My New Blog: Week of Beer!
While I still have a lot of catching up to do (I drank 365 beers in 2010, and have lots of handwritten notes on them, but only 150 posts so far…), I’ve started a new weekly craft beer blog “Week of Beer” – please check it out: http://weekofbeer.wordpress.com
Beer #136: Gouden Carolus Classic
Beer: Gouden Carolus Classic
Brewery: Het Anker Brewery, Mechelen, Belgium
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Serving Type: 330 ml bottle
Price: $4.99 / bottle
Availability: Year-round
Glassware: Goblet
Strength: 8.5% ABV (alcohol by volume)
Drinkability: Outstanding! This is a beer not to be taken lightly… a complex brew to sip, savor and enjoy! For the fullest flavor, serve at cellar temperature (50-55 F degrees)
Tasting Notes
Appearance: Deep chestnut brown with a thin, fizzy, cream-colored head
Aroma: Rich fruity fig, chianti, and balsamic
Mouthfeel: Creamy, velvety and smooth
Taste: Initial chewy fig-newton sweetness into a lucious, juicy middle of plum, tart bing cherry, caramel and toffee. A sweet, thick, tart and slighlty sour finish reminiscent of balsamic with a touch of earthy chestnut, slightly buttery, with a hint of bitter chicory.
Pairing: Simply enjoy on its own, or pair with one of my favorite dishes, pork tenderloin with carmelized onions and blueberries in a balsamic reduction.
Trivia: Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, was brought up in Mechelen, Belgium and was known to favor the ales from the local Het Anker brewery.
Beer #135: Kapittel Prior Ale
Beer: Kapittel Prior Ale
Brewery: Van Eecke Brewery, Watou, Belgium
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Serving Type: 11.2 oz bottle
Price: Unknown – part of a mixed gift pack.
Availability: Year-round
Glassware: Goblet
Strength: 9.0% ABV (alcohol by volume)
Drinkability: While a big beer (both in alcohol and style), this particular brew is easy drinking and flavorful, with the whole glass gone before I knew it
Tasting Notes
Appearance: Hazy, medium nut-brown hue with a thin, fizzy, white head
Aroma: Raisins, chocolate and Port
Mouthfeel: Medium body with tiny, fizzy bubbles
Taste: Initially slightly buttery with dark fruit (plums and raisins), melding into a big, chewy, malty middle, followed by a slightly toasty, effervescent and smooth finish. The relatively high alcohol content is well-hidden. Overall, a big, rich brew that is extremely smooth and really delicious.
Pairing: Pairs nicely with caramelized crispy-skin dark-meat chicken
Trivia: According to a recent CNBC article, Belgium ranks #7 in the world in average beer consumption at 93 liters per person per year. Who is #1? The Czech Republic at 156.9 liters per person… about a 12 oz bottle for every day of the year!
Beer #134 – May 16, 2010: Corsendonk Abbey Pale Ale
Beer: Corsendonk Abbey Pale Ale
Brewery: Corsendonk Brewery, Oud-Turnhout, Belgium
Style: Tripel
Serving Type: 12 oz bottle
Price: $3.99 / bottle
Availability: Year-round
Glassware: Brandy Snifter
Strength: 7.5% ABV (alcohol by volume)
Drinkability: Light but strong; Complex but highly drinkable.
Tasting Notes
Appearance: Hazy, golden-orange hue with big, foamy, white head
Aroma: Zesty citrus and spicy yeast
Mouthfeel: Full mouthfeel with prominent creamy and fizzy carbonation
Taste: Overall very dry, but with a touch of honey sweetness in the middle and notes of tart green apple. Crisp, light and refreshing, with a mildly bitter and spicy finish of green peppercorn, coriander and lemon balm.
Pairing: If you are lucky enough to find it, Corsendonk cheese would be an ideal pairing.
Trivia: Corsendonk beers are bottle-conditioned, meaning that rather than being force-carbonated, the carbonation in the bottle is a result of a little yeast added to each bottle that naturally creates the carbon dioxide that forms the bubbles. It takes three weeks for the bottles to carbonate prior to leaving the brewery, but the yeast continue to develop and change the beer over time, a true “living” beverage. The brewery says that their beers are at their peak six months after bottling.
Beer #133 – May 15, 2010: Winterkoninkske
Beer: Winterkoninkske
Brewery: Kerkom Brewery, Kerkom-Sint Truiden, Belgium
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Serving Type: 11.2 oz bottle, consume by 04/2012
Price: $3.99 / bottle
Availability: Winter Seasonal
Glassware: Goblet
Strength: 8.3% ABV (alcohol by volume)
Drinkability: Tasty, dark Belgian ale that is fruity, not overly complex, and easy to drink
Tasting Notes
Appearance: Dark, opaque, mahogany-black hue with a thin, fizzy, tan head
Aroma: Sweet, dark cherry, raisin and dark malt aroma
Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation
Taste: Initial black cherry, raisin and touch of bourbon, followed by notes of chocolate-covered almonds and hint of bitter hops on the finish. Sweet, savory and tart all at the same time, making for a delicious and interesting brew.
Pairing: Goes great with Belgian dark chocolate
Trivia: From the brewery website: “We brew it here, we drink it here, and we sell what’s left”
Beer # 132 – May 14, 2010: Westmalle Dubbel
Beer: Westmalle Dubbel
Brewery: Westmalle Brewery, Malle, Belgium
Style: Trappist Dubbel
Serving Type: 11.2 oz bottle – best before end of 07/14/11
Price: $4.99 / bottle
Availability: Year-round
Glassware: Goblet
Strength: 7.0% ABV (alcohol by volume)
Drinkability: Dry and light bodied for a dubbel, reminiscent of champagne
Tasting Notes
Appearance: Nearly opaque, hazy, chestnut hue with a thin, frothy, cream-colored head
Aroma: Slightly musty, like the cellar of a winery, with notes of raisin
Mouthfeel: Medium body with a fizzy, slightly creamy mouthfeel
Taste: Slightly tangy, slightly tart, with a light green grape sweetness, hints of clover, notes of earthy and sweet cocoa-laden Bosco syrup, all with a drying finish. Deceptively light and dry for a dark beer, but those darker malts do come through eventually.
Pairing: I best some Westmalle cheese would pair nicely… if you are lucky enough to find it (see “Trivia”)!
Trivia: Westmalle is one of only seven Trappist breweries in the world. In addition to brewing, the monks of the Westmalle abbey also make Trappist cheese on a very small scale, sold directly at the gates of the abbey.
Beer #131 – May 13, 2010: Coopers Best Extra Stout
Beer: Coopers Best Extra Stout
Brewery: Coopers Brewery, Leabrook, Australia
Style: Foreign Export Stout
Serving Type: 12 oz bottle
Price: $9.99 / six-pack
Availability: Year-round
Glassware: Glass Mug
Strength: 6.3% ABV (alcohol by volume)
Drinkability: A tasty, slightly sweet stout that is a little rich on a warm and sunny Spring day, but still quite enjoyable
Tasting Notes
Appearance: Deep, dark, almost black with a big, frothy, tan head
Aroma: Mild roasted notes with a hint of chocolate syrup
Mouthfeel: Medium body with medium carbonation
Taste: Initial mildly creamy sweetness reminiscent of chocolate milk into a roasted, caramel, and peanut middle with a slightly bitter, charred, over-roasted coffee bean finish.
Pairing: While this big stout would overpower “shrimp on the barbie”, it would pair nicely with a marinated flank steak on the barbie!
Trivia: While Foster’s, founded in the 1970’s, calls itself “Australian for Beer”, Coopers would have a much better claim at this title, having started this still family-owned brewery in the 1860’s.
Beer #130 – May 12, 2010: Blue Fin Stout
Beer: Blue Fin Stout
Brewery: Shipyard Brewing Company, Portland, Maine
Style: Irish Dry Stout
Serving Type: 12 oz bottle
Price: $8.99 / six-pack
Availability: Year-round
Glassware: Glass Mug
Strength: 4.7% ABV (alcohol by volume)
Drinkability: Overall, a subtle and mild, but clean and crisp classic stout
Tasting Notes
Appearance: Deep walnut-black with a big, frothy, tan head
Aroma: Sweet roasted aroma with a hint of coffee beans
Mouthfeel: Medium body with light fizzy bubbles of carbonation
Taste: Starts with a brown sugar and touch of almost burnt caramel sweetness into a middle of roasted earthy coffee beans and bitter peanut skins. The finish is drying, slightly bitter, with a hint of butterscotch.
Pairing: A real Maine Lobster roll in a New England style split-top bun, toasted, and served hot with a little drawn butter (no mayo!). Dark beer and light seafood sounds like a strange pairing, but trust me, it works wonderfully!
Trivia: Maine is truly the lobster capital: with around 40 million pounds of lobster caught yearly, it supplies 90% of lobster sold in the U.S.
Beer: Lost Coast Eight Ball Stout
Brewery: Lost Coast Brewery, Eureka, California
Style: American Stout
Serving Type: 12 oz bottle
Price: $8.99 / six-pack
Availability: Year-round
Glassware: Glass Mug
Strength: 6.3% ABV (alcohol by volume)
Drinkability: A flavorful, though not heavy or overly rich, take on a stout.
Tasting Notes
Appearance: Deep walnut, though not quite “eight-ball black” with a big, creamy, tan head
Aroma: Malty, roasted, with a hint of hops
Mouthfeel: Medium body with a slightly creamy moderate carbonation
Taste: Initial caramelized, almost burnt, sugar with a hint of cinnamon leads into a roasted middle with mild notes of cappuccino dusted with cocoa powder, finishing with slightly bitter notes of peanut skin.
Pairing: Buttery, creamy cheeses such as Brie or Gouda contrast nicely with the roasted, bitter flavors of a relatively bitter American Stout like Eight Ball.
Trivia: What makes a stout an “American Stout”? The invention and creativity of American brewers! A broad category of stouts, many may think this means a stronger and hoppier take on a British or Irish Stout (which is often the case), but really covers anything from a stout brewed with smoked malt or real chocolate, to a stout aged in whiskey barrels.
Beer #128 – May 10, 2010: Bourbon County Stout
Beer: Bourbon County Stout
Brewery: Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, Illinois
Style: Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
Serving Type: 12 oz bottle
Price: Unknown
Availability: Cool/Cold-Weather Seasonal (i.e. not brewed in Summer)
Glassware: Brandy Snifter
Strength: 13.0% ABV (alcohol by volume)
Drinkability: Rich, warming, strong and enjoyable as a slow-sipper.
Tasting Notes
Appearance: Deep walnut-black with a tan head
Aroma: Bourbon and butterscotch
Mouthfeel: Slightly syrupy thick with a creamy carbonation
Taste: Whoa! Is this beer or bourbon I’m drinking?!? An initial sweet bourbon flavor melds into a middle of earthy and sweet milk chocolate, tangy raisin, and buttery butterscotch. It finishes with a warming alcohol note and mild bitterness like unsweetened chocolate.
Pairing: Just pour into a brandy snifter and enjoy all on its own, or from what I understand, a good cigar if you do indulge.
Trivia: Barrel-aging may seem like a new craze in the beer world, but is actually among the oldest methods of storing and preserving beer (think of the annual tapping of the wooden keg at Oktoberfest in Munich). What is new these days is the intentional use of barrels previously used for other beverages, whether hard liquor like bourbon or whiskey, or wines such as Pinot Noir or Chardonnay.
A Year of Beer 