Taproom Talk

Don’t fall for it. This gnome is evil I tell you, EVIL! Around the holiday I picked up Chouffe Houblon, a DOBBELIN IPA TRIPEL. In my fridge it sat, all the while methinks it a cute golden treat. Instead it is one of Satan’s devils waiting to strike me down.

This beer scorches with an acidic bite that burns the back of my throat. It pours with a comically exaggerated foam head. This should serve as a warning sign, like gathering clouds of doom. The head gushes upward like a jr high science class volcano of vinegar and baking soda. And the taste is not unlike.

The color of this evil poison is a murky yellow. If you look at just the right angle you can see the evil men do. A taste of this gross grog makes me grimace. It does have a nice head, but so does a chemical spill. Vulgar.

There’s something to be said for chanting. That is, chanting and making beer or cheese or chocolate. These are some of the practices of monks. I understand why the brothers of a monastery must keep a vow of silence. There are secret recipes and such that can’t just go wondering off! I have no doubt that some of the best beer in the world is made in small batches by the holiest of holy. In this case the monk’s of Belgium have a strong ale that yet brings us closer to God.

In this style of reverent drink, I got my hands on a bottle of Westmalle trappist. It’s golden in color, yeasty with a light crisp taste and a lemon peel zest, undeniably delicious. Very crisp, clean, almost like a champagne, it has a tangy aftertaste; a tart finish. At first the fruitiness is like a green apple, but it changes to the tender sweetness like a red apple near the end. There is the subtle underlying aroma of fresh bread.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. If this is my calling; if this is my vocation, then I am ready to serve. 1 ticket to Belgium, one-way, please. Amen.

With a mysterious sobriquet like Slaapmustske, one expects a phenomenal beer with exotic tastes fit for only the most refined among beer snobs (even those living in Tennessee). Being of such esteemed position, I approached the brewsky, obviously not meant for the simple bourgeoisie and found myself unable to disagree. This fine beer poured with a huge white head that produced an elegantly spicy nose with an pleasurable hoppiness quite similar to a Belgian blonde– in fact, much like that of the Leffe (which, by the way, that cloudiness has lots of Vitamin B). Indeed, this brew’s aromatic nose was a guarantee that I was going to enjoy this brewsky. Its color was a quite cloudy dark blonde hue and its taste was peppery, yet not too harsh, much like a fine potpourri. It had a refined spiciness to it that was complemented by hoppy overtones with a slight taste decribed maybe as grassy. As I stroked my goatee whilst imbibing this fine Slaapmustske, I found myself enjoying this drinking jubilee and am left to decree: the Slaapmustske is one heck of a brewsky!

I’m not normally a fan of wheat beers due to a sharpness I find in their taste from time to time. In fact, when I first tasted the Struise Witte from Belgium’s Noordhoek Ostrich Farm (yes, you read that correctly, this brewery is an Ostrich farm) I was a bit underwhelmed. Reading the label proved to give this beer a second chance as I noted that it’s a bottle-conditioned beer– accordingly, I decided to stick a few in the back of the fridge to let them age and hopefully mellow out.

The Struise Witte, which roughly translates to “Robust White”, pours a slightly cloudy yellow hue due to its unfiltered nature. It reveals virtually no head and has a pleasant malty nose with citrus hints. The ale’s taste is delightfully smooth like a Belgian blonde; however, its edge, typically associated with these beers, has significantly abated leaving a citrusy warming taste with subtle spicy hints. I was quite impressed with this beer’s smoothness and could pick up a slight lime presence that could be emboldened with the addition of a lime slice on a warm summer’s day.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised with this beer’s soft aging, which has revealed an inviting spicy essence bound to please even the most demanding of beer connoisseurs. Just remember to give this beer time to mature!

The bouquet was distantly reminiscient of a Framboise Lambic. The color was gold-orange with an undeniable hint of red. The pureed raspberries had definitely found their final resting place. The first sip happily projected “THE FORT” into a category of its own. A true beer-drinker’s beer, which had no danger of losing its character or drinkability to the fruit flavor with which it was married. Don’t get me wrong, a good lambic is a good lambic. But the Fort!! It retained the strength and hoppy character of some of Dogfish’s other fine brews and expertly married it in a blissfull raspberry wedlock made in a wheat-filled heaven. There is perhaps only one thing missing from this beer… It is the typically overdone syrupy sweetness that is found in many “fusions” of fruit and liquid bread. Or, overt doses of flavor (PUMPKINS IN SAM ADAMS…) Fine effort and I must leave now if only to revisit the flavor, again and again…—Stirling Elmendorf—

With a huge white head that clung to the side of the glass, a pleasantly spicy nose and a warm crisp taste, the Goliath Belgian Blonde Ale is another strong showing from the Brasserie des Géants brewery in Belgium. This golden colored beer with a light bubbly body has a strong hoppy character accented with a spicy peppery taste and subtle malts. The spicy finish works amazingly well– in fact, I’d say that this Belgian Blonde is even better than the Leffe.

This unfiltered crisp ale is a great warm evening drink– if you can actually find this beer, buy a few! While the Leffe is far easier Belgian Blonde to find, this beer is much much smoother.

Here are pictures.  Check back for a podcast from the event.

Cuvee Diabolique is brewed by De Proef Brouwerij Lochristi-Hijfte, Oost Vlaanderen, Belgium. I bought it in a cork topped 750ml bottle. A fragrant nose of apple and pear greeted me as I poured this Belgian Ale into a sculpted glass. A thick, tall, white head appeared. My first sip tarnished my impression with a sour and tart taste. I want to call the tasting off, but I forge on.

There is a gingery, creamy body to this beer, but the mild but acidic bite and after taste ruins it for me. I’m not a big fan of the overall grapefruit taste this beer offers. Cuvee Diabolique has a lot in common with a hefeweizen, which I do enjoy occasioanally, but doesn’t happen to be one of my favorites.

Light, for the most part, and pleasant, this beer has nothing going on to deserve the name, Diabolique. Might I suggest, Cuvee Dubious.

Belgian beers offer a cornucopia of flavors that are distinctly different than their American counterparts. After becoming accustomed to the pleasantly hoppy taste of Pale Ales, one can find themselves imbibing a traditional Belgian beer wondering if it is even a beer at all. So it was for me as I sipped upon a Grand Cru from the Brasserie Des Rocs Brewery in Belgium.

This brownish colored brew with a 9.5% alcohol content poured without a head and revealed a complex fruity essence that complemented an intricate taste best distinguished as licorice. At first sip, the taste stuns you with its unusualness; however, much like a fine wine, this beer’s character improved over the course of its drinking. I found myself enjoying this interesting beer more and more as subtle maltiness changed to delicate hoppiness all along connected by an aged fruitiness taste.

All in all, the drinking experience is most aptly described as fascinating. This distinctive beer is worthy of a tasting if you can actually find the Grand Cru.

The words apple and beer don’t seem to mix well, nor does their perceived liquid combination. If I really wanted alcohol that tasted like apples, wouldn’t I want something like hard cider?

Probably because it sits next to Zima on a store’s shelf, I’ve never tasted nor considered buying hard cider. I did however, find myself tasting an apple beer (not hard cider mind you) recently, which pleasantly surprised me. This Belgian creation, known as Floris Apple, reminds me slightly of the Framboise beer reviewed recently as it effectively combines a fruit with the bitter hoppiness of beer. The aroma is obviously apple-like but not like that of breakfast apple juice- more like hops with a fruity apple essence. The taste is all beer with the pleasant citric fruitiness of sweet apple. If anything, I’d say it’s a Granny Smith sourness taste that works wonderfully.

This is truly a uniquely tasting beer that I definitely enjoyed and highly recommend if you can find it. Just remember to not drink this one for breakfast unless you don’t want to keep the doctor away.