Ymm, Beer

[devildeac]

Houblon Chouffe-Brasserie d'Achouffe

Ommegang is part of the Duvel Moortgat brewing family, so I wasn't that surprised to see this on their draft board for the day. Fascinating ale which is a "blend" of the double IPA style with a Belgian golden or tripel ale (insert Le Freak reference here). Houblon (hops) are very prominent up front and with consumption using Amarillo, Tomahawk and Saaz varieties for floral and citrus aromas and tastes. These accompany a very generous amount of grain, using mostly lighter malts and guessing pils, caramel and pale, to have your tasting finish with a light cane sugary sweetness, typical of a Belgian tripel, to balance the pungent hops. The Belgian yeast shows up with its black-peppery spiciness. No IBUs given but I'd guess 70-80 at least, but not 101 like the Green Flash brew. ABV is in line with the style at 9%. Nice match with the salad and would be an interesting guest with spicier fare.

A bit of background about this giant Belgian brewery:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duvel_Moortgat_Brewery

[fuse]

A saison from Wicked Weed made with Brett? Yes, please!

Pale gold in an Allagash glass.

Nose is peachy and straw- no tell tale funk. There is a mineral flintiness (iron? Metal?) in the scent also.

Very mild up front, a decent bit of bitterness mid palate and at the end.
There is a brightness to the farmhouse flavour that is tough to describe.
I think of most saisons as muted and earthy- there is a sparkle/effervescence to Bretticent that is a novel twist on the style.

I wouldn't water down a normal saison, however perhaps the best way to describe this might be if you blended Perrier and something like Ommegang Hennepin or Allagash saison you'd get an approximation.

I am still amazed Wicked Weed cranks out the quality beer they do for such a new brewery. Every beer I've tried from Wicked Weed has been world class. I wish they were closer!

[mattman91]

A saison from Wicked Weed made with Brett? Yes, please!

Pale gold in an Allagash glass.

Nose is peachy and straw- no tell tale funk. There is a mineral flintiness (iron? Metal?) in the scent also.

Very mild up front, a decent bit of bitterness mid palate and at the end.
There is a brightness to the farmhouse flavour that is tough to describe.
I think of most saisons as muted and earthy- there is a sparkle/effervescence to Bretticent that is a novel twist on the style.

I wouldn't water down a normal saison, however perhaps the best way to describe this might be if you blended Perrier and something like Ommegang Hennepin or Allagash saison you'd get an approximation.

I am still amazed Wicked Weed cranks out the quality beer they do for such a new brewery. Every beer I've tried from Wicked Weed has been world class. I wish they were closer!

Was there not one of these in the Asheville Care Package I sent? I remember having this one once. Not typically a style I go for, but like you said, everything from Wicked Weed is world class.

Be on the lookout for more of a variety of bottles/cans from WW. I hear they will be opening up a "production facilty" soon.

Cheers!

[devildeac]

Spotted Cow-New Glarus Brewing

This farmhouse ale made a nice starter beer before Bell's Oberon. It is a straw-colored and slightly hazy pour with fizz instead of foam and scents of flowers and tastes of crisp, slightly underripe apples and pears. I shared a 12 ounce bottle with our younger daughter and she thought oranges and grapes, too. No IBU or ABV stats to be found but there is little hop presence here so I'd guess 10-20 with an ABV of 5-6%. This would make a fine ale to sip on a warm/hot spring or summer day or with some fresh berries or any light fish or chicken dishes.

[devildeac]

Gnomegang-Ommegang Brewing

This one is a strong Belgian golden/blonde style ale. It pours a cloudy, yellow-orange and has a nose of apples and pears with tastes of the same, some orange zest (from the wheat malt) and hints of black pepper, fairly typical from the proprietary Belgian yeasts used from La Chouffe Brasserie. It is rather fizzy with well-retained Belgian lace and a smooth, crisp, dry finish, somewhat attributable to the oats as part of the grains used in the brewing. Very easy on the palate with an IBU of 19 but with a potent ABV of 9.5%. This would be a great aperitif with a plate of soft/light cheeses or fruits, a dinner beverage with grilled fish, chicken or mussels, or as a digestif, by itself, or with a freshly baked fruit tart. This was the last of my 3 beer sampler that accompanied lunch.

[fuse]

Was there not one of these in the Asheville Care Package I sent? I remember having this one once. Not typically a style I go for, but like you said, everything from Wicked Weed is world class.

Be on the lookout for more of a variety of bottles/cans from WW. I hear they will be opening up a "production facilty" soon.

Cheers!

I think Bretticent was released shortly after your care package arrived.
Serenity, Genesis, Black Angel and Indulgence(?) were the four you sent.

WW appears locally in a trickle, so I grab what I can find :-)

[fuse]

Had a Xingu at a Brazilian steakhouse last night.

I remember the first time I had a Xingu, thinking how exotic the flavour was compared to anything I had tried before.

It didn't live up to the memory (not sure how it could) and Xingu was a tasty treat.
For those that worry about dark beer being too heavy or roasty, this is a great dark beer to try to prove that stereotype incorrect.

[duketaylor]

devildeac, did you sample Ommegang's Game of Thrones while you were there?

[fuse]

devildeac, did you sample Ommegang's Game of Thrones while you were there?

I have an unopened bottle - the licorice flavour is giving me pause to try it.
However, Winter is Coming...

[mattman91]

I have an unopened bottle - the licorice flavour is giving me pause to try it.
However, Winter is Coming...

Try it. I had it on tap a few weeks ago at Thirsty Monk (I think I gave a brief review of it on here?) for the first time. Like you, I'm not a huge licorice fan, but thought it was not overpowering at all. I really enjoyed it. Of course beer is subjective, so you may notice more of the licorice than I did.

[devildeac]

devildeac, did you sample Ommegang's Game of Thrones while you were there?

Was not available to sample. I'm thinking fuse had sampled and reviewed it previously and it frightened me. I just looked it up and was reminded it had Ancho chiles in it and kinda/sorta decided after you and Bob Green and I did some sampling at Bottle Revolution after Duke's loss to Mercer and I tasted the Mini Dingo from Evil Twin with habanero peppers in it, than beer and peppers was not for me any more. But, after reading posts from fuse and mattman above, we might be talking about different releases from their GoT series.

They do have Valar Morghulis being released in October that is a Game of Thrones Belgian dubbel ale with no additives (supposedly) and I'd be very interested in sampling that. I sent fuse a photo of the box and tried to get our tour guide to obtain a taster but no such luck.

[devildeac]

Oberon-Bell's Beer

A spring/summer release, this is their wheat ale so it was a bit of a cloudy yellow-orange color with a mildly foamy head and aromas of orange and caramel and tastes to match. I'd guess IBUs in the 20 range and the ABV was 5.8%. There was a bit of sediment at the end of the pour so be careful decanting your 12 ounce bottle. Pleasant warm temperature offering that would accompany lighter grilled fare, salads or a fruit tray before your meal.

Another special thanks to duketaylor for including this with his home-brewed BBQ brews.

[fuse]

A decent witbier style surprise this evening.

Nothing spectacular, if you like the style worth trying.

Very refreshing.

[cato]

Stone 18th Anniversary - "Hoppiest Golden Brown IPA On Earth"

image.jpg

The description is leading, but it ain't wrong. A typical deep malty profile for the arrogant bastards, with the brighter hops that people are leading with these days. 8.5%. Hop head approved.

[mattman91]

Stone 18th Anniversary - "Hoppiest Golden Brown IPA On Earth"

image.jpg

The description is leading, but it ain't wrong. A typical deep malty profile for the arrogant bastards, with the brighter hops that people are leading with these days. 8.5%. Hop head approved.

Looks tasty, but the most impressing thing I notice about this one is its ability to defy gravity. Truly spectacular!

[duketaylor]

That beer has incredible "stick-to-it-tiveness." Very impressed. Must be tough to pass, as well, gets stuck in the liver/kidneys/bladder, etc. Likely to "pass" on sampling it.

[devildeac]

Plum Noir (2013)-Southern Tier Brewing Company

Purchased as a bomber last fall in Lexington, Kentucky, this is part of their Blackwater series that appears to be discontinued. The base ale is an imperial porter comprised of 5 grains/malts (2-row, caramel, barley flakes, chocolate and debittered black) along with 2 hops, Chinook and Willamette, and pureed dark Italian plums. Poured a purple-brown hue (rather pretty color) with a modest light tan head. Aromas are coffee and dark chocolate and the tastes are a medium to dark roast coffee with a generous splash of plum juice with perhaps a hint of semi-sweet Nestle's morsels. IBUs are not available so I'll guess about 30-40 with most of the perception of bitterness coming from the heavily roasted malts. ABV is 8%. I can imagine sipping this with a blackberry or blueberry glazed pork tenderloin, with any chocolate (or caramel) truffle or dessert or, by itself like I did last PM with my younger daughter, at (near) room temperature like you'd serve a merlot or syrah. I've got a 2nd bottle. Anyone interested?

[August West]

Plum Noir (2013)-Southern Tier Brewing Company

Purchased as a bomber last fall in Lexington, Kentucky, this is part of their Blackwater series that appears to be discontinued. The base ale is an imperial porter comprised of 5 grains/malts (2-row, caramel, barley flakes, chocolate and debittered black) along with 2 hops, Chinook and Willamette, and pureed dark Italian plums. Poured a purple-brown hue (rather pretty color) with a modest light tan head. Aromas are coffee and dark chocolate and the tastes are a medium to dark roast coffee with a generous splash of plum juice with perhaps a hint of semi-sweet Nestle's morsels. IBUs are not available so I'll guess about 30-40 with most of the perception of bitterness coming from the heavily roasted malts. ABV is 8%. I can imagine sipping this with a blackberry or blueberry glazed pork tenderloin, with any chocolate (or caramel) truffle or dessert or, by itself like I did last PM with my younger daughter, at (near) room temperature like you'd serve a merlot or syrah. I've got a 2nd bottle. Anyone interested?

Sounds interesting. Maybe we can have a "Southern Tier" tasting at one of the tailgates this season. I picked up several at the summer sale at my local bottle shop. Only 9 days until kickoff. AW.

[devildeac]

Belgian beer tasting tonight at a friend's house who just returned home from a trip to his home in Belgium. This could be very interesting and educational.

[fuse]

New Glarus Raspberry Tart v. Founder's Rubeaus

Raspberry Tart - half inch pink head
Founder's Rubeaus - minimal head

RT nose - earthy, sweet fruit, sour
FR nose - sweet, fruity

RT taste - I've been anticipating trying this beer for some time. Tart raspberry soda. Label indicates Hallertauer hops, I don't get any bitterness. Wishing for vanilla ice cream as a side. Worth the wait and the hype.

FR taste - tasting Rubeaus side by side with NG Raspberry Tart makes me very, very sad. It tastes so thin, weak, watery- a pale version of a raspberry soda. What is interesting is whatever hops that are in Rubeaus come out at the finish as mildly bitter. I am a huge Rubeaus fan, it is remarkable how different my perception is side by side.

Switching back to Raspberry Tart reconfirms the difference. Fuller mouthfeel, thick raspberry taste with a subtle tart finish.

I went into the tasting thinking this would be a close contest.
I have no more Raspberry Tart, and I have three more Rubeaus. I know palate memory is supposed to be very short term, I'm almost afraid to figure out when to try the Rubeaus again to build it back up.

All I can say is I have no intention of giving up Rubeaus, and Raspberry Tart is going in the pantheon of remarkable beer experiences.
Devildeac is single handedly finding all my "white whale" beers- I may have to start referring to him as Captain Ahab ;-)

The only downside to both these beers is they are sweet and filling- as awesome as they both are, one serving is enough ( and my wife got the second half of the Raspberry Tart with no intention of giving it back).

Fantastic dessert beers. Raspberry Tart is an easy ten, dethroning Rubeaus as my favorite raspberry beer that is not a true Framboise lambic.

Wonderful note to end an evening.