657. Dinner and Drinks at The Publick House
Published by Unknown on Monday, April 30, 2007 at 12:39 PM.
Last Friday night (April 20th) Jadyn and I went to the Publick House for dinner and drinks. The wait was estimated to be an hour when we got there, but we were seated before we'd finished our first beers, an Aprihop for her and a Foret for myself.
We started with an order of Publick House fries as an appetizer. For dinner Jadyn had the Mac and Cheese and I had the Arrogant Bastard meatloaf. The food was good as usual, especially the mashed potatoes that came with my meatloaf. She had a St. Bernardus ABT 12 with dinner and I had an Old Rasputin Imperial Stout. The stout went well with the somewhat bitter Arrogant Bastard based sauce on the meatloaf.
After dinner we had a couple more drinks. I thought that fruit lambics would make a nice after dinner drink. I was hoping for a Cantillon, but they were all out. I ended up having the Boon Oude Geuze Mariage Parfait and Jadyn had a Lindeman's Framboise. Our last drinks were a La Fin Du Monde for Jadyn and a Brooklyn Antwerpen Ale, which I found to be a nice, highly drinkable Belgian Pale Ale.
I enjoyed all of the beers that I ordered, especially Old Rasputin and the Gueuze, and Jadyn particularly enjoyed the Aprihop and Framboise.
657. Brooklyn Antwerpen Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear, copper color with a dense off white head that thins to a film, before disappearing.
Smell (4.0): Very fruity. There are notes of bananas and berries with toasty malts, light hops and a hint of spiciness.
Taste (3.5): Toasty malts upfront move into a sweet fruity center with notes of bananas and apples. The finish has a light residual sweetness with a mild bitterness.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light-bodied, moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (5.0): Mild but flavorful. Definitely something I could have a few of.
Overall (3.85): I thought this was a spot on attempt at a Belgian Pale Ale. I'd definitely have it again.
We started with an order of Publick House fries as an appetizer. For dinner Jadyn had the Mac and Cheese and I had the Arrogant Bastard meatloaf. The food was good as usual, especially the mashed potatoes that came with my meatloaf. She had a St. Bernardus ABT 12 with dinner and I had an Old Rasputin Imperial Stout. The stout went well with the somewhat bitter Arrogant Bastard based sauce on the meatloaf.
After dinner we had a couple more drinks. I thought that fruit lambics would make a nice after dinner drink. I was hoping for a Cantillon, but they were all out. I ended up having the Boon Oude Geuze Mariage Parfait and Jadyn had a Lindeman's Framboise. Our last drinks were a La Fin Du Monde for Jadyn and a Brooklyn Antwerpen Ale, which I found to be a nice, highly drinkable Belgian Pale Ale.
I enjoyed all of the beers that I ordered, especially Old Rasputin and the Gueuze, and Jadyn particularly enjoyed the Aprihop and Framboise.
657. Brooklyn Antwerpen Ale
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear, copper color with a dense off white head that thins to a film, before disappearing.
Smell (4.0): Very fruity. There are notes of bananas and berries with toasty malts, light hops and a hint of spiciness.
Taste (3.5): Toasty malts upfront move into a sweet fruity center with notes of bananas and apples. The finish has a light residual sweetness with a mild bitterness.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light-bodied, moderate carbonation.
Drinkability (5.0): Mild but flavorful. Definitely something I could have a few of.
Overall (3.85): I thought this was a spot on attempt at a Belgian Pale Ale. I'd definitely have it again.
Labels: Belgian Pale Ale, Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Fruit Lambic, Fruit/Vegatable Beer, Gueuze, Lambic, Quadrupel, Russian Imperial Stout, Saison, Sour Beer
Day Four, Antwerp: Lunch and Sightseeing, Kulminator, Dinner, Elfde Gebod
Published by Unknown on Sunday, December 10, 2006 at 11:27 PM.
We woke up fairly late on Tuesday and went to Horta for breakfast. We got there too late and ended up having to get lunch, with which we had a round. I got the pasta in pesto sauce with sun-dried tomatoes. I don't remember what David got, but I vaguely remember cream sauce.
526. Brugge Tripel
The name on BA is listed as Brugse Tripel, but people seem to be reviewing Brugge Tripel on the same page.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Gouden Boom
Alcohol: 9.00%
Serving: Bottle,
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.0): Pours a clear amber with a smooth, white head that fades to thin layer.
Smell (3.5): Fruity bananas, some graininess, a little peppery spice.
Taste (4.0): Berry and banana fruitiness upfront. Moving into the finish there are grainy notes as well as some peppery spice. The finish also has a nice hoppy bitterness that balances nicely.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light-bodied with high carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): Overly carbonated.
Overall (3.6)
527. Steendonk
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Palm NV
Alcohol: 4.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a cloudy, straw color with a white head that thins to a ring, leaving patchy lace.
Smell (3.0): Bananas, cloves and yeast. The pepper and characteristic witbier spice are present, but very light.
Taste (2.0): Lightly sweet fruitiness, bananas especially. There's some graininess and spice, but nothing strong or characteristic of a witbier. Lightly hoppy.
Mouthfeel (2.0): Watery with low carbonation.
Drinkability (3.0): Watery without sufficient carbonation, therefore not that great to drink.
Overall (2.6)
After lunch we visited Rubenshuis, the former home of painter Peter Paul Rubens. I was pretty tired, so I honestly don't remember much, other than being impressed at the size of the house. Afterwards we stopped at a café for coffee before heading to Bierhuis Kulminator.
Kulminator was definitely my favorite bar that we visited while in Belgium. The brightly lit interior had large plants growing near the front window and dried hop vines on the ceiling towards the back. Classical music played in the background, providing a nice atmosphere. There were several large wooden tables arranged throughout bar that were topped by large beer bottles used to hold candles and variety of press clippings. I counted at least four different cats that lounged around the bar. The selection was good, but the selection of aged beers was amazing.
We stayed for several hours, during which time the bar never got crowded. There were two older men who sat at the table next to us for awhile drinking Lefe and Westmalle, a group of American guys our age from Connecticut, and a couple who came in around dinner time.
Bierhuis Kulminator
Dried hops
One of the bar cats
Two of the bar cats
David, intoxicated
Thom, intoxicated
Their card
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Corsendonk
Alcohol: 8.50%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a lightly hazy amber-brown with a fluffy brown head that slowly fades, leaving heavy lace.
Smell (4.0): Sweet cherry aroma, caramel and a light vinuous character.
Taste (4.0): Upfront there are toasty malts, with a mild roasted character. Light tartness that's reminiscent of cherries emerges in the center. The finish has some peppery spice and bitterness.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light to medium-bodied with high carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Well-balanced, no character dominates over the others.
Overall (3.95)
529. Liefmans Kriekbier
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Liefmans
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Fruit Beer, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a lightly hazy orange-red with a foamy pink head that fades to a thin ring.
Smell (4.0): Sour and acidic with notes of cherries, as well as a moderate funkiness that emerges upon swirling.
Taste (4.5): Very sour throughout, there's some sweetness that emerges with the cherries, but it's always dominated by the sourness and persistent cherry tartness.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Light-bodied, low carbonation, very dry.
Drinkability (3.5): Sour, definitely a sipper.
Overall (4.2)
519. Oud Beersel Oude Gueuze Vieille 2001
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Oud Beersel
Year: 2001
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Gueuze, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a cloudy golden, with a massive off-white head that fades to a thin ring.
Smell: Sour and funky with a little bit of fruitiness. The fruitiness becomes stronger upon swirling.
Taste: This has definitely mellowed with age. The sourness is diminished, but the funkiness has increased.
Mouthfeel: Light-bodied, light carbonation with a dry finish.
Drinkability: Nicely balanced and mellowed.
Overall: I think age has definitely improved this Gueuze.
33. Chimay Grande Réserve 1999
An aged bottle from 1999 served at cellar temperature in a Chimay chalice. They had bottles of Chimay Blue all the way back to 1981.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bières de Chimay
Year: 1999
Alcohol: 9.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a hazy brown-ruby with a creamy beige head that fades to a thin film, leaving patches of lace.
Smell (5.0): This definitely smells aged. Rich and malty with notes of caramel, toffee, and dark fruit. There are also vinuous notes as well as some alcoholic spiciness.
Taste (4.5): Malty upfront with toasty flavors as well as sweet caramel and dark fruit, sweet, but not too sweet. The finish has a light tartness with pepper, alcohol and a very light bitterness.
Mouthfeel (5.0): Full-bodied and thick, with low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.5): Smooth and full flavored, but mellow.
Overall (4.65): This is definitely one that improves with age. I think that it might be worth it to buy a case of Chimay every year just to cellar.
195. Orval Trappist Ale 2002
A dust-covered 2002 bottle, served in an Orval chalice.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie d'Orval S.A.
Year: 2002
Alcohol: 6.20%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a hazy-golden with a thick, off-white head that fades to a thin film leaving heavy patches of lace.
Smell (5.0): Strong Brettanomyces aroma as well as some grassy and citric aromas.
Taste (5.0): Tart citric and Brett characters, with a light sweetness. The finish has a nice mellowed hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Light to medium-bodied, low carbonation with a dry finish.
Drinkability (4.5): Tart with nice dominant Brett character.
Overall (4.8)
530. Gouden Carolus Carolus D'Or - Cuvée Van De Keizer
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Het Anker
Alcohol: 11.00%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy brown with a reddish tint. A thick off-white head fades to a sudsy quarter-inch layer, leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Sweet and very fruity smelling. Lots of bananas and peppery alcohol. Swirling brings out notes of cherry and raisins.
Taste (3.5): Very sweet with nice fruitiness: bananas, raisins and light tartness. There's a very mild alcoholic spice in the finish.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Thick and full-bodied with low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.5): Smooth and sweet. Neither the alcohol nor sweetness is overpowering.
Overall (3.8)
531. Westvleteren Special 6 1998
David spotted some unlabeled bottles with red caps on the shelf behind the bar. He asked about them and was told that they were bottles of Westvleteren 6 from 1998, the last year that it was produced. We ordered two bottles, which were served in Abdij St. Sixtus goblets at cellar temperature.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Westvleteren
Year: 1998
Alcohol: 6.20%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a hazy dark-brown with ruby tints. A one-inch beige head fades to a quarter-inch layer leaving sheets of lace.
Smell (5.0): Smells aged. Notes of tart cherries, dark fruit and light toffee maltiness. Has the characteristic vinous aroma of an aged beer. Smells amazing.
Taste (4.5): Sweet with some malty caramel notes and fruity notes of dates and raisins, not too sweet though. Light peppery spice and a nice amount of hoppy bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Full-bodied, low carbonation.
Drinkability (5.0): Mellow, but flavorful.
Overall (4.65): It's amazing how well this beer has held up, very delicious. I feel very lucky to have had one.
After leaving Kulminator we went to Congo for dinner. David had lasagna in... cream sauce. I had pasta in pesto sauce. We then found an internet cafe and made some phone calls and checked e-mail.
After dinner we went to Elfde Gebod for a final round before walking around the city and turning in. The bar was near the cathedral. David sat the round out and opted to have a piece of cake, which came with a large glob of whipped cream. The inside of the bar was heavily decorated with religious imagery. David implied that the waitress, who was very cute, was a teenager. She was actually 22.
Then why are so many nuns strippers?
532. La Trappe Quadrupel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bierbrouwerij De Koningshoeven B.V.
Alcohol: 10.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Quadrupel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear amber with a beige head that fades to a thin sudsy layer leaving plentiful lace.
Smell (3.5): Dark fruit, light pepper, and hint of alcohol.
Taste (4.0): A neutral grainy character upfront moves into a raisiny sweetness. The finish is lightly spicy with a trailing bitterness. Not too sweet.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation with a lightly dry finish.
Drinkability (3.5): Not too sweet, but it could use a bit more spiciness or bitterness to balance.
Overall (3.85)
The Lonely Planet guide said "The Boots" was the most disreputable bar in Belgium. We walked by, the plan was to decide if we would stop in based on the look of the place. It was closed, but I think the sign would have kept us out if it had been open.
David in front of the most disreputable bar in Belgium.
526. Brugge Tripel
The name on BA is listed as Brugse Tripel, but people seem to be reviewing Brugge Tripel on the same page.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Gouden Boom
Alcohol: 9.00%
Serving: Bottle,
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.0): Pours a clear amber with a smooth, white head that fades to thin layer.
Smell (3.5): Fruity bananas, some graininess, a little peppery spice.
Taste (4.0): Berry and banana fruitiness upfront. Moving into the finish there are grainy notes as well as some peppery spice. The finish also has a nice hoppy bitterness that balances nicely.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light-bodied with high carbonation.
Drinkability (3.5): Overly carbonated.
Overall (3.6)
527. Steendonk
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Palm NV
Alcohol: 4.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (3.5): Pours a cloudy, straw color with a white head that thins to a ring, leaving patchy lace.
Smell (3.0): Bananas, cloves and yeast. The pepper and characteristic witbier spice are present, but very light.
Taste (2.0): Lightly sweet fruitiness, bananas especially. There's some graininess and spice, but nothing strong or characteristic of a witbier. Lightly hoppy.
Mouthfeel (2.0): Watery with low carbonation.
Drinkability (3.0): Watery without sufficient carbonation, therefore not that great to drink.
Overall (2.6)
After lunch we visited Rubenshuis, the former home of painter Peter Paul Rubens. I was pretty tired, so I honestly don't remember much, other than being impressed at the size of the house. Afterwards we stopped at a café for coffee before heading to Bierhuis Kulminator.
Kulminator was definitely my favorite bar that we visited while in Belgium. The brightly lit interior had large plants growing near the front window and dried hop vines on the ceiling towards the back. Classical music played in the background, providing a nice atmosphere. There were several large wooden tables arranged throughout bar that were topped by large beer bottles used to hold candles and variety of press clippings. I counted at least four different cats that lounged around the bar. The selection was good, but the selection of aged beers was amazing.
We stayed for several hours, during which time the bar never got crowded. There were two older men who sat at the table next to us for awhile drinking Lefe and Westmalle, a group of American guys our age from Connecticut, and a couple who came in around dinner time.
Bierhuis Kulminator
Dried hops
One of the bar cats
Two of the bar cats
David, intoxicated
Thom, intoxicated
Their card
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Corsendonk
Alcohol: 8.50%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a lightly hazy amber-brown with a fluffy brown head that slowly fades, leaving heavy lace.
Smell (4.0): Sweet cherry aroma, caramel and a light vinuous character.
Taste (4.0): Upfront there are toasty malts, with a mild roasted character. Light tartness that's reminiscent of cherries emerges in the center. The finish has some peppery spice and bitterness.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light to medium-bodied with high carbonation.
Drinkability (4.0): Well-balanced, no character dominates over the others.
Overall (3.95)
529. Liefmans Kriekbier
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Liefmans
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Tap
Style: Fruit Beer, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a lightly hazy orange-red with a foamy pink head that fades to a thin ring.
Smell (4.0): Sour and acidic with notes of cherries, as well as a moderate funkiness that emerges upon swirling.
Taste (4.5): Very sour throughout, there's some sweetness that emerges with the cherries, but it's always dominated by the sourness and persistent cherry tartness.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Light-bodied, low carbonation, very dry.
Drinkability (3.5): Sour, definitely a sipper.
Overall (4.2)
519. Oud Beersel Oude Gueuze Vieille 2001
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Oud Beersel
Year: 2001
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Gueuze, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a cloudy golden, with a massive off-white head that fades to a thin ring.
Smell: Sour and funky with a little bit of fruitiness. The fruitiness becomes stronger upon swirling.
Taste: This has definitely mellowed with age. The sourness is diminished, but the funkiness has increased.
Mouthfeel: Light-bodied, light carbonation with a dry finish.
Drinkability: Nicely balanced and mellowed.
Overall: I think age has definitely improved this Gueuze.
33. Chimay Grande Réserve 1999
An aged bottle from 1999 served at cellar temperature in a Chimay chalice. They had bottles of Chimay Blue all the way back to 1981.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bières de Chimay
Year: 1999
Alcohol: 9.00%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a hazy brown-ruby with a creamy beige head that fades to a thin film, leaving patches of lace.
Smell (5.0): This definitely smells aged. Rich and malty with notes of caramel, toffee, and dark fruit. There are also vinuous notes as well as some alcoholic spiciness.
Taste (4.5): Malty upfront with toasty flavors as well as sweet caramel and dark fruit, sweet, but not too sweet. The finish has a light tartness with pepper, alcohol and a very light bitterness.
Mouthfeel (5.0): Full-bodied and thick, with low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.5): Smooth and full flavored, but mellow.
Overall (4.65): This is definitely one that improves with age. I think that it might be worth it to buy a case of Chimay every year just to cellar.
195. Orval Trappist Ale 2002
A dust-covered 2002 bottle, served in an Orval chalice.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie d'Orval S.A.
Year: 2002
Alcohol: 6.20%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a hazy-golden with a thick, off-white head that fades to a thin film leaving heavy patches of lace.
Smell (5.0): Strong Brettanomyces aroma as well as some grassy and citric aromas.
Taste (5.0): Tart citric and Brett characters, with a light sweetness. The finish has a nice mellowed hop bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Light to medium-bodied, low carbonation with a dry finish.
Drinkability (4.5): Tart with nice dominant Brett character.
Overall (4.8)
530. Gouden Carolus Carolus D'Or - Cuvée Van De Keizer
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Het Anker
Alcohol: 11.00%
Serving: Bottle, 750 mL
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy brown with a reddish tint. A thick off-white head fades to a sudsy quarter-inch layer, leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Sweet and very fruity smelling. Lots of bananas and peppery alcohol. Swirling brings out notes of cherry and raisins.
Taste (3.5): Very sweet with nice fruitiness: bananas, raisins and light tartness. There's a very mild alcoholic spice in the finish.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Thick and full-bodied with low carbonation.
Drinkability (4.5): Smooth and sweet. Neither the alcohol nor sweetness is overpowering.
Overall (3.8)
531. Westvleteren Special 6 1998
David spotted some unlabeled bottles with red caps on the shelf behind the bar. He asked about them and was told that they were bottles of Westvleteren 6 from 1998, the last year that it was produced. We ordered two bottles, which were served in Abdij St. Sixtus goblets at cellar temperature.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Westvleteren
Year: 1998
Alcohol: 6.20%
Serving: Bottle, 11.2 oz.
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.5): Pours a hazy dark-brown with ruby tints. A one-inch beige head fades to a quarter-inch layer leaving sheets of lace.
Smell (5.0): Smells aged. Notes of tart cherries, dark fruit and light toffee maltiness. Has the characteristic vinous aroma of an aged beer. Smells amazing.
Taste (4.5): Sweet with some malty caramel notes and fruity notes of dates and raisins, not too sweet though. Light peppery spice and a nice amount of hoppy bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.5): Full-bodied, low carbonation.
Drinkability (5.0): Mellow, but flavorful.
Overall (4.65): It's amazing how well this beer has held up, very delicious. I feel very lucky to have had one.
After leaving Kulminator we went to Congo for dinner. David had lasagna in... cream sauce. I had pasta in pesto sauce. We then found an internet cafe and made some phone calls and checked e-mail.
After dinner we went to Elfde Gebod for a final round before walking around the city and turning in. The bar was near the cathedral. David sat the round out and opted to have a piece of cake, which came with a large glob of whipped cream. The inside of the bar was heavily decorated with religious imagery. David implied that the waitress, who was very cute, was a teenager. She was actually 22.
Then why are so many nuns strippers?
532. La Trappe Quadrupel
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Bierbrouwerij De Koningshoeven B.V.
Alcohol: 10.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Quadrupel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear amber with a beige head that fades to a thin sudsy layer leaving plentiful lace.
Smell (3.5): Dark fruit, light pepper, and hint of alcohol.
Taste (4.0): A neutral grainy character upfront moves into a raisiny sweetness. The finish is lightly spicy with a trailing bitterness. Not too sweet.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation with a lightly dry finish.
Drinkability (3.5): Not too sweet, but it could use a bit more spiciness or bitterness to balance.
Overall (3.85)
The Lonely Planet guide said "The Boots" was the most disreputable bar in Belgium. We walked by, the plan was to decide if we would stop in based on the look of the place. It was closed, but I think the sign would have kept us out if it had been open.
David in front of the most disreputable bar in Belgium.
Labels: Belgian Pale Ale, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Belgium 2006, Fruit/Vegatable Beer, Gueuze, Lambic, Quadrupel, Sour Beer, Trappist, Travel, Tripel, Witbier
425. He'Brew Genesis 10:10
I've been wanting to try a He'Brew beer for quite sometime, but I've never seen them at Downtown Wine & Spirits. A couple days ago I noticed several bottles sitting in a small dispaly at shin level. So I picked up a bomber of Genesis 10:10 and a bomber of Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A. The label of Genesis 10:10 says "10th Anniversary ale brewed with our chosen specialty malts, hops, brewers yeast and pomegranate juice." I let this warm slightly and served in one of my New Belgium glasses.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Shmaltz Brewing Company
Alcohol: 10.00%
Serving: Bottle, 22 oz.
Style: Fruit Beer, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear, deep oarange-ruby. A thick, sudsy, off-white head eventually fades to a thin film, leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Fruity pomegranate, caramel malts and light hops.
Taste (4.0): Sweet malts and fruit upfront are met almost immediately by a strong hop bitterness that mingles with the fruity and malty sweetness. Eventually the the bitterness becomes dominant in a juicy hoppy finish.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, tingly carbonation, light oiliness.
Drinkability (4.0): Flavorful, high alcohol is well hidden.
Overall (4.0): This is a very nice fruit beer. The pomegranates contribute fruitiness and sweetness to balance the hoppy bitterness without dominating the flavor profile.
I've been wanting to try a He'Brew beer for quite sometime, but I've never seen them at Downtown Wine & Spirits. A couple days ago I noticed several bottles sitting in a small dispaly at shin level. So I picked up a bomber of Genesis 10:10 and a bomber of Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A. The label of Genesis 10:10 says "10th Anniversary ale brewed with our chosen specialty malts, hops, brewers yeast and pomegranate juice." I let this warm slightly and served in one of my New Belgium glasses.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Shmaltz Brewing Company
Alcohol: 10.00%
Serving: Bottle, 22 oz.
Style: Fruit Beer, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear, deep oarange-ruby. A thick, sudsy, off-white head eventually fades to a thin film, leaving patchy lace.
Smell (4.0): Fruity pomegranate, caramel malts and light hops.
Taste (4.0): Sweet malts and fruit upfront are met almost immediately by a strong hop bitterness that mingles with the fruity and malty sweetness. Eventually the the bitterness becomes dominant in a juicy hoppy finish.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Medium-bodied, tingly carbonation, light oiliness.
Drinkability (4.0): Flavorful, high alcohol is well hidden.
Overall (4.0): This is a very nice fruit beer. The pomegranates contribute fruitiness and sweetness to balance the hoppy bitterness without dominating the flavor profile.
Labels: Fruit/Vegatable Beer, Reviews, Shmaltz Brewing Company
Belgium Comes to Cooperstown: Saturday, Part III
Published by Unknown on Friday, July 21, 2006 at 8:09 PM.
I'm finally getting around to posting my tasting notes for Belgium Comes to Cooperstown. This should be the last of my posts about the actual beer fest. I'll write one more post about Sunday, but that'll be about the Baseball Hall of Fame and won't mention beer at all.
The beer selection was outstanding. There were a lot of great importers in attendance. The selection at the Shelton Brothers booth alone was phenomenal. There were also a lot of good North American breweries including: Allagash, Brooklyn Brewery, Dogfish Head, and Unibroue just off the top of my head.
Just some general comments about my tasting notes: I tried to be as concise as possible to facilitate more sampling, I didn't assign numerical rankings because of the small sample sizes, and I decided to dispense with the drinkability category for the fest. I decided to eliminate drinkability because it's the hardest category to get a good feel for with a small sample of beer, and because at the Extreme Beer Fest it was the first category that my objectivity slipped on as I approached inebriation. David also took tasting notes, though I don't have those to post.
All beers were served in the 4 oz. sampling glass that was provided. They were served variously on tap and from bottles, though I didn't make a note of this when I was served, I'll note the ones I'm sure about (which may turn out to be most of them). Some breweries had some merchandise for sale at their booths. Brooklyn had bottle openers on lanyards, glassware and what appeared to be thongs. Unibroue was selling large cardboard versions of their bottle labels. I bought two when I was pretty drunk.
They were out of La Fin Du Monde
I have pictures of me with most of the beers, but I can't remember which beers are which. I'll only post a few that I'm sure of.
408. Rodenbach Grand Cru
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Rodenbach N.V.
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Flanders Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a reddish-amber with good clarity, topped by a persistent brown/beige head.
Smell: Sweet, sour, cherries, and a sharp aroma I couldn't place.
Taste: Sour, but not overpowering, the aftertaste is sharp and tart.
Mouthfeel: Light, effervescent carbonation, finish is sour and dry.
409. Blanche De Brooklyn
I'd seen Garrett Oliver walking around the brewery building that morning when I took the tour. He was at the booth when I went by. I told him that I enjoyed his book. Perhaps I should have tried to get a picture with him.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery
Alcohol: 4.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Very hazy, with a pale straw hue, the head is creamy and white, and fades to a persistent thin layer.
Smell: Fruity, bananas, pepper.
Taste: Banana fruitiness is evident, though not as strong as the aroma. The finish is spicy and peppery. Perhaps grains of paradise?
Mouthfeel: Strong carbonation, light-bodied, with a lightly dry finish.
410. Cantillon Iris
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Cantillon
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Unblended Lambic, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a hazy bright golden, a thin ring of white bubbles is the only sign of a head.
Smell: Lambic sourness, funkiness emerges upon swirling. There's also a strong hoppiness, though the hop aromas themselves seem to have mellowed.
Taste: Sour lambic flavors upfront, with mellow but dominant hop flavors in the finish.
Mouthfeel: Light-bodied, with a dry finish.
411. Harpoon Belgian Pale Ale
The Harpoon Belgian Pale Ale was created for Belgium Comes to Cooperstown. I'd read that it was Harpoon IPA fermented with a Belgian yeast strain. I had to try this because I probably wouldn't get a chance to try it again, and because it had the potential to really showcase the differences in yeast strains. The guy at the Harpoon booth, who introduced himself as the brewery's microbiologist, said that he had pulled off a small amount of the wort from a batch of Harpoon IPA and pitched the Duvel yeast strain.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Harpoon Brewery
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian Pale Ale/ American IPA
Appearance: Pours a clear golden-amber with a thick, fluffy, white head that leaves patchy lace.
Smell: Intensely fruity and floral.
Taste: Fruity upfront and through the center. The fruitiness fades into bitterness in the finish, but the bitterness is mellow compared to the IPA.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, moderate carbonation, medium-bodied with a creamy/silky feel.
412. Ommegang Bier De Mars
This is another one-off release from Ommegang, this time a Bière de Garde. I had this one right after a sample of Ommegeddon.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brewery Ommegang
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Bière de Garde, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a hazy golden amber, with a head that fades to nothing.
Smell: Tart, hoppy, with a hint of musty funkiness. I wouldn't be surprised if this beer was fermented with Brettanomyces.
Taste: Hint of citric sweetness and tartness. The finish is musty and funky with mellow hops.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied, moderate to high carbonation, with a dry finish.
413. De Ranke XX Bitter
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Ranke
Alcohol: 6.20%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Lightly hazy yellow straw color, my pour had no head.
Smell: Aroma reminded me of the Harpoon BPA. Juicy fruity aromas, with a mellowed but strong hop presence.
Taste: Sweet fruitiness, notes of bananas, followed by mellowed but bitter hops.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied, smooth, moderate to low carbonation.
414. St. Bernardus Tripel
I'm typically a fan of St. Bernardus beers. I haven't seen this one at Downtown Wine & Spirits, so I decided to give it a try.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a lightly hazy golden with a thick white head.
Smell: Typical Belgian fruitiness. Bananas, yeast and light alcohol.
Taste: Fruity with nutty and buttery notes, spicy alcohol.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, medium-bodied, low carbonation.
415. Dogfish Head Fort
Neither of the Daves were enthusiastic about trying a raspberry beer, but I wanted to give it a try since I missed it at the Extreme Beer Fest and haven't seen it for sale in Boston.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Alcohol: 18.00%
Style: Fruit Beer, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a clear amber with a beige head that leaves patchy lace.
Smell: Raspberries and alcohol.
Taste: Tart raspberries and very spicy high alcohol.
Mouthfeel: Low carbonation, medium to full-bodied.
416. Barrel Aged Four
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Allagash Brewing Company
Alcohol: 10.00%
Style: Quadrupel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a hazy brown with amber tints, no head on my pour.
Smell: Fruity. Notes of cherry, alcohol and vanilla.
Taste: More fruitiness in the taste, with notes of bourbon and an herbal flavor.
Mouthfeel: Low carbonation, medium-bodied, smooth and almost silky.
417. Palm
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Palm NV
Alcohol: 5.10%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a clear amber with a fluffy white head that thins to a patchy layer.
Smell: Belgian yeast fruitiness, with a bit of malt.
Taste: Toasty malts, yeast, fruit, with a light bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Tingly carbonation, medium bodied.
418. Obbie's Grand Cru
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Appalachian Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a very cloudy light brown with a white head.
Smell: Belgian yeast fruitiness.
Taste: Fruity upfront. The finish is spicy, with a light bitterness detectable in an otherwise sweet finish.
Mouthfeel: High carbonation that conceals most other characters, light-bodied.
419. Zinnebir
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Sint-Pieters
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a very cloudy golden with a foamy head that leaves thick lace on the glass.
Smell: Light fruitiness with hints of orange.
Taste: Fruity, peppery. The finish is grainy and spicy with a hoppy bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Low carbonation, light-bodied and smooth.
420. The Shed Substance D
This beer was advertised as a Saison with Brett.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Shed Restaurant and Brewery
Alcohol: ?
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a hazy light golden with a creamy bubbly white head.
Smell: A tart, hoppy Brettanomyces aroma. Funky and lightly fruity.
Taste: Citric tartness, fruitiness, mellow hop flavors with a bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Low carbonation, smooth, medium-bodied.
421. The Shed Double Hoppy Illumination
Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Shed Restaurant and Brewery
Alcohol: ?
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a clear amber with a persistent beige head.
Smell: Fruity with resiny hops.
Taste: Hoppy with a nice sweet fruity and malty notes.
Mouthfeel: Smooth and creamy with low to medium carbonation.
In addition to the new beers I had several samples of Ommegeddon, another sample of Ommegang's Bier De Mars, Cambridge Brewing Company's Tripel Threat and some others I can't remember. There were a lot of beers that I wanted to try but wasn't able to due to a limited supply, limited time or limited sobriety.
Overall Belgium Comes to Cooperstown was an excellent beer fest. The brewery grounds during summer are an ideal place (weather permitting) for an event like this. Perhaps there could have been more seating, but maybe it wouldn't have been needed without the rain. I definitely want to go again next year, and maybe even camp out.
The beer selection was outstanding. There were a lot of great importers in attendance. The selection at the Shelton Brothers booth alone was phenomenal. There were also a lot of good North American breweries including: Allagash, Brooklyn Brewery, Dogfish Head, and Unibroue just off the top of my head.
Just some general comments about my tasting notes: I tried to be as concise as possible to facilitate more sampling, I didn't assign numerical rankings because of the small sample sizes, and I decided to dispense with the drinkability category for the fest. I decided to eliminate drinkability because it's the hardest category to get a good feel for with a small sample of beer, and because at the Extreme Beer Fest it was the first category that my objectivity slipped on as I approached inebriation. David also took tasting notes, though I don't have those to post.
All beers were served in the 4 oz. sampling glass that was provided. They were served variously on tap and from bottles, though I didn't make a note of this when I was served, I'll note the ones I'm sure about (which may turn out to be most of them). Some breweries had some merchandise for sale at their booths. Brooklyn had bottle openers on lanyards, glassware and what appeared to be thongs. Unibroue was selling large cardboard versions of their bottle labels. I bought two when I was pretty drunk.
They were out of La Fin Du Monde
I have pictures of me with most of the beers, but I can't remember which beers are which. I'll only post a few that I'm sure of.
408. Rodenbach Grand Cru
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Rodenbach N.V.
Alcohol: 6.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Flanders Red Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a reddish-amber with good clarity, topped by a persistent brown/beige head.
Smell: Sweet, sour, cherries, and a sharp aroma I couldn't place.
Taste: Sour, but not overpowering, the aftertaste is sharp and tart.
Mouthfeel: Light, effervescent carbonation, finish is sour and dry.
409. Blanche De Brooklyn
I'd seen Garrett Oliver walking around the brewery building that morning when I took the tour. He was at the booth when I went by. I told him that I enjoyed his book. Perhaps I should have tried to get a picture with him.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery
Alcohol: 4.50%
Serving: Tap
Style: Witbier, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Very hazy, with a pale straw hue, the head is creamy and white, and fades to a persistent thin layer.
Smell: Fruity, bananas, pepper.
Taste: Banana fruitiness is evident, though not as strong as the aroma. The finish is spicy and peppery. Perhaps grains of paradise?
Mouthfeel: Strong carbonation, light-bodied, with a lightly dry finish.
410. Cantillon Iris
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brasserie Cantillon
Alcohol: 5.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Unblended Lambic, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a hazy bright golden, a thin ring of white bubbles is the only sign of a head.
Smell: Lambic sourness, funkiness emerges upon swirling. There's also a strong hoppiness, though the hop aromas themselves seem to have mellowed.
Taste: Sour lambic flavors upfront, with mellow but dominant hop flavors in the finish.
Mouthfeel: Light-bodied, with a dry finish.
411. Harpoon Belgian Pale Ale
The Harpoon Belgian Pale Ale was created for Belgium Comes to Cooperstown. I'd read that it was Harpoon IPA fermented with a Belgian yeast strain. I had to try this because I probably wouldn't get a chance to try it again, and because it had the potential to really showcase the differences in yeast strains. The guy at the Harpoon booth, who introduced himself as the brewery's microbiologist, said that he had pulled off a small amount of the wort from a batch of Harpoon IPA and pitched the Duvel yeast strain.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Harpoon Brewery
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian Pale Ale/ American IPA
Appearance: Pours a clear golden-amber with a thick, fluffy, white head that leaves patchy lace.
Smell: Intensely fruity and floral.
Taste: Fruity upfront and through the center. The fruitiness fades into bitterness in the finish, but the bitterness is mellow compared to the IPA.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, moderate carbonation, medium-bodied with a creamy/silky feel.
412. Ommegang Bier De Mars
This is another one-off release from Ommegang, this time a Bière de Garde. I had this one right after a sample of Ommegeddon.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brewery Ommegang
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Bière de Garde, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a hazy golden amber, with a head that fades to nothing.
Smell: Tart, hoppy, with a hint of musty funkiness. I wouldn't be surprised if this beer was fermented with Brettanomyces.
Taste: Hint of citric sweetness and tartness. The finish is musty and funky with mellow hops.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied, moderate to high carbonation, with a dry finish.
413. De Ranke XX Bitter
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij De Ranke
Alcohol: 6.20%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Lightly hazy yellow straw color, my pour had no head.
Smell: Aroma reminded me of the Harpoon BPA. Juicy fruity aromas, with a mellowed but strong hop presence.
Taste: Sweet fruitiness, notes of bananas, followed by mellowed but bitter hops.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied, smooth, moderate to low carbonation.
414. St. Bernardus Tripel
I'm typically a fan of St. Bernardus beers. I haven't seen this one at Downtown Wine & Spirits, so I decided to give it a try.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV
Alcohol: 8.00%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Tripel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a lightly hazy golden with a thick white head.
Smell: Typical Belgian fruitiness. Bananas, yeast and light alcohol.
Taste: Fruity with nutty and buttery notes, spicy alcohol.
Mouthfeel: Smooth, medium-bodied, low carbonation.
415. Dogfish Head Fort
Neither of the Daves were enthusiastic about trying a raspberry beer, but I wanted to give it a try since I missed it at the Extreme Beer Fest and haven't seen it for sale in Boston.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Alcohol: 18.00%
Style: Fruit Beer, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a clear amber with a beige head that leaves patchy lace.
Smell: Raspberries and alcohol.
Taste: Tart raspberries and very spicy high alcohol.
Mouthfeel: Low carbonation, medium to full-bodied.
416. Barrel Aged Four
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Allagash Brewing Company
Alcohol: 10.00%
Style: Quadrupel, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a hazy brown with amber tints, no head on my pour.
Smell: Fruity. Notes of cherry, alcohol and vanilla.
Taste: More fruitiness in the taste, with notes of bourbon and an herbal flavor.
Mouthfeel: Low carbonation, medium-bodied, smooth and almost silky.
417. Palm
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Palm NV
Alcohol: 5.10%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a clear amber with a fluffy white head that thins to a patchy layer.
Smell: Belgian yeast fruitiness, with a bit of malt.
Taste: Toasty malts, yeast, fruit, with a light bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Tingly carbonation, medium bodied.
418. Obbie's Grand Cru
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Appalachian Brewing Company
Alcohol: ?
Serving: Tap
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a very cloudy light brown with a white head.
Smell: Belgian yeast fruitiness.
Taste: Fruity upfront. The finish is spicy, with a light bitterness detectable in an otherwise sweet finish.
Mouthfeel: High carbonation that conceals most other characters, light-bodied.
419. Zinnebir
Beer Stats:
Brewery: Brouwerij Sint-Pieters
Alcohol: 5.50%
Serving: Bottle
Style: Belgian Pale Ale, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a very cloudy golden with a foamy head that leaves thick lace on the glass.
Smell: Light fruitiness with hints of orange.
Taste: Fruity, peppery. The finish is grainy and spicy with a hoppy bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Low carbonation, light-bodied and smooth.
420. The Shed Substance D
This beer was advertised as a Saison with Brett.
Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Shed Restaurant and Brewery
Alcohol: ?
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a hazy light golden with a creamy bubbly white head.
Smell: A tart, hoppy Brettanomyces aroma. Funky and lightly fruity.
Taste: Citric tartness, fruitiness, mellow hop flavors with a bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Low carbonation, smooth, medium-bodied.
421. The Shed Double Hoppy Illumination
Beer Stats:
Brewery: The Shed Restaurant and Brewery
Alcohol: ?
Style: Saison, BJCP Style Guide
Appearance: Pours a clear amber with a persistent beige head.
Smell: Fruity with resiny hops.
Taste: Hoppy with a nice sweet fruity and malty notes.
Mouthfeel: Smooth and creamy with low to medium carbonation.
In addition to the new beers I had several samples of Ommegeddon, another sample of Ommegang's Bier De Mars, Cambridge Brewing Company's Tripel Threat and some others I can't remember. There were a lot of beers that I wanted to try but wasn't able to due to a limited supply, limited time or limited sobriety.
Overall Belgium Comes to Cooperstown was an excellent beer fest. The brewery grounds during summer are an ideal place (weather permitting) for an event like this. Perhaps there could have been more seating, but maybe it wouldn't have been needed without the rain. I definitely want to go again next year, and maybe even camp out.
Labels: Beer Fests, Belgian Pale Ale, Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Bière de Garde, Flanders Red Ale, Fruit/Vegatable Beer, Lambic, Quadrupel, Saison, Sour Beer, Travel, Tripel, Unblended Lambic, Witbier
I went down to New York for David's birthday and a long weekend. I saw friends, had some new beers and did a little home-brewing. All in all a good weekend.
Friday
On Friday night David, Dave and I went bar hopping in the East Village. Dave was at Lotus Lounge when I got into town, so after a brief layover at The Bear to drop off my bags David and I set off to meet him.
369. B.B. Bürgerbräu
I sampled this on tap at the Lotus Lounge in New York City. It was served in a standard pint glass.
Appearance (3.5): Pours a lightly hazy golden with a thin white head.
Smell (3.5): Light hops with toffee and caramel malt aromas.
Taste (2.5): Sweet and toasty malts. Hop flavors are light and the beer lacks any real bitterness.
Mouthfeel (2.0): Light carbonation, light-bodied and watery.
Drinkability (3.0): Light and easy to drink, but there aren't really any great flavors to make you want to drink it.
Overall (2.9): Simple and lacking in flavor and depth in the palate.
370. Sixpoint Sweet Action
I sampled this on tap at the Lotus Lounge in New York City. It was served in a standard pint glass. Dave and David gave me comments on this one.
Appearance (4.5): Hazy orange-amber with a thin creamy white head that leaves nice lace.
Dave: Pretty Sexy
David: Copper and cloudy
Smell (4.5): Sweet and peppery, with fruitiness and citric hops.
Dave: Berry.
David: Beer & boisenberry.
Taste (3.5): Mild malts upfront, with a peppery finish with citric hops. Nicely balanced in the finish. bu the malts could be more pronounced upfront.
Dave: I can't do taste. Closer to sweet scintilating saltiness (peppery).
David: Colorado Grolsch. A draft beer taste with flavor and body.
Mouthfeel (3.0): Light-bodied, slightly oily and a little watery.
Dave: Carbonation a bit much. Leaves harsh taste of void.
David: Dry mouth, overly carbonated.
Drinkability (4.5): Easy to drink with a nice refreshing hoppiness.
Dave: Mine's already gone so it must get a 5.
David: I could drink it but I don't want to.
Overall (3.95): Very drinkable, the only thing holding this beer back is the lack of malt character upfront.
371. Radeberger Pilsner
I sampled this on tap at the Lotus Lounge in New York City. It was served in a standard pint glass.
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear golden with a fluffy white head that thins to a persistent layer.
Smell (2.0): There's a sweet smell and that's about it.
Taste (2.5): Slight sweetness upfront with a decent hoppy finish.
Mouthfeel (3.0): Tingly carbonation and clean mouthfeel.
Drinkability (3.0): Light and easy to drink.
Overall (2.8): Drinkable, but not a lot of flavor that makes you want to drink it.
Next we headed out to look for a place to eat. We ended going to an Italian restaurant whose name I don't remember. I had the ricotta and spinach ravioli tossed in olive oil and sage, which was quite nice. We finished up our meals with port: Dow's 10 Year Tawny for Dave and I, and Dow's for David.
Pictures of us enjoying port:
David
Dave
Dave
Me
Next we headed to Happy Ending where we had Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Before we left we had the candle priviledges revoked at our table, surprisingly not my fault.
After a trip out to a bar in Brooklyn we ended up back in the East Village around 3 AM. We were wandering around looking for a bar when I spotted a place called The Belgian Room. We started off with a round of De Dolle Oerbiers, found a table and started playing poker with cards we'd borrowed from the bartender.
372. Cantillon Lou Pepe Kriek - 2001
We split a 750 mL bottle of this at the Belgian Room. It was served in Cantillon wine glasses.
Appearance: Hazy dark-red. The only evidence of a head are thin wispy patches of bubbles.
Smell: Nose of cherries, a light funkiness and an acidic sour smell. Very lambic.
Taste: Sweet and sour notes of cherries up front. An intense sourness takes hold in the center and maintains its dominance through the finish.
Mouthfeel: Mildly carbonated, with a very dry finish.
Drinkability: This is something to drink slowly and savor.
Overall: This is a very nice cherry lambic.
373. Bink Blonde
I sampled this from a 12 (or maybe 11.2 oz) bottle at The Belgian Room, it was served in a Leffe Class.
Appearance: Pours a cloudy golden with a thin white head.
Smell: Sweet and peppery with some fruity notes that may have been banana.
Taste: Sweet upfront with peppery notes, fruit (again bananas?) and a surprising hop profile for the style.
Mouthfeel: Moderate carbonation, smooth with a lightly dry finish.
Drinkability: A little tough to tell this late in the night, but the hoppiness was pleasant.
Saturday
Saturday Dave, David, Bennett and I went for a late brunch at Kitchenette in Morningside Heights. We walked around Central Park for awhile then saw Art School Confidential in Times Square. David, Bennett and I then headed to Megan's house in Pelham. We had pizza at the always excellent Johnny's. David, Bennett and I then played pool and poker and had a few beers: Harpoon Summer Beer, Sam Adams Summer Ale and Guinness Extra Stout.
Sunday
Sunday was David's birthday party. Megan had purchased a beginner homebrew kit for his birthday. The kit was an extract stout recipe with a small batch of milled grain, a package of extract syrup, and some Perle hop pellets. I had several Sam Adams Summer Ales as well as one new beer.
374. Sam Adams Cherry Wheat
I poured half a bottle into a half-pint weisse glass.
Appearance (3.5): Pours a slightly-hazy copper with a white foamy head that thins to a persitent layer. Large bubbles stream from the bottom of the glass.
Smell (2.0): Very strong and overpowering candy-like cherry aromas.
Taste (2.5): Light cherry flavor upfront, that fades into an American-style-wheat-beer flavor in the finish. The cherry flavor is present throughout and while not overpowering is a little cough-syrupy. The finish is grainy with little bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light to moderate carbonation, smooth with a lightly dry finish.
Drinkability (3.5): Refreshing aside from the slight cough syrup flavor.
Overall (2.85): This isn't a great fruit beer. The cherry comes off candy-like and overpowering in the smell, and a bit cough-syrupy in the finish.
Friday
On Friday night David, Dave and I went bar hopping in the East Village. Dave was at Lotus Lounge when I got into town, so after a brief layover at The Bear to drop off my bags David and I set off to meet him.
369. B.B. Bürgerbräu
I sampled this on tap at the Lotus Lounge in New York City. It was served in a standard pint glass.
Appearance (3.5): Pours a lightly hazy golden with a thin white head.
Smell (3.5): Light hops with toffee and caramel malt aromas.
Taste (2.5): Sweet and toasty malts. Hop flavors are light and the beer lacks any real bitterness.
Mouthfeel (2.0): Light carbonation, light-bodied and watery.
Drinkability (3.0): Light and easy to drink, but there aren't really any great flavors to make you want to drink it.
Overall (2.9): Simple and lacking in flavor and depth in the palate.
370. Sixpoint Sweet Action
I sampled this on tap at the Lotus Lounge in New York City. It was served in a standard pint glass. Dave and David gave me comments on this one.
Appearance (4.5): Hazy orange-amber with a thin creamy white head that leaves nice lace.
Dave: Pretty Sexy
David: Copper and cloudy
Smell (4.5): Sweet and peppery, with fruitiness and citric hops.
Dave: Berry.
David: Beer & boisenberry.
Taste (3.5): Mild malts upfront, with a peppery finish with citric hops. Nicely balanced in the finish. bu the malts could be more pronounced upfront.
Dave: I can't do taste. Closer to sweet scintilating saltiness (peppery).
David: Colorado Grolsch. A draft beer taste with flavor and body.
Mouthfeel (3.0): Light-bodied, slightly oily and a little watery.
Dave: Carbonation a bit much. Leaves harsh taste of void.
David: Dry mouth, overly carbonated.
Drinkability (4.5): Easy to drink with a nice refreshing hoppiness.
Dave: Mine's already gone so it must get a 5.
David: I could drink it but I don't want to.
Overall (3.95): Very drinkable, the only thing holding this beer back is the lack of malt character upfront.
371. Radeberger Pilsner
I sampled this on tap at the Lotus Lounge in New York City. It was served in a standard pint glass.
Appearance (4.0): Pours a clear golden with a fluffy white head that thins to a persistent layer.
Smell (2.0): There's a sweet smell and that's about it.
Taste (2.5): Slight sweetness upfront with a decent hoppy finish.
Mouthfeel (3.0): Tingly carbonation and clean mouthfeel.
Drinkability (3.0): Light and easy to drink.
Overall (2.8): Drinkable, but not a lot of flavor that makes you want to drink it.
Next we headed out to look for a place to eat. We ended going to an Italian restaurant whose name I don't remember. I had the ricotta and spinach ravioli tossed in olive oil and sage, which was quite nice. We finished up our meals with port: Dow's 10 Year Tawny for Dave and I, and Dow's for David.
Pictures of us enjoying port:
David
Dave
Dave
Me
Next we headed to Happy Ending where we had Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Before we left we had the candle priviledges revoked at our table, surprisingly not my fault.
After a trip out to a bar in Brooklyn we ended up back in the East Village around 3 AM. We were wandering around looking for a bar when I spotted a place called The Belgian Room. We started off with a round of De Dolle Oerbiers, found a table and started playing poker with cards we'd borrowed from the bartender.
372. Cantillon Lou Pepe Kriek - 2001
We split a 750 mL bottle of this at the Belgian Room. It was served in Cantillon wine glasses.
Appearance: Hazy dark-red. The only evidence of a head are thin wispy patches of bubbles.
Smell: Nose of cherries, a light funkiness and an acidic sour smell. Very lambic.
Taste: Sweet and sour notes of cherries up front. An intense sourness takes hold in the center and maintains its dominance through the finish.
Mouthfeel: Mildly carbonated, with a very dry finish.
Drinkability: This is something to drink slowly and savor.
Overall: This is a very nice cherry lambic.
373. Bink Blonde
I sampled this from a 12 (or maybe 11.2 oz) bottle at The Belgian Room, it was served in a Leffe Class.
Appearance: Pours a cloudy golden with a thin white head.
Smell: Sweet and peppery with some fruity notes that may have been banana.
Taste: Sweet upfront with peppery notes, fruit (again bananas?) and a surprising hop profile for the style.
Mouthfeel: Moderate carbonation, smooth with a lightly dry finish.
Drinkability: A little tough to tell this late in the night, but the hoppiness was pleasant.
Saturday
Saturday Dave, David, Bennett and I went for a late brunch at Kitchenette in Morningside Heights. We walked around Central Park for awhile then saw Art School Confidential in Times Square. David, Bennett and I then headed to Megan's house in Pelham. We had pizza at the always excellent Johnny's. David, Bennett and I then played pool and poker and had a few beers: Harpoon Summer Beer, Sam Adams Summer Ale and Guinness Extra Stout.
Sunday
Sunday was David's birthday party. Megan had purchased a beginner homebrew kit for his birthday. The kit was an extract stout recipe with a small batch of milled grain, a package of extract syrup, and some Perle hop pellets. I had several Sam Adams Summer Ales as well as one new beer.
374. Sam Adams Cherry Wheat
I poured half a bottle into a half-pint weisse glass.
Appearance (3.5): Pours a slightly-hazy copper with a white foamy head that thins to a persitent layer. Large bubbles stream from the bottom of the glass.
Smell (2.0): Very strong and overpowering candy-like cherry aromas.
Taste (2.5): Light cherry flavor upfront, that fades into an American-style-wheat-beer flavor in the finish. The cherry flavor is present throughout and while not overpowering is a little cough-syrupy. The finish is grainy with little bitterness.
Mouthfeel (4.0): Light to moderate carbonation, smooth with a lightly dry finish.
Drinkability (3.5): Refreshing aside from the slight cough syrup flavor.
Overall (2.85): This isn't a great fruit beer. The cherry comes off candy-like and overpowering in the smell, and a bit cough-syrupy in the finish.
Labels: American Blonde Ale, Belgian Pale Ale, Brasserie Cantillon, Czech Pilsener, Fruit Lambic, Fruit/Vegatable Beer, German Pilsener, Lambic, NYC, Reviews, Sixpoint Craft Ales, Sour Beer, Travel
350. UFO Raspberry Hefeweizen
I noticed this new beer a week or two ago at Downtown Wine & Spirits. I decided to pick up a six-pack tonight. I chilled this in the fridge and served in my Harpoon UFO Weizen glass.
Beer Advocate lists this as a Fruit/Vegatable Beer, which is a catch all category. In reality this is an American Hefe Weizen (what BA calls an American Pale Wheat Ale), flavored with raspberries.
If you've had this beer and agree or disagree with my review, or have anything to add please leave a comment.
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy red-orange with a fluffy white head that quickly diminishes to a thin layer.
Smell (3.0): The nose is dominated by the smell of raspberries. There's a faint graininess evident on swirling.
Taste (4.0): I was expecting more of a raspberry flavor given the aroma, but the raspberry flavors are more understated (this isn't a bad thing). Raspberry flavors are evident upfront, but don't overwhelm. A citrusy tartness emerges in the center and lingers into the finish, where it melds with a grainy wheat flavor.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light-bodied with moderate carbonation and a dry finish.
Drinkability (4.5): Very light, refreshing and easy to drink.
Overall (3.8): This beer reminded me of Abita Purple Haze, it's been awhile since I've had Purple Haze so I can't express a preference. This is a pretty good fruit beer. I'm not a huge fan of American Hefe Weizens. I tend to prefer the fruity and spicy flavors present in German Hefes. I think the raspberry adds some of what I feel is missing from the American style. As such I prefer UFO Raspberry over UFO.
I noticed this new beer a week or two ago at Downtown Wine & Spirits. I decided to pick up a six-pack tonight. I chilled this in the fridge and served in my Harpoon UFO Weizen glass.
Beer Advocate lists this as a Fruit/Vegatable Beer, which is a catch all category. In reality this is an American Hefe Weizen (what BA calls an American Pale Wheat Ale), flavored with raspberries.
If you've had this beer and agree or disagree with my review, or have anything to add please leave a comment.
Appearance (4.0): Pours a hazy red-orange with a fluffy white head that quickly diminishes to a thin layer.
Smell (3.0): The nose is dominated by the smell of raspberries. There's a faint graininess evident on swirling.
Taste (4.0): I was expecting more of a raspberry flavor given the aroma, but the raspberry flavors are more understated (this isn't a bad thing). Raspberry flavors are evident upfront, but don't overwhelm. A citrusy tartness emerges in the center and lingers into the finish, where it melds with a grainy wheat flavor.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light-bodied with moderate carbonation and a dry finish.
Drinkability (4.5): Very light, refreshing and easy to drink.
Overall (3.8): This beer reminded me of Abita Purple Haze, it's been awhile since I've had Purple Haze so I can't express a preference. This is a pretty good fruit beer. I'm not a huge fan of American Hefe Weizens. I tend to prefer the fruity and spicy flavors present in German Hefes. I think the raspberry adds some of what I feel is missing from the American style. As such I prefer UFO Raspberry over UFO.
Labels: Fruit/Vegatable Beer, Harpoon Brewery, Reviews
