candi sugar. The taste is much like the aroma with a spicy alcohol in the finish.
983. Magic Hat Wild Ginger
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.00%
Style: Herbed/Spiced Beer, BJCP Style Guide
Ginger was added to this beer once during primary fermentation and once after fermentation was complete. It poured a dark copper. The aroma was dominated by ginger. There were mild caramel malts before the spiciness of the ginger took over.
984. Rosso e Marrone
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.
Alcohol: ?
Style: Flanders Oud Bruin, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a cloudy, reddish amber. The aroma is acidic and hints at the sourness to come. There's a nice tart acidity throughout over a backbone of fruity characters.
985. Plead the 5th
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dark Horse Brewing Company
Alcohol: 12.00%
Style: Russian Imperial Stout, BJCP Style Guide
Pours an opaque, dark black. The aroma is roast with notes of coffee. Dark roasted malts give a chocolate and fruity sweetness upfront, and a coffee bitterness in the finish.
986. Behemoth Blonde Barleywine
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Three Floyds Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 12.50%
Style: American Barleywine, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear copper. There are notes of citrus and fruit as well as caramel malts in the aroma. Caramel and raw sugar malt notes upfront, followed by a leafy and citric hop flavors in the finish. Overall the malts come through as only lightly sweet.
987. Samuel Adams Imperial White
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Boston Beer Company
Alcohol: 9.00%
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy golden. Standard witbier aroma: coriander, orange peel, Belgian yeast. The flavor profile is much the same with a nice spiciness in the finish.
988. Scotty Karate Scottish Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dark Horse Brewing Company
Alcohol: 9.75%
Style: Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy, dark amber-brown. The aroma is malty: caramel, molasses. Malty throughout the palate. Notes of caramel, toffee, hints of chocolate, and a lightly bitter finish.
989. Dry-Hopped 2008 Double Bastard Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 10.50%
Style: American Strong Ale
Double Bastard dry-hopped with Columbus and Amarillo hops. Pours a hazed copper. Sweet malts are evident in the aroma, as well as strong resiny hops. The flavors were similar. My notes were minimal because I was pretty drunk at that point.
Labels: American Barleywine, American Wild Ale, Beer Fests, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Flanders Oud Bruin, Herbed/Spiced Beer, Russian Imperial Stout, Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy, Witbier
881-890. The Return of the Belgian Beer Fest: Part 2
Published by Unknown on Wednesday, November 19, 2008 at 9:30 AM.
These are the second set of 10 new beers that I had at the Belgian Beer Fest. A good portion of them seem to be rare or one-off beers given that they're not in the BA database. I think this is a sign of a good beer fest, that brewers are willing to bring their small batch, one-off beers to a fest, or better yet, to brew them for a fest. It helps keep the variety high and the offerings interesting.
881. The Tap Honing Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Tap / Haverhill Brewery, Inc
Alcohol: 6.80%
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a cloudy, straw golden. Topped by a sudsy head. Honey is definitely present in the aroma with a bit of a resiny character. The sweetness of the honey mingles well with a nice tart fruitiness from the yeast. I thought this was an excellent honey ale, and was one of my favorite beers from the fest.
882. L'esprit de l'escalier
Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Tap / Haverhill Brewery, Inc
Alcohol: 6.80%
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy golden-copper, and is topped by a thin white head. Grassy, grainy, light fruit and citrus in the aroma. Toasty malts upfront with some honey-like sweetness. The finish has a peppery spice, and a light bitterness in the aftertaste.
883. Samuel Adams Blonde Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Boston Beer Company
Alcohol: 10.20%
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a lightly hazed, golden. Topped by an off-white head. The aroma and taste are both peppery with notes of apple fruitiness.
884. Samuel Adams Knee Deep Kriek
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Boston Beer Company
Alcohol: 6.50%
Style: Fruit Lambic, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazed reddish-copper with a pinkish head. Cherries in the aroma. Light cherry flavors upfront move into a tart finish. Not a lot of depth.
885. Dernière Volonté
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel
Alcohol: 6.50%
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a cloudy, straw golden, topped by a thin white head. Bready, with notes of caramel and honey in the aroma, and perhaps a hint of medicinal phenols. Light sweetness upfront moves into a medicinal character. Very tasty.
886. Stone Cali-Belgique
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 6.90%
Style: Belgian IPA
Pours a lightly-hazed golden. Topped by a thin, white head. Strong aroma of a Belgian ale, banana and other fruitiness. There's also a good bit of hops in the aroma. There is a sweet Belgian fruitiness upfront for a fleeting moment, before it's crushed by a wall of hops. Hoppy, definitely my preference for a Belgian IPA, but lacks balance.
887. Orphan Annie
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Port Brewing Company/The Lost Abbey
Alcohol: 8.00%
Style: American Wild Ale
Pours a hazed, reddish brown. The head is a wispy beige ring. The aroma is woody with cherry fruitiness. Lightly sweet cherry flavors upfront move into an awesome cherry tartness. Dry finish. This was another favorite from the fest.
888. Avril
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Dupont
Alcohol: 3.50%
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
I'm calling this one a Belgian Pale Ale rather than a Saison, which is what BA has it listed as. I think a BPA is closer in style.
Pours a lightly cloudy, straw golden. Topped by a thin, white head. The aroma is surprisingly strong for a table beer, nice grassy and grainy malts and a bit of banana fruitiness. Lightly grainy malt upfront with light fruit and light peppery spice. Pretty mild.
889. Unibroue 17
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Unibroue
Alcohol: 10.00%
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a cloudy brown. Toppe by a thick, light brown head. The aroma seemed a bit hoppy and chocolatey. Lightly bready malts upfront, roasty with notes of chocolate and a peppery finish.
890. Les Deux Brasseurs
Beer Stats:
Brewery: De Proefbrouwerij
Alcohol: 8.50%
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
This beer is a collaboration between De Proef and Allagash.
Pours a cloudy, straw golden. The aroma seems to be characteristic Brettanomyces, with some acidic hints. Lightly sour upfront moving through to a medicinal, funky finish with a light bitterness.
881. The Tap Honing Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Tap / Haverhill Brewery, Inc
Alcohol: 6.80%
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a cloudy, straw golden. Topped by a sudsy head. Honey is definitely present in the aroma with a bit of a resiny character. The sweetness of the honey mingles well with a nice tart fruitiness from the yeast. I thought this was an excellent honey ale, and was one of my favorite beers from the fest.
882. L'esprit de l'escalier
Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Tap / Haverhill Brewery, Inc
Alcohol: 6.80%
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy golden-copper, and is topped by a thin white head. Grassy, grainy, light fruit and citrus in the aroma. Toasty malts upfront with some honey-like sweetness. The finish has a peppery spice, and a light bitterness in the aftertaste.
883. Samuel Adams Blonde Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Boston Beer Company
Alcohol: 10.20%
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a lightly hazed, golden. Topped by an off-white head. The aroma and taste are both peppery with notes of apple fruitiness.
884. Samuel Adams Knee Deep Kriek
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Boston Beer Company
Alcohol: 6.50%
Style: Fruit Lambic, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazed reddish-copper with a pinkish head. Cherries in the aroma. Light cherry flavors upfront move into a tart finish. Not a lot of depth.
885. Dernière Volonté
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel
Alcohol: 6.50%
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a cloudy, straw golden, topped by a thin white head. Bready, with notes of caramel and honey in the aroma, and perhaps a hint of medicinal phenols. Light sweetness upfront moves into a medicinal character. Very tasty.
886. Stone Cali-Belgique
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 6.90%
Style: Belgian IPA
Pours a lightly-hazed golden. Topped by a thin, white head. Strong aroma of a Belgian ale, banana and other fruitiness. There's also a good bit of hops in the aroma. There is a sweet Belgian fruitiness upfront for a fleeting moment, before it's crushed by a wall of hops. Hoppy, definitely my preference for a Belgian IPA, but lacks balance.
887. Orphan Annie
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Port Brewing Company/The Lost Abbey
Alcohol: 8.00%
Style: American Wild Ale
Pours a hazed, reddish brown. The head is a wispy beige ring. The aroma is woody with cherry fruitiness. Lightly sweet cherry flavors upfront move into an awesome cherry tartness. Dry finish. This was another favorite from the fest.
888. Avril
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Dupont
Alcohol: 3.50%
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
I'm calling this one a Belgian Pale Ale rather than a Saison, which is what BA has it listed as. I think a BPA is closer in style.
Pours a lightly cloudy, straw golden. Topped by a thin, white head. The aroma is surprisingly strong for a table beer, nice grassy and grainy malts and a bit of banana fruitiness. Lightly grainy malt upfront with light fruit and light peppery spice. Pretty mild.
889. Unibroue 17
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Unibroue
Alcohol: 10.00%
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a cloudy brown. Toppe by a thick, light brown head. The aroma seemed a bit hoppy and chocolatey. Lightly bready malts upfront, roasty with notes of chocolate and a peppery finish.
890. Les Deux Brasseurs
Beer Stats:
Brewery: De Proefbrouwerij
Alcohol: 8.50%
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
This beer is a collaboration between De Proef and Allagash.
Pours a cloudy, straw golden. The aroma seems to be characteristic Brettanomyces, with some acidic hints. Lightly sour upfront moving through to a medicinal, funky finish with a light bitterness.
Labels: American Wild Ale, Beer Fests, Belgian IPA, Belgian Pale Ale, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Fruit Lambic, Saison
871-880. The Return of the Belgian Beer Fest: Part 1
Published by Unknown on Monday, November 17, 2008 at 9:30 AM.
Jadyn and I went to the afternoon session of Beer Advocate's Return of the Belgian Beer Fest on Saturday September 27th. This is always my favorite BA fest... I can't get enough Belgian beer. I do regret no going to the Friday night special session though. The format seems to be pretty constant now: unlimited 2 ounce samples, food from Sunset, Belgian sugar waffles, talks, and booths from a good variety of breweries and importers.
I was pleased to see New Belgium at this fest. They haven't been at any of the other Beer Advocate fests that I've been to, and I managed to get a couple samples of the phenomenal La Folie.
871. Brooklyn Flemish Gold
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery
Alcohol: 6.50%
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a cloudy, straw golden. Topped by a white head that thins to a film. The aroma is fruity with notes of bananas, as well as grainy and hoppy aromas. Upfront is a neutral bready malt character. A mild banana sweetness in the center with a mildly hopped finish.
872. Brooklyn Grand Cru
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery
Alcohol: 8.40%
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide
Pours an insanely cloudy, beige color with an almost reddish tint. Topped by a thick, off-white head. Notes of coriander, orange peel and alcohol in the aroma. Smooth banana fruitiness, citric orange, and peppery spice.
873. Saison Rue
Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Bruery
Alcohol: 8.50%
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazed golden-copper. Topped by a sudsy, off-white head. Apples and a light peppery spice in the aroma. Apple sweetness with an accompanying tartness upfront. There's also a slight medicinal character in the finish.
874. Duvel Draft
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat NV
Alcohol: 6.80%
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a crystal clear, straw color. Topped by a rocky, merengue-like head. The aroma is fruity with hints of apple and banana. The flavor is mild. There are grainy and lightly fruity flavors with maybe a hint of apple tartness. The finish is lightly bitter with a grassy dry quality.
875. Ommegang Rouge
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brewery Ommegang
Alcohol: 5.50%
Style: Flanders Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy reddish-brown. Topped by a thick beige head that faded quickly to a film. The aroma is nice and acidic. Amazingly tart upfront, with a cherry fruitiness and moderate sweetness in the center. The finish is woody and medicinal. Delicious. One of my favorites from the fest.
876. Rock Bottom Blueberry Lambic
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery
Alcohol: 4.00%
Style: Fruit Lambic, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a cloudy purple. Topped by a sudsy, purple head. The aroma is blueberries and funk. Sour upfront with blueberries throughout and a mild funkiness in the finish. I thought this was an odd combo, the blueberries and lambic characters didn't mesh well. I still have to applaud the attempt though.
877. Eric's Ale (Lips of Faith #3)
Beer Stats:
Brewery: New Belgium Brewing
Alcohol: 7.00%
Style: American Wild Ale
This is a sour ale brewed with peaches. It pours a hazed orange-copper, and is topped by a thin, off-white head. The aroma is lightly acid with hints of peach. Sour, but not mouth puckeringly tart. The sourness is balanced nicely by a light sweetness from the peach.
878. Harpoon Belgian Dip
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Harpoon Brewery
Alcohol: 13.00%
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
I'm guessing at the style here, so take that into account. Pours a hazed-reddish copper. Sweet on the nose: chocolatey, caramel and candi sugar. There's also a mild whiff of alcohol. Sweet throughout with dominant flavors of candi sugar, caramel and toffee. The finish has a pronounced alcoholic spice. Overall a bit one-dimensional.
879. Harpoon Belgian Chocolate Stout
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Harpoon Brewery
Alcohol: 6.00%
Style: American Stout, BJCP Style Guide
This beer is black with a sudsy, brown head. The aroma is deeply chocolatey with hints of toffee as well. Sweet chocolate upfront, roasty in the center and finish.
880. Monk's Brew
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Mikkeller
Alcohol: 11.50%
Style: Quadrupel, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a cloudy brown, and topped by a beige head. The aroma is fairly light, but is much the same as the palate. Caramel with hints of chocolate and dark fruit. The finish has a peppery and alcoholic spiciness.
I was pleased to see New Belgium at this fest. They haven't been at any of the other Beer Advocate fests that I've been to, and I managed to get a couple samples of the phenomenal La Folie.
871. Brooklyn Flemish Gold
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery
Alcohol: 6.50%
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a cloudy, straw golden. Topped by a white head that thins to a film. The aroma is fruity with notes of bananas, as well as grainy and hoppy aromas. Upfront is a neutral bready malt character. A mild banana sweetness in the center with a mildly hopped finish.
872. Brooklyn Grand Cru
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery
Alcohol: 8.40%
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide
Pours an insanely cloudy, beige color with an almost reddish tint. Topped by a thick, off-white head. Notes of coriander, orange peel and alcohol in the aroma. Smooth banana fruitiness, citric orange, and peppery spice.
873. Saison Rue
Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Bruery
Alcohol: 8.50%
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazed golden-copper. Topped by a sudsy, off-white head. Apples and a light peppery spice in the aroma. Apple sweetness with an accompanying tartness upfront. There's also a slight medicinal character in the finish.
874. Duvel Draft
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat NV
Alcohol: 6.80%
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a crystal clear, straw color. Topped by a rocky, merengue-like head. The aroma is fruity with hints of apple and banana. The flavor is mild. There are grainy and lightly fruity flavors with maybe a hint of apple tartness. The finish is lightly bitter with a grassy dry quality.
875. Ommegang Rouge
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brewery Ommegang
Alcohol: 5.50%
Style: Flanders Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy reddish-brown. Topped by a thick beige head that faded quickly to a film. The aroma is nice and acidic. Amazingly tart upfront, with a cherry fruitiness and moderate sweetness in the center. The finish is woody and medicinal. Delicious. One of my favorites from the fest.
876. Rock Bottom Blueberry Lambic
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery
Alcohol: 4.00%
Style: Fruit Lambic, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a cloudy purple. Topped by a sudsy, purple head. The aroma is blueberries and funk. Sour upfront with blueberries throughout and a mild funkiness in the finish. I thought this was an odd combo, the blueberries and lambic characters didn't mesh well. I still have to applaud the attempt though.
877. Eric's Ale (Lips of Faith #3)
Beer Stats:
Brewery: New Belgium Brewing
Alcohol: 7.00%
Style: American Wild Ale
This is a sour ale brewed with peaches. It pours a hazed orange-copper, and is topped by a thin, off-white head. The aroma is lightly acid with hints of peach. Sour, but not mouth puckeringly tart. The sourness is balanced nicely by a light sweetness from the peach.
878. Harpoon Belgian Dip
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Harpoon Brewery
Alcohol: 13.00%
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
I'm guessing at the style here, so take that into account. Pours a hazed-reddish copper. Sweet on the nose: chocolatey, caramel and candi sugar. There's also a mild whiff of alcohol. Sweet throughout with dominant flavors of candi sugar, caramel and toffee. The finish has a pronounced alcoholic spice. Overall a bit one-dimensional.
879. Harpoon Belgian Chocolate Stout
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Harpoon Brewery
Alcohol: 6.00%
Style: American Stout, BJCP Style Guide
This beer is black with a sudsy, brown head. The aroma is deeply chocolatey with hints of toffee as well. Sweet chocolate upfront, roasty in the center and finish.
880. Monk's Brew
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Mikkeller
Alcohol: 11.50%
Style: Quadrupel, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a cloudy brown, and topped by a beige head. The aroma is fairly light, but is much the same as the palate. Caramel with hints of chocolate and dark fruit. The finish has a peppery and alcoholic spiciness.
Labels: American Stout, American Wild Ale, Beer Fests, Belgian Pale Ale, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Flanders Red Ale, Fruit Lambic, Quadrupel, Saison, Witbier
744. Collaboration Not Litigation Ale
Published by Unknown on Saturday, December 22, 2007 at 8:38 PM.
744. Collaboration Not Litigation Ale
I've had this bottle in my fridge for quite awhile. Jadyn and I split it on the 7th of December. I served it in my Ommegang chalices.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Avery Brewing Company
Alcohol: 8.99%
Serving: Bottle, 22 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a cloudy brown with a nice, dense, beige head that thins to a shiny film leaving trailing sheets of lace.
Smell (3.5): Woody, tart, and malty with a light fruitiness.
Taste (3.5): Lightly sweet caramel malts. The center is tart with some spiciness. The finish is woody with a lingering bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation, semi-dry finish.
Drinkability (4.0): Pretty good, it's tasty with some nice elements.
Overall (3.8)
I've had this bottle in my fridge for quite awhile. Jadyn and I split it on the 7th of December. I served it in my Ommegang chalices.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Avery Brewing Company
Alcohol: 8.99%
Serving: Bottle, 22 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a cloudy brown with a nice, dense, beige head that thins to a shiny film leaving trailing sheets of lace.
Smell (3.5): Woody, tart, and malty with a light fruitiness.
Taste (3.5): Lightly sweet caramel malts. The center is tart with some spiciness. The finish is woody with a lingering bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation, semi-dry finish.
Drinkability (4.0): Pretty good, it's tasty with some nice elements.
Overall (3.8)
743. St. Bernardus Christmas Ale
I had a bottle of this at a birthday dinner for a friend at the Publick House.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV
Alcohol: 10.00%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a hazy-brown with a beige head that thins to a film.
Smell (4.0): Subdued, some dark fruit, malts and a light spiciness.
Taste (3.5): Sweet malts, dark fruit, a nice alcoholic spice, and a light bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Full-bodied, carbonation is a little high.
Drinkability (3.5): Too sweet and spicy.
Overall (3.6)
I had a bottle of this at a birthday dinner for a friend at the Publick House.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV
Alcohol: 10.00%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a hazy-brown with a beige head that thins to a film.
Smell (4.0): Subdued, some dark fruit, malts and a light spiciness.
Taste (3.5): Sweet malts, dark fruit, a nice alcoholic spice, and a light bitterness in the finish.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Full-bodied, carbonation is a little high.
Drinkability (3.5): Too sweet and spicy.
Overall (3.6)
I apologize for the tardiness of this post. Over a month and a half late, I'm beginning to feel like Ward.
Jadyn and I went to the afternoon session of Beer Advocate's Belgian Beer Fest on the 27th of October. We arrived early enough to be within a half-block of the doors. This year's fest seemed less crowded than last year's. The middle row of booths was removed and replaced with seating. Overall I think this was an improvement, there's still more than enough variety and it's far less crowded.
As with other fests the notes are more general, abbreviated and are probably to be trusted less as the fest progresses.
715. Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence Stout
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brewery Ommegang
Alcohol: ?
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours an opaque black, with a foamy brown head. Aroma is roasty with dark fruit and chocolate. Sweet, stoutish roastiness, dark fruit, chocolate, with a roasty bitterness in the finish.
716. The Lost Abbey Mother Pucker
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Port Brewing Company/The Lost Abbey
Alcohol: ?
Style: Fruit Lambic, BJCP Style Guide
This is an apricot lambic-style beer. Pours a hazy straw color with a wispy white head. The aroma is strong apricots with a funky aroma underneath. Sour, but has a nice sweet-apricot flavor. Mild earthiness in the finish. Nice and dry. One of my favorites from the fest.
717. Brooklyn Abbey Singel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery
Alcohol: 6.00%
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy straw. Fizzy white head. Aroma is fruity: bananas, clove, Belgian yeast. Crisp maltiness, followed by characteristic Belgian yeast fruitiness, and a peppery graininess in the finish.
718. Bam Noire
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
Alcohol: 4.30%
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clearish brown, topped by a beige head. The aroma is predominantly Brett, with a light fruitiness underneath. The flavor is predominantly Brettanomyces with a roasty finish. An odd combination, but interesting.
719. Cantillon Lambic Aged in Cognac Casks
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Cantillon
Year: March 2005
Alcohol: 5.00%
Style: Unblended Lambic, BJCP Style Guide
A rare Cantillon, I had to try it. Looks much like the Gueuze, hazy straw colored with a faint head. The aroma is smooth, with the cognac making the funkiness less powerful. The beer is still sour, but is smoothed out nicely by the cognac flavors. This was tasty, but I still prefer the bright sourness and earthy funkiness of the original.
720. Ommegang Abbey Tripel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brewery Ommegang
Alcohol: ?
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy, light-golden with a wispy white head. The aroma is fruity with bananas predominating, also notes of grain and more substantial malt (caramel maybe). Sweet malts and the banana heavy Belgian yeast profile. The finish is peppery with a light bitterness.
721. Black Jacob
Beer Stats:
Brewery: American Flatbread Burlington Hearth
Alcohol: 5.50%
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a brown color, topped by a beige film. The aroma is yeasty, grainy and roasty. Toasty, dark fruit, with a roasty finish. I like Saisons with a little bit of earty/funky flavors that I felt that this one was lacking.
722. Dogfish Head Red & White
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Alcohol: 10.00%
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy red with a very light, pink, foamy film. Aroma is fruity, yeasty, Witbier characters seem muted. Malty upfront, moves into a fruity center with a citric bite and a peppery finish.
723. De Ranke Père Noël
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Ranke
Alcohol: 7.00%
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a very cloudy, light amber. White film of a head. Mellowed hop aroma with a hint of fruitiness. Light bready sweetness upfront, moves through a fruity center before a pleasantly hoppy finish.
724. Kasteel Rouge
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V.
Alcohol: 8.00%
Style: Fruit Beer, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a light red with a fizzy pink head. Cherry smell with only a little bit of tartness. Sweet cherry flavors throughout with minimal tartness. I remember being unimpressed.
725. Smuttynose Brett & I
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Smuttynose Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.00%
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
A beer brewed with Brettanomyces, I had to try it. Pours a hazy golden, topped by a smooth, filmy head that leaves sheets of lace. The aroma is characteristic Brettanomyces with some nice medicinal characters. Toasty upfront, clean, light sweetness in the center, and an herbal, bitter finish with a hint of Brett.
726. Lost Abbey Veritas 002
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Port Brewing Company/The Lost Abbey
Alcohol: ?
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Hazy brown, beige ring lines the glass. The aroma is earth raspberries and tart medicinals. Lightly sweet raspberries, earthy and malty.
727. Dogfish Head Fluckey's Fest
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Alcohol: ?
Style: Fruit Beer, BJCP Style Guide
From the website
728. Infusco
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Rock Art Brewery
Alcohol: 8.00%
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Dark brown with a faint, beige ring of a head, can see floating aggregates. The aroma is sweet, candi sugar with a light phenolic touch. Sweet, chocolatey, lightly sharp medicinal finish.
729. Sixpoint Belgian Rye-PA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sixpoint Craft Ales
Alcohol: 7.70%
Style: Belgian IPA
Pours a hazy amber. Topped by a sudsy beige head. Aroma is peppery spice with a touch of sweetness. Toasty upfront with a sweet center. The finish is spicy and hoppy.
730. Ølfabrikken Abbey Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Ølfabrikken
Alcohol: 8.50%
Style: Dubbel, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a cloudy brown with floating particles. The aroma is of sweet, dark fruit. High carbonation upfront, sweet caramel malts, apricot fruitiness. Sweet, but very nice.
731. Urthel Vlaemse Bock
Beer Stats:
Brewery: De Leyerth Brouwerijen
Alcohol: 9.00%
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear, brown amber with a sudsy beige head that leaves sheets of lace. The aroma is very malty: butterscotch, caramel, dark fruit. Lightly sweet upfront (flavors the same as the aromas). The finish is lightly grainy and bitter.
732. Nøgne Ø Saison
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Nøgne Ø - det kompromissløse bryggeri
Alcohol: 6.50%
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a very cloudy straw-golden topped by a white sudsy head. Funky aroma with tart citrus. Bready, citrus, funky and bitter. I liked this one, it's hard to find a saison with a good amount of funk to it.
733. Troublette
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Caracole
Alcohol: 5.00%
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a very cloudy straw color. The aroma is soda like with lots of citrus and fruit. Carbonation is high, grainy, citrus, banana, fairly sweet.
734. Weyerbacher Quad
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 12.20%
Style: Quadrupel, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy amber with a beige head. Lightly fruity aroma with some nice malts. Very smooth, malty with some nice dark fruit.
735. Gouden Carolus Ambrio
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Het Anker
Alcohol: 8.00%
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazed amber with a fuzzy, beige head. The aroma is a nice mix of malty and fruity. Sweet upfront, nice maltiness with some hints of fruit. Lightly bitter finish. Moderately carbonated.
736. Malheur Brut Noir
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Landtsheer
Alcohol: 12.00%
Style: Bière de Champagne / Bière Brut
Pours a hazy brown with a light brown head. Aroma is tart with a bit of roastiness. Sweet throughout, finish is fruity.
737. Sixpoint Belgian IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sixpoint Craft Ales
Alcohol: 6.00%
Style: Belgian IPA
Hazy golden. Sweet fruity aroma, citrus and banana. Sweet banana fruitiness. Light, citric, hop bitterness in the finish.
738. Harpoon Munich Dark Barrel Age: The Funk
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Harpoon Brewery
Alcohol: ?
Style: American Wild Ale
Pours a clear brown with a hint of amber. The aroma is sour and Brett-like. Light flavors at the onset, but moves into a nice fruity sourness. The finish is dry.
739. Harpoon Quad
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Harpoon Brewery
Alcohol:?
Style: Quadrupel, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy amber with a beige head. Aroma is malty and fruity with a hint of bananas. Flavor is Belgian yeast fruitiness, banana, alcoholic spice, peppery.
Jadyn and I went to the afternoon session of Beer Advocate's Belgian Beer Fest on the 27th of October. We arrived early enough to be within a half-block of the doors. This year's fest seemed less crowded than last year's. The middle row of booths was removed and replaced with seating. Overall I think this was an improvement, there's still more than enough variety and it's far less crowded.
As with other fests the notes are more general, abbreviated and are probably to be trusted less as the fest progresses.
715. Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence Stout
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brewery Ommegang
Alcohol: ?
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours an opaque black, with a foamy brown head. Aroma is roasty with dark fruit and chocolate. Sweet, stoutish roastiness, dark fruit, chocolate, with a roasty bitterness in the finish.
716. The Lost Abbey Mother Pucker
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Port Brewing Company/The Lost Abbey
Alcohol: ?
Style: Fruit Lambic, BJCP Style Guide
This is an apricot lambic-style beer. Pours a hazy straw color with a wispy white head. The aroma is strong apricots with a funky aroma underneath. Sour, but has a nice sweet-apricot flavor. Mild earthiness in the finish. Nice and dry. One of my favorites from the fest.
717. Brooklyn Abbey Singel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery
Alcohol: 6.00%
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy straw. Fizzy white head. Aroma is fruity: bananas, clove, Belgian yeast. Crisp maltiness, followed by characteristic Belgian yeast fruitiness, and a peppery graininess in the finish.
718. Bam Noire
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
Alcohol: 4.30%
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clearish brown, topped by a beige head. The aroma is predominantly Brett, with a light fruitiness underneath. The flavor is predominantly Brettanomyces with a roasty finish. An odd combination, but interesting.
719. Cantillon Lambic Aged in Cognac Casks
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Cantillon
Year: March 2005
Alcohol: 5.00%
Style: Unblended Lambic, BJCP Style Guide
A rare Cantillon, I had to try it. Looks much like the Gueuze, hazy straw colored with a faint head. The aroma is smooth, with the cognac making the funkiness less powerful. The beer is still sour, but is smoothed out nicely by the cognac flavors. This was tasty, but I still prefer the bright sourness and earthy funkiness of the original.
720. Ommegang Abbey Tripel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brewery Ommegang
Alcohol: ?
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy, light-golden with a wispy white head. The aroma is fruity with bananas predominating, also notes of grain and more substantial malt (caramel maybe). Sweet malts and the banana heavy Belgian yeast profile. The finish is peppery with a light bitterness.
721. Black Jacob
Beer Stats:
Brewery: American Flatbread Burlington Hearth
Alcohol: 5.50%
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a brown color, topped by a beige film. The aroma is yeasty, grainy and roasty. Toasty, dark fruit, with a roasty finish. I like Saisons with a little bit of earty/funky flavors that I felt that this one was lacking.
722. Dogfish Head Red & White
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Alcohol: 10.00%
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy red with a very light, pink, foamy film. Aroma is fruity, yeasty, Witbier characters seem muted. Malty upfront, moves into a fruity center with a citric bite and a peppery finish.
723. De Ranke Père Noël
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Ranke
Alcohol: 7.00%
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a very cloudy, light amber. White film of a head. Mellowed hop aroma with a hint of fruitiness. Light bready sweetness upfront, moves through a fruity center before a pleasantly hoppy finish.
724. Kasteel Rouge
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V.
Alcohol: 8.00%
Style: Fruit Beer, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a light red with a fizzy pink head. Cherry smell with only a little bit of tartness. Sweet cherry flavors throughout with minimal tartness. I remember being unimpressed.
725. Smuttynose Brett & I
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Smuttynose Brewing Company
Alcohol: 7.00%
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
A beer brewed with Brettanomyces, I had to try it. Pours a hazy golden, topped by a smooth, filmy head that leaves sheets of lace. The aroma is characteristic Brettanomyces with some nice medicinal characters. Toasty upfront, clean, light sweetness in the center, and an herbal, bitter finish with a hint of Brett.
726. Lost Abbey Veritas 002
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Port Brewing Company/The Lost Abbey
Alcohol: ?
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Hazy brown, beige ring lines the glass. The aroma is earth raspberries and tart medicinals. Lightly sweet raspberries, earthy and malty.
727. Dogfish Head Fluckey's Fest
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Alcohol: ?
Style: Fruit Beer, BJCP Style Guide
From the website
"Admiral Fluckey's Lager was brewed with 51% Pilsner malt and 49% Chardonnay grapes, then fermented with Champagne yeast. It islow (~15 IBU’s) on the bitterness scale, a bit sweet, about 7-8% abv, with the slight acididity of a champagne. Admiral Fluckey was the first commander of the USS Dogfish (submarine) and just passed away on July 2, 2007."Pours a hazy, straw color with a white head that thins to a film. Light, clean graininess in the aroma. Fruity, you can taste the grapes. Moves through to a lightly grainy finish.
728. Infusco
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Rock Art Brewery
Alcohol: 8.00%
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Dark brown with a faint, beige ring of a head, can see floating aggregates. The aroma is sweet, candi sugar with a light phenolic touch. Sweet, chocolatey, lightly sharp medicinal finish.
729. Sixpoint Belgian Rye-PA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sixpoint Craft Ales
Alcohol: 7.70%
Style: Belgian IPA
Pours a hazy amber. Topped by a sudsy beige head. Aroma is peppery spice with a touch of sweetness. Toasty upfront with a sweet center. The finish is spicy and hoppy.
730. Ølfabrikken Abbey Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Ølfabrikken
Alcohol: 8.50%
Style: Dubbel, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a cloudy brown with floating particles. The aroma is of sweet, dark fruit. High carbonation upfront, sweet caramel malts, apricot fruitiness. Sweet, but very nice.
731. Urthel Vlaemse Bock
Beer Stats:
Brewery: De Leyerth Brouwerijen
Alcohol: 9.00%
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a clear, brown amber with a sudsy beige head that leaves sheets of lace. The aroma is very malty: butterscotch, caramel, dark fruit. Lightly sweet upfront (flavors the same as the aromas). The finish is lightly grainy and bitter.
732. Nøgne Ø Saison
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Nøgne Ø - det kompromissløse bryggeri
Alcohol: 6.50%
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a very cloudy straw-golden topped by a white sudsy head. Funky aroma with tart citrus. Bready, citrus, funky and bitter. I liked this one, it's hard to find a saison with a good amount of funk to it.
733. Troublette
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Caracole
Alcohol: 5.00%
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a very cloudy straw color. The aroma is soda like with lots of citrus and fruit. Carbonation is high, grainy, citrus, banana, fairly sweet.
734. Weyerbacher Quad
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 12.20%
Style: Quadrupel, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy amber with a beige head. Lightly fruity aroma with some nice malts. Very smooth, malty with some nice dark fruit.
735. Gouden Carolus Ambrio
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Het Anker
Alcohol: 8.00%
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazed amber with a fuzzy, beige head. The aroma is a nice mix of malty and fruity. Sweet upfront, nice maltiness with some hints of fruit. Lightly bitter finish. Moderately carbonated.
736. Malheur Brut Noir
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Landtsheer
Alcohol: 12.00%
Style: Bière de Champagne / Bière Brut
Pours a hazy brown with a light brown head. Aroma is tart with a bit of roastiness. Sweet throughout, finish is fruity.
737. Sixpoint Belgian IPA
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sixpoint Craft Ales
Alcohol: 6.00%
Style: Belgian IPA
Hazy golden. Sweet fruity aroma, citrus and banana. Sweet banana fruitiness. Light, citric, hop bitterness in the finish.
738. Harpoon Munich Dark Barrel Age: The Funk
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Harpoon Brewery
Alcohol: ?
Style: American Wild Ale
Pours a clear brown with a hint of amber. The aroma is sour and Brett-like. Light flavors at the onset, but moves into a nice fruity sourness. The finish is dry.
739. Harpoon Quad
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Harpoon Brewery
Alcohol:?
Style: Quadrupel, BJCP Style Guide
Pours a hazy amber with a beige head. Aroma is malty and fruity with a hint of bananas. Flavor is Belgian yeast fruitiness, banana, alcoholic spice, peppery.
Labels: Beer Fests, Belgian IPA, Belgian Pale Ale, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Bière de Champagne, Dubbel, Fruit Lambic, Fruit/Vegetable Beer, Saison, Tripel, Unblended Lambic, Witbier
Day Eight, Brussels: Poechenellekelder, Delirium Café, Packing
Published by Unknown on Tuesday, December 19, 2006 at 7:22 PM.
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
Day Six, Brugge: Brugs Beertje, Dickie's
Published by Unknown on Thursday, December 14, 2006 at 12:42 AM.
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
Day Five, Ghent: Deus, Trollekelder, Waterhuis aan de Bierkant
Published by Unknown 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
