I had several new beers on my trip back to Texas during December. As usual I tried to focus on Texas beers, or beers that aren't readily available in Massachusetts.

1103. Bombshell Blonde



Ward always sets aside a couple of beers for my Texas visits. This time he brought a can of Southern Star's Bombshell Blonde, and a bottle of Shiner Smokehaus.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Southern Star Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Can
Style: American Blonde Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 4.5

Overall: 3.95

Bombshell Blonde pours a cloudy golden, and is topped by a shiny, white head that fades to a film and leaves lace that clings to the sides of the glass. The aroma is fruity with lighter notes of toasty malts, and herbal hops.

There's a toasty, bready sweetness upfront that is constant underneath the building flavors. A mild banana fruitiness appears in the center, and moves into a a mild, grassy bitterness in the flavor. I thought this beer had a pleasing sweetness that was offset by a good depth of flavor. This blonde ale is medium to light-bodied, and has a nice crispness that's accentuated by the carbonation.

I was very pleased with this beer. It had a nice amount of flavor, and would make a great session beer.

1104. Shiner Smokehaus



This was another beer that Ward brought to Waco for me to try.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Spoetzl Brewery
Alcohol: 4.89%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: Smoked Beer, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance: 3.0 | Smell: 3.5 | Taste: 3.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5

Overall: 3.45

Smokehaus pours a crystal clear golden, and is topped by a short-lived, bright white head. The aroma has a mild, malt sweetness, a slight grassiness, and a mild, mild smokiness.

There's an initial, crisp maltiness that moves into a slight, fruity sweetness in the center. The finish has a mild smokiness and an herbal grassiness. This beer is crisp, light-bodied, and has a good dose of carbonation.

The smokiness is fairly mild, making this surprisingly drinkable for a smoked beer.

1105. Buried Hatchet Stout



Win, Ward and I spent a bit of time at The Dancing Bear, which is still Waco's best beer bar.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Southern Star Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 8.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Foreign / Export Stout, BJCP Style Guide


Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.5

Overall: 4.15

This beer pours a cloudy brown up to the light, but sitting in the glass it's an opaque black. It's topped by a fluffy, brown head that fades to a film, leaving good lace. The aroma is roasty with mild, coffee notes, sweet chocolate, and dark fruit.

There's a strong, roasted bitter undercurrent just underneath the surface. The sweetness is very mild, really only making an appearance in the center with notes of dark fruit. The finish has a mix of chocolate and coffee that's intensely bitter. This stout is full-bodied and moderately carbonated.

This is an excellent stout. It has an intense bitterness, so it's not as much of a sessioner as many others.

1106. Hopsickle



This was another beer at The Dancing Bear.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Moylan's Brewery
Alcohol: 9.20%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Double IPA, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance: 4.0 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 4.5 | Mouthfeel: 4.0 | Drinkability: 3.0

Overall: 4.2

Hopsickle pours a cloudy copper color. It's topped by a creamy, off-white head that retains well, and leaves good lace. The aroma is intensely hoppy with notes of citrus, juicy fruit, apricots, a bit of pine, and slight, bready malts.

Sweet notes of caramel and raw sugar upfront are quickly met by a strong, hop bitterness in the center, which moves into a resiny finish that leaves a lingering bitterness. This Double IPA is medium-bodied, oily, and has a nice, prickly carbonation.

The hop aromas, bitterness, and flavors in this beer are insane.

1107. Saint Arnold Divine Reserve #9



The Divine Reserve series is Saint Arnold's limited release line of beers. Their #9 is an Imperial Pumpkin stout. These disappeared quickly in Houston, but the HEB in Woodway had several cases. I bought a six-pack. Ward bought two cases.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Alcohol: 11.0%
Serving: Bottle, 12 oz.
Style: American Double Stout

Appearance: 4.5 | Smell: 4.0 | Taste: 4.0 | Mouthfeel: 4.0| Drinkability: 3.5

Overall: 4.05

Divine Reserve #9 pours an opaque black. The carbonation sounds oda-like upon pouring. The head is light brown, retains well, and is fed by a nice stream of bubbles. Pumpkin pie spice aromas are immediately noticeable with notes of cinnamon and nutmeg. The effect of the malts and spices give an impression of ginger bread. There are mild, roasty undertones.

A mild roastiness opens up into a spicy center with notes of cinnamon and ginger. The roasty flavors come back in the finish, along with a warming, alcoholic spice. The sweetness is strong, so there's only a hint of lingering bitterness. This stout is full-bodied, with moderate carbonation

This beer is a sipper. It's alcoholic and spicy.

Labels: American Blonde Ale, American Double IPA, American Double Stout, Export Stout, Smoked Beer

After eating dinner at Cafe Polonia David, Win and I went to Deep Ellum for more beer. Deep Ellum was a planned stop about a year ago when David and Dave came up to visit on St. Patrick's Day, but we never made it then because of numerous detours to bars of lesser quality, and serious inebriation. We were in much better shape when we set out for Deep Ellum this year, and were in comparatively better shape when we finished up our night this year, though not by much. These beers were again split three ways, so therefore no ratings.

I need to start making notes about the bars that I go to, because I remember being impressed by the atmosphere at Deep Ellum, but I don't remember much of it now.

793. Two-Headed Beast

Beer Stats:
Brewery: High and Mighty Brewing Co.
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Foreign / Export Stout, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a deep black with a thick, dark brown head that leaves sheets of lace. The aroma is all roasted malts with nice hints of chocolate and a slight metallic note. Sweet malts, with notes of chocolate and dart fruit that move through to a sharp finish with a light roasted bitterness and a bit of coffee. Thick feeling on the palate, high carbonation. I was a fan of this one.

794. Sixpoint Diesel

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Sixpoint Craft Ales
Alcohol: 6.60%
Serving: Tap
Style: American Stout, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a dark brownish-ruby. Topped by a beige head that fades to a thin film. The aroma was surprisingly fruity, almost a grape soda-like aroma, though there was some good roastiness as well. The flavors were lightly fruity and sweet through the center with a sharp finish with not much bitterness. I thought this one was a tad sweet.

795. Gritty's Black Fly Stout

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Gritty McDuff's Brewing Company
Alcohol: 4.10%
Serving: Tap
Style: Irish Dry Stout, BJCP Style Guide

Dark black in color, with amber edges. A dense, creamy, beige head sits atop the beer leaving plentiful lace. The aroma is a nice mix of coffee and fruit with a faint buttery character. The sweetness is held in check by a nice roasty character throughout. There are hints of coffee, but it's not overwhelming or obvious. Smooth, medium-bodied, lightly carbonated.

796. Grey Lady

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Cisco Brewers Inc.
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a hazy golden with a merengue-like, white head that leaves nice lace. Lots of coriander in the nose, with additional notes of citrus and yeast. Lightly sweet malts, nice notes of citrus and coriander, lightly grainy in the finish with hints of pepper and a lingering sweetness. Light-bodied with moderate carbonation.

797. Aecht Schlenkerla Helles Laberbier

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brauerei Heller-Trum
Alcohol: 4.30%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Munich Helles Lager, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a clear, golden with a white, film of a head that leaves thick lace. The aroma is predominantly smoky, but notes of graininess appear upon swirling. There are sweet and grainy malts throughout. The finish is smoy with a moderate, leafy, hop bitterness.

798. Thomas Hooker American Pale Ale

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Thomas Hooker Ales & Lagers
Alcohol: 5.40%
Serving: Bottle
Style: American Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a clear copper. The head thins to a white film, leaving plentiful lace. The aroma is citric and leafy hops with some bready and sweet malts underneath. The flavor is overly sweet, lots of malt with a citric hop bitterness. Pretty bland overall.

799. Saison d'Epeautre

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie de Blaugies
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide

Pours a hazy straw-golden with lts of yeast particles floating around. The thick white head retains well. Grainy, citrus, fruit in the aroma. Not too sweet. Neutral maltiness upfront with notes of citrus and banana in the center. There isn't a lot of bitterness, but the beer isn't so sweet that it needs it. Light-bodied, highly carbonated with a dryish finish.

Labels: American Pale Ale, American Stout, Export Stout, Irish Dry Stout, Munich Helles Lager, Saison, Witbier

712. John Harvard's XX Export Stout

Jadyn and I went to John Harvard's two Fridays ago. I had their Demon DPA on cask while we were waiting for a table and then had the XX Export Stout with dinner, and a half a glass with dessert.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: John Harvard's Brew House
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Foreign / Export Stout, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance (4.0): Pours an opaque, jet black. The head is a brown, wispy film.

Smell (3.5): Stoutish. Roasty malts with nice coffee and chocolate hints.

Taste (4.0): The high carbonation creates a tingly sensation upfront. Lightly sweet throughout. Moves into a nice dark-chocolate and coffee finish that impart a light, lingering bitterness to the finish.

Mouthfeel (4.0): High-carbonation. Light, but smooth and velvety.

Drinkability (4.0): A nice balanced stout that's very tasty.

Overall (3.9): A very nice stout, perhaps a little light for the style, but very good nonetheless.

Labels: Export Stout, John Harvard's

I went to New York on July 31st for David's wedding. He was busy and had to work on Wednesday, but I stayed with Dave in Park Slope on Tuesday night. After arriving, I headed out to Park Slope and waited for Dave and Kristin, his girlfriend, in the Tea Lounge. We dropped my bags off at Dave's place and took a bottle of Tripel Karmeliet and a bottle of red wine to The Olive Tree Cafe. We had a couple of their pizzas, one with spiced, ground lamb, and the other with eggplant, zucchini, artichokes and mozzarella.

After dinner we went to the Brazen Head for some beers.

694. Hoptical Illusion

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Blue Point Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.20%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance (4.5): Pours a hazy copper. A fluffy, beige head thins to a half-inch layer, laving sheets of lace.

Smell (3.5): Lightly toasty malts and citric, resiny hops.

Taste (3.0): Toasty malts, with some mild sweetness. The finish is resiny, herbal and leafy hops. Needs a bit more sweetness to balance.

Mouthfeel (3.0): Light-bodied, low carbonation. Feels a bit thin

Drinkability (3.5): It's hurt by the lack of balance.

Overall (3.45)

695. Titan IPA

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Company
Alcohol: 6.80%
Serving: Tap
Style: American IPA, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear copper. A foamy, beige head thins to a film.

Smell (4.0): Sweet caramel, fruity malts, some spiciness and light resiny hops.

Taste (4.0): Toasty, light caramel sweetness, grassy bitterness, with a nice peppery finish.

Mouthfeel (4.0): High carbonation, medium-bodied, quite refreshing feeling.

Drinkability (4.0): Well balanced.

Overall (4.0)

696. Black Hole XXX Stout

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Chelsea Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Foreign / Export Stout, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance (3.5): Pours an opaque black/brown. It's topped by a thin, beige head that subsides to a film, leaving patchy lace.

Smell (3.5): Roasted malts: coffee and chocolate with some mild fruitiness.

Taste (4.0): There's a fruity soda like sweetness upfront. The finish is some nice roasted coffee and dark chocolate flavors.

Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium to full-bodied. Low carbonation. Smooth.

Drinkability (3.5): A little sweet, but nice.

Overall (3.75)

697. Raspberry Wheat

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Chelsea Brewing Company
Alcohol: 5.40%
Serving: Tap
Style: Fruit Beer, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance (3.0): Pours a hazy, reddish copper. Topped by a thin head that leaves light patches of lace.

Smell (3.5): Just raspberries, but still pleasant.

Taste (3.5): Pretty standard for a wheat beer brewed with fruit. Some neutral graininess with raspberries to add some sweet and tart notes. There's a light bitterness, which was nice.

Mouthfeel (3.5): Light-bodied, grainy, moderate carbonation.

Drinkability (4.0): Pretty tasty and drinkable.

Overall (3.45)

Labels: American IPA, Blue Point Brewing Company, Chelsea Brewing Company, Export Stout, Fruit/Vegetable Beer, Great Divide Brewing Company, Travel

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:

David, the cocky bastard, lost to a UK pensioner at left handed beer mat flips.
23/11
Ha Ha, Bob Richards

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:

"I know every Ian Rankin book I just cannot remember one title."

Bob and David


Bob and I


David and Bob

We eventually decided to head to Dickie's to finish out the night.

559. N'Ice Chouffe




Where I got it and serving details.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie d'Achouffe
Alcohol: 10.00%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy brown-amber with a thick, brown head that thins to a film leaving good lace.

Smell (4.0): Sweet, notes of caramel, cherries and raisins with light pepper on swirling.

Taste (4.0): Sweet and fruity malts: light cherries and raisins. There's lots of pepper in the finish with some nice roasted flavors.

Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation, lightly dry.

Drinkability (4.0): Good drinkability for a strong winter beer.

Overall (4.0)



560. Watou Tripel

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV
Alcohol: 7.50%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy amber with a thick white head that retains well leaving patchy lace as the glass is emptied.

Smell (4.0): Mixed fruit aromas, bananas and sour apples. There's also some honey sweetness.

Taste (4.0): Banana, berry and sour apple fruitiness. The finish is peppery with a moderat hop bitterness.

Mouthfeel (4.5): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation, dry finish.

Drinkability (4.5): Very drinkable.

Overall (4.1)

561. Het Kapittel Abt

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Van Eecke N.V.
Alcohol: 10.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance (4.5): Pours a cloudy golden with a thick, white head that remains as a persistent half-inch layer leaving heavy lace.

Smell (4.0): Fruity, mostly sour apples with a leafy hop aroma

Taste (3.5): Some fruity sweetness, some tartness, moderate peppery spice with a light bitterness in the finish.

Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, low carbonation.

Drinkability (4.0): Very drinkable.

Overall (3.9)



561. De Dolle Extra Export Stout

I let the brewer for Green Jack try this. He thought it was a good stout, but you could tell it was Belgian.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Dolle Brouwers
Alcohol: 9.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Foreign / Export Stout, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance (5.0): Pours an opaque black with a thick brown head.

Smell (4.0): Nice stout roasted aromas of chocolate and coffee as well as some tart cherry aromas.

Taste (4.5): Cherry and chocolate with a nice sourness. The finish has some nice roasted bitterness.

Mouthfeel (4.5): Medium to full-bodied, velvety, moderate carbonation.

Drinkability (4.5): A very nice and tasty stout.

Overall (4.5)

563. Wostyntje

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Regenboog
Alcohol: 7.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance (4.0): Pours a cloudy orange with a fluffy, white head that leaves patchy lace.

Smell (4.0): Fruity, peppery. I can't smell mustard.

Taste (3.5): Fruity and sweet banana flavors. The finish is spicy with some pepper and mustard, which is surprisingly, not overpowering.

Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, low carbonation.

Drinkability (4.0): Not bad for such a strange beer.

Overall (3.8)

564. Jan Van Gent

I've made a note to myself in the book not to trust the numbers because I'm drunk, so I haven't put them here (overall: 4.05).

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Liefmans
Alcohol:5.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance: Pours a lightly hazy golden with a white head that retains well and leaves no lace.

Smell: Some light fruitiness, with noticeable grainy aromas.

Taste: Sweet and fruity with some dry graininess.

Mouthfeel: Low carbonation, medium-bodied and lightly dry.

Drinkability: Very!

We left Brugs Beertje and headed to Dickie's where we saw the Germans again. This time we got a picture with them as they were leaving.


With the Germans

We didn't have anything new, though David had a Chimay before I cut him off, while I had a Chimay and two Orvals.

There was a large group of people in the back singing Irish folk songs. It was a mixed group, there were three Irish people, and Englishman and a few Belgians. David walked over and got them to start singing James Taylor. Then David and I sang all three verses of Mercedes Benz, though when we were on the second and third verses they were still singing the only verse people know. They invited us to sit with them, so we talked for a while, about what I don't remember.

There was a lot more singing, but eventually we got into pub games, like blowing cards off of a glass. David, being David got competitive and started to irritate the laid back Europeans. He was chastised four times by various people, five if you count what the owner said to me.

1. Ex Belgian Military - "You have to be who you are."
2. Englishman - "Don't kid a kidder."
3. Portuguese Owner - "You are in Europe, not America. Try and learn something.
4. Belgian Tour Guide - "You're so competitive you can't help but defeat yourself."
5. Portuguese Owner (to me as I was paying) - "Your friend is too American, you're not, but your friend is."

We somehow managed to stumble back to our hostel. I have no idea how we found it, but we did.

Labels: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Belgium 2006, Export Stout, Travel, Tripel

After the tour at Cantillon it was time to get down to some real drinking. We headed to Delirium Café, which guarantees 2,004 different beers in stock. The bar is located on Impasse De La Fidélité, a small dead end off of Rue des Bouchers, which is itself a narrow winding cobbled alleyway lined on either side by restaurants whose tables make the entire street nearly unwalkable when crowded. The bar is marked by small signs with the Delirium Tremens logo on them. There are tables upstairs, but the bar is located below ground.



The bar is roughly L shaped, with around 12 or 14 taps that face the back. There are large barrels with chairs around them near the bar, and regular tables farther back. We sat at the bar on this visit.

The menu is the size of a small town's phone book, and can be quite overwhelming. There are featured beers, which each get a pretty good description. The rest are organized alphabetically by country. Surprisingly there were two Goose Island beers available.

If the bottles were 33 or 37 cL David and I ordered one each per round and switched halfway through. If the bottle was 75 cL we split it. For these reviews and most of the rest I don't have notes for "Overall", so I'll just put the score.



496. Kasteelbier Bruin-Brune

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V.
Alcohol: 11.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Quadrupel, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance (4.5): Pours a very dark brown with a thick foamy head that fades into a sudsy film.

Smell (3.5): Caramel, dark fruit, and a hint of roastiness.

Taste (3.5): Malty and sweet throughout. There are strong flavors of raisins that dominate. The finish is spicy with noticable alcohol, residual sweetness and a light roastiness.

Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation.

Drinkability (3.5): A little sweet, but otherwise drinkable.

Overall (3.75)

497. Kasteelbier Blond

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V.
Alcohol: 11.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance (3.5): Pours a lightly hazy golden with a thin white head that quickly fades to a patchy layer.

Smell (4.0): Strong aromas of banana and clove, with peppery spice that emerges on swirling.

Taste (4.0): Banana fruitiness upfront, cloves and peppery spice with light bitterness in the finish.

Mouthfeel (4.0): Very high carbonation, light-bodied with a lightly dry finish.

Drinkability (4.0): Crisp and pretty refreshing.

Overall (3.9)



498. Artevelde Grand Cru 1993

At the end of the menu several aged beers were listed. One of these was Artevelde from 1993. The bottle said "Imported by Best Brands, Fairfield, NJ." Apparently this one has made the transatlantic voyage at least twice.

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Huyghe
Year: 1993
Alcohol: 7.30%
Serving: Bottle,
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear amber brown with a beige head that thins to a film, leaving patchy lace.

Smell (4.0): Notes of cherry, caramel and medicinal phenols.

Taste (4.0): Very mellow. Light cherry and medicinal phenols, with graininess and bitterness in the finish.

Mouthfeel (4.5): High carbonation, light-bodied, with a crisp, dry finish.

Drinkability (4.0): Easily drinkable, definitely mellowed.

Overall (4.05)

499. Guinness Special Export Stout

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Guinness Ltd.
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Foreign / Export Stout, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance (5.0): Pitch black, topped by a very thick brown head that fades leaving heavy lace on the glass.

Smell (4.0): Lightly sweet chocolate, and some roasted coffee notes.

Taste (4.5): Sweet chocolate upfront, moving into light tartness, with heavy coffee roasted flavors in the finish.

Mouthfeel (4.5): Full-bodied, moderate carbonation, creamy.

Drinkability (4.5): Very nice, full-flavored, sweet but well balanced by roasted bitterness.

Overall (4.5): Text



500. Ename Dubbel

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Roman N.V.
Alcohol: 6.50%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Dubbel, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear ruby-brown with afoamy beige head that persists as a film leaving nice lace.

Smell (2.0): Lightly sweet, with faint hints of caramel and light fruit.

Taste (3.5): Very attenuated. Lightly sweet upfront with notes of dark fruit. The finish is lightly bitter with a very light residual sweetness.

Mouthfeel (4.0): High carbonation, light-bodied, with a dry finish.

Drinkability (3.5): Not too sweet.

Overall (3.35)

501. Saxo

Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Caracole
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide

Appearance (4.5): Pours a lightly hazy golden with a thick, fluffy, bright white head that leaves heavy lace.

Smell (4.0): Very peppery, with banana fruitiness, and light graininess.

Taste (4.5): Lightly sweet fruit upfront, with a significant peppery bite in the finish with a light bitterness.

Mouthfeel (4.0): High carbonation, light-bodied, dry finish.

Drinkability (4.5): Very crisp and refreshing, with a nice dry finish.

Overall (4.35)

I'll post a summary of my thoughts on Delirium Café after I blog all of the other visits.

Labels: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Belgium 2006, Delerium Café, Dubbel, Export Stout, Quadrupel, Travel, Tripel