De Dolle Extra Export Stout
January 29, 2011 by justin · Leave a Comment
It is finished! This is my final night of the project!!! I will report in the coming days my observations, top-ten lists and more but tonight is dedicated to the De Dolle Extra Export Stout. I spent all day resting, trying to get better and tonight I am feeling good. Not well enough to go to the Forge where this all began with the Hooker Nor’Easter but, well enough to really enjoy a nice stout. I feel like the ending tonight is a bit anti-climatic. Just another night drinking another good beer.
This stout pours beautifully with a big tan head. The flavour is complex with dates, and other “old world” fruits taking center stage. There is a strong malt flavour and some chocolate for good measure. The alcohol is a bit too up-front for my taste but overall it is a smooth tasty stout. Very nice
This has been an amazing year. I will continue to post my beer musings here but on a less regular basis so please check back every once and a while. I am also planning on a new year-long adventure which I will announce here.
Saison De Dottignies
January 29, 2011 by justin · Leave a Comment
Ok, so I am more stuffed up than ever, which is a real bummer cause this saison seems amazing but I know I am only experiencing a portion of the flavour and aroma. I fell in love with saisons this summer and when I saw this one I knew I had to try it. Brewery De Ranke’s Saison De Dottignies is light, slightly sweet but dry. It is crisp with a nice grassy hop flavour. This beer is everything a saison should be. I will get this one again for sure! Summer here we come!!!!
Balthazar
January 29, 2011 by justin · Leave a Comment
Balthazar brewed by Picobrouwerij Alvinne / Den Bierzolder is a Belgian Strong Dark Ale. It pours a copper amberish colour and has a small head. The aroma is sweet. The flavour is interesting. There is just too much going on here. Too many fruits and the alcohol is really upfront (not a strong point in my opinion) Not awful but I doubt I’d have another. This beer has a lot of potential just needs to have all of the flavours better integrated. PS Still on the couch sick, what a bummer.
Bink Bruin
January 29, 2011 by justin · Leave a Comment
Here is is my last week of my project and I’m sick. Finishing strong with Belgians is a fun thing! Bink Bruin is brewed by Brouwerij Kerkom. This Belgian Dark Ale is sweet and has a big head that slowly dissipates. Not bad but not amazing. There is a lot of yeast in the flavour and a dry mouthfeel. Hints of raisins and dates.
Porterhouse Wrasslers 4X Stout
January 26, 2011 by justin · Leave a Comment
Take the wayback machine to June 2010 and you might remember how poorly I thought of the contents of the Porterhouse Oyster Stout. Reflecting I should have been even harsher on the rating cause I do not remember it fondly.
Fast forward to present day and I saw the Porterhouse Wrasslers 4X Stout and thought, “they have those cool caps, I’ll give it a go”. I am sorry to report that I am again disappointed. It just is not very tasty, in my opinion. I want to like it, I don’t. I do think it is worth the few bucks just to play with the cool pop top thing. I am starting to wonder though if the top is part of the problem, maybe a bit too much air gets in?
There is fruit and burnt flavours happening, not good burnt, bad burnt. Then there is a chocolate flavour, but with an off hop bitterness (not looking for it here) Seriously, not a fan. I am assuming that this is much better on tap.
Valeir Extra
The Valeir Extra is a Belgian IPA. WTF? IPA? Belgian? Basically, as I have stated before, the Belgians are trying to get into the US “craft beer market” and the yanks love their IPA’s. However…this is not an IPA. Brouwerij Contreras brewed a fruity slightly hoppy ale with hints of pepper. Not bad just don’t go into this expecting a west-coast hop bomb cause you wont find it. I am not a fan of fruity beers so though I can recognize that this is a good beer, it is not to my personal liking. If you like fruit, think hints of citrus and tropical fruits with a dash of lemon pepper, go ahead drink this. You know it might be nice with some fish and asparagus.
The start of Latte brewery dates from 1818. In the second half of the 19th century the company was led by Valère Latte. In 1898 the family sold the brewery to Rene Contreras Latte. The company is now run by Ann Contreras and in 2004 they started the Valeir range of beers.
Pretty Things Babayaga Stout
January 24, 2011 by justin · Leave a Comment
As regular readers know, I have been on a Pretty Things kick. And, so far I have totally dug everything they have put out. This is the exception. Pouring the October 2010 Pretty Things Babayaga Stout I noticed that it was not very aromatic. Then taking a sip I was totally disappointed. Maybe it is just cause I had the amazing World Wide Stout last night? Was the bar set too high? With Pretty Things it seems like they keep setting the bar, so I dont think that that is the issue here.
This stout is thin, and slightly sour. There is a strong apple flavour and an odd bite and bad aftertaste. I am so sad. Fro the description I was hoping for some smoke and way more depth. Maybe it was the combo of the English and Belgian yeast strains? Keep working on this one my friends. Ill try again in a year or two.
World Wide Stout
January 23, 2011 by justin · Leave a Comment
I have been reading about Dogfish Head’s World Wide Stout for sometime now and keep looking for a bottle. I found this bottle on my big trip to Nejames in Lenox where my receipt was longer than my grocery receipt.
When first released in 1999 it was considered the strongest, in ABV, beer in the world. Of course we have since seen brewers like Brew Dog and Sam Adams pass the WWS. WWS has varied in its alcohol volume at one point, 2003, coming in at 23% and today averages 18%. There has been much discussion on the interwebs about “why” the ABV is not printed on the bottle. Some suggest that this might be because of state laws in regards to “what is beer” many setting a definition that includes a limit on ABV. This tradition goes back to the days of prohibition repeal and the arguments for beer being a temperate beverage as opposed to whisky and bourbon.
Anyway. Who the hell cares? Bottled in 2009, this beverage kicks ass! I am a lover of stouts, especially on nights like tonight where the tempature is going to dip into the negitive range on the ferinheight scale. A dark beer with warming alcohol is just what the doctor ordered. The aroma and flavour of this beer are so complex you could write a book about just this one beer, I will spare you.
In summary, barley, roasted, slightly smokey, the alcohol is totally hidden… you can only get a sense of the strength in the warming character and towards the end when you realize that it is a good thing it wasn’t a 22oz bottle!
This is an amazing brew. It will be hard to top this one when I write my top-ten list next week.
The final week!
Just wanted everyone to know that this is the final week of my year-long beer project!! I have been successful and will report conclusions, Beer Geek, dude top-ten lists, and other notes next week.
On Saturday January 29th join me where it all began at Ye Olde Forge in Lanesborough, MA for a final drink!
I will continue to blog about one of my favorite topics, beer, here at Beer Geek, dude just not with such frequency.
Gaspar Ale
January 23, 2011 by justin · Leave a Comment
The Gaspar Ale is a sweet and sour Belgian ale. It exploded when I popped the cap and about 1/2 of the bottle foamed over into my sick and all over my counter. Took about 10 min to get it in a glass. So that was a bit excessive. Very hoppy for a Belgian, most likely done specifically for us yanks. I would say that this is an odd one for a Belgian. If you are looking for a traditional Belgian Ale, don’t drink this. If you are looking to get into Belgians then this might be a good entry for you as it is more like an extra hopp pale ale than anything.