tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2819503200756653822024-03-06T12:01:51.606-08:00Hoppy SloshBeery Stuff.
Not for the faint of heart.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01143877602262019920noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281950320075665382.post-64177093218191782472015-10-11T07:43:00.001-07:002015-10-11T07:43:41.378-07:00HoppySlosh Rants: Slurfke<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've a confession to make.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji_YI_zx9IGuymm0tyJC8zczq01eE8oPRBtg_gz-O7B4gN-EAfJjBa_jLlGZWRbc5liwI-ZyzV2622oqPtSQ-6RKuh0aJJM3UERBsU64e-VRSnCaWfp55jGRTxqOq5BLgvo9jqavKcNhkj/s1600/thuis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji_YI_zx9IGuymm0tyJC8zczq01eE8oPRBtg_gz-O7B4gN-EAfJjBa_jLlGZWRbc5liwI-ZyzV2622oqPtSQ-6RKuh0aJJM3UERBsU64e-VRSnCaWfp55jGRTxqOq5BLgvo9jqavKcNhkj/s320/thuis.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I watch <i>Thuis</i> almost every day.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In case you don't know (*), <i>Thuis</i> is for Belgium what <i>Coronation Street </i>and <i>Eastenders</i> is to the Brits, <i>Sturm der Liebe</i> for the Germans and <i>The Bold and the Beautiful</i> to the Murkans(°).<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">°) </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Although the latter is also staple food for the brainless hordes of Belgian Octogenarians who have ejected</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span><i style="font-size: x-small;">Thuis </i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">from their daily roster because it deals with unrealistic everyday stuff like lesbianism and transgender issues and stalking and murder and people all being related to one another.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*) and really, I forgive you. But your innocence is lost because you <i>do</i> know now.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
So.<br />
<br />
I watch <i>Thuis</i>.<br />
Mostly as an excuse to plonk down on the couch with the Missus and the Wee Miss whilst the vegetables turn themselves to food on the stove.<br />
<br />
What's my sordid little secret got to do with beer, you ask? Hark! Yonder beckons relevance!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5_7kXYpvmsLzwSf-YYWeZ41kxVf5BtEiExR4svBouZ4YDKJ7he2GBKyg9k696OfLyQd5D3iVWh7jZwSNtEnl1OZjcNBhk-TcNfuwjRdNvETOC8Zy591DuTaatqwGDKaG-jPfsx_1sAk5/s1600/slurfke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5_7kXYpvmsLzwSf-YYWeZ41kxVf5BtEiExR4svBouZ4YDKJ7he2GBKyg9k696OfLyQd5D3iVWh7jZwSNtEnl1OZjcNBhk-TcNfuwjRdNvETOC8Zy591DuTaatqwGDKaG-jPfsx_1sAk5/s320/slurfke.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Or is it <i>Den Eddy</i>?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At some point, several seasons ago, one of the more marginal characters in the programme (°) dug up an old recipe of his grandfather's and started homebrewing in his wife's kitchen.<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">°) <i>den Eddy </i>is the programme's perpetually unemployed token semi-criminal roustabout. Equipped with a heart of gold, but, I daresay, somewhat challenged where common sense is involved.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
Story-telling-wise, nothing much was done with the idea of homebrewing, or even beer for the better part of that season. Just last year, however, the entire plot hook of the homebrewing weirdo was abandoned and all of a sudden, the sets became plagued with barely concealed product placements.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0V7l-C2VPg2dkJ1kqNZT1oGzehMHmcRVCrIIZCmWMo8pa2SpAB7xVC-LVJ9XKiS_uYT0b0J5TdbZXXu7rJGbn07ZB-Po17eKPQ61r3PsDfA257y6dOrGS21NaSSjAmAT9M7eaOFpDJTb1/s1600/kasteel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0V7l-C2VPg2dkJ1kqNZT1oGzehMHmcRVCrIIZCmWMo8pa2SpAB7xVC-LVJ9XKiS_uYT0b0J5TdbZXXu7rJGbn07ZB-Po17eKPQ61r3PsDfA257y6dOrGS21NaSSjAmAT9M7eaOFpDJTb1/s200/kasteel.jpg" width="175" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For <i>this</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Toe-curling shenanigans were undertaken to infuse nigh-on every scene with at least a background effigy of Van Honsbrouck's proliferous spawn. If characters were not outright swigging pint-sized cans of Kasteel Rouge, or downing Passchendaele straight from the bottle, then they'd be lugging around cases of Kasteelbier in gift boxes when attending fancy dinners, or a banner bearing the Kasteel logo would be flapping in the breeze someplace where it would most irrelevant. It was all a bit ridiculous, but TV programmes are expensive to make so what can you do?<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgedfcLpC15GDTRM4QOlz9H8ka-c0icax_sGj9-9bg7qsqhE5h-auNGXtVCT-jXNGRiJhJLQS0oKebv9wtgBCRSI1H3PPUv2NU-0xbxZrSIpVPzCO6djsvjxwU_WVbBEcZfeuMzc-GqfiTi/s1600/facepalm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgedfcLpC15GDTRM4QOlz9H8ka-c0icax_sGj9-9bg7qsqhE5h-auNGXtVCT-jXNGRiJhJLQS0oKebv9wtgBCRSI1H3PPUv2NU-0xbxZrSIpVPzCO6djsvjxwU_WVbBEcZfeuMzc-GqfiTi/s320/facepalm.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Besides this.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<div>
Van Honsbrouck was on the rise, and when the almost-forgotten thread of <i>den Eddy's </i>homebrew attempts was Frankensteined from underneath the Rouge-infused flagstones of the <i>Zus&Zo</i>, I raised a wary skeptic eyebrow.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Prescience can be a curse, it seems, for today, with just enough fanfare to still afterwards be able to claim it was all a bit of laugh, supermarkets are selling <i>den Eddy</i>'s<i> </i>(formerly homebrewed) beer, marketed both in- and outside of the programme as <i>Slurfke, </i>as if the beer had broken the fourth wall and escaped its scriptorial confines.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAp1akciRI2GauS4d6Qx5mkRCblbIwIGx4wla9Ouew_fB8xmkHorPw_idK_mPz-hqGsenjIVd2oYHPtaQZprSO-74HZQ1ieDGJyMO1VUbTA26bjHVfAnXDhSMgSyHiX0BPTJJM-IPUZc7/s1600/slurfke.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAp1akciRI2GauS4d6Qx5mkRCblbIwIGx4wla9Ouew_fB8xmkHorPw_idK_mPz-hqGsenjIVd2oYHPtaQZprSO-74HZQ1ieDGJyMO1VUbTA26bjHVfAnXDhSMgSyHiX0BPTJJM-IPUZc7/s320/slurfke.jpeg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Behold.<br />
The monster is loose.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Notice anything odd about that picture, by the way? Scroll way up again, to the still from the programme where <i>den Eddy</i> is eagerly pouring his first bottle of homebrewed <i>Slurfke</i> and take a look at the colour of that first batch. Now look back at that pic just above this paragraph and tell me you don't see it. I dare you.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It gets worse from here onward.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I have tasted <i>Slurfke</i> yesterday evening and the colour is the least of its issues.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I was nearly shaking with anticipation when I opened the bottle, albeit in the way I'd get the shakes if I were being carted into the operation theatre to undergo a reverse vasectomy. Let's just say that my track record with Van Honsbrouck has programmed my naturally inquisitive mind to a state of wary apprehension. A bit like lion tamer would approach his fifteenth capture from the wild. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOBj6W468EF8DVOHdMWxHpX4o-LGjHGR5Seo4G3uVQ1J5YSSZpcBGpC_L-g-hZnIlTrVCbQJwL5TLvA5vWCPtoTpOmxSlDjdGZ3mO0V84Qkj-LYAY4XagaaoveRvzYQTHWOXt8ivP1JwpK/s1600/liontamer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOBj6W468EF8DVOHdMWxHpX4o-LGjHGR5Seo4G3uVQ1J5YSSZpcBGpC_L-g-hZnIlTrVCbQJwL5TLvA5vWCPtoTpOmxSlDjdGZ3mO0V84Qkj-LYAY4XagaaoveRvzYQTHWOXt8ivP1JwpK/s1600/liontamer.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maybe.<br />
Just maaaaaybe.<br />
This one will be okay.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Nothing, not my rewired mindset, not the warning lights flashing in my head, not even the screenwriters' and brewers' atrociously ham-fisted collective market-injection , could prepare me for what I found inside that bottle.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Slurfke </i>pours a dark brown. Not nearly the alluring black you see in the promo pics (and in the programme as well), but rather a deep mahogany shade of burnt wood. </div>
<div>
That thick creamy head you see on the promo pic?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb1I6fjnAXPXUCesU2zqBbMp91sOxk_tNhXQWQsdPMAQ-zaTu_5QgBsIyyJSkwGZf3eSqfSiERGn92CN_70U0kVkpr912iRQL5iNXXpSFjr0jjIQVOiIbUKYklxJIyddES6LpDsiNpFKp7/s1600/mcdonaldsburger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb1I6fjnAXPXUCesU2zqBbMp91sOxk_tNhXQWQsdPMAQ-zaTu_5QgBsIyyJSkwGZf3eSqfSiERGn92CN_70U0kVkpr912iRQL5iNXXpSFjr0jjIQVOiIbUKYklxJIyddES6LpDsiNpFKp7/s320/mcdonaldsburger.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's a McHead.</td></tr>
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<div>
The smell was underwhelming. A whiff of brownish malty things, a hint of the metallics so often present in pasteurised dark brews, but nothing altogether off-putting.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But the taste.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwA3vDE8ZX0uWbptj2vVVANnWhtn0qEfhf2ePe9J3MExY8HenXoU3h521oEXmAbZB2MptHF3KkQddMlDJbShVdTVIijYthoBAeyDEGXcW0jyCDtKLZ15mnr8QgBQrwvjtCTZ6_8HmjYdsc/s1600/yuck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwA3vDE8ZX0uWbptj2vVVANnWhtn0qEfhf2ePe9J3MExY8HenXoU3h521oEXmAbZB2MptHF3KkQddMlDJbShVdTVIijYthoBAeyDEGXcW0jyCDtKLZ15mnr8QgBQrwvjtCTZ6_8HmjYdsc/s1600/yuck.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OMG the taste!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
There's the expected signature sickly-sweet jackhammer present in every single one of Van Honsbrouck's <i>Kasteel</i> versions, mixed with a dreadful cough-syrup-like flavour. Artificial (and again sweetsweetsweet) red fruits, but devoid of all fruitiness, and infused with medicinal <i>whythefuckness</i>. Just when you think it can't get more offensive than a Kasteel-codeine hybrid could get, you get hit with an aftertaste of artificial sweeteners.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJL2QM_ZKCSkMuF5mbLvPl3eN1OJZuUvtwAOfZP-HD272xTDZLLMWGTDML7MKNMVxV7u9U0IW-szoPF1Pn_bT7Nxy91oUGVzVblNrNMO0-AtihGqn8-8Mh9P2PYD8tEJfESTKfwKNZfSLg/s1600/tsunami.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJL2QM_ZKCSkMuF5mbLvPl3eN1OJZuUvtwAOfZP-HD272xTDZLLMWGTDML7MKNMVxV7u9U0IW-szoPF1Pn_bT7Nxy91oUGVzVblNrNMO0-AtihGqn8-8Mh9P2PYD8tEJfESTKfwKNZfSLg/s320/tsunami.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Imagine the street is your tongue, and the rest of the picture is aspartame.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Upsetting even the basic offensiveness of the brew's main flavours, the liberally dosed sweeteners numb the tongue to everything else, and I swear I felt my taste buds die under the onslaught.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The worst thing about it?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I think it's simply a lazy blend of Kasteel Bruin and Kasteel Rouge, back-sweetened even further to smoothe out any obvious blemishes, and darked with extra caramel.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Curiosity kills cats, and it's beers like this that make me dread my own intrinsic curious nature. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here's a beer born (nay, <i>bred</i>) for all the wrong reasons. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If the aim were to simply introduce a new beer to Van Honsbrouck's already impressive lineup, then I simply don't see the point. It adds <i>nothing</i> of value whatsoever to an already over-populated segment of the Belgian beer market (being that of overly sweet beers which haven't woken up from the nineties yet). In fact, it even <i>detracts</i> from it, being such a blatantly bad example of a sweet brown beer. Or of any beer at all.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If however the aim were to throw us a bit of television merchandise, the very least they could've done was make the beer <i>appear</i> to be realistic. Where, I wonder, did <i>den Eddy's</i> grandfather find all that aspartame back when he was a youngster? When, I wonder, did <i>den Eddy</i> decide that instead of a generic blonde beer, his <i>Slurfke</i> was actually a brown type of liquid throat lozenge? As it is now, <i>Slurfke </i>makes as much sense to <i>Thuis</i> as the Oliphaunt-surfing Legolas did to <i>the Lord of the Rings.</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixie1Eee1VCCc9BILVoFYdeHMcR7wzFREgy2UQtCOfTzu6OUV1PwhI4Mtkl1hRGocQVwxybJBWLs5SPmQ0zX6tXqGr755H_I4-k29LiQa-vELF83aBtCTL6pi2dgYZkokJmkF1sI9ECm1G/s1600/legolas.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixie1Eee1VCCc9BILVoFYdeHMcR7wzFREgy2UQtCOfTzu6OUV1PwhI4Mtkl1hRGocQVwxybJBWLs5SPmQ0zX6tXqGr755H_I4-k29LiQa-vELF83aBtCTL6pi2dgYZkokJmkF1sI9ECm1G/s1600/legolas.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...whilst being marginally less cool besides.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
I could rant for ages about the all-encompassing, Lovecraftian <i>wrongness </i>of this beer, but then I'd have to acknowledge it as a beer, which clearly it is not. </div>
<div>
Everything, from the label on inwards, smacks of engineered marketeering, devoid of any proper brewing. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Suffice to say, then, that I did not like it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
Curiosity kills cats, but in <i>Slurfke</i>'s case, we'd better teach the cat to fight back.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Until we do,</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Greetz</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Jo</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01143877602262019920noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281950320075665382.post-58165789949547745152015-08-06T02:59:00.001-07:002015-08-06T03:00:00.279-07:00When in Rome: HoppySlosh Goes on Holiday(*)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*) not actually to Rome though.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
Ah. The holidays. Pack your baggiest shorts, your floweriest shirt and your toelessest sandals, head down south and soak up some rays.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqHB9fyempa_fDLWQ3xleTEgPWfjCg_5BHdDUGMh9ur6UBBiq8jXIld_dzOOkafSHNKdu3q6jaV3PV5T5rxOIaAeNOKQjtrk3m2grXBxXIjbF5Q9I9jhRX0SiILCnKw8rnylog01XvEkwQ/s1600/bottle-601566_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqHB9fyempa_fDLWQ3xleTEgPWfjCg_5BHdDUGMh9ur6UBBiq8jXIld_dzOOkafSHNKdu3q6jaV3PV5T5rxOIaAeNOKQjtrk3m2grXBxXIjbF5Q9I9jhRX0SiILCnKw8rnylog01XvEkwQ/s320/bottle-601566_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">And some local cheap ass lager while you're at it.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Well not if you're me, you don't. My sandals may be toeless, but my shirts are plain and I like my beer authentic thank you very much.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgChF-cBiImLx9bRHQUHyXevqrVCqP2Jp4iZt4836RuexSRL7AEsOEhheQ3dztyyWnRzXuwxfsc3QNB8knzscDA8TDBaaGfAnx2DhEJ8ThRT5jsWb4948XghoZdNsjeUQ5BPGyT06DHsmKY/s1600/europe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgChF-cBiImLx9bRHQUHyXevqrVCqP2Jp4iZt4836RuexSRL7AEsOEhheQ3dztyyWnRzXuwxfsc3QNB8knzscDA8TDBaaGfAnx2DhEJ8ThRT5jsWb4948XghoZdNsjeUQ5BPGyT06DHsmKY/s320/europe.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Because there <i>has</i> to be some proper beer in Europe, right?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On my last visit to De Struise, I met <a href="http://benoit%20and/" target="_blank">Cécile and Benoit</a>, a French couple of beer geeks who've quit their jobs to chase the dream and sell beer. As I may have hinted at before, France is considered to be very much a third world country in terms of potable beer where <i>most Belgians</i> are concerned. Needless to say, I was happy to make their acquaintance and promised to stop by their beer shop in Nîmes on my way down to Spain this year.<br />
<br />
Promise is like a pie crust, but when I tossed the idea to the Missus extending the duration of our annual 2-day road trip to the Spanish Costa by an unknown length of time "<i>because honey, they sell beer! In France!</i>", she did not bat an eye. "Of course we're going to see them, dear. It'd be lovely to meet them".<br />
I have such an awesome wife.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvVOOvAGX3t6zM5huTZBQLvHU2dMiwst0vPwOJ8E2j455rqewnguKdwkcVmTGKVUpXOJYIUa3DjVj5UKmFdwBZ5O8FtEwDEno9Qm1pCpc2vSBZdVqt3bC4eoRVu0idHV5Wb6lPGQ9ledcp/s1600/awesome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvVOOvAGX3t6zM5huTZBQLvHU2dMiwst0vPwOJ8E2j455rqewnguKdwkcVmTGKVUpXOJYIUa3DjVj5UKmFdwBZ5O8FtEwDEno9Qm1pCpc2vSBZdVqt3bC4eoRVu0idHV5Wb6lPGQ9ledcp/s320/awesome.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes you are, honey.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So off to France!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUHTkH0D91nnaax907Www-8iN0LQxkBll9MDFCJXrHOjTqKw2p7NO-NfJ3MK2Z1lQpg73vgzN7Ly2Tpu7Ob5Hl0MiEXv6unIskOgKa_7PDE0710cuXMoPlM32SDzZVkIJTzg_HKoQC_gAL/s1600/superdupont.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUHTkH0D91nnaax907Www-8iN0LQxkBll9MDFCJXrHOjTqKw2p7NO-NfJ3MK2Z1lQpg73vgzN7Ly2Tpu7Ob5Hl0MiEXv6unIskOgKa_7PDE0710cuXMoPlM32SDzZVkIJTzg_HKoQC_gAL/s400/superdupont.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Et un peu vite quoi! Hein?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Benoit was off with the kids when we stopped by on the way down to Spain, but Cécile was happy to point me towards the aisle containing the French beers.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBFGCOQd7SgoDM0ZQSzKs9GN5UZtcYtmxoTKEVrDuMk_Zr-FFh9_I44jJy4M8DRTCFSPNJszAn4q0b_viCv1p26ADqa7oeL5wpkasXgvdQkYgQW2jMEOJahoBA6KjOddB0lCW-x31SiHa/s1600/l-arene-des-bieres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBFGCOQd7SgoDM0ZQSzKs9GN5UZtcYtmxoTKEVrDuMk_Zr-FFh9_I44jJy4M8DRTCFSPNJszAn4q0b_viCv1p26ADqa7oeL5wpkasXgvdQkYgQW2jMEOJahoBA6KjOddB0lCW-x31SiHa/s320/l-arene-des-bieres.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not my pic because the camera was -where else?- waaaaay down at the bottom of the trunk.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Turns out the French have been busy, and there are quite a few microbreweries enthusiastically cooking up beers which are decidedly <i>un</i>-French. IPAs, always the heralds of budding craft brew movements the world over, are becoming common, and there were even a couple of porters on display. With limited space left in the car, I let Cécile help me decide on six bottles of various but always French origins (°) and then it was time already for us to take our collective leave, with promises to return on the way back home.<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">°) because, really, when you're in France, in a store like this, you bury your misgivings and buy French beer. Even if they stock some awesome international beers, and even if they have some Belgian beers you'd much rather find around the corner at home.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
Over the course of the next few weeks, I dutifully and with no small amount of personal satisfaction worked my way through this small stash, sitting beside the swimming pool, in the residual heat of the longest and largest heat wave sweeping Spain (and most of Europe) since the invention of recorded meteorology.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWM0Yej9GS787ILVxohyaEOZOtrPmzHh2CrsedlJNvC-kpC9z5w5v6U1vEVd6g4ZX_jgWbZdNs3ni2HdIM6zYUEDM1ZhlzmLHNDZebavkeP3hBkTmH2i3WZ41K38p0tnBr0NNj0dCYWzLh/s1600/CIuY2rUUcAAa9J0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWM0Yej9GS787ILVxohyaEOZOtrPmzHh2CrsedlJNvC-kpC9z5w5v6U1vEVd6g4ZX_jgWbZdNs3ni2HdIM6zYUEDM1ZhlzmLHNDZebavkeP3hBkTmH2i3WZ41K38p0tnBr0NNj0dCYWzLh/s320/CIuY2rUUcAAa9J0.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Suffice to say it was a bit hot.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
From Curemonte in the Dordogne hails <a href="http://www.brasserie-correzienne.com/spip.php" target="_blank">Brasserie Corrézienne</a>, with an impressive array of beers in their portfolio. <b>HopHopHop</b> is (du-uh) a hoppy American Pale Ale which, besides a rather forward resinous twang, brought loads of grapefruit and pine. A very smooth brew, and an excellent eye-opener: the French know beer!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPD8rgyT4Oi_IOx_bf8sZg3qxlq_26Hs6mBBi_HH97hAfG5K9pGe1vUIQVJyz4jvBirkhzqxSP2_IMDsKKonofz89lmOa3TFZAMZvYR3HPmn0oMSps8kU5qufnY6P3Xjq42C4V5unwQ89s/s1600/1664.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPD8rgyT4Oi_IOx_bf8sZg3qxlq_26Hs6mBBi_HH97hAfG5K9pGe1vUIQVJyz4jvBirkhzqxSP2_IMDsKKonofz89lmOa3TFZAMZvYR3HPmn0oMSps8kU5qufnY6P3Xjq42C4V5unwQ89s/s200/1664.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No.<br />
I meant <i>beer</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
They also do a double IPA called <b>Dordogne Valley</b>, which blew me away.<br />
Rich tropical fruit, pineapple and mango. Juicy and smooth with a bitter kick at the finish. I found it to be almost New-Zealandish with its fruit-basket punch, and while the label only mentioned Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe and Amarillo, the website also mentions Nelson Sauvin which could explain a lot.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggqGeGJiJkxCPFPKk24435zePVxe7Lhkais4lJuRls_xwNGdrkzKC0E1keWx5QO2IwSXzxXkog9Ii3BbcnOdGBSl1tvq5ft_sk_DAUqX92NaShZwWrUq02WpPVp3-qPimI4lNKti93qze3/s1600/63.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggqGeGJiJkxCPFPKk24435zePVxe7Lhkais4lJuRls_xwNGdrkzKC0E1keWx5QO2IwSXzxXkog9Ii3BbcnOdGBSl1tvq5ft_sk_DAUqX92NaShZwWrUq02WpPVp3-qPimI4lNKti93qze3/s320/63.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Or else it's the secret ingredients they chuck in the mash.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://www.matten.fr/" target="_blank">Matten</a>, from Matzenheim, near the German border, did a collaboration brew with the (now sadly liquidised) Brasserie Fleurac. <b>Highway to Ale </b>(°) is a 666-themed IPA, with Brewer's Gold giving it a very British character, leaning more towards a Barley Wine à la Old Foghorn than an IPA as we know it. A bit monocline perhaps,but pretty decent.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">°) Zee French are not zee onlee waans oo laik laffink wif zee French accent, eh?</span><br />
<br />
Smack in the middle between Die and Gap we find <a href="http://bhbbrasserieartisanale.blogspot.be/" target="_blank">BhB</a>, a cocky bunch (°) of upstarts brewing all sorts of crazy like they were Brew Dog with a baret.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">°) <a href="http://bhbbrasserieartisanale.blogspot.be/p/contact.html" target="_blank">David D</a> and his myriad of fractured personalities.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpvbwwV2dZk" target="_blank">Rudimentary Peni</a></b> is a hoppy wheat lager (who does hoppy wheat lagers? In France?) which smells like Skittles and tastes like spicy watermelon. Awesome beer, and great gift for anyone called Rudi.<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5-mX_e_dkQ" target="_blank"><b>Grätzer</b> </a>is (du-UH-huh) a grätzer(°) with a wheaty-lemony smell which belies the mild but pronounced smokey tartness underneath.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">°) a nearly extinct Polish beer style. Think smoked weizen, only different.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
BhB is one of the only breweries in the world who pair beer with music, and each comes with its own recommendation. De gustibus etcetera but if turn the volume down a bit, you're left with two excellent beers from a brewer I'm very keen to meet and whose beer I'd very much like to have available here.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.brasseriedesulauze.com/" target="_blank">Brasserie de Sulauze</a> lies not far from Marseille. I got their <b>Pan Pan Cul Cul, </b>a dangerously quaffable rye IPA. Piney and citrusy in the nose, with spicy rye on the tongue. Exessive carbonation made this turn out a bit weak in the body, which was a shame because it's evidently a good recipe.<br />
<br />
So. Six beers to re-introduce me to French brewing anno 2015, and I'm hooked. Take into account the fact that France is a nation built on tradition and conservativeness (°), and you may appreciate the relative novelty of these beers. Sure, there are more innovatives brews aplenty to be found elsewhere, but try finding anything like decent IPA in France without actually knowing in which village the brewer lives. France's beer revolution is still very much in its grassroots phase. A small number of renowned breweries aside, most are still very much local, and very much trying to establish a foothold, which isn't easy in a country whose inhabitants are used to Pastis, Pelforth and 1664.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGsNtW-LdBYrCCgWNs3arBNo4a8gpY2Y-3MwbmYmIrckiUX9szbAUBDBtCC2P-YZaBiOFArrtU_lfjOJPOvmgjYnYK6bvLM31aPy-SHeweUKaKBtR4myP6F6myZ8d1GhyphenhyphenhYHP7UJjjFrq/s1600/panache-vertical-640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGsNtW-LdBYrCCgWNs3arBNo4a8gpY2Y-3MwbmYmIrckiUX9szbAUBDBtCC2P-YZaBiOFArrtU_lfjOJPOvmgjYnYK6bvLM31aPy-SHeweUKaKBtR4myP6F6myZ8d1GhyphenhyphenhYHP7UJjjFrq/s320/panache-vertical-640.jpg" width="218" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Or, <i>à dieu ne plaise</i>, panaché.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We stopped by the store again on the way back home, with the camera even deeper enconced inside the trunk, but again, Cécile and the now-present Benoit were very hospitable, and we left with another (modest but precious) cargo of French beers, forever ambassadors to not only the Global Beer Cause, but also to L'Arene des Bieres. Seriously, if you're ever anywhere near Nîmes, drop by and give them your love.<br />
<br />
You'll be reading more about French beers as soon as they've recovered from the journey and have found their way into my glass.<br />
<br />
Until then,<br />
<br />
Greetz<br />
<br />
Jo<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01143877602262019920noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281950320075665382.post-23787878407106240882015-06-01T05:48:00.000-07:002015-06-24T02:10:08.897-07:00HoppySlosh Tastes: Leffe Royale IPA<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
There are certainties in life.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Death.</div>
<div>
Taxes.</div>
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtOj-Bh9wr5mzBq4FJnpBXbKG0yMMIa4SH27NNKhe0C_aIs1LCzuJ6_WmqVqRF_hv3oG4Zy0_ew1EnKRNKMFk76zG5t6SeVA3a6bikdTJnXe9lQgM5i10eIrSDyUYyqVRfnLYWBm-QTdM-/s1600/lemmy-kilmister_532576.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtOj-Bh9wr5mzBq4FJnpBXbKG0yMMIa4SH27NNKhe0C_aIs1LCzuJ6_WmqVqRF_hv3oG4Zy0_ew1EnKRNKMFk76zG5t6SeVA3a6bikdTJnXe9lQgM5i10eIrSDyUYyqVRfnLYWBm-QTdM-/s320/lemmy-kilmister_532576.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lemmy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Regardles of what day it is, or which way the earth spins, some things can be relied on to always be around. </div>
<div>
Whether they're a good thing is sometimes debatable (unless they're Lemmy), but generally speaking, their reliability is a source of (sometimes bleak) comfort for mankind.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf4Awiwr9i5ysJaCXh-O2mw4BsJczkPFajvoFIS0FXXRY_ZGniJlzz8-kxnT2xCUfk4ww7vKEUZDrt9lpFoDXJm-OMwAHVlP7IN7wIjlBot3t-QJUnmfkdiq1aWPikm9GT-9ep2UdA3ALp/s1600/ra.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf4Awiwr9i5ysJaCXh-O2mw4BsJczkPFajvoFIS0FXXRY_ZGniJlzz8-kxnT2xCUfk4ww7vKEUZDrt9lpFoDXJm-OMwAHVlP7IN7wIjlBot3t-QJUnmfkdiq1aWPikm9GT-9ep2UdA3ALp/s1600/ra.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At least less bleak than the constant fear of the snake winning one night.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Sometimes, however, certainties are depressing as hell.<br />
<br />
Story in case:<br />
AB-Inbev is launching a massive summer campaign, extolling the virtues of hops. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV1mACad6qbyGjvxuuTQQSnlSS0x53OC16W9hAim3uX3g3KmWDwudrdn5BPkKb2VeprQJbZiZbEGe5kpf5YnhuAlYystIcm1LiVlFND_qsJVjh_1Iv0WR5izd6Vhasx8ILndMWZESEOfPz/s1600/hp-visual-leffe-royale-nl_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV1mACad6qbyGjvxuuTQQSnlSS0x53OC16W9hAim3uX3g3KmWDwudrdn5BPkKb2VeprQJbZiZbEGe5kpf5YnhuAlYystIcm1LiVlFND_qsJVjh_1Iv0WR5izd6Vhasx8ILndMWZESEOfPz/s320/hp-visual-leffe-royale-nl_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Superior selection of hops from around the world".<br />
In case the stencilled bottle was too subtle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Hops are hip, at least to the stiffs in suits who run AB-InBev. From the confines of their office buildings, they've been watching the world outside go by, while the factory below churns on. And every once in a while, they overhear whispered conversations between their minions, and they hear rousing talk of hops, and flavour and something called IPA.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"We must capitalise on this idea", must have been their reasoning. "We must have an IPA of our own".</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVfvJQ9xaWzU2tNKtWpnjg4hlc4RhS9uAwq8_fbjBnz0ndJdkPT0sI_VrFQMxDU5YiaBpCWepSBSv-GiKI8_bLIvTZm-lASuW_mEchuWkrCyp_CqbT6XxkZGmZIYIXkj5BMXiPN5KcEAel/s1600/jack+shit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVfvJQ9xaWzU2tNKtWpnjg4hlc4RhS9uAwq8_fbjBnz0ndJdkPT0sI_VrFQMxDU5YiaBpCWepSBSv-GiKI8_bLIvTZm-lASuW_mEchuWkrCyp_CqbT6XxkZGmZIYIXkj5BMXiPN5KcEAel/s1600/jack+shit.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Even if we know jack shit about IPA"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Regardless of the exact definition (*) of an IPA, the general consensus seems to be one of hop-forwardness. Of intese flavours, and of boldness and attitude.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*) which I'm willing to keep liberally open for debate but will come back to at a later point</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
None of these are qualities I tend to associate with the Leffe brand, but I'm always ready to challenge my own preconceptions. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCYfmF-dtAXV2-74XYxyzOr5TbsEpgwKBzi1Mrh2fxzq3IVTLEv2HZ6lWN8gJ7VpRObd75OwmefzJwPNIxf0q_nCXM3mEOX_OvdryBVHBytD38O9GiLJu-i869vV8-FRuioYFxsorlWOC5/s1600/prejudice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCYfmF-dtAXV2-74XYxyzOr5TbsEpgwKBzi1Mrh2fxzq3IVTLEv2HZ6lWN8gJ7VpRObd75OwmefzJwPNIxf0q_nCXM3mEOX_OvdryBVHBytD38O9GiLJu-i869vV8-FRuioYFxsorlWOC5/s1600/prejudice.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even when they're actually jsut observations.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Trying my best to be as unattached as I can be to all notions about IPA, hops, or even <i>beer</i>, I sampled both versions of <b><i>Leffe Royale </i></b>the other day, to find out what all those huge billboards are raving about.</div>
<div>
<br />
My findings can be summed up as such:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEh20azyStk9Zya4_OCvc3UedrLE385OgvYAtqZR0-wSf-mD7IiTGZOaViL5Yd8dpZ5W2cwk-YO8p1f-4vLkobwenOQZ48OizG9yg1FSoigGDijs4kPCkj2OfsGMcSO08TF8u4b5T462xD/s1600/Blech.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEh20azyStk9Zya4_OCvc3UedrLE385OgvYAtqZR0-wSf-mD7IiTGZOaViL5Yd8dpZ5W2cwk-YO8p1f-4vLkobwenOQZ48OizG9yg1FSoigGDijs4kPCkj2OfsGMcSO08TF8u4b5T462xD/s320/Blech.gif" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blech.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
First off was the <i style="font-weight: bold;">Leffe Royale Whitbread Goldings. </i><br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></i>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ZQHEXl3WYV6c4-_jWinVyI9x7GR22iIRfFzyqBRkJJp6v_gs-wzxTBUHxLWDwMmxz5tQACJSYI9dGM_JKTrtd4pGIRD95hWnlo7lS0W-_9Hz21JODP3oZxzvNpCFzxv1I-8_Lmbt9g5G/s1600/IMG_20150530_164132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ZQHEXl3WYV6c4-_jWinVyI9x7GR22iIRfFzyqBRkJJp6v_gs-wzxTBUHxLWDwMmxz5tQACJSYI9dGM_JKTrtd4pGIRD95hWnlo7lS0W-_9Hz21JODP3oZxzvNpCFzxv1I-8_Lmbt9g5G/s320/IMG_20150530_164132.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Will you just look at all that hoppy hoppiness!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Fairness where fairness is due: this beer is not marketed as an IPA. It comes with lots of hoppy <i>pretenses </i>though, from its overly fanciful tinfoil wrapping with its golden hops flowers, to the back blurb (*) extolling the hop-forward focus of the beer itself.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*) I'll get back to the blurb, I promise.</span><br />
<br />
But fairness goes both ways, and in all fairness, I have to say that <i>this beer reeked</i>.<br />
It stank.<br />
It ponged so much that even The Missus (*) could smell it whilst she was frying onions in the kitchen, causing her to exclaim (and I'm not even paraphrasing here)<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"It stinks like a bad pub serving three-weeks old stale beer"</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
--The Missus</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*) who doesn't like beer but is still perfectly capable of distinguishing </span><i style="font-size: small;">subjectively</i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> (°) bad beer from </span><i style="font-size: small;">objectively</i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> (^) bad beer</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">°) polarising beers which, plainly put, aren't everyone's taste.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">^) bog-standard beer which, equally plainly put, <i>isn't any good.</i></span><br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></i>
I sniffed and smelled and inhaled and simply could not detect any trace of yumminess in the pap-like, syrupy swamp wafting from the glass into my nose. I have rarely, if ever, smelled a less appetising beer than this, and Saint Arnoldus knows I've smelled a few.<br />
In the mouth, the beer caused my natural curiosity to riot against my instinctive self-preservation. It's hard to get it down, and perhaps harder still to keep(*) it down.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*) I'll make a point to ramble about the <i>beer burp</i> sometime, but for now, suffice to say that in this case, they bordered on retching. My stomach rebelled and my burps tasted like old beer and nail polish.</span><br />
<br />
I smelled very little hops, and certainly none of the promised citrus and resin. In fact, I mostly smelled Leffe.<br />
Plain old ubiquitous Leffe.<br />
Take any of the dozen-or-so different Leffes and smell it.<br />
That's what this Leffe smells like.<br />
A signature smell of <i>faux</i> bananas and solvent, mixed with corn syrup, and the pervasive stench of an industrial brewing site. Where the Whitbread Goldings was supposed to be , I cannot tell, but my guess is it was hiding.<br />
<br />
I wish I could say I wasn't expecting this, but then I'd be lying.<br />
<br />
Onward, dauntless zythophiles, to another brave horizon! Here comes <i style="font-weight: bold;">Leffe Royale Cascade IPA</i>:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkLktKjhrHV1JmbYk7RKv6pUqtI1CXQu6rzzj1-jH-xxQiJ28twhTwo9owXwb8pwo3Pb_bIVXalxBE5SiKDgEUdMj-PRjPblTR4eO_FrcAKfWtvnZwVniNS2YrIKFijEUmgEkNQtyBO34D/s1600/IMG_20150530_180031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkLktKjhrHV1JmbYk7RKv6pUqtI1CXQu6rzzj1-jH-xxQiJ28twhTwo9owXwb8pwo3Pb_bIVXalxBE5SiKDgEUdMj-PRjPblTR4eO_FrcAKfWtvnZwVniNS2YrIKFijEUmgEkNQtyBO34D/s320/IMG_20150530_180031.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Because IPA is always served in an Abbeye chalice.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
According to the blurb (*), dryhopping with Cascade magically transformed the Royale into an IPA.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*) I <i>swear </i>I'll get back to you on the blurb and it won't be much longer now.</span><br />
<br />
I'll be the first to make disparaging comments about the narrowness and restrictions of beer styles, but let me make this very clear once and for all: dry-hopping alone doth not an IPA make. A beer doesn't "become" an IPA simply by infusing it with hops. Thinking of IPA as merely "a beer with increased hop rates" detracts not only from IPA, but in fact from all beers with any hops in them at all.<br />
<br />
Belgium's got its head so far up its own beerbellied navel that all we seem to understand about IPAs is "that special technique" called dry-hopping. Infuse any beer with a smidge of hops and tadaaaah! It's an IPA! <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFszjoxUc10-lb0Kz7ygqPPlbIPbYe9vHNAZDcTXk8bxBaBbByAPOeA3t0UEnaxJl9s6Xf_-H5Ys_vZXBRJGZyYBLvZi6JTrmqLBkmdibD44WRVQER-FVCSz7Aw9VvwFg-F54jpgZXG6tV/s1600/ka-ching-31279.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFszjoxUc10-lb0Kz7ygqPPlbIPbYe9vHNAZDcTXk8bxBaBbByAPOeA3t0UEnaxJl9s6Xf_-H5Ys_vZXBRJGZyYBLvZi6JTrmqLBkmdibD44WRVQER-FVCSz7Aw9VvwFg-F54jpgZXG6tV/s1600/ka-ching-31279.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TADAAAAH = KA-CHING!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Granted, Cascade IPA does smell a bit of hops, and is infinitely more hop-forward than the Whitbread Golding (which I assume is just plain Leffe Royale, packaged differently).<br />
And sure enough, that little hoppy note tries its best to hide and obfuscate the lingering presence of the Royale base, but in the end, it is just that: a Leffe Royale, briefly exposed to a minimal amount of hops.<br />
It is to Leffe what the Tripel Hop is to Duvel, only even less subtly executed. Underneath the Cascade, you still get that signature Leffe taste, of yeasty solvents and rushed beer, and the burps that follow are, alas, once again devoid of hops.<br />
<br />
There are certainties in life.<br />
Death & taxes. Even for Lemmy.<br />
Leffe.<br />
<br />
Both beers were exactly what I feared they would be: half-assed attempts to capitalise on the current trend toward hoppy craft beer. A thinly veiled marketeer's ploy to imbue into the Leffe brand an image of innovation which it sorely lacks, and which it is, in fact, utterly incompatible with.<br />
<br />
Just look at the <a href="http://www.leffe.com/nl/bieren/leffe-royale-cascade" target="_blank">blurb </a>(*) and tell me I exaggerate.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><b>Interludium : the blurb</b></i></div>
</div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6000003814697px;"></span><br />
<hr style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19.6000003814697px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>A short story about a legendary beer</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>For a master brewer, nothing is more precious than hops. Because the hops determine all of the beer's properties: the character, the flavour and the colour. The selection of hops is the basis of everything and has to be done with extensive knowledge and accuracy. When master brewer Charles Nowen developed the Leffe Royal range, his ambitions were clear: to develop exceptional and characterful beer styles which are both unique and special. After searching the whole world for the best hop growers, he finally chose three hop varieties. One of these is Cascade. A prestigious hops, grown in the Cascade mountains in the USA.</i></blockquote>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>...the process of dry hopping makes this golden-blond beer a true IPA (an "India Pale Ale" is a beer with increased hop rates) for conoisseurs...</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Experts' advice</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>This blond beer, the result of a unique brewing process, has the flavour of a real IPA beer, so much appreciated by connoisseurs. Its lively disposition, refreshing character and citrus accents (lemon, yellow grapefruit) are courtesy of Charles Nouwen, Leffe's master brewer, who has travelled the world in search of the best hops. Eventually, he chose three varieties, one of them being Cascade IPA. A hop variety bred in the Cascade Mountains in the United States.</i></blockquote>
<div>
<br /></div>
</blockquote>
Translated faithfully from the brewery's website by yours truly at the time of writing, this bit of proza highlights just about every illness and ailment of current-day macro brew labeling.<br />
Between the self-anointment and the pompous ego-trippery, you'll find inconsistencies and errors rubbing shoulders with dubious claims.<br />
I could spend pages and pages picking apart those handful of lines, but let me keep things short:<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>I can understand how names like <i>Eyjafjallajökull </i>can be problematic<i>, </i>but a brewery so proud of its master brewer should at least make an effort to spell his name correctly. Failing that, constistency of errors is still preferrable to nominative <i>ad-libbing</i>. If you've got money to send your master brewer globetrotting, you've got money for a blurbsmith with editing skills.</li>
<li>Hops do <i>not </i>determine all of the beer's properties. If they did, we wouldn't be so fussy about malts and yeast and even water. Of all beer's properties affected by hops, colour is a singularly bad example since it simply is <i>not</i>. Not even a little. But people are stupid so they'll swallow this nonsense too.</li>
<li>We got it the first time round. No need to reiterate the first paragraph word by word in the second, in hopes we'll find the "experts's advice" more valuable. Besides, who <i>are </i>these experts anyway?</li>
<li>Charles travelled <i>the whole wide world</i> in search of the best hops, and all he could come up with was fucking Cascade? Which for some reason is named Cascade IPA<b> </b>by "the experts"? </li>
<li>Worst of all perhaps: don't tell us that your "<i>unique</i>" beer tastes "<i>like a real IPA</i>". Because it doesn't, and even if it did, it'd be the least useful thing to say about it.</li>
</ul>
<div>
This blurb is a typical example of macro breweries' approach to labeling and marketing: a loud and trumpeting raspberry being blown at the customers, at truth, humility and at common sense.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here's what that blurb needs in order to become so much more accurate and useful:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><sarcasm> </b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">A short story about a legendary beer</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">For a master brewer, nothing is more precious than hops. Because the hops determine all of the beer's properties: the character, the flavour and the colour. The selection of hops is the basis of everything and has to be done with extensive knowledge and accuracy. When master brewer Charles Nowen developed the Leffe Royal range, his ambitions were clear: to develop exceptional and charachterful beer styles which are both unique and special. After searching the whole world for the best hop growers, he finally chose three hop varieties. One of these is Cascade. A prestigious hops, grown in the Cascade mountains in the USA.</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Experts' advice</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This blond beer, the result of a unique brewing process, has the flavour of a real IPA beer, so much appreciated by connoisseurs. Its lively disposition, refreshing character and citrus accents (lemon, yellow grapefruit) are courtesy of Charles Nouwen, Leffe's master brewer, who has travelled the world in search of the best hops. Eventually, he chose three varieties, one of them being Cascade IPA. A hop variety bred in the Cascade Mountains in the United States.</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b></sarcasm> </b></blockquote>
I know: I shouldn't poke fun at whatever tripe is being served on the packaging and the brewer's website. I know that, at the end of the day, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglRdvBWb4wIvpgH32YKkL1460I-KHlOFnWUpxzXHxextZLYYYOF3UOym2AnHtpydiVmpj7ZTeGcpXSHO8h9e1YC48n7cYIgkH7X1oc706Fwxs2OKrXyiJemKIr4Yx7PQDlcq57d59Ej38G/s1600/puddinproof.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglRdvBWb4wIvpgH32YKkL1460I-KHlOFnWUpxzXHxextZLYYYOF3UOym2AnHtpydiVmpj7ZTeGcpXSHO8h9e1YC48n7cYIgkH7X1oc706Fwxs2OKrXyiJemKIr4Yx7PQDlcq57d59Ej38G/s320/puddinproof.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...but it becomes an irresistible joke-butt at some point.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br /></div>
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<i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><b>Interludium : done</b></i></div>
</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6000003814697px;"></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*) told you I would get to the blurb eventually</span></div>
<br />
That whole "For Science!" thing? It <i>will </i>be the death of me one day, unless I learn to curb(*) my curiosity and leave those obvious macro-Frankenbrews nicely on the shelves where they can be pretty and vacuous like the auto-tuned pop starlets they are.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*) Gag, chain, sedate or otherwise restrain. Seriously, my cats have got nothing on me in the face of curiosity-with-possible-consequences.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
I make a solemn vow today. I <i>will</i> one day expose myself (and possibly a few of my more masochistically inclined friends) to these beers in a (fair) blind trial. And if even one of them takes anything but an instant dislike to them, I promise I'll do a side-by-side comparison of all and every Leffe brew commercially available at the time, and write about them all without a single disparaging comment.<br />
<br />
Until then,<br />
<br />
Greetz,<br />
<br />
Jo</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01143877602262019920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281950320075665382.post-83757922918856509272015-05-28T06:08:00.000-07:002015-05-28T06:21:19.959-07:00HoppySlosh Innovation: Leuven Innovation Beer Festival hits the ground running<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Fate is a fickle bitch.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilT5_b2_H6JK6NHVLl-izeoGqw9WKTCJnDQBGNuGSmkVrVKxPEnrljwLI9lb80RcVI55xIcOBQ1TvVg6dG-wMFJjcWWiQnObYlrKAu1_tPGP2Z3DSb7pvaJzlkjm3YoKdzaaaPHOw5NXLr/s1600/fate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilT5_b2_H6JK6NHVLl-izeoGqw9WKTCJnDQBGNuGSmkVrVKxPEnrljwLI9lb80RcVI55xIcOBQ1TvVg6dG-wMFJjcWWiQnObYlrKAu1_tPGP2Z3DSb7pvaJzlkjm3YoKdzaaaPHOw5NXLr/s400/fate.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ain't it just so?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One day you're running a brewery in the hinterlands of Brabant, the next your looking at its smouldering ruins while the devil shits hot coals down your spine.<br />
<br />
In January 2015, a fire laid waste to the buildings in which <a href="http://www.hoftendormaal.com/" target="_blank">Hof ten Dormaal</a> housed its brewery. Even though most of the equipment was salvaged from the flames, a large part of the brewery's stock was lost. Things looked pretty bleak for the brewery, and its future looked as promising as a republican during the pre-election tour.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrTUZRiVmfP_u4wrDa1TG41yHWbSkACisxxsltj2UDLWiryJ1X410DUrlXqpI6SbKylyH23hZoNsx7cvVTblotCPFl1G9M6vVYOiwliSQpRpYyWDwCKqn_GDqwGsf_q0TntoUfkiPmv6Nl/s1600/republican.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrTUZRiVmfP_u4wrDa1TG41yHWbSkACisxxsltj2UDLWiryJ1X410DUrlXqpI6SbKylyH23hZoNsx7cvVTblotCPFl1G9M6vVYOiwliSQpRpYyWDwCKqn_GDqwGsf_q0TntoUfkiPmv6Nl/s320/republican.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And slighty less cheerful.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A bitch she may be, but fickleness comes in forms not always unpleasant. Even as the ashes were still smouldering, the beer community reared up. Incentives were launched, crowdfundings initiated, and brewers the world over reached out to lend a hand.<br />
<br />
Instead of rejoicing at their competitor's misfortune, brewers from around the globe came to their friend's rescue, and before the end of winter, the brewery's future was more or less secured. Flame and fire and a shitload of bad luck later, Hof ten Dormaal was still in business, and the display of compassionate camaraderie in the face of such misfortune was a sight for sore eyes in these seemingly callous times of selfish capitalist opportunism.<br />
<br />
Long story short: in the wake of all that's happened, André decided to launch a festival. Tired of Belgium's somewhat sad reputation as the Land of Blonde, Dubbel and Tripel, he decided the theme of the festival was to be Innovation.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3EQUcYVp7DYVYV_McjEb1GJUc81gs0B5A3cRbckCucjhbx98WIBuGC7kGVUiIsYShk2mYkgQkV5zRNrJ_b9UYhpjgIIn6Hvmj8XWOiuCAnYI7SilD849fLKkzanAEfQpwa8II8Zw99FT/s1600/libf.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3EQUcYVp7DYVYV_McjEb1GJUc81gs0B5A3cRbckCucjhbx98WIBuGC7kGVUiIsYShk2mYkgQkV5zRNrJ_b9UYhpjgIIn6Hvmj8XWOiuCAnYI7SilD849fLKkzanAEfQpwa8II8Zw99FT/s400/libf.png" width="187" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hence, perhaps, the name.</td></tr>
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As I have lamented about <a href="http://hoppyslosh.blogspot.be/2015/01/beer-festivals-pinnacles-of-beer.html" target="_blank">before</a>, Belgium doesn't seem to be too keen on foreign beers, but will you just look at that list of attending breweries? </div>
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BeerBert and I attended the last day of festival, in the stunning venue of Leuven's historical brew house De Hoorn. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"You've got style" achievement unlocked.</td></tr>
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The venue alone would be a reason to visit the festival all by itself, even if there was no actual beer present, but sometimes fate smiles on us, and we <i>can </i>have our cake and eat it too.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Because who would lie about cake?</td></tr>
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But there <i>was</i> beer (*), and some of it was really quite innovative (°).</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*) obviously. Wouldn't be much of a beer festival if there wasn't, right?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">°) obviously. Wouldn't be much of an innovation beer festival if it wasn't, right?</span></div>
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We started things off with a visit to <b><a href="http://www.sirencraftbrew.com/" target="_blank">Siren Craft Brew</a></b>'s, stall. They embrace a brew philosophy which I've come to think of as the New Wave of British Brewing, which is somewhere in the middle between present-day contintental craft brewing and contemporary USA attitude. This translates to beers like the wonderfully refreshing <i style="font-weight: bold;">Calypso</i>, a Berliner weisse hopped with Comet and Simcoe. I remember having the Amarillo version earlier this year (°) but this iteration was decidedly more rounded and complete, blending the lactic sourness of the Berliner weisse with the American craft vibe of Simcoe and Comet. Deelish. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">°) Praise be unto Saint Arnoldus for specialty beer stores (</span><a href="http://www.decaigny.com/" style="font-size: small;" target="_blank">De Caigny</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> in this particular case). If it weren't for them, we'd never have proper foreign beer in Belgium at all.</span></div>
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Beerbert had the <i style="font-weight: bold;">7 Seas</i>, a black IPA (*) with 7 C hops. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1oZnK9bJ3ul3X9q2gMIoiLwX5YwPFzbThyJW23LKL6UtJAaens8B_FH15ac5tUaqFXMEALJQtPUU7CQBEfkEziHO0wrgxEATO0XpZAcxOPRgllQjaZwq94b6N1v59nDKBkNgAQXgeycSS/s1600/see+what+they+did+there.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1oZnK9bJ3ul3X9q2gMIoiLwX5YwPFzbThyJW23LKL6UtJAaens8B_FH15ac5tUaqFXMEALJQtPUU7CQBEfkEziHO0wrgxEATO0XpZAcxOPRgllQjaZwq94b6N1v59nDKBkNgAQXgeycSS/s1600/see+what+they+did+there.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clever beer needs a clever name.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*) I know. It makes no sense until you drink one. </span></div>
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From there on, we headed over to <b><a href="http://www.gooseisland.com/" target="_blank">Goose Island</a>. </b>Yes, friends and neighbours, Goose Island showed up at a Belgian festival. I was sceptic about the obvious tie-in with InBev (*) but honestly, I was happy to see them.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*) Seriously. When you exit the Leuven train station and take a right, just walk donw the road for 5 minutes. Before you know it, you will find yourself inside InBev Citadel. It's like mini-Europe with Leffe posters plastered all over it. Pretty weird, a craft beer festival <a href="https://www.google.be/maps/@50.887314,4.706475,3a,75y,276.09h,90.07t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s6dNbqKaOW31A0_Li6y5QhA!2e0!6m1!1e1" target="_blank">in the middle of enemy territory</a>.</span></div>
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BeerBert had their <b><i>Sofie, </i></b>which, despite being called a farmhouse ale, tasted more like an up-state <i>wit</i>. Loads of orange zest, with a faint lactic/wheaty zip in the back. Classy, but not my taste at all. I went for the <i style="font-weight: bold;">Class of 1988</i>, a complex beer with tonnes of oak and grape. </div>
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Much much later, Goose Island brought forth their flagship brew in the form of the<i style="font-weight: bold;"> Bourbon County Brand Stout</i> and its <b><i>Vanilla Rye </i></b>variant<i style="font-weight: bold;">. </i>The Constant Reader may recall <a href="http://hoppyslosh.blogspot.be/2013/01/bourbon-county-brand-stout-goose-island.html" target="_blank">my infatuation</a> with both the 2011 edition and the <a href="http://hoppyslosh.blogspot.be/2013/02/hoppyslosh-steps-outside.html" target="_blank">Vanilla edition</a>, but it saddens me to say that time has made me a difficult geek to please. I found the the BCBS 2015 and the Vanilla Rye both to be overly sweet. Syrupy brews, both bordering on liquid ice cream desserts. Oodles of flavour, yes, but the sweetness got the better of me very quickly. Festivals like this are a dream for beer geeks though, because they provide an opportunity to taste rare(°) brews which would otherwise remain unobtainable to them. In this case, quite a few visitors where possitively creaming themselves in aticipation to snatch a sample of BCBS, to the further glory of All Things Craft. Say what you will, but Belgium's just not kitted out for this kind of stout violence.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">°) and sometimes pretty damn expensive.</span></div>
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Lunch then. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6eAHhwHsOdoqKNsJmw2Xk-13yS0gO3SbxRAAFMBFnoSPv2iQ1C5ft0xHYMXVcLb2usxdrjIeLCQ33gfag6rw62yNvqDuizb1gRUTJnwoQUYWyHDlwxAHG14IKVoccUPgl_aM-aVUJ87pK/s1600/lunch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6eAHhwHsOdoqKNsJmw2Xk-13yS0gO3SbxRAAFMBFnoSPv2iQ1C5ft0xHYMXVcLb2usxdrjIeLCQ33gfag6rw62yNvqDuizb1gRUTJnwoQUYWyHDlwxAHG14IKVoccUPgl_aM-aVUJ87pK/s1600/lunch.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hell yeah.</td></tr>
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De Hoorn hosts a pop-up restaurant where we were served a nice meal, which we washed down with some brews by <span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://brouwerijdemolen.nl/" target="_blank">De Molen</a></span>, recommended by John & John. BeerBert had the <i style="font-weight: bold;">Cuvée#3</i>, a blend of thisses and thats, aged in various barrels. I think my exact words, upon sniff ing the beer, were "<i>Even if I never got to taste this, I'd still be happy knowing just how amazing it smells</i>". It has that signature Molen-smell all over it: roast and coffee and chocolate and booze and leather and vanilla and lots and lots of other things all just screaming at you to be drank. Spectacular brew again, and empiric proof that you can't go wrong with De Molen's stouts. I went for <b style="font-style: italic;">Groot&Sterk</b>, a beer which was described by various people as "<i>that ham beer</i>". A smoked barley wine with a spicy chili bite, this really was a lot like prosciutto in a glass. The <i>fleur de sel</i> was a nice touch as well, emphasising the meaty character of the beer, without turning into beery broth. Awesome, and well into innovation territory.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZyxa_xS23ivs1ZSmH_uKPlJQx4_4vv58Y6UREocU2ib5FAnP4Kb5MP_wW-btqk3YA92Cl3ksQijEl9QDBfx_MNZy-KxMdPU_VMCZz8hyphenhyphenOGdWpfHbZeVW__Sf5zgfKOMmZLaCuAigY-cEu/s1600/prosciutto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZyxa_xS23ivs1ZSmH_uKPlJQx4_4vv58Y6UREocU2ib5FAnP4Kb5MP_wW-btqk3YA92Cl3ksQijEl9QDBfx_MNZy-KxMdPU_VMCZz8hyphenhyphenOGdWpfHbZeVW__Sf5zgfKOMmZLaCuAigY-cEu/s320/prosciutto.jpg" width="247" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Think this, minus the actual meat.</td></tr>
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Heading back inside, we bumped into Kjetil, the gentle viking and CEO of Norway's<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.3999996185303px;"><b><a href="http://www.nogne-o.com/" target="_blank">Nøgne ø</a> </b>brewery. Whilst sampling his outstanding <i style="font-weight: bold;">Vic Secret IPA</i> (gotta love those NZ hops) as well as the <i style="font-weight: bold;">Aurora Australis</i> (°), I goaded him into commenting in my homebrewed <a href="http://hoppyslosh.blogspot.be/2015/04/hoppyslosh-is-lazy-brewing-backlog.html" target="_blank">fenugreek porter</a>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.3999996185303px;">°) <i>Aurora </i>has an amazing story behind it. Apparently, it is a Norwegian tradition to send alcoholic beverages across the globe in order to benefit from the temperature fluctations as they cross the equator. How much of this is yippy-talk I cannot say (how many Norwegian alcoholic beverages can <i>you </i>name?), but in Aurora's case, the beer (a Belgian-style quadrupel) is brewed in two locations. A batch is brewed in Grimstad, Norway, where<b> </b></span></span><span style="line-height: 20.3999996185303px;">Nøgne ø is located. The other is brewed in Beechworth, Australia, where friendly brewers<a href="http://bridgeroadbrewers.com.au/" target="_blank"> <b>Bridge Road </b></a>are located. Kjetil racks his batch into whisky barrels and sends them to Australia, where it's bottled as <i style="font-weight: bold;">Aurora Borealis</i>. The guys at Bridge Road rack theirs into red wine barrels and ship to Norway where it gets bottles as <i style="font-weight: bold;">Aurora Australis</i>. Wonderfully complex and vinous, and another fine example of International Innovative Intoxication <i>I mean </i>Inventiveness.</span></span></div>
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Really, there is no better way to get feedback on your own brews than by asking a brewer his opinion about it. </div>
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So every time I attend a festival, I make sure a haul a couple of bottles along with the express purpose of harrassing brewers and anyone interested until they voice their opinion. If they think it's shit, I'm counting on them telling me. And while the "<i>It's shit and this is what's wrong with it</i>" comments are invariably priceless in terms of learning and upping one's game, secretly of course, there's always that eager kid inside hoping for approval from the big guys.</div>
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So, pepper fenugreek porter this time, and a single bottle of <i>Zwarte Madam</i> with raspberry. For the heck of it.</div>
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Kjetil seemed to genuinely appreciate my porter, which made me all fuzzy and glowy on the inside. Until (and I kid you not) <i>he asked for seconds</i>! Which made me all glowy and fuzzy on the outside as well! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was all, like, <i>wiiiiiiiii</i>!</td></tr>
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John&John seemed to like it too, so I must be doing something right. </div>
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Back to the actual attendees, whose limelight was in no danger of being eclipsed by yours truly's homebrews. </div>
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We headed over to <a href="http://www.tinyrebel.co.uk/" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Tiny Rebel</a><b>, </b>where we sampled the vowel-less <i style="font-weight: bold;">cwtch</i>, a Welsh red IPA which I thought had a bit of lager-funk going on. I've said it before and I'll say it again: IPAs tend to not work well for me in a festival setting. There's only so much hoppiness I can objectively compare before my brain and palate seem to fuse into a single alpha-acid saturated lump of lupulin. I'm sure the <i>cwtch </i>would have fared better had I tried it earlier though, as it was a very decent brew. I got a taste of the <i style="font-weight: bold;">Dirty Stop Out</i> which was a solid smokey brew.<br />
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<a href="http://www.stillwater-artisanal.com/works.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Stillwater Artisanal</a>'s <b style="font-style: italic;">Surround </b>is a coffee-flavoured beer and delivers its coffee in spades. Reminded me a lot of <i>cafe con hielo</i> which I like having on hot spanish mornings whilst on vacation. </div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent;">Sidling over to </span><b style="background-color: transparent;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/freigeistbierkultur?fref=ts" target="_blank">Freigeist Bierkultur</a> </b><span style="background-color: transparent;">for quick primer to what's brewing in Germany of late, we got ourselves some <b>Nosco's Café</b>, another coffee infused brew which reminded me a bit of my own <i>Yog-Shotoddy, </i>which is both a good thing ("<i>Hey this could have been brewed by me.</i>") and a bad ("<i>I'm not sure I'd want that particular brew to be on display at a festival</i>"). </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent;">Later on, I tried their <i style="font-weight: bold;">Atlantis Gose</i>, a beer which seems to drive home the fact that I am underwhelmed by most goses. This one was a mildly lactic, refreshing and uncomplicated brew. I can see myself using this as a reward for mowing the lawn: easy, quenching and interesting without being complex.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimNnvKVdpZhR4vaJ2JKqgeeJ5I_M7MoB8j165zzC_83Hv4ZeWhV9OO2YeESXYCtZWqs7eBlAoyNEMX87wCP9IeqZmbDNKJCrp2meqbxjOjT_iu8xGhYIL0QDHdrtiYW_WWgqZ2BIweqRGA/s1600/LawnMower2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimNnvKVdpZhR4vaJ2JKqgeeJ5I_M7MoB8j165zzC_83Hv4ZeWhV9OO2YeESXYCtZWqs7eBlAoyNEMX87wCP9IeqZmbDNKJCrp2meqbxjOjT_iu8xGhYIL0QDHdrtiYW_WWgqZ2BIweqRGA/s320/LawnMower2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Wenn ich meine Rasen gemähet hatte, möchte ich gerne eine Gose trincken bitte. </i></div>
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<i>Ja?</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent;">Heading out for more sun, I dragged out two brews by </span><b style="background-color: transparent;"><a href="http://www.birrificiofogliederba.it/" target="_blank">Foglie d'Erba</a>. <i>HopFelia </i></b><span style="background-color: transparent;">is a an Americo-Italian IPA, hopped with USA hops and, surprisingly, Tettnanger in dryhops. </span><i style="background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold;">Freewheelin</i><span style="background-color: transparent;"> is its DIPA counterpart, using pretty much the same ingredients but in a double version of the HopFelia.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent;">Perhaps it's just me and festival-IPAs again, but I found myself a bit underwhelmed. There was a certain lingering undercurrent to both beers which I've started to associate with Italian IPAs, and which doesn't seem to agree with me.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent;"><b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brouwerij-Kees/1472044359751452" target="_blank">Kees!</a> </b> was there!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent;">And he brought (among others) his intensely roasty </span><i style="background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold;">Export Porter 1750</i><span style="background-color: transparent;">. A robust, bitter, but very smooth brew which impressed me no end. The nutty flavours which I detected in the batch he brought to ACBF earlier this year were gone, and I think what Kees has produced now is pretty much as authentic a porter as we could hope to get without actually </span><a href="https://zythophile.wordpress.com/2010/10/17/so-what-really-happened-on-october-17-1814/" style="background-color: transparent;" target="_blank">drowning an entire borough in it</a><span style="background-color: transparent;">.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn8jkCKafQw-GLj62BL4tCpa8xGfszTNhbtdHOYLFoUttkUY17577khbP6kjMBVWFB2lwbFDvLO2hn40UP0O_2Cl60lFUAZcZh-tFpSFpuVThyXccqEabjAS7qoA5-IMTvSLEMYzF6TLpi/s1600/beer-flood-in-london.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn8jkCKafQw-GLj62BL4tCpa8xGfszTNhbtdHOYLFoUttkUY17577khbP6kjMBVWFB2lwbFDvLO2hn40UP0O_2Cl60lFUAZcZh-tFpSFpuVThyXccqEabjAS7qoA5-IMTvSLEMYzF6TLpi/s320/beer-flood-in-london.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Horror, even without metric conversion.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent;"><a href="http://www.brekeriet.se/valkommen/" target="_blank"><b>Brekeriet</b> </a>were present, and I had their <i style="font-weight: bold;">Rye Whiskey Sour </i>which brought a big smile to my face. Daring to the point of being brash, the beer was assertively sour, with the rye and the whiskey bringing an smoky touch to the whole. The best weird sour I had that day. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent;">Time to head over to the award ceremony; walk this way please!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfugiVao9QZpU0BwwpSo_rRFlQ_NIZtMqZdEA4NSuL5CxPzXp8L3MoHCo6RAoYeBsfL1VKOT2UHAmX7jz8rHHYoJ64r2BXb3CdPMQfaXqxDY-RVg5mYmKgXL7dGarQEtMnUQtWJRzBkG8/s1600/igor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfugiVao9QZpU0BwwpSo_rRFlQ_NIZtMqZdEA4NSuL5CxPzXp8L3MoHCo6RAoYeBsfL1VKOT2UHAmX7jz8rHHYoJ64r2BXb3CdPMQfaXqxDY-RVg5mYmKgXL7dGarQEtMnUQtWJRzBkG8/s1600/igor.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No, not that way.</td></tr>
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<i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><b>Interludium : brewing contest</b></i></div>
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Realising how homebrewers have ever been at the forefront of innovative brewing, André organised a competition, inviting attending homebrewers to submit their most novel brew.</div>
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I hastened to oblige and submitted <a href="http://hoppyslosh.blogspot.be/2015/04/hoppyslosh-is-lazy-brewing-backlog.html" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Good Girl Ginger</a>, figuring a ginger-hibiscus radler-saison hybrid would be adequately innovative to have the jury sit up and take notice.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZCG9Oue1bXg0NY9IvZeIYqRDSIjuTPuNwSnM84qLdkRGer188EoKB0KZ1nRTNMgehs3uZmZJMmi0Ojd1mzX1DFYQpbprW50ZLKiIRCZmFSAoWBwVfHNWia6OcfXili-PhWnGHJ2Y4cDYS/s1600/sit+up.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZCG9Oue1bXg0NY9IvZeIYqRDSIjuTPuNwSnM84qLdkRGer188EoKB0KZ1nRTNMgehs3uZmZJMmi0Ojd1mzX1DFYQpbprW50ZLKiIRCZmFSAoWBwVfHNWia6OcfXili-PhWnGHJ2Y4cDYS/s400/sit+up.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meta never felt so good.</td></tr>
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Long story short, I did not win but got honourable mentions for innovativity. The beer needs work (quite of few of my beers do) but the idea seems solid enough to explore it further. Which I will, and you will read about it when I do.<br />
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This Honorable Mentions thing, together with what seemed like genuine approval from whoever I subjected to my brews is certainly invigorating, and an incentive to step up my game.<br />
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Congratz to the winner and the runners-up! Pity we never got to sample each other's brews though.</div>
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<i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><b>Done Interluding Again</b></i></div>
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A couple of post-ceremonial samples later (*), BeerBert and Yours Truly settled on the terrace with a final serving of Cuvée#3 (°), whilst chatting about beer and nationality and whatnot with the amiable <a href="http://www.barcelonabeerfestival.com/" target="_blank">Mikkel </a>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">*)Zure van Tildonk</i> was a pretty classy lambic-ish brew, and the <i style="font-weight: bold;">Revenge of the Raspberry</i> was revealed to be a beer re-racked onto raspberries, which imparted a solid falvour without the color. Definitely one of the more innovative ideas I saw explored to great effect that day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">°) Someday, I'm going to post something deep and meaningful about "the final beer of the festival" and what this says about both the beer and the festival, but today is not that day.</span><br />
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In spîte of being relatively below-radar, this was a fantastic festival, crammed with nice people, nice beers, in a setting which was just awesomely spectacular.<br />
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André, this was a blast. May friends, good cheer and good beer be ever with you, even in the face of chaos and the fickleness of fate.<br />
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Greetz<br />
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Jo</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01143877602262019920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281950320075665382.post-72760292333493052042015-05-20T06:27:00.000-07:002015-05-20T06:27:25.403-07:00Brewsflash: Dog arses and make-believe citrus<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Bottling time!<br />
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I've been too busy brewing and not busy enough bottling lately, leading to a production bottleneck (see what I did there?) in the shape of too few carboys.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHuRrrxKtTKbPf8PhMIHpRHkhyQx0jAz4-pL4PmH3hMMRD99P8i-swhL6TwGJFXRfTxX5DTHTDpeML3vzInCn6-KerUWLJT6vrCwHkEGbmD-z31Q91PbLF2iWmz-eWoUiMWnhzPrggpp-/s1600/carboy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHuRrrxKtTKbPf8PhMIHpRHkhyQx0jAz4-pL4PmH3hMMRD99P8i-swhL6TwGJFXRfTxX5DTHTDpeML3vzInCn6-KerUWLJT6vrCwHkEGbmD-z31Q91PbLF2iWmz-eWoUiMWnhzPrggpp-/s1600/carboy.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothing makes my day like a confusing Google Image Search.</td></tr>
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As I reported <a href="http://hoppyslosh.blogspot.be/2015/04/hoppyslosh-is-lazy-brewing-backlog.html" target="_blank">recently</a>, I brewed a medlar saison a couple of months ago, and it was about time I got it bottled bottle lest it never get druk. Drank. Consumed. Whatever.<br />
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Medlars are a fascinating fruit. Related to the hawthorn, medlar trees grow golf-ball sized fruits, which are hard, tannic, and not very pleasant unless they're <i>bletted.</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQ-rO03ZHqeSl7aa9tn245E2fi1aHBo6bWctl23dOIwJg-a0d0IOO5ThfV27V7nz_KyV578b24PzJJ2f3JKmgH02jtI1Jo89vE2gpg7NYdf_TXklksn3_ADzv1bWdsIjEGPdsHqnmPgfv/s1600/blog_medlar_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQ-rO03ZHqeSl7aa9tn245E2fi1aHBo6bWctl23dOIwJg-a0d0IOO5ThfV27V7nz_KyV578b24PzJJ2f3JKmgH02jtI1Jo89vE2gpg7NYdf_TXklksn3_ADzv1bWdsIjEGPdsHqnmPgfv/s320/blog_medlar_3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That means <i>rotten, </i>only more poshly so.</td></tr>
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I am endlessly fascinated by weird and slightly(*) yucky foods, and the medlar is a favourite of mine pricesely because (°) it is a rare example of a fruit which effectively has to spoil in order to be edible.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*) or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natt%C5%8D" target="_blank">very</a>. Or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balut_%28food%29" target="_blank">very very</a>. Or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiokara" target="_blank">will you fuckin' stop already</a>!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">°) also because it gets charmingly nicknamed things like "open arse" and "dog butt". Good thing the Internet wasn't around when the medlar got its nick, or else I'd be gargling goatse(^) beer soon. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">^) Oh and for the love of god don't google goatse if your don't know what it is already. The internet should come with a warning sticker that says "<b>Don't google goatse</b>". The medlar's nick should be ample warning, but apparently it isn't.</span><br />
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Using about two dozen properly <i>bletted</i> medlars (courtesy of the amazing <a href="http://www.satinoxide.com/" target="_blank">Marloes & Martijn</a>), I made a syrup which I froze until I was ready to use it in a brew.<br />
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Early February, I brewed a basic(*) saison, and in a spontaneous act of generosity, I'm sharing the recipe with you, Constant Reader.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifF6qTMByDYFG7vXc-EhEk-8Q6G8ZI67JOp2xANK1QiHay7y89CtlTGc1S3F1fBdSnbz-4NyexlKF2uFft3s_P7h8fFAmw1y5M-6a9OASr-cCzFtI4ckr-2lHk4TOII8BdEu5ne-yVB2tk/s1600/awesome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifF6qTMByDYFG7vXc-EhEk-8Q6G8ZI67JOp2xANK1QiHay7y89CtlTGc1S3F1fBdSnbz-4NyexlKF2uFft3s_P7h8fFAmw1y5M-6a9OASr-cCzFtI4ckr-2lHk4TOII8BdEu5ne-yVB2tk/s320/awesome.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Or <i>just because</i>.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">*) I promise to one day lay out my understanding of what a saison was, what it now is and what it should be, but for now, let's assume there actually exists such a thing as a <i>basic saison</i>.</span></div>
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<i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><b>Technical stuff below; skip unless you like technical stuff, numbers and beergeekery</b></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Made a 5 gallon batch, comprising 36% Pilsner, 36% pale and 28% wheat malt. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Mashed on the low end at 150°F, where it gradually petered down to about 140 (my mash tun needs an insulation coat). </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">70' boil. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">0.5 ounces of Citra @ 70' (26 IBU)</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">1.0 ounces of Citra @ 10' (6 IBU)</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">1.5 ounces of Citra @ flameout (0 IBU)</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">5g of black pepper corns and zest of 1 lemon @10'.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Cooled to 68°F and pitched with French Saison (second generation 3711, kindly donated by Frankenbuddy). </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Fermented at 71°F, ramping to 77 over the course of a week; dropped from 1.063 to 1.002.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Racked to secondary and split in three batches. </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;" /><br />
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<i style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><b>Technical stuff all done now, resuming normalcy</b></i></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Three batches then, from a single brew. Not only did I not have enough medlar syrup to flavour an entire 5 gallon batch, I also wanted to be able to define the specifics of the medlars' contribution. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4mhMNRDwwaYKC-xbtWU03p6N1Tm7SEJkVWFWV9tCwEUtIXTX18DhXJx8h6qrndE_mUi24cZUdFJ-RuACXhbkgbvgtTH-iYhAZqoHgymD70vkjfK39ntscirl5kOnnVConzjGZT2W2cg8B/s1600/For%252Bscience_3cf7fb_4751731.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4mhMNRDwwaYKC-xbtWU03p6N1Tm7SEJkVWFWV9tCwEUtIXTX18DhXJx8h6qrndE_mUi24cZUdFJ-RuACXhbkgbvgtTH-iYhAZqoHgymD70vkjfK39ntscirl5kOnnVConzjGZT2W2cg8B/s320/For%252Bscience_3cf7fb_4751731.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It will end in tears one day.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><b style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">basic </b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">version. Just the above recipe, no further shennanigans applied.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><b style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Cul de Chien</b><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">: added syrup I made from about 2 dozen bletted medlars, half a lemon, and sugar.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><b style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">basic + Orval dregs </b><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">for Brett funk and rustic saison character.</span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ol>
</div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Then I moved all three to the cellar and tried to forget about them for a few months.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNjclNdBzmv-xCQm4AGlFEswviOEF2apN22TDV75a2IRIVVnQ8Lv89CnlQ6F-jUGof3q5Ed8YcSbYXy2iNFcYECblnswNXbtWNLOpZz2sPXSgTanZiAWTSXVBfmkvcBbLZt70-mzowSVo/s1600/IMG_20150519_202006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBNjclNdBzmv-xCQm4AGlFEswviOEF2apN22TDV75a2IRIVVnQ8Lv89CnlQ6F-jUGof3q5Ed8YcSbYXy2iNFcYECblnswNXbtWNLOpZz2sPXSgTanZiAWTSXVBfmkvcBbLZt70-mzowSVo/s320/IMG_20150519_202006.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Until yesterday.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Batch 1 and 2 were bottled by yours truly yesterday, which means I'll be able to taste them properly in a couple weeks' time. So far, the prognosis looks good. Solid saison profile, with Citra really doing its utmost to bring refeshing hoppy citrus notes and the yeast tying it all together. The Cul de Chien version had a bit of extra lemony zing to it (I may have overdone things lemon-wise when I made that syrup) and a certain <i>je-ne-sais-quoi</i> which probably the medlars. Even if the beer tatstes nothing like medlars at all, it's still going to be a great brew. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP7YbbXw82ks5SAYekkdqaS1iYLpkVECanJDmQZcrQj7jNbMfW5_9RRquMnMsgW-L_ySqb7vJHle8PiKbgOqB3QGpCCy36a7QuoNw0L25oXxy8vpq6V4OvEZxPwi8nwPe93DGcIFf4SIwY/s1600/IMG_20150519_200935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP7YbbXw82ks5SAYekkdqaS1iYLpkVECanJDmQZcrQj7jNbMfW5_9RRquMnMsgW-L_ySqb7vJHle8PiKbgOqB3QGpCCy36a7QuoNw0L25oXxy8vpq6V4OvEZxPwi8nwPe93DGcIFf4SIwY/s320/IMG_20150519_200935.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yeastie Boy is buzzing with anticipation.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Batch 3 will be bottled sometime soon. My understanding is that the Bretts will take a long time before they become noticeable, but will impart a bit of that rustic Old Orval vibe, which I think will add more complexity and authenticity. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNQ4pdTP_93AXbvJ6l1MQl4Mz7t55q0y2eGHHi_LPhItkT17o0ZQPRBdps9eU77w3PR0H_D17l6MXtmI4pjYADgnstw4BkwpYNo_JALe86SMjh2NH21v45Dm8dNb-5qcgnDD6XoQJ-pfR/s1600/anachronism.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNQ4pdTP_93AXbvJ6l1MQl4Mz7t55q0y2eGHHi_LPhItkT17o0ZQPRBdps9eU77w3PR0H_D17l6MXtmI4pjYADgnstw4BkwpYNo_JALe86SMjh2NH21v45Dm8dNb-5qcgnDD6XoQJ-pfR/s1600/anachronism.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Because all authentic saisons were brewed with citra and Dog's Arse.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">More news when the brews are sampled.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Until then, I part with a fitting Chaucer quote:</span><br />
<dd style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.3000001907349px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1.6em; margin-right: 0px;"><br /></dd><dd style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.3000001907349px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1.6em; margin-right: 0px;">We olde men, I drede, so fare we:</dd><dd style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.3000001907349px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1.6em; margin-right: 0px;">Til we be roten, kan we nat be rype;</dd><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">May our <i>bletting</i> be long in the waiting.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Greetz</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Jo</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01143877602262019920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281950320075665382.post-79165952235652859542015-05-12T01:47:00.003-07:002015-05-12T01:47:43.688-07:00HoppySlosh gets a taste of ye olden dayes!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
It's a funny world.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVUEFJe8ZhUBJSzDcdiwWHo35Br-Q9m3vCzfa332AKwbzxR5Rl2xwwGejMojWRB397FvAv4unHafJgbAb5jFO4BWeS8F7OkWcOiJD1Pfp9iiVMUQYW0BHBUsGPQgUmvPxqt1Tr7EnVkLwC/s1600/funny_world_map_as_America_sees_it.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVUEFJe8ZhUBJSzDcdiwWHo35Br-Q9m3vCzfa332AKwbzxR5Rl2xwwGejMojWRB397FvAv4unHafJgbAb5jFO4BWeS8F7OkWcOiJD1Pfp9iiVMUQYW0BHBUsGPQgUmvPxqt1Tr7EnVkLwC/s400/funny_world_map_as_America_sees_it.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well...maybe nog <i>haha-</i>funny, but still.<br />
Pretty funny.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
One day you're happily slurping beer and blabbing about it on some beergeek forum or other (*), and the next you're sipping a 50-year old beer with a complete unknown.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*) Another manifestation of the funniness of the world is that, if you can possibly conceive of an interest, however obscure or far-fetched, there'll be a forum (^) about it on the Yinterwebs, populated with people (°) with an encyclopedic knowledge about it. </span></i></div>
<div>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">^) and porn. But I digress...</span></i></div>
<div>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">°) and trolls. Trolls are everywhere (%).</span></i></div>
<div>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">%) except under bridges. But I digress...</span></i></div>
<div>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
Anyway, following a post I made about my interest in old beer and a specific brew called Goudenband, I received a PM one day from a new member who seemed to've registered with the singular purpose of PM-ing me.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFmCXl0m5V8kPwT_F6uV734b3_fDnNDg0B6FKAWnhdOGiSS3Qm0n7ci-pMpoPjCSHcKSC_HM6y0LBTKBSk9Nc-esLun6aS415uTlCSfG9UfSlSRmK0_gW4viQ6L-J0T6IMocur0YbTIar/s1600/download+(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFmCXl0m5V8kPwT_F6uV734b3_fDnNDg0B6FKAWnhdOGiSS3Qm0n7ci-pMpoPjCSHcKSC_HM6y0LBTKBSk9Nc-esLun6aS415uTlCSfG9UfSlSRmK0_gW4viQ6L-J0T6IMocur0YbTIar/s1600/download+(3).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A PM made especially for me? <br />Why, <i>thank </i>you, Google!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For the elderly, the recently-returned-from-a-trip-around-Saturn, and the otherwise illiterate: a PM is a private message (hence the acronym) sent between members of an otherwise public messageing board.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Z2znTa3IIsodTFwFg3eMLaY8IFrezlggZQC4IV8_MuX-yn8OFvi5VOm7UbA_QAE0TWJmZG1-fHYoThWw65LDQGksADmxe9m1dXbXvfzY3SNQQfTOkQz_T4VS2tTqpNESnL7siVA7ai8-/s1600/captain-obvious.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Z2znTa3IIsodTFwFg3eMLaY8IFrezlggZQC4IV8_MuX-yn8OFvi5VOm7UbA_QAE0TWJmZG1-fHYoThWw65LDQGksADmxe9m1dXbXvfzY3SNQQfTOkQz_T4VS2tTqpNESnL7siVA7ai8-/s320/captain-obvious.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No kittens were harmed in the process of writing this blog post.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Anyway.<br />
<br />
A PM.<br />
<br />
If I was interested in obtaining two bottles of <i>very</i> old Goudenband.<br />
<i>Very</i>, in this case, meaning "dating back the first days of the country of Zaire.<br />
<br />
Let me explain (°).<br />
<br />
Belgium, like every civilised country in the world, got rich by ruthlessly exploiting her colonies. In Belgium's case, we're talking about Congo, Rwanda and Burundi.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCLML46Tc-zJHlBxH0tK2spMcKb0NGpgQXjRORS9TFh7JWuDxEaTU4myTYYTpAiuqTil9gGKdFFrDdUaijvKL7zqaLeYqCBAnVz0fJqu6-7uIqcWQi7CgQEUCe-gwQuBW7__BPiF8zbskb/s1600/EuropeanAfricanColonies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCLML46Tc-zJHlBxH0tK2spMcKb0NGpgQXjRORS9TFh7JWuDxEaTU4myTYYTpAiuqTil9gGKdFFrDdUaijvKL7zqaLeYqCBAnVz0fJqu6-7uIqcWQi7CgQEUCe-gwQuBW7__BPiF8zbskb/s320/EuropeanAfricanColonies.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Collectively known as <i>Belgian Congo.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
More accurately, Congo was the private property of the king of Belgium. His back yard so to speak. Belgium, as a nation, started shopping (*) for colonies almost as soon as it became an indepent nation, and almost landed a deal on Hawai, Crete, Cuba, Chihuahua and fucking Fiji.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqAFjEW3XqHCR2dbDjiTqRqxnpH7acmcIE372I5Oz5W9SayJv5NXcCcSgcers4quA5S9A4UXHFGF7uOPAhGuGdXRL2dDICrVbwaP566Q95eRCVhoT-EgzcFThgoPAbAtxW4lcdgW-R3t6w/s1600/chihuahua.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqAFjEW3XqHCR2dbDjiTqRqxnpH7acmcIE372I5Oz5W9SayJv5NXcCcSgcers4quA5S9A4UXHFGF7uOPAhGuGdXRL2dDICrVbwaP566Q95eRCVhoT-EgzcFThgoPAbAtxW4lcdgW-R3t6w/s1600/chihuahua.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Behold, the <i>Belgian Mastiff</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*) yes. Literally shopping. As in "</span><i style="font-size: small;">Honey, I'm going out for groceries, do we need any more colonies to keep up with the Joneses?"</i><br />
<i style="font-size: small;"><br /></i>
With colonisation cames expatriation, which brought my generous new friend's ancestors to Africa.<br />
Time passed, and by the mid-1950's, the local people had had enough of the white opressor. Decolonisation was accelerated by the (often not very voluntary) repatriation of the white Congolese populace, and by 1960, it became unfashionable to even call the country Congo any longer.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBiaQvh0niuVHM8n7ZsWaLLxbUXbDS9H7I5aYgjpXZQkUJ7cXZVh9XtVqpXFLisbuB7kPTsIc0lcqq0T7N97BFlzzBgV_45mFX7g5EnOZinzfjw0AOpcsdqozm7bFtHY82QOSd_lYN3iJ1/s1600/inzainzaire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBiaQvh0niuVHM8n7ZsWaLLxbUXbDS9H7I5aYgjpXZQkUJ7cXZVh9XtVqpXFLisbuB7kPTsIc0lcqq0T7N97BFlzzBgV_45mFX7g5EnOZinzfjw0AOpcsdqozm7bFtHY82QOSd_lYN3iJ1/s320/inzainzaire.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rest, they say, is pop history.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Whatever she was doing here (and all jest aside, many people living in Congo around the 1960's quite simple <i>just lived there</i> and were only peripherally involved in its colonial nature), my generous new friend's grandmother found herself evicted to a strange and cold new country, called Belgium. Mercifully, someone decided she could use a pick-me-up and gave her a couple of fancy bottles. Two of them being, you guessed it, Goudenband.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">°) Seriously, whenever I explain to people who make fun of my passion for beer that I've learned more about world history by studying beer than anything anyone ever taught me about anything at any one time, I need only mention that single bottle of Goudenband.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Which brings us back to the bottle.<br />
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4YnbGWHEpi6RTqzAfSM3-qURjwUOSDKgHwEaX8pCfyLWq3qlA4dgF9Wkt4LOXAXCBhP7FNC6kX3u1qKinRETIgSL0wRyJ5EXNiW7Eeyn_0CklVZyd45LEb51-viVqiEX3NiRgfTDagia/s1600/IMG_20150507_173856.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4YnbGWHEpi6RTqzAfSM3-qURjwUOSDKgHwEaX8pCfyLWq3qlA4dgF9Wkt4LOXAXCBhP7FNC6kX3u1qKinRETIgSL0wRyJ5EXNiW7Eeyn_0CklVZyd45LEb51-viVqiEX3NiRgfTDagia/s320/IMG_20150507_173856.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ye Olde Bottle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Back in the sixties (and until I get more conclusive data on this specific bottle I'm going to ballpark it<br />
<div>
to <i>back in the sixties</i>)<i>, </i>standardisation wasn't a big thing yet. We've long since mended our ways, which is why we have things like GPS and the metric system.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBLuWwbbP3LzqWx7piUrPNFUGXPiWplV_Iw6ezYaP3WJlLCIEp3Tfwp27usQh-pD693s5ujEZwPETzJqIxJDJPbWDy3uZKX2SXhIoVAIkl2LQn7hzu9hRxRZlGAPtWjQ6-l6FEtbq-ajD1/s1600/metric+system.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBLuWwbbP3LzqWx7piUrPNFUGXPiWplV_Iw6ezYaP3WJlLCIEp3Tfwp27usQh-pD693s5ujEZwPETzJqIxJDJPbWDy3uZKX2SXhIoVAIkl2LQn7hzu9hRxRZlGAPtWjQ6-l6FEtbq-ajD1/s1600/metric+system.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh. <br />Wait.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
But <i>back in the sixties</i>, beer apparently came in oddball denominations, like this 80cl bottle, which, even <i>back in the sixties</i>, was uncommon enough to not even merit a name.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRODrdHBcaC8sDLyx4iVU8OwPncv_9ZZ-Rvhmv7ZphI6AE9uRvKJuXjYsZtT_79BGOQguoCTO0voWZxcOnU02e1k__RyMJJme5yDv5zDT1uefV15NMrAlI8zWKlzE6bCb7Rz1oF3lZQzxV/s1600/bottles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="614" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRODrdHBcaC8sDLyx4iVU8OwPncv_9ZZ-Rvhmv7ZphI6AE9uRvKJuXjYsZtT_79BGOQguoCTO0voWZxcOnU02e1k__RyMJJme5yDv5zDT1uefV15NMrAlI8zWKlzE6bCb7Rz1oF3lZQzxV/s640/bottles.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let's call it a <i>plus-qu'un-demi-Magnum</i> then.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
As long as we can tell, the Liefmans brewery (or its proprietors) have (hand-)wrapped the bottles of their Goudenband (*) and Kriek (^) in stencilled silk paper, and this bottle is no exception.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*) another historic clue is that the beer is already labeled as <i>Goudenband</i> instead of the older (and less <i>noble</i> name <i>Ijzeren Band")</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>^) </i>now called <i>Cuvée Brut</i> which is neither a cuvée, nor a brut. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
The bottle is stoppered with an actual (natural) cork, synthetic corks being very much science fiction <i>back in the sixties</i>. Liefmans started using champagne corks at some point but this is an ordinary wine cork, and it's supposedly stamped with the bottle date (or at least the vintage), but the one bottle we opened had a cork so brittle it disintegrated to the point of illegibility.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Final clue is the price tag, which puts this bottle down at 35 Belgian Franks (*).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQu1NgxCZLKard5zsClhl6aZIOwvDQMy7zp5narryOMZndtMcfrjAr4unfoXDF-nT4UQYZYWeMOiLnmS-JXVkNwgx0O-WHA_JkZwY95j-p4UYKOEikWM9ufDg7HUbt-YtTdEdQ_UL5NZRR/s1600/50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQu1NgxCZLKard5zsClhl6aZIOwvDQMy7zp5narryOMZndtMcfrjAr4unfoXDF-nT4UQYZYWeMOiLnmS-JXVkNwgx0O-WHA_JkZwY95j-p4UYKOEikWM9ufDg7HUbt-YtTdEdQ_UL5NZRR/s200/50.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These were notes when I was young.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
A rough calculation involving inflation and Frank-to-Euro transition translates this to about 60 euros per bottle now, which makes these quite facy gifts back in their heyday.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and the same holds true for beer. Only you drink it, because eating it would be stupid. And messy.</div>
<div>
Apologies for the lack of actual pictures from the tasting <i>soirée</i> but my battery died on me.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPcFmVkn49sChs0uoPC425AH1wP3VaJlartXEF8enCcEVg25aMdbpVNRwPTEzcJ2Js65XVPlJFvY2aVFVUYZ651jkjCL42DBbyg588Acdhem8PqkD1pOeMnl6LiUxMqMnH2xPAxznGfFIQ/s1600/battery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPcFmVkn49sChs0uoPC425AH1wP3VaJlartXEF8enCcEVg25aMdbpVNRwPTEzcJ2Js65XVPlJFvY2aVFVUYZ651jkjCL42DBbyg588Acdhem8PqkD1pOeMnl6LiUxMqMnH2xPAxznGfFIQ/s1600/battery.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poor battery. <br />May you rest in <i>aaaaaand he's back again</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When we got the cork out (which meant <i>in pieces</i>), we were able to pour a classic-looking <i>Oud Bruin</i>, minus the head. After more than 60 years, it should come as no big surprise the beer was utterly flat.</div>
<div>
Apart from a waft of cork (again no surprise there), we got a good whiff of oak and mild lactic sourness. No cardboard, no wet paper, just wholesome, if somewhat corky Old Bruin.</div>
<div>
Remarkably, the beer tasted about as fresh as a well-conserved younger bottle would: the vinous character of the beer apparently is very forgiving on Father Time, and while it wasn't a stellar pour, the beer was still quite enjoyable, if perhaps a bit worn out. If it weren't for the complete loss of carbonation and the notable presence of cork both in the nose and on the palate, you would not have been able to guess or even approximate the age of this bottle. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Which, I guess, is a bit underwhelming, perhaps. I mean, don't get me wrong here, I'm happy the beer was still drinkable at all, and hadn't turned to horrid cardboard-infused goop as the decades went by, but perhaps I'd expected it to have gained much more complexity. Then again, I really need to find out more about the brewing and bottling process of Goudenband. I've heard tell that it was (and still is) bottle-conditioned (*) which may partly explain how it has kept so well throughout the years. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*) for the uninitiated: <i>bottle-conditioned </i>means the beer has undergone a (limited but important) final fermentation in the bottle, where the remaining yeast in suspension converts what little sugars it can find to CO2, thus carbonating the beer. An alterntative would be <i>force carbonation</i>, where a (typically pasteurised) beer is saturated with CO2 during the bottling process. The presence of live yeast in bottle conditioned beer is reportedly beneficial to its preservative qualities. </span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There's more(°) to this beer, and I assure you all that one day, you'll read more about that final bottle on these very pages.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">°) Cor blimey! I haven't even properly walked y'all through the utterly riveting history of the Liefmans brewery, or of the beer nor even of the glorious and almost-extinct beer style we call <i>Oud Bruin</i> and how utterly incomparable it is what the Dutch claim an <i>Oud Bruin</i> should be, but that'll have to wait until another time.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Until then</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Greetz,</div>
<div>
Jo</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
PS: a warm and beery hug of gratitude to Stefaan for getting in touch and for sharing this treasure with me. May good things happen to you, wherever you go!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01143877602262019920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281950320075665382.post-30084194827583066102015-04-29T05:38:00.002-07:002015-05-03T07:05:50.999-07:00HoppySlosh is Lazy: Brewing Backlog<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Almost May already, and a long overdue update on what's brewing.<br />
<br />
That <a href="http://hoppyslosh.blogspot.be/2015/02/brewsflash-gose-coming-up.html" target="_blank">Gose </a>I recently talked about...it's going to remain undisclosed for quite some time. My last sample showed fermentation hasn't progressed noticably , other than in a further development of...<i>flavours</i>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRFVtPvsmi8v-alCMtUJe3zhZPYBzjfebaW35ThUuRTQ-MjcwsZTgxmtwa29hv69ZqWXO1aGoAHKfHYfX_D_2Fbbha_W0iTYkuS2uupjgxO94cTIit8WKBdLrfZAkimVSrgFwE_IRkDjuK/s1600/parmesan-cheese.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRFVtPvsmi8v-alCMtUJe3zhZPYBzjfebaW35ThUuRTQ-MjcwsZTgxmtwa29hv69ZqWXO1aGoAHKfHYfX_D_2Fbbha_W0iTYkuS2uupjgxO94cTIit8WKBdLrfZAkimVSrgFwE_IRkDjuK/s1600/parmesan-cheese.jpg" height="245" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hey, it's a flavour, even if not a particalarly <i>beery</i> one.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's an ongoing pet project of mine, although it's taking on an ever increasing Frankensteinian undertone. I'll need to chain it to a wall if it doesn't settle down eventually.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgrr12J4IHjglIfZBCBE9ZMKV2J7EidMU1AUdgoaa5YGL01FN-ehyS06Q8zLvbAQNUfBNkm8d-YuolK-84NLiPxQiBZTYCXHvAkZI5RuoaCrR9ieOxBvow_CzMIUMs8MJhLg42hZxGSMcL/s1600/cellar-dweller1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgrr12J4IHjglIfZBCBE9ZMKV2J7EidMU1AUdgoaa5YGL01FN-ehyS06Q8zLvbAQNUfBNkm8d-YuolK-84NLiPxQiBZTYCXHvAkZI5RuoaCrR9ieOxBvow_CzMIUMs8MJhLg42hZxGSMcL/s1600/cellar-dweller1.jpg" height="320" width="242" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheesy beer, cheesy movie.<br />
At least it has a name now.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I wanted to brew a porter, and found myself inspired by the first porter I ever tasted: Fuller's London Porter. Not being satisfied with simply brewing a clone, I played with the malt bill and the hops and decided to add some spices to boot: black pepper, fenugreek and a pinch of Sichuan-pepper. A splash of smoked malt to boost the grittiness of it all and finally some cocoa nibs in bourbon to smoothe things over.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9G6Fe9DVvVL2FklhuOUxY6eX6ewcsTAtwzxl1pAqnSV-ECOZ0JoFZ_EhWTtgR9SDz86zff0dQJvfA6ppWcfwjehY7cyLE-WytZqWGrvM6wi6ae_1i2xjUF78CXC6Ej1oFDFzBGMg3596/s1600/tmnt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9G6Fe9DVvVL2FklhuOUxY6eX6ewcsTAtwzxl1pAqnSV-ECOZ0JoFZ_EhWTtgR9SDz86zff0dQJvfA6ppWcfwjehY7cyLE-WytZqWGrvM6wi6ae_1i2xjUF78CXC6Ej1oFDFzBGMg3596/s1600/tmnt.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Because <i>gritty </i>always means <i>better.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's being carbonated as we speak, taking its own sweet time, like a porter should. First reports are favourable, and I'm sure this one needs to sit in the bottle for some time ere it reveal its true colour(*).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0POtJo8cxUSmhuygf-XhhwuaOvhJhya_8KZHb_-Ugf0MBC9ZFDWv-xSbhyphenhyphenXrybyDZutX2w9EzuHAQeNyL3MApucJ1TNPs3euAS9awPEcVzawZ_dbUUcqxdgVSCAXX3zrMnflop0HpsWcL/s1600/bitter-and-porter-history-of-british-styles-12-638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0POtJo8cxUSmhuygf-XhhwuaOvhJhya_8KZHb_-Ugf0MBC9ZFDWv-xSbhyphenhyphenXrybyDZutX2w9EzuHAQeNyL3MApucJ1TNPs3euAS9awPEcVzawZ_dbUUcqxdgVSCAXX3zrMnflop0HpsWcL/s1600/bitter-and-porter-history-of-british-styles-12-638.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mine are slightly smaller.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
*) Black. Duh.<br />
<br />
Another beer that's been sitting patiently in my cellar is <b>Quincey!, </b>a quince saison, courtesy of a generously donated box of September quinces.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS143oQ1rSlx3hWoh3ceNhyT_VIkeXhyphenhyphenKvd6GilD_BmzdJKT-diOOKrzHgPicGFVGF-4K7b_HziBRiTMPzeT54bUFhJ77Ko0thFTKJFAMG_46LPRODxg2RVdq5CmNAGHIkjrUDnmR4_2BY/s1600/quince2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS143oQ1rSlx3hWoh3ceNhyT_VIkeXhyphenhyphenKvd6GilD_BmzdJKT-diOOKrzHgPicGFVGF-4K7b_HziBRiTMPzeT54bUFhJ77Ko0thFTKJFAMG_46LPRODxg2RVdq5CmNAGHIkjrUDnmR4_2BY/s1600/quince2.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The illegitimate love-child of apples and conkers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I let the beer (a basic saison, fermented with Belle Saison yeast) sit on boiled-and-spiced quinces for six months and then racked onto a <i>membrillo</i> paste I'd made with the quinces I had left over back in September. The result is a fruity, perfumed beer, which I think could use a bit of tartness.<br />
I was planning on pitching a sourdough starter I'd concocted earlier this week, but upon inspection, it smelled...off.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEfL2Tt8AP5cVBM3PYHKy9Meb47a0AvHnUp9ZLqrXRsLvm9h22pp3xuPKR2VrWpWzI5JIpaHQJf_oJkGo6j5WAxECu_apWaWx4rViX82x3hWiUD2q18UreZF-80CL8iXP29tBrED_ILg4/s1600/trainspotting-toilet-3_5929.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEfL2Tt8AP5cVBM3PYHKy9Meb47a0AvHnUp9ZLqrXRsLvm9h22pp3xuPKR2VrWpWzI5JIpaHQJf_oJkGo6j5WAxECu_apWaWx4rViX82x3hWiUD2q18UreZF-80CL8iXP29tBrED_ILg4/s1600/trainspotting-toilet-3_5929.jpg" height="228" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Way, <i>way</i> off.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So I dumped it and decided to pitch with the dregs of a Sour Mélange culture I had on hands by the time I finish my latest brewing day at that time (more on that a bit further down).<br />
<br />
More saison: I received another fruity donation from Marloes & Martijn in the form of a case of medlars in late October. Once properly <i>bletted, </i>I cooked a syrup from them, which I put in the freezer for later usage.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbcc9rLb3xsgB9q4snxShQoaf99owguHng9v3XUuJYMDCS58anrElRlgjUA8K40Z_BmmBg2Egqxyq45XYxq9zLVHpicaQzF3wEN153X3ifh95Xbzt39GfUvpg7iIjTt2JiDGVgSfk1u6sc/s1600/image(7).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbcc9rLb3xsgB9q4snxShQoaf99owguHng9v3XUuJYMDCS58anrElRlgjUA8K40Z_BmmBg2Egqxyq45XYxq9zLVHpicaQzF3wEN153X3ifh95Xbzt39GfUvpg7iIjTt2JiDGVgSfk1u6sc/s1600/image(7).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Bletting </i>basically means the same as <i>rotting</i> only sophisticatedly.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Mid-January, I brewed a saison using Citra hops, French saison yeast (another generous donation, this time from one of my Frankenbuddies) and, you guessed it, the medlar syrup. Should be ready for bottling by the end of the May and ready to drink by the time summer arrives. Which means I'm all set for the Harvest Season, unless I drink it all before then.<br />
<br />
Donations kept coming, and a friendly beekeeper (beekeepster? beester? Help me out here, Magda!) supplied me with two jars of honey.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPVpfy7HkNGue8-aszHS8bOZxgcxu5Gjc3V7PKd-LXbC3jMYsp_VDYlVjn03h1Nzdaovgg79V4E5yYFoGYGVba2L2GkobgsIMwFgbA860h29ZuJMpG7AEu-el7BXMBOpuUUQEBGAKwNbWf/s1600/image(4).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPVpfy7HkNGue8-aszHS8bOZxgcxu5Gjc3V7PKd-LXbC3jMYsp_VDYlVjn03h1Nzdaovgg79V4E5yYFoGYGVba2L2GkobgsIMwFgbA860h29ZuJMpG7AEu-el7BXMBOpuUUQEBGAKwNbWf/s1600/image(4).jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bee Barf.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I brewed a malty Brown ale, spiked it with El Dorado hops and boosted the lot with the honey.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQSrmCfzzKH4fPl05zKz05_Yf-8XFZ_Kz9ewhTRbU-VrilvmlkD4Cp-aJfzkPCLJJyi0fqkkJT8vT-kDHgaiNxj7Be9MzJpXKl5HUz6sWEJ8o9_lyrQ5-tWrd-lNQOgGjJh-3jWaX2HkZE/s1600/IMG_20150218_214637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQSrmCfzzKH4fPl05zKz05_Yf-8XFZ_Kz9ewhTRbU-VrilvmlkD4Cp-aJfzkPCLJJyi0fqkkJT8vT-kDHgaiNxj7Be9MzJpXKl5HUz6sWEJ8o9_lyrQ5-tWrd-lNQOgGjJh-3jWaX2HkZE/s1600/IMG_20150218_214637.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bee Barf Brown.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So far, the El Dorado and the honey seem to be complementing each other nicely, giving something reminiscent of biscotti and almonds, oddly enough. The beer's been sitting in secondary since the end of February, and just as I was about to bottle it, I noticed I had some visitors when I wasn't looking.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv7Gag14jfC0e5Da1LM2SEpSqpdL6UmNLyo3rMmUhdRln8DRhU__9z72FsU7AGd_xjnTkDR6ZXija6a5APRaHqx8ccDNc5lbV-f89U8bZFyd8Y3JWo4VogrsnrYYKTGYhC3RXSinEyG3h6/s1600/image(6).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv7Gag14jfC0e5Da1LM2SEpSqpdL6UmNLyo3rMmUhdRln8DRhU__9z72FsU7AGd_xjnTkDR6ZXija6a5APRaHqx8ccDNc5lbV-f89U8bZFyd8Y3JWo4VogrsnrYYKTGYhC3RXSinEyG3h6/s1600/image(6).jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pellicle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I've had similar uninvited guests before, and while certainly undesirable and unplanned, I'm not exactly worried. I'm keeping a close look on this one, but will leave it where it is until the pellicle subsides again. Pity, as it's more or less guaranteed to interfere with clarity, if not flavour as well.<br />
<br />
More carboys, more cellar space, and more anxious waiting for brews to be finished: last on the list is another saison, this one with French saison yeast again, Centennial hops and hibiscus flowers at the end of the boil. The hibiscus is coming through nicely, and I boosted the whole sprit of it by adding fresh hibiscus tea when bottling, as well as some (welll...a <i>lot of</i> actually) fresh ginger juice.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWLm9n9WpsjFZMvYKLRAYrUBUSaUOm94gGrjn2ivEaGRhxZWzT7zFkUIwuc9RnGs7ELCuxaVewgasNZU60IUS6dL-51RVO-oNmpqxpHa_GqgFgTzt9A_0p8P-R5T8j55oswSV1HYLPWI1N/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWLm9n9WpsjFZMvYKLRAYrUBUSaUOm94gGrjn2ivEaGRhxZWzT7zFkUIwuc9RnGs7ELCuxaVewgasNZU60IUS6dL-51RVO-oNmpqxpHa_GqgFgTzt9A_0p8P-R5T8j55oswSV1HYLPWI1N/s1600/image.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Good Girl Ginger. </i><br />
Get it?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's bottled already, but given the enormous amounts of sediment in the bottles after a mere two weeks, I think I may have to undetake a rescue mission with this one.<br />
<br />
Despite grim warnings by most everyone (*) I tried my hand on another parti-gyle/batch sparge experiment, in which I'll extract not one but <i>two </i>worts from one malt grist.<br />
<br />
*) Except for Menno. Whatever happens, if it's slightly odd or over the top, Menno will approve.<br />
<br />
The first will become a <i>peated-scottish-ale-gruit </i>hybrid.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4hhKVFvyIKclQ9ZBKdS9OOVpnVq78Hilhks7c96s34-SALCBGalUZVAa3tumGP9KLm8-Kvsc2qS_89ZUSIJeDNWkHrDtJDZIvlrAGNpjad0owNvygmkx6pau0K2isfFPnPNh0XZ5ncGYn/s1600/peat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4hhKVFvyIKclQ9ZBKdS9OOVpnVq78Hilhks7c96s34-SALCBGalUZVAa3tumGP9KLm8-Kvsc2qS_89ZUSIJeDNWkHrDtJDZIvlrAGNpjad0owNvygmkx6pau0K2isfFPnPNh0XZ5ncGYn/s1600/peat.jpg" height="184" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Which, if all goes well, will <i>not</i> turn out like bituminous fossilised shit</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The second will become my first attempt at a proper Flemish Red sour, aged on (supplies permitting) cherries and oak chips soaked in pinoit noir.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWyyeEiAgRvDq0Xa1iWfDC3yGjdr8sHUMkzzYPIEc26A4Tvcyu7k6VHkpd45IEGnbtJQsdoZ2AseOJ9S-F5uRc9iK_peO_vDPgUStFdlribpTzz4v2IRzytaDRT8xrAtS7DF4oJxFi3r23/s1600/Flemish_Red_1_1_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWyyeEiAgRvDq0Xa1iWfDC3yGjdr8sHUMkzzYPIEc26A4Tvcyu7k6VHkpd45IEGnbtJQsdoZ2AseOJ9S-F5uRc9iK_peO_vDPgUStFdlribpTzz4v2IRzytaDRT8xrAtS7DF4oJxFi3r23/s1600/Flemish_Red_1_1_web.jpg" height="182" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not a proper Flemish Red, what with it being from France.<br />
I'm brewing beer, not cattle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Pretty stoked about this project, but then again, I was pretty stoked about that Parmesanny Gose too so perhaps cautious optimism is more advisable for now.<br />
<br />
Lastly (màààn I've been so busy), a pair of hoppy brews: I brewed a new incarnation of Liquid Black together with BeerBert. This is an "inspired-by" brew, intended to become something resembling Brew Dogs's Libertine Black: an all-Simcoe black IPA. Bubbling away in primary as we speak.<br />
The other (yes, I got to the point where I can pull off two brews in one day and not get all panicky about it) was supposed to be a all-DrRudi lager, but since my Budvar2000 pack failed to bloat ànd to ferment, I kickstarted the brew by pitching with a sachet of S33. Not a lager then, but at least I'll have something to pour for any visiting Rudi's soon.<br />
<br />
More updates when available!<br />
<br />
Until then,<br />
<br />
Greetz<br />
<br />
Jo<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01143877602262019920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281950320075665382.post-40701748675100613512015-04-28T05:10:00.000-07:002015-05-12T06:47:04.740-07:00HoppySlosh Tastes: Saison Surfine (Dubuisson)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A saison by Dubuisson. This I quite simply <i>had</i> to try.<br />
<br />
The very concept of a saison is so far removed from the brewery's Flagship(*) that I was very curious as to what the people in Tourpes (°) consider to be a saison.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*) Bush beer in all its incarnations.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKOSj1Yg-tJSatBca_m8vSgQj0WZJulc2oviDmYeSH1pxE4tsnBpBPWaf-zrTkLy6ogwNx4D2IA1OHxLYySGqH7Zp9riAlmGWULGZPxDBf28x7fDcpQByjroWXAGjLgsvjM9Wow2eICAnm/s1600/scaldis.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKOSj1Yg-tJSatBca_m8vSgQj0WZJulc2oviDmYeSH1pxE4tsnBpBPWaf-zrTkLy6ogwNx4D2IA1OHxLYySGqH7Zp9riAlmGWULGZPxDBf28x7fDcpQByjroWXAGjLgsvjM9Wow2eICAnm/s1600/scaldis.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Named <i>Scaldis</i> in Murka because of other resident people and beers also called Bush</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">°) home of <i>that other </i>saison.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTQPjGXt74gI69eMPDfVoEE2Nr16_jlG7sGQIguRkPrnN8ejB1mP5hQG-w4LGCHYinMBJnpdIuDky5hpAPMxZsdeTcK0NIo8GnKJZGROkbDQR7SiZ2WOdg1Wq8XyTSpn1vgdwoZX9dmlhT/s1600/brasserie-dupont.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTQPjGXt74gI69eMPDfVoEE2Nr16_jlG7sGQIguRkPrnN8ejB1mP5hQG-w4LGCHYinMBJnpdIuDky5hpAPMxZsdeTcK0NIo8GnKJZGROkbDQR7SiZ2WOdg1Wq8XyTSpn1vgdwoZX9dmlhT/s1600/brasserie-dupont.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Dubuisson's driveway. (Not really though)<br />
Also, note the absence of anything resembling the river Scaldis. <br />
Just sayin' is all.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
But by the beard of Saint Arnoldus, you'd think that a brewery of Dubuisson's scale would at least have their brewing process under control!<br />
<br />
I am seriously not exaggerating here when I make the claim that this beer is an impossible pour.<br />
Not "difficult".<br />
Not "only with a steady hand and the patience of a brewer".<br />
Just, you know, "not at all".<br />
<br />
A careful attempt to extract the beer from its bottle by pouring it gently into the glass yielded (and I reiterate my utter lack of exaggeration here) a foot-high head, frothing atop a measly quarter-inch layer of golden beer.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkHM6AiTeYre5_TOjWDZ6ZInUUVAYqNLYwzhMIH3tMnGwME3KLX4HEr2q9WWkhnoAORAAEtD1e2O29ffWxvhjxbpqa92D1qOQofQ8u_OXR_NIiBZfeXEau6HbEXryA1OekDprIwxhwjDCS/s1600/surfine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkHM6AiTeYre5_TOjWDZ6ZInUUVAYqNLYwzhMIH3tMnGwME3KLX4HEr2q9WWkhnoAORAAEtD1e2O29ffWxvhjxbpqa92D1qOQofQ8u_OXR_NIiBZfeXEau6HbEXryA1OekDprIwxhwjDCS/s1600/surfine.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Like so.<br />
Ok, so I exaggerated about my lack of exaggeration.<br />
But not much.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Further attempts to coax the beer into the glass in a civilised manner failed miserably and I was ultimately facing a Tantalos torture in a fancy glass: 2% of beer and the rest all foam.<br />
What little actual beer remained was almost completely desaturated by its titanic efforts to produce such ample head. More's the pity, because that little bit I finally got to coat my lips with actually tasted pretty good: a refreshing, if flat, crisp and hoppy flat saison. Also: completely flat. Such a shame.<br />
<br />
Regarding the rest op the presentation:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHkJJem_1dL47QE4U0H2kZarYlW512oqAFUHwVS04t5J6rt-omkXIcI2knEF40wyvm8yXbzKyzd72Op97CErp_ios1Jz4Z6bk6S7gVxY63QwMXqlv42I3tat9oLeckqmV7Yob_limOOAgu/s1600/rage.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHkJJem_1dL47QE4U0H2kZarYlW512oqAFUHwVS04t5J6rt-omkXIcI2knEF40wyvm8yXbzKyzd72Op97CErp_ios1Jz4Z6bk6S7gVxY63QwMXqlv42I3tat9oLeckqmV7Yob_limOOAgu/s1600/rage.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AAAAAAARGH!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Can we finally be done with (nay, outlaw outright as of now and for ever more) this vacuous and vain pseudo-mysterious kack about "3 malts and 3 hops and 3 yeasts"? Can we just have nothing meaningless on the label at all, if nothing meaningful can be found worth mentioning?<br />
<br />
Like "Well water". Now thàt I want to know.<br />
<br />
<i>3 hops</i> means nothing(*) and it is demonstrative of the abysmal quality of labels the world over that I'm already quite happy not to see inanities like "carefully selected hops" here.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0CoenvOS2RonUcfTFeMGZUEl9sbDo5o-PpYIja3M9gTrn2cBBnq33o6fbG4NtWjg5lAXatrjwvXVeEWlBcafcnGxPJHwsdhuLBW2-ghTQkXJoOYgzPZCmFhi0IDl6iHRU41KyjI2qwzO/s1600/shit_by_andie200-d6lvr7m.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0CoenvOS2RonUcfTFeMGZUEl9sbDo5o-PpYIja3M9gTrn2cBBnq33o6fbG4NtWjg5lAXatrjwvXVeEWlBcafcnGxPJHwsdhuLBW2-ghTQkXJoOYgzPZCmFhi0IDl6iHRU41KyjI2qwzO/s1600/shit_by_andie200-d6lvr7m.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(*) AKA Jack Shit.<br />
Drawing by <a href="http://andie200.deviantart.com/" target="_blank">andie200</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The label has that<i> new-black </i>retro vibe thing going, and <a href="https://lambikstoemper.wordpress.com/2014/12/19/saison-surfine/" target="_blank">the story </a>goes that the brewer came across the old label (*) and was so charmed by it, he decided to resurrect (also*) the beer.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*) wellll...."resurrect"....Surfine was actually a <i>Spéciale Belge </i>in the 1930's, a beer style which conjuncture has demoted (°) to High School Unpopular Kid status so "resurrect" can quite literally be translated here to mean "<i>shred the original recipe, brew saison instead and call it Surfine</i>".</span><br />
<br />
Authentic? Probably.<br />
Only probably not the way you expected it to be.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9YUVdNbxi6_OCUOjCRs5G5FTSFkneLBySY1fjyw19KFa5-KsfMgmA9nuhTadII_bZwB9TovHj9TiVgETXIm_QAeyJHY4SZvGSxKprubxxtrXVj_k0HwEvR6HSiGPwoJEDFRdh7ke5L9Es/s1600/De-Koninck-4-pack-250ML.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9YUVdNbxi6_OCUOjCRs5G5FTSFkneLBySY1fjyw19KFa5-KsfMgmA9nuhTadII_bZwB9TovHj9TiVgETXIm_QAeyJHY4SZvGSxKprubxxtrXVj_k0HwEvR6HSiGPwoJEDFRdh7ke5L9Es/s1600/De-Koninck-4-pack-250ML.jpg" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: left;">°) do I </span><i style="text-align: left;">really </i><span style="text-align: left;">have to start my "Bolleke-becomes-APA" lamentation again or am I making myself clear already?</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Surfine reminded me most of those chinese puzzle gizmo's.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGmGteXi5aY8BQCkZg3ecu3j_G5smOSjzzjrYLo8N6OHdZ8vpzhQUUjFUom3rur1BZy2YDqPvj87Xapi_GUlKzqOgPYtBKrLeMn_pzq7hDh84jFooVOkbmHYpkm7vKAhxCOjOq0RGQN5y-/s1600/medscale3009.1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGmGteXi5aY8BQCkZg3ecu3j_G5smOSjzzjrYLo8N6OHdZ8vpzhQUUjFUom3rur1BZy2YDqPvj87Xapi_GUlKzqOgPYtBKrLeMn_pzq7hDh84jFooVOkbmHYpkm7vKAhxCOjOq0RGQN5y-/s1600/medscale3009.1a.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Can only be enjoyed by throwing it as far away as possible and having a hissy fit"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Frustrating, no fun, and ultimately ending up in the trash.<br />
Except Surfine ended in the sink because I didn't want a foot-high head of foam on my trash.<br />
<br />
Such a low down dirty shame.<br />
<br />
Greetz<br />
<br />
Jo</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01143877602262019920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281950320075665382.post-77024791283142890982015-02-03T03:31:00.003-08:002015-02-03T03:31:39.177-08:00Brewsflash: Gose coming up!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A brewsflash! My first attempt at resurrecting an old German beer.<br />
<br />
Ah, those wacky Germans.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJfF7poC1HrCD5vwtm4cv15ALfvWA6GLl4ikzXq6VxWeqdIA88ngOTZ6giIm02oBTxodAT_RyOEiBh_XC7kJYAtrkUKhiyX-GL1M0bzzn5xneafNFOAENWSl_0BZ33y2hxbE3UgLB9Fqtc/s1600/nazi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJfF7poC1HrCD5vwtm4cv15ALfvWA6GLl4ikzXq6VxWeqdIA88ngOTZ6giIm02oBTxodAT_RyOEiBh_XC7kJYAtrkUKhiyX-GL1M0bzzn5xneafNFOAENWSl_0BZ33y2hxbE3UgLB9Fqtc/s1600/nazi.jpg" height="278" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If only they'd been more consistently wacky all the time...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Apart from the odd attempt at establishing various kinds of New World Order, they also managed to be responsible for the most oft-misrepresented beer law in the history of oft-misrepresented beer laws.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEtDqbQ-t5h9H0jDvBIEKiVA5NPEG7CIPnEXO2M6gJN40HsWy8wzO3uyFIzqlcr76T5E8CJoABJMjAKCIpuu3RJEcEhhgBMg-T2gYrPTp_vEKewoxaBKdVyfAGdS-dQBNQN-aHz-1QMc1/s1600/Reinheitsgebot.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEtDqbQ-t5h9H0jDvBIEKiVA5NPEG7CIPnEXO2M6gJN40HsWy8wzO3uyFIzqlcr76T5E8CJoABJMjAKCIpuu3RJEcEhhgBMg-T2gYrPTp_vEKewoxaBKdVyfAGdS-dQBNQN-aHz-1QMc1/s1600/Reinheitsgebot.gif" height="320" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Die/Der/Das Reinheitsgebot. <br />
Verdammt doch mahl!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In a nutshell, the Beer Purity Law was an attempt of the Duke of Bavaria to put a stop to various brewing malpractices, like competing with the bakers' Guilds for rye and wheat, and not paying hefty hops taxes.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbiGa2iFRIOsPEqAFp6TiCviTuxZGCGpTy-0fPxqgIulpM8SMo2Ky5evewPaate4-QuP0qpfYYMt3DjrsM_jxHvGTVKG9DD6Xdypg2O8JdovwP6R3wjbm8ENTZRdpD8hNV9pB9OZd-2-0/s1600/A-public-health-poster-fr-008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbiGa2iFRIOsPEqAFp6TiCviTuxZGCGpTy-0fPxqgIulpM8SMo2Ky5evewPaate4-QuP0qpfYYMt3DjrsM_jxHvGTVKG9DD6Xdypg2O8JdovwP6R3wjbm8ENTZRdpD8hNV9pB9OZd-2-0/s1600/A-public-health-poster-fr-008.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Health concerns were not an issue.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Nutshelling things further, the law listed all(*) ingredients sactioned for use in beer:<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #191919; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 25px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #191919; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 25px;">Ganz besonders wollen wir, dass forthin allenthalben in unseren Städten, Märkten und auf dem Lande zu keinem Bier mehr Stücke als allein Gersten, Hopfen und Wasser verwendet und gebraucht werden sollen.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*) Three. Yes. Pasteur not having been born yet, yeast was not listed. Which is only one of many reason so many people still think German beer is not, actually, beer.</span><br />
<br />
All debate and dispute about the current(*) state of the Reinheitsgebot aside, its instatement led directly to the extinction of a number of local beer styles, relying on anything but barley, hops and water.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*) Oh come on! What do you think a <i>weizen</i> is made of then? It's a Bavarian law; Germany didn't exist in 1487.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
The very existence of the Reinheitsgebot has led to all kinds of preconceived misunderstandings about German beer, not even the least harmful being one of assumed (duh) purity. <i>Teufel</i>, unless you explicitly prohibit the <i>adulteration</i> of beer with <i>additives</i>, then surely it will be <i>better, nein?</i><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-KB2pcnuTeIWNhXp9SyCyiamnydeaQzt5Pp8v0kS5zJczhYSFRwc2Je0fZhTVrKkN24OGmLUiLBF-bo0sTEL3bZ-05zwal9jVcPQIz-nl0OU463yw8MWuXQXpU1WtHZFrxIzo82oAjbI7/s1600/belgian_beer_header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-KB2pcnuTeIWNhXp9SyCyiamnydeaQzt5Pp8v0kS5zJczhYSFRwc2Je0fZhTVrKkN24OGmLUiLBF-bo0sTEL3bZ-05zwal9jVcPQIz-nl0OU463yw8MWuXQXpU1WtHZFrxIzo82oAjbI7/s1600/belgian_beer_header.jpg" height="135" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nein.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
History has taught us that, while adding arsenic, lead and strychnine might not have been the smartest move, there are hundreds of other additives which actually do add extra value to a brew.<br />
<br />
Which brings us to the nearly extinct Leipziger Gose, which is flavoured with coriander and salt.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK67Nts0t1mYL4wGOcD15TPUV1bcmtturuVZ6uvzDkfx2Y28z2WTVSkkGIjHz40-22TFQO9rIfJX9hcKoGBRHn9xLs3Fkd7jtUZnsNAkyw_aki_dhA_Yg9aH0B2SKLKtd4WJQfxjvHiU3g/s1600/salt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK67Nts0t1mYL4wGOcD15TPUV1bcmtturuVZ6uvzDkfx2Y28z2WTVSkkGIjHz40-22TFQO9rIfJX9hcKoGBRHn9xLs3Fkd7jtUZnsNAkyw_aki_dhA_Yg9aH0B2SKLKtd4WJQfxjvHiU3g/s1600/salt.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One would see why Gose's use of Salt has always been an exception <br />to the Reinheitsgebot's "Don't add things to beer" rule.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Coriander is hardly novel. Most tripels and the ubiquitous <i>wit</i> all use it as a dominant flavouring agent, but salt, now there's an ingredient few people associate with beer.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtL8RItOPuYC6vpp_0O9zzrYVWCoMrl0h-sYDID3HVHJ5Bl_jFdbXlZi6WLBHlEZ7ZWPKvzoRvd2vrnYx6FCoYgRMNrTFHihk5wcXffXs2Kpz_Yia1iK-Pcj3msgmzbvYG9wBbpsqVd2z_/s1600/Spicy-Seasoned-Pretzels-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtL8RItOPuYC6vpp_0O9zzrYVWCoMrl0h-sYDID3HVHJ5Bl_jFdbXlZi6WLBHlEZ7ZWPKvzoRvd2vrnYx6FCoYgRMNrTFHihk5wcXffXs2Kpz_Yia1iK-Pcj3msgmzbvYG9wBbpsqVd2z_/s1600/Spicy-Seasoned-Pretzels-12.jpg" height="256" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unless it comes covered in pretzels.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The brewers of the town of Leipzig, however, have been using salt in their brewing process since the 16th century. Being compulsively intrigued by oddball beers, I decided to brew one myself.<br />
<br />
Gose is traditionally a spontaneously fermented beer, meaning no yeast is pitched into it by the brewer Instead, the microbial fauna which is naturally present in the brew house is allowed to inoculate the brew. Sponteously. Hence the term. This will sour the beer, pretty much the way a lambic is soured.<br />
My guess is that the salt was added to offset the acidity, which must have been quite fierce in historic versions. Also, Gose was allowed to ferment in the <i>unstoppered </i>bottle, with a natural plug of yeast eventually sealing the bottle's typical long neck.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglC5hX-og4We9z4uRb7HPfK_t45ihBRGDQWHu8YTFjG-bS0MEA8R7FISi5Daq59Td7pK-dko9dmZmHlnaqKPGJ7EUjFsq6Md3dMc9dXTKuOerehoue3wz06EtUuFwB3AyeIebgC0vqf2Wt/s1600/gose-bottle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglC5hX-og4We9z4uRb7HPfK_t45ihBRGDQWHu8YTFjG-bS0MEA8R7FISi5Daq59Td7pK-dko9dmZmHlnaqKPGJ7EUjFsq6Md3dMc9dXTKuOerehoue3wz06EtUuFwB3AyeIebgC0vqf2Wt/s1600/gose-bottle.jpg" height="320" width="216" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">History being in the past, current versions are properly sealed.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Also, traditional Gose is/was brewed with <i>at least</i> 50% of malted wheat. In case you've never brewed with wheat (which is hardly something to be ashamed of, all things considered): that's <i>a lot of wheat</i>.<br />
<br />
My gose has 60% malted wheat, 35% of Belgian pilsner malt, and 5% of acidic malt. After mashing, the acidity was barely detectable, so I decided to <i>sour wort </i>my batch.<br />
<br />
Let me explain.<br />
<br />
Normally, you want to boil the wort together with hops and then either produce a clean beer (i.e. <i>not</i> a sour) or else you introduce a souring agent to it (Lactobacillus and/or Pediococcus). The risk of the latter option is that anything coming in contact with your wort/beer from there on downstreams can and will become "<i>contaminated" </i>by souring bacteria, making it hard to ever produce clean beers again.<br />Hence the cheat-skeet-approach of souring the wort <i>prior</i> to the boil, which will 1) give you more control over the souring process and just how far you want to take it and 2) kill off all the added bacteria during the eventuel boil and hence reduce the contamination risks<br />
<br />
I soured my wort by inoculating it with the most readily available source of beer bacteria I could lay my hands on.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtt5zKTvIUYmINFH5ByBhTnCeRPXFltKbyu0fffISJUlHQwLUqDc9tmMUCGaQA-XiD4NkGZwGdnMQk-Md8NZib9SSIsHNvlxHi5EwA4-DwgMLBk6aFR_yLTtb5Sgujd1ZP_KsGDCVSDIA3/s1600/Cantillon+Geuze+bio+37-500x500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtt5zKTvIUYmINFH5ByBhTnCeRPXFltKbyu0fffISJUlHQwLUqDc9tmMUCGaQA-XiD4NkGZwGdnMQk-Md8NZib9SSIsHNvlxHi5EwA4-DwgMLBk6aFR_yLTtb5Sgujd1ZP_KsGDCVSDIA3/s1600/Cantillon+Geuze+bio+37-500x500.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A vial of Lacto culture.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I'd used the technique in a prior batch of sour-saison-ish brew which came out quite nice, with an light apple-like tartness I'd not have achieved <i>sans</i> all those Cantillon critters.<br />
Souring wort prior to the boil is a not-uncommon shortcut to producing sour beers. However, there are risks involved: the souring agents (bacteria of various genera present in the otherwise tasty geuze) can run rampant in the wort and produce off flavours.<br />
<br />
Which, in the case of my unfortunate gose, they did. After 48 hours in the warm wort, the various geuze bugs had managed to produce a small amount of lactic acid (which is good), and quite a bit of butyric acid (which is slightly less than good).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVALweTupWffOwLAfyAGdHvL2w-ijUMbJVOxxQpurwBOxhfFkJ1C9IFx3c8U2zM_-NSSxwhhbXCZX0nVpCzYdtWob5JhxuPFmjuBByAu8D5XXiklg6UHmYg8wY4C4zWGNLpkFd5JT3FgSS/s1600/Butyric-acid-3D-balls.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVALweTupWffOwLAfyAGdHvL2w-ijUMbJVOxxQpurwBOxhfFkJ1C9IFx3c8U2zM_-NSSxwhhbXCZX0nVpCzYdtWob5JhxuPFmjuBByAu8D5XXiklg6UHmYg8wY4C4zWGNLpkFd5JT3FgSS/s1600/Butyric-acid-3D-balls.png" height="177" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ladies and gentlem, butyric acid.<br />Butyric acid, meet the Internet.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Butyric acid is what makes rancid butter smell the way it does.<br />
It is also the lingering flavour persisting in the oral cavity after a good bout of vomiting.<br />
And, perhaps most telling, the Sea Shepherd Crew used to deploy <a href="http://www.seashepherd.org/commentary-and-editorials/2010/07/16/bye-bye-rotten-butter-bombs-81" target="_blank">Butyric Acid Stink Bombs</a> to discourage Japanese whalers from collecting "scientific specimina".<br />
<br />
Suffice to say: a chemical which can put the crew of a floating abattoir off their lunch is <i>not</i> something you want in your beer.<br />
Even if it's a gose.<br />
<br />
Regardless of this <i>minor setback (*), </i>I decided to stick to the plan and boil the wort, thereby killing all the bugs and arresting the souring process (<i>I still refuse to call it spoiling)</i>.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*) BrewSpeak for <i>Fridge-Kicking Disaster</i></span><br />
<br />
Now I had boiled wort which no longer smelled like I threw up in it, and a house which reeked just like the wort did before I boiled all the stink out of it.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiap0O-UWduwFbXjNcXTfRCPC8lpLB2Tm3Z3br-Hnet6TtXGisU4DRQYR6X_aZZul2qGshVoEs6WDLfNf_ByU9zaakv0GProIm32BmiW1qfn34YxM9Vx8OfjdXD8FWIYHSvERc4Rhi5nAjJ/s1600/toxic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiap0O-UWduwFbXjNcXTfRCPC8lpLB2Tm3Z3br-Hnet6TtXGisU4DRQYR6X_aZZul2qGshVoEs6WDLfNf_ByU9zaakv0GProIm32BmiW1qfn34YxM9Vx8OfjdXD8FWIYHSvERc4Rhi5nAjJ/s1600/toxic.jpg" height="235" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...even with all the windows open...<br />Sorry 'bout that, dear neighbours.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For the better part of the week, I'd encounter pockets of foul air throughout the house, as if I were traipsing through the dank corridors of an aeons-old Lovecraftian catacomb.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
But hark! I now had beer which no longer ponged.<br />
<br />
Much.<br />
<br />
To my dismay, a week into primary fermentation with BRY97, the foul smell returned, and I was finally contemplating that maybe it was time to dump the batch. But call me foolhardy, or stubborn, or just plain stupid, but I just couldn't kill this baby just yet.<br />
<br />
After doing some research, I found out that one of Brettanomyces' more peculiar metabolic properties is its ability to convert organic acids (like the foul-smelling butyric acid) to their ethanol esters (like the pineapple-scented ethylbutyrate). So, slighty desperate but in good scientific spirits, I pitched a pack of <i>B. bruxellensis</i> (Wyeast 5112) and tried to forget about the beer for the next couple of months.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyGDuJr2rxMPPpWpNdYKNleXF4BbinjbDMIGvOmATBip0_XuaGvnwynuHBWv6Ts4Sa20IM6Y5sUD2XGja-2EzYi5Qh0WXs57szH29mDEu5PUlmPNqaIeJGy2Q7k5XL9Mga6t8yjV-vZPiG/s1600/jesus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyGDuJr2rxMPPpWpNdYKNleXF4BbinjbDMIGvOmATBip0_XuaGvnwynuHBWv6Ts4Sa20IM6Y5sUD2XGja-2EzYi5Qh0WXs57szH29mDEu5PUlmPNqaIeJGy2Q7k5XL9Mga6t8yjV-vZPiG/s1600/jesus.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But I couldn't.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Three months into this tertiary fermentation, the vomity smell of butyric acid started to disappear. In its place came new and tantalising scents...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDhyCXn8MlymARynRXCxc0LZB6itzACFyNKEWcEr09pgSB_09l7ajcZmNKyijwplWxkglOS-rG4Wm6kVM7EcVmjzXpuvnj3ctBs6p5lZvquRuAbRgPPYLfF3bCaSQif6Yjaq3k4DEeKYf5/s1600/Parmigiano-Reggiano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDhyCXn8MlymARynRXCxc0LZB6itzACFyNKEWcEr09pgSB_09l7ajcZmNKyijwplWxkglOS-rG4Wm6kVM7EcVmjzXpuvnj3ctBs6p5lZvquRuAbRgPPYLfF3bCaSQif6Yjaq3k4DEeKYf5/s1600/Parmigiano-Reggiano.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...like Parmsean...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
..and fragrances...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIr-7U0H_vN9ypAHKi5DR_UwhYx7IhCNDhH5_YHu6_-W3U3_33PJqb_wWfDXST-FqX1vyWEHQIS2VJmvjhfG6Vyym4ilRuD-3GSCFhMWx0S2YwQPrvsOQVhdUAjjNZmA3Mk-PgGrEW67aG/s1600/Band-Aid-30-012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIr-7U0H_vN9ypAHKi5DR_UwhYx7IhCNDhH5_YHu6_-W3U3_33PJqb_wWfDXST-FqX1vyWEHQIS2VJmvjhfG6Vyym4ilRuD-3GSCFhMWx0S2YwQPrvsOQVhdUAjjNZmA3Mk-PgGrEW67aG/s1600/Band-Aid-30-012.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...like BandAid...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So yes, Brett was cleaning up my beer by getting rid of unwanted flavours, only by replacing them with other unwanted smells. Hardly the success I'd been hoping for.<br />
Keeping in mind that Brett is a slow but versatile grazer, and that You Can't Hurry Beer, I kept the beer in the carboy, where it still resides to this day. The beer will be a year old in June, and is still developing, with the icky flavours gradually being replaced by more complex, and, really, more tasty ones.<br />
Whether this Cellar Dwellar of mine will ever become something halfway potable remains to be seen, but it's been a fascinating adventure for me so far.<br />
<br />
The Missus and the Kids call the beer Puke Beer. Myself, I'm still looking for a name befitting its technical heritage.<br />
Gore Gose is still a running candidate.<br />
<br />
I'll be sure to keep y'all update on any further developments.<br /><br />Until then,<br />
<br />
Greetz<br />
<br />
Jo<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01143877602262019920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281950320075665382.post-14475804714205531442015-01-28T12:31:00.001-08:002015-01-28T12:31:17.852-08:00Beer Festivals: Pinnacles of Beer Culture or Elitarian Geek Fests?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Warning. The below is a rant, disguised as a blog entry.<br /><br />I blame my buddy Joan, who's running a blog <a href="http://www.birraire.com/" target="_blank">in Spanish</a> <i>and</i> <a href="http://eng.birraire.com/" target="_blank">in English</a> just to prove the old Manuel-stereotype dead wrong, where he is currently running an article for <b><a href="http://brookstonbeerbulletin.com/the-sessions/" target="_blank">The Session</a></b> aka <b>Beer Blogging Friday</b>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEyD3IMEIMKa3VubjL26vRpxS7vbdEtwGjGlbvpZGtNs7CXKhPtljul5xmDWk_b342V02fGhqpgfW5hpEI3m1Qy5Hufb2f6bHsVKDw6uri1J6-KaalLjRF0fUWZSTVdOo8paTqsBZ3O6tI/s1600/220px-Manuel_Noriega_mug_shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEyD3IMEIMKa3VubjL26vRpxS7vbdEtwGjGlbvpZGtNs7CXKhPtljul5xmDWk_b342V02fGhqpgfW5hpEI3m1Qy5Hufb2f6bHsVKDw6uri1J6-KaalLjRF0fUWZSTVdOo8paTqsBZ3O6tI/s1600/220px-Manuel_Noriega_mug_shot.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"<i>I know nothi..."</i><br />
Oh.<br />
Wait.<br />
Wrong <a href="http://media.giphy.com/media/MRu6tLtQHi3zq/giphy.gif" target="_blank">Manuel</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Joan's topic is<span style="background-color: white;"> <b>F</b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">estivals: </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">Geek Gathering </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">or </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><b>Beer Dissemination?</b> Says it all, I guess, so let's get this baby squealin' already.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><b style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">-----------------------------------------DISCLAIMER----------------------------------------------</b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Throughout this article, I'll be grossly generalising the entire and diverse Belgian population by referring to them as "</i><b style="font-style: italic;">most Belgians</b><i>", by which I mean "</i>most Belgians who've never had any non-Belgian beer besides Corona and Heineken and whose idea of an adventurous beer is something like Kasteel Hoppy<i>". </i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>For the remainder of this article, please interpret the term </i><b style="font-style: italic;">most Belgians</b><i> with the same sense of benevolent caricaturisation you'd reserve for "</i>most men<i>", "</i>most women<i>" and "</i>most-if-not-all two-dimensional polygons except most rhombi. Rhombuses. Diamonds.<i>".</i></span></span></span><br />
<div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><b><b style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">-------------------------------------DONE DISCLAIMING----------------------------------------</b></b></span></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">Beer festivals in Belgium are an odd afair, and like so many beery things, Belgians are surprisingly ambivalent about them. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXt37K0vRbpzHvd8wi2itGKhfoYg_-nqWPs7vuvFEtre2exessXcyzWIUtkhXlvlFrtUD3RGpWUG11hiceALwg3Fb-PdU71uJ0xLJEb0ADqbn1W2ydpNZSxfrDvakY_Jje4PSt4NBv-Dz/s1600/download+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXt37K0vRbpzHvd8wi2itGKhfoYg_-nqWPs7vuvFEtre2exessXcyzWIUtkhXlvlFrtUD3RGpWUG11hiceALwg3Fb-PdU71uJ0xLJEb0ADqbn1W2ydpNZSxfrDvakY_Jje4PSt4NBv-Dz/s1600/download+(2).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorta.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">On one hand, <i>most Belgians</i> think of their country as the navel of the world where beer's concerned. Any argument about beer can easily be won-slash-deadended by slamming your empty glass onto the table and belching "Belgium's got the best beer in the world!" into your opponent's face. Especially if he's not, himself, a Belgian.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">On the other hand, <i>most Belgians </i>treat beer with callous indifference, as if it were a trivial commodity, like potatoes, rice, and electric power.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4W0J1gVPQUatCkNbHzi9YIyMjun925FW5TfnXv1AgErJTVGS5YfcTZorT_z0DEHoqMk0Kz9B9IGKFXYm3C5gbxdj9Sdpmuzgv1oU0dSXPddeF30Y-J7EptDuOHn-xsYtHc9dKDELdJI9/s1600/teaser-stroomuitval.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4W0J1gVPQUatCkNbHzi9YIyMjun925FW5TfnXv1AgErJTVGS5YfcTZorT_z0DEHoqMk0Kz9B9IGKFXYm3C5gbxdj9Sdpmuzgv1oU0dSXPddeF30Y-J7EptDuOHn-xsYtHc9dKDELdJI9/s1600/teaser-stroomuitval.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Until a turn of events makes it relevant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>Most Belgians' </i>opinion about beer is an uneasy truce between "<i>don't care 'cause I never paused to come up with one</i>" and "<i>I'm culturally compelled to patriotism here so yay Belgium and yay beer and oooh what a lovely navel I have</i>" with a tendency to lean more toward the latter than any individual's personal experience would warrant.<br />
Beer, it seems to me, is so ubiquitous in Belgium that it is taken very much for granted. For better and for worse.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsv7c-Jy0DT9-d4Kyvxk626_kk3iHGc3-cMmExRQPWcXYYgK8EnPTg2TICiKOlo-Dvi1ivlcpI-iSENZPOMQCc-xE2bgk2R_V7AHxa2n8PYnqrT7jWynEgIzBlvNZoLDuZMT86P-uxHNJv/s1600/Belgian-Beer-bottles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsv7c-Jy0DT9-d4Kyvxk626_kk3iHGc3-cMmExRQPWcXYYgK8EnPTg2TICiKOlo-Dvi1ivlcpI-iSENZPOMQCc-xE2bgk2R_V7AHxa2n8PYnqrT7jWynEgIzBlvNZoLDuZMT86P-uxHNJv/s1600/Belgian-Beer-bottles.jpg" height="124" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and all too often <i>for worse and for worserer</i>... </td></tr>
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<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">Per extension, Belgian beer festivals must </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">ipso facto</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"> also be far superior to any other country's feeble attempt at celebrating beer. Sounds plausible, right? Best beer in the world equals best beer festivals also.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">The irony is that for <i>most Belgians</i>, the very concept of a beer festival is, at best, highly abstract. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ECARmd_1DFC5LqZGwBCGf7m1UjtEJkoCNAMKCre-q_Kq63jF1y4LnwTseJWfFyc3QKfes2JeLH5Mv29vKDfJpTZDZfmNZTmdQfKbPnwdTkGNnFs5nPCMKat4uKuiLPwzhxhKDZCy9esL/s1600/RGB@9017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ECARmd_1DFC5LqZGwBCGf7m1UjtEJkoCNAMKCre-q_Kq63jF1y4LnwTseJWfFyc3QKfes2JeLH5Mv29vKDfJpTZDZfmNZTmdQfKbPnwdTkGNnFs5nPCMKat4uKuiLPwzhxhKDZCy9esL/s1600/RGB@9017.jpg" height="207" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But mostly, we think of it like this.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">I promise I'll get into this in another article sometime soon, but when all's said and done and all the boasting about traditions and monasteries and beer-filled navel-gazing are over,<i> most Belgians </i>have never attended a beer festival in their entire life, and have no idea what to expect if they would. We tend to visualise them as grandly eloquent excuses to quaff beer and get drunk, like a televised soccer match during a power outage. Which, I hasten to add, they seldom if never really are. Our power lines are still very much operative, <i>thank you very much</i>.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">While we're generalising, Belgian beer festivals come in two types.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">----------------------------------------------DISCLAIMER--------------------------------------------</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><i>Don't be fooled into thinking I'm dissing either stereotype here. Whilst I may have my own personal preference where the spirit of things is concerned, you'll note that very often, the same brewers will attend festivals of both stereotype, which does not, in any way, diminish or increase my appreciation of their beers.</i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><i>Some festivals are clearly in one camp or the other, most however are a bit of both. Generalisation, remember?</i></span></span><br />
<i><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">Also, realise that the few examples I provide below are by no means exclusive. A simple google search will list an entire calendar year's worth of beer events, and a quick perusal of the event's beer list will quickly reveal which stereotype applies best. Often, they'll be a bit of both. No way I've attended them all, not even by a long long shot. I just struck out and pinned a familiar name to the type.</span></span></i><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">-----------------------------------DONE DISCLAMING FOR NOW ---------------------------</span></span></span></div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">The first type of beer festival is the <b>Ambassador's Festival.</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">It is an event which is fueled chiefly by promotional motivations. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">The agenda behind this type of event is rarely "just" the enjoyment of beer, or the highlighting of a certain style or trend in brewing, but tends to be the furthering of the organising parties' cause, which can be ideological ("<i><a href="http://fieroponsbier.be/" target="_blank">Fier op ons bier</a></i>" because yay Belgium's navel again) or financial ("Nono, it's pure coincidence that all the attending brewers belong to the same financial holding/gigabrewery" because yay money). </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">You'll obviously find all of the gigabrewers here, even if they're no longer strictly Belgian. The price of commercial succes, it seems, is becoming a resident of Pan-Globia.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">Also present will be most of the mid-size to large breweries, as well as a few of the smaller which are deemed to be essentially Belgian, like the Trappists and the lambic brewers and geuzestekers. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">I'm sure the attending brewers don't all subscribe to the organising parties' ideology, of whichever ilk it may be, but the absence of the truly independent brewers is conspicuous to say the least.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">Examples would be the <a href="http://www.belgianbrewers.be/en/" target="_blank">Belgian Beer Festival </a>(first weekend of September, on the Great Market in Brussels) and the <a href="http://www.bierpassieweekend.be/" target="_blank">Bierpassie Weekend</a> (last weekend of June, on the Groenplaats in Antwerp). </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">Traditions and mainstream appeal seem to be central ideas, and the odds of encountering anything resembling "craft" beer here are virtually nil.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrNZvadCoo7T9by3Fj6xP2c6rmjky_ts-0FCvEESgkRCl0_Axgya1fPVSiMN0mhTnglxFwiXvZ3LXYRyjsGu3aS5OLVndTY5VwxuMdwFhKYy_wjiP4oq8iPR-F-Fdpnx0iD2WtoF9usRFg/s1600/beerweekend-111-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrNZvadCoo7T9by3Fj6xP2c6rmjky_ts-0FCvEESgkRCl0_Axgya1fPVSiMN0mhTnglxFwiXvZ3LXYRyjsGu3aS5OLVndTY5VwxuMdwFhKYy_wjiP4oq8iPR-F-Fdpnx0iD2WtoF9usRFg/s1600/beerweekend-111-2.jpg" height="106" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">However, it's likely <a href="http://www.belgianbrewers.be/nl/biercultuur/de-ridderschap-van-de-roerstok-der/article/de-ridderschap-van-de-roerstok-der" target="_blank">this lot </a>here will show up at some point.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">The other type is the <b>Zythophile's Festival</b>.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">It is an event which, even if only superficially, focuses on enjoyment and exploration, on discovery and, of course, on tickers (*). </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">*) <i>Homo ratebeerensis</i>, whose sustenance is the number of Untappd badges he gets to unlock during a beer festival.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">Whether they're a modest attempt to highlight smaller and lesser-known Belgian breweries, or beergeeky celebrations of contested borders of Beervania, these events tend to focus on beer itself, rather than beer as an extension of national or economic identity.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">Fairly large and not-too-far-off-center examples would be the <a href="http://www.zbf.be/" target="_blank">Zythos Beer Festival</a> (last weekend of April, in the Brabanthal in Leuven), <a href="http://www.modestebierfestival.be/" target="_blank">Modeste Bier Festival</a> (first weekend of October, at the De Koninck brewery in Antwerp), and the myriad of small-to-large festivals dotting the country throughout the year. These events tend to maybe not so much focus on the underbelly of beer culture, as reserve a seat for it (*). </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl6Lh4bg0wnNDaVZ9g3ZhzYI8Ea7c62MlmSM27J-kkVWqpRtRQbLO_yx2DgRHINswiksCh3-Xe4teCYoiki_dMg4TRam-_y61FZh4H_d1P-fFJa4bQWK6rSuqkmhaT_uc8s04ZsWPmMLzs/s1600/beer-belly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl6Lh4bg0wnNDaVZ9g3ZhzYI8Ea7c62MlmSM27J-kkVWqpRtRQbLO_yx2DgRHINswiksCh3-Xe4teCYoiki_dMg4TRam-_y61FZh4H_d1P-fFJa4bQWK6rSuqkmhaT_uc8s04ZsWPmMLzs/s1600/beer-belly.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">*) I know. The underbelly doesn't need a seat. <br />
Suspenders, though...</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">Smaller and more independent breweries attend them, with a higher likelihood of at least some of the attendees being involved in the craft scene. You'll often find quite a few of the mid-scale breweries here, rubbing shoulders with the tinier, more unknown upstarts. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">Remarkable is how lambic brewers are invited to all beer parties, and tend to be present on most of them, if not always all of them (we should be so lucky).</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsg8BkfVCCJFJMoPSEwiN1QycbU-AZ7j09tPJ947vgo-OKFwegqKxa7flpsBcHPJU5a7XLSUpJ2QNvualRYVwwdJx4I5K6yz3lBgz6C8fgUaxax0jaibqy28i0NbVrw2twxYz1GQ107y2C/s1600/geek1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsg8BkfVCCJFJMoPSEwiN1QycbU-AZ7j09tPJ947vgo-OKFwegqKxa7flpsBcHPJU5a7XLSUpJ2QNvualRYVwwdJx4I5K6yz3lBgz6C8fgUaxax0jaibqy28i0NbVrw2twxYz1GQ107y2C/s1600/geek1.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Expect a significant increase in the frequency by which you'll spot stuff like this on beer-stained t-shirts.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">Coming back to Joan's initial topic, neither stereotype seems to focus specifically on a target audience. Beer geeks are welcome, but never exclusively so. Casual beer drinkers abound, and sometimes festivals convert them into zythophiles. However, seldom will you find an event where the express goal seems to be the furthering of one's appreciation of the diversity of beer, and the grandioseness of its Art.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">Sure, there are plenty of zythophile clubs around the country, who do their utmost to Bring Beer to the People, but in spite of several decades' worth of effort, this is still very much a grassroots movement. Admitting you're a member of a beer club, even one with an ambitious name like "The Objective Beer Tasters" is sure to be met with knowing winks and nudges.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5wuIMgXBZbw5aK9t6OaIPRYj896whnFw1SK-d2ygy1qJqHDaUjwdm1cvze_PIiNyFQSONBrXdzqXCgPtwrH1Lqj4QVEFKiI_vV6vBuGh23iAMsvKgo75QRh_3EvrwkxlwcMEMlo6Affk/s1600/Nudge-nudge-wink-wink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5wuIMgXBZbw5aK9t6OaIPRYj896whnFw1SK-d2ygy1qJqHDaUjwdm1cvze_PIiNyFQSONBrXdzqXCgPtwrH1Lqj4QVEFKiI_vV6vBuGh23iAMsvKgo75QRh_3EvrwkxlwcMEMlo6Affk/s1600/Nudge-nudge-wink-wink.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"Tasting eh?</i>", he asked him knowingly.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">Admitting to attenting a beer festival will have you do more explaining than if people found out you're a member of he town's only swingers' club: </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">most Belgians</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"> simply cannot get past the image of the fräulein-infested beer garden. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">Conversely, while the true beergeek (<i>Home zythophilus</i>) wants nothing more than to convert people from Stella Slurping Sloths to Craft Craving Cronies, <i>most Belgians</i> have only a cursory interest in more off-centered beers. "<i>Extreme", </i>they'll call your average West Coast IPA. "<i>Fake</i>", they'll designated any lambic not acutually comme from the Zenne Valley. "<i>Not beer", </i>they'll call that barrel-aged imperial stout so coveted by <i>H. zythophilus</i>. <i>Most Belgians</i>, I'm sad to say, prize tradition and <i>balance</i> over all and any other qaualit a beer might have, and hence, <i>most Belgian festivals</i> will focus on those qualities, instead of the celebration of beery diversity. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqZwvGdP7vMNqchWnn37iFuimcxj7OZheo-Ky84Rx2RQg1j5OmD1nEXjt0N44ab-2cb3Yhq2WY5z28bYScFg9oWIl1b9Bl3YXnuIgXEy6wJDHJbxNhiai526fcs3tuSficXWNO5a2ek8w7/s1600/slosh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqZwvGdP7vMNqchWnn37iFuimcxj7OZheo-Ky84Rx2RQg1j5OmD1nEXjt0N44ab-2cb3Yhq2WY5z28bYScFg9oWIl1b9Bl3YXnuIgXEy6wJDHJbxNhiai526fcs3tuSficXWNO5a2ek8w7/s1600/slosh.jpg" height="241" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh and they have to get you sloshed and slightly below civil real fast too.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">That someone could have an interest in beer besides its obvious alcohol content and the inebriation resulting from it, seems hard to comprehend, and harder sometimes to explain. Especially when, true to form, you'll find </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">most Belgians</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"> all too readily compliant with the stereotypes they have themselves created.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">Even the few Belgian festivals I have attended made me realise that a large percentage of the attending crowd only turned up because it was a way to get sloshed. I've seen a crowd turn into a frenzied throng whilst queuing for a particular beer at a particular festival, only because it was the strongest in attendance, and hence the quickest way to masculine intoxication.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdRDfEAkVjaNPKSOK0KXEdhuM18ld-d40x8hT-G3wXnSDWR4Z7NkwfedjWgJfNbOgsf-lBCtkwOVYLO3lx586Xyhp-p6BJ_lNn_aufF1LH4WyB_KXMiNWcmBAPLYNAOlZWEKbCCdm2T3L/s1600/p1170215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdRDfEAkVjaNPKSOK0KXEdhuM18ld-d40x8hT-G3wXnSDWR4Z7NkwfedjWgJfNbOgsf-lBCtkwOVYLO3lx586Xyhp-p6BJ_lNn_aufF1LH4WyB_KXMiNWcmBAPLYNAOlZWEKbCCdm2T3L/s1600/p1170215.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was the Double Black, of course.<br />
Ain't it always?</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">Another fraction of attendees seem only intent on discovering </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">sameness</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">. They'll queue up to any brewer's booth and ask for "something that tastes like Grimbergen Bruin." Or they'll just out and ask "Have you not got any blonde then?". Any old beer will do, as long as it is something safely within their comfort zone. Unchallenging and unupsetting.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzj-Kfj5j3-WYjeua_SKPE56MXJn19rC4n05kMAB_mZSljiNy2U4_Py2fpiPo4zGjM0rw50hP8HPWqyjFwgFxw5NiyjsV385lV7ONl-3elS6SMV9LogLtvsOrjPafwDS5CZl0TUAVSt6qW/s1600/Magic-happens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzj-Kfj5j3-WYjeua_SKPE56MXJn19rC4n05kMAB_mZSljiNy2U4_Py2fpiPo4zGjM0rw50hP8HPWqyjFwgFxw5NiyjsV385lV7ONl-3elS6SMV9LogLtvsOrjPafwDS5CZl0TUAVSt6qW/s1600/Magic-happens.jpg" height="220" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A horribly inaccurate sketch, but it gets the message across.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">With these stereotypes forming a large part of the audience, it should come as no great surprise that many Belgian Beer Festivals cater to the sensible tastes of </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">most Belgians</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">, and truly adventurous beer festivals are hard to come by. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">True, there are a few will-hidden treasures to be found for true beer geeks. 2015 will see the return of the <a href="http://acbf.be/" target="_blank">Alvinne Craft Beer Festival</a> (held in <a href="http://www.bierhalledeconinck.be/" target="_blank">Bierhalle Deconinck</a> in Vichte on the first weekend of March), which really does seem to attempt to bring craft beer to the people. Almost unheard-of in Belgium, they'll be hosting quite a few non-Belgian breweries and even (gasp! scandal!) a couple of Dutch breweries (*).</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><i>*) really, the Belgian's prejudices which the Dutch still have to overcome when it comes to beer almost render our entire beer culture moot.</i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">The annual <a href="http://www.bierpallieters.be/weekend" target="_blank">Weekend der Spontane Gisting</a> is perhaps not "craft" in our current sense understanding of it, but it's certainly so far left-of-center as to be sufficiently beer-geeky whilst being utterly disseminal at the same time.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">Every Saturday afternoon, <a href="http://struise.com/" target="_blank">de Struise Brouwers</a> open the doors to their brewery at the old school house, welcoming visitors from near and far, and the beers they have on tap are enough to qualify ever Saturday as Struise Festival Day. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">And just today, <a href="http://www.gueuzerietilquin.be/nl/" target="_blank">Tilquin </a>announced a British beer festival. A gueuzerie, setting up a festival featuring <i>only</i> UK beers! How much cooler and, well, <i>zythophilerer</i> can you be?</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-align: justify;">While these events cater more to the beer geek than the casual drinker, I've yet to find someone who is not instantly won over by the genuine sense of conviviality which seems to run deep in the craft beer scene. True, Beer Geeks can go on for hours and hours on the ittybittygritty details of just about anything beer-related, but at heart, the Beer Geek wants nothing more than share his love for beer. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Craft brewing (and not to be underestimated: homebrewing) is ever so slowly taking ground in Belgium, in no small part thanks to the ever increasing ranks of beergeeks lurking in the grassroots. Festivals and events become ever so slightly more beergeeky, but it's a snail-paced process. Our own national ambivalence, manifested in things like "Fier op ons Bier" whilst advertising Kasteel Rouge, seems to hold us back from embracing the adventurous art of brewing, while our traditions, so often praised and hailed when we consider the Belgian classics, actually seem to be a hindrance to us when we consider beers of different lineage and inspiration. Keeping in mind that, for <i>most Belgians</i>, the only decent foreign beer is Guinness Dry Stout or Martin's Pale Ale, and their thirst for whacky brews is suffiently quenched by Duvel Tripel Hop, this should come as no great surprise. Truth of the matter is this: Belgium is not used to looking elsewhere for its beer, and our festival culture seems to emphasise this to a great extent.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0JZP9mGN4gJ4MtDrnAK736dz-lXYG5nJC_2vZtM1VyKDwEhyCyqGtuQi47uD1GlZCQEQagUfDsiDf-lRPGILT74rQiC3FrPz0C-iBnUN1_UWmTyZmNkNJKHgt35bdNGO4Z4h6STZF1jTB/s1600/BelgianBeers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0JZP9mGN4gJ4MtDrnAK736dz-lXYG5nJC_2vZtM1VyKDwEhyCyqGtuQi47uD1GlZCQEQagUfDsiDf-lRPGILT74rQiC3FrPz0C-iBnUN1_UWmTyZmNkNJKHgt35bdNGO4Z4h6STZF1jTB/s1600/BelgianBeers.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beer map of the world.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Our festivals (exceptions notwithstanding) reflect our ambivalence: Belgian beer festivals tend to be about reacquainting us with the already familiar, instead of challenging us to explore the unknown.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Looking across the border, I see ambitious events great and small, which all center around the celebraton of beer. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Every year, Borefts (NL) sees Europe's best brewers flock to the site of De Molen, to share their beers with an audience which is ready to have their beery preconceptions challenged, I blabbed about Borefts (<a href="http://hoppyslosh.blogspot.be/2013/10/borefts-beer-buddies-old-and-new.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://hoppyslosh.blogspot.be/2014/09/hoppslosh-steps-out-borefts-2014.html" target="_blank">here</a>) but really, it is in a league all its own.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><a href="http://www.zebf.nl/index.php/nl/informatie/festival" target="_blank">Zeebra</a> (NL), now preparing for its third iteration, is the joint effort of a small group of die hard beer geeks, who realise that beer is worthless unless it is enjoyed in good company. Each year they go to great lengths to collect some of the world's <a href="http://www.zebf.nl/index.php/nl/bierenmenu/bieren2014" target="_blank">rarest</a> and most (in)famous beers, just so that anyone with an interest in beer but a limited beer budget can sample them, and make up his own mind. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><a href="http://totalales.blogspot.be/2014/04/brodies-bunny-basher.html" target="_blank">Brodies Bunny Basher</a> (UK) is an annual Easter festival, during which the brewer puts a veritable shitload of often innovative beers on offer.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Then there's <a href="http://gbbf.org.uk/" target="_blank">GBBF</a> (UK), <a href="http://mikkeller.dk/category/copenhagen-beer-celebration/" target="_blank">Copenhagen Beer Celebration</a> (DK) and so many more, and I cannot help but tap my foot impatiently for the entire Belgian beer scene to snap out of it, and start celebrating beer properly.</span><br />
<br /></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Where Beer Culture (and per extension Beer </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Festival</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"> Culture) is concerned, Belgium is sadly lagging behind the rest of the world, resting on the laurels piled upon its balding head while the world spins widdershins whilst we ponder our beer-sloshed navel. When it comes to beer, <i>most Belgians </i>are disjointedly proud of the immense amount of sameness they produce, and the very idea of a festival celebrating the diversity, and, yes, the <i>audicity</i> of beer, is alienating to many.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">But, ending on a postive note, things are changing. Slowly, but then again, you can't hurry beer.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><i>Most Belgians</i> are wary of the concept of a Beer Geek, but are ultimately and easily won over by the boundless love for beer <i>H. zythophilus</i> radiates.<br /><br />If one thing connects <i>most Belgians,</i>it may well be our love for beer. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEW_5h1xTUbiDLybutkwHMZkCBoiSU3BytbpUiXiw-qlJEvkAKoMifoYMcO6HYEYiUgazVAXQb5YTqcC8oplbxBmfDG-eI3sGjt8PXTCoZpX4CY4eHjZGQqwYyol9-VaIwO3166DEErWfF/s1600/navel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEW_5h1xTUbiDLybutkwHMZkCBoiSU3BytbpUiXiw-qlJEvkAKoMifoYMcO6HYEYiUgazVAXQb5YTqcC8oplbxBmfDG-eI3sGjt8PXTCoZpX4CY4eHjZGQqwYyol9-VaIwO3166DEErWfF/s1600/navel.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Too bad we so often seek it in our navel.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Your thoughts, Constant Reader, are very much appreciated.<br />
<br />
Until then,<br />
<br />
Greetz,<br />
<br />
Jo<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01143877602262019920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281950320075665382.post-6578911569835029132014-11-28T01:57:00.000-08:002014-11-28T01:57:39.036-08:00Zombination!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Celebration! <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Collaboration! <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Zombination!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.struise.com/files/7714/1712/4588/zombier1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.struise.com/files/7714/1712/4588/zombier1.jpg" height="320" width="190" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 6.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Good grief,
Team Spain had been partying for the better part of a week already! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 6.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Explains a
thing or two…</span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 6.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">On Friday
October 17th, de Struise opened the doors of <b>’t Oude Schooltje</b> to welcome friends old and new for a special occasion.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Three years
ago, <b>Gabriel</b> decided to start
importing Struise brews into the Iberic peninsula, turning a fun pastime into a
fulltime job. That day, <b><a href="http://zombier.es/" target="_blank">Zombier</a></b> was
born. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br clear="all" style="mso-break-type: section-break; page-break-before: auto;" />
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<span lang="EN-US">It should
come as no great surprise that when Gabriel called <b>Urbain </b>and mentioned his upcoming anniversary, both agreed that the
brewing of a festive beer was in order.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 6.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">A bit of malt,
a bit of hops. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 6.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The rest, as
they say, is beer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 6.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">“<i>A beer which I can drink in 10 years and
think of this day</i>”, mused Gabriel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">“<i>A badass beer, brewed with our friends
attending</i>”, grinned Urbain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Between
themselves, they hatched a plan. A plan which would take the shape of a
monstrous 17% ABV imperial stout, boosted by local ingredients from across
Europe, aged in barrels various and multifarious.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The
parallels with <b>Black Damnation</b> were
easily recognisable, and so the beer was dubbed <b>Zombination.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The plan
became a party, like the best-laid plans should.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Invitations
were sent, and along with Gabriel and his gang of crazy Iberians came some of
Europe’s finest brewers, to aid and supervise the brewing of Zombination. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Each
visiting brewer brought a jar of local honey (*) to add to the slowly developing
Zombination, and each took home the recipe of this collaborative brew.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">*) actually, <i><a href="https://www.google.be/search?q=menno+olivier&espv=2&biw=1600&bih=799&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=2EV4VNSNO8zzas2vgIAD&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ" target="_blank">some</a></i>
of them brought <i>something else</i> which
had a tangential relationship with honey by I digress and besides, rest assured
it will add to the brew’s complexity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">From <b>Spain</b> came Gabriel himself and his
crew. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 6.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Honey blend
for a to-be-blended beer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">From the <b>Netherlands</b> came Menno (<b><a href="http://www.brouwerijdemolen.nl/" target="_blank">De Molen</a></b>) and Kees (<b>Kees!). <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 6.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Coincidence
has it that not a single pic was taken that day with Kees and Menno together,
so I nicked one off the interwebs. Because yay journalism.<br />Also: they seem to've found at least one marble between the two of them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">From <b>Norway</b> came Jens and Joan(*)<b> </b>(<b><a href="http://haandbryggeriet.no/" target="_blank">Haandbryggeriet</a>).
<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 6.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">…who actually
look a lot less skeptical in real life.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 6.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">*) and also, actually, Joan comes from Spain but…ah,
it’s a long story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">From <b>the UK</b> came a handsome trio of upstarts:
Stuart (<b><a href="http://www.magicrockbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Magic Rock</a></b>), Logan (<b><a href="http://www.beavertownbrewery.co.uk/" target="_blank">Beavertown</a></b>) and another birthday boy: Jonnie
(<b><a href="http://www.brodiesbeers.co.uk/" target="_blank">Brodies</a></b>). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAb3TJ98OMMT1TW00AoXq-3UO5vQfNp5iX9fHu21-p0WgAQuxLCy7Q0cEQXmU6g_6OCFDIf4mBj9my_QRupljrOgLKN5LRC5xm0CnDOM9JcIBUoveFBh-Z2yap7iv_n53pcKEDnJeEE97Q/s1600/DSC_1353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAb3TJ98OMMT1TW00AoXq-3UO5vQfNp5iX9fHu21-p0WgAQuxLCy7Q0cEQXmU6g_6OCFDIf4mBj9my_QRupljrOgLKN5LRC5xm0CnDOM9JcIBUoveFBh-Z2yap7iv_n53pcKEDnJeEE97Q/s1600/DSC_1353.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 6.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 6.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Brewing’s a
serious business, y’know?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">And from
Belgium, of course, Urbain himself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8B2elrfanuyY0bcbpkD1iITlkRC8ur4sBz3MqExiTfyfbLtEbJ6H5uc7C2JbOciZU_gfcLQwKWxH4l8nUjdZwbaWtM5WbNy_vaRKsWcpDgVJ8MAUvCYkvJKU_xNCSlaNlPdpCvgtHXHb/s1600/DSC_1095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8B2elrfanuyY0bcbpkD1iITlkRC8ur4sBz3MqExiTfyfbLtEbJ6H5uc7C2JbOciZU_gfcLQwKWxH4l8nUjdZwbaWtM5WbNy_vaRKsWcpDgVJ8MAUvCYkvJKU_xNCSlaNlPdpCvgtHXHb/s1600/DSC_1095.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 6.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 6.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Who else could
we trust to stir this badass brew?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Gabriel,
who is <i>sitting on the best of barrels</i>
if we’re to believe Urbain (and really, why should be not?) will provide barrels
of </span><span lang="EN-US" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;"><b>Oporto, Málaga, Jerez, Caol Ila, Woodford Reserve </b></span><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #555555; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">and (this is where we <i>really</i> get stoked about the whole thing) </span></strong><strong><i><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #555555; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">others</span></i></strong><strong><i><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #555555; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">.<o:p></o:p></span></i></strong></div>
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<strong><i><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #555555; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><br /></span></i></strong></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimxslZuNaqotTpOnWC3XRjT6ydAsZoMIHItOajh4uAKZzI7o90ZFCDml7CVUxcmoI4BGJSmiFkii0yMU1f2KmIKNIYH8c7M8RrKIxz7lkNCPggl7RtqTpx7kC244oohalZUz1-dEYN_3F1/s1600/DSC_1505.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimxslZuNaqotTpOnWC3XRjT6ydAsZoMIHItOajh4uAKZzI7o90ZFCDml7CVUxcmoI4BGJSmiFkii0yMU1f2KmIKNIYH8c7M8RrKIxz7lkNCPggl7RtqTpx7kC244oohalZUz1-dEYN_3F1/s1600/DSC_1505.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong><i><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #555555; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 6.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><br /></span></i></strong></div>
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<strong><i><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #555555; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 6.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Oh and maybe a few other
secret ingredients we can’t tell you about. Complexity, remember?</span></i></strong><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #555555; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 6.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
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<strong><i><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #555555; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 6.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><br /></span></i></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Brewing’s a patient craft, so in between bouts of brewing activities, all
assembled took part of quite a few beers, had lunch, and dinner, and more
beers, and more lunch, and fun was had by all. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiHloGjDjsJaKmp-ZIfx4O-fd2F_Z5Y19XF5gSmN1Eq2wJ1aXisI2IY2bb-ewUDgt4RqztDreZJzrHNSfBIBsSQfH85U9SdlCRZQVDKikW_LZGuHiFkRLiLET1nXDBREBQV9VgSwRgbacY/s1600/DSC_1386.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiHloGjDjsJaKmp-ZIfx4O-fd2F_Z5Y19XF5gSmN1Eq2wJ1aXisI2IY2bb-ewUDgt4RqztDreZJzrHNSfBIBsSQfH85U9SdlCRZQVDKikW_LZGuHiFkRLiLET1nXDBREBQV9VgSwRgbacY/s1600/DSC_1386.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 6.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 6.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Except, perhaps, by the three- legged pig.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 6.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Plans were made to evaluate the slumbering monster we’d come to know as <b><a href="http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/struise-zombination/299667/" target="_blank">Zombination</a></b>,
and to think of the various ways in which it will be set loose upon the world.
Current plans involve seven different versions, but just like we’ve come to
expect from de Struise, all plans are subject Urbain’s the watchful eye and his
ruthless pursuit of quality. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The beers will be ready <i>when
they’re ready</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0yUFL2wwfVhvxLWiMyvW70KqVCtTSzK5RuccJKmL5HR8lya6dSIVYgGYHVwBx7ai-jnsebA41RL-IN_jXPTeoGpNz5LzOyYeSUfCyQC50uC4pzoON2zLzXyOhtqhCkFPoMH1aDrySwld/s1600/DSC_1751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0yUFL2wwfVhvxLWiMyvW70KqVCtTSzK5RuccJKmL5HR8lya6dSIVYgGYHVwBx7ai-jnsebA41RL-IN_jXPTeoGpNz5LzOyYeSUfCyQC50uC4pzoON2zLzXyOhtqhCkFPoMH1aDrySwld/s1600/DSC_1751.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 6.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 6.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">A large part of this picture is NOT Zombination, freshly drafted from the
fermentor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 6.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">When they are, you will be able to enjoy them, as Gabriel requested, <i>in ten years</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Until then,</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Greetz</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Jo</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01143877602262019920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281950320075665382.post-79463905337731078452014-09-30T12:50:00.000-07:002015-01-29T02:19:47.109-08:00HoppySlosh Steps Out: Borefts 2014!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The end of September means several things and one of them is Borefts.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Oud0kEQNylDhFRxbUimzeELmNuGQ10dDWeNn5uej9sekvtnkms0CQLUrMSqKO2St8-FXEXCwyEd7pCe0Y1QQVIjd9PRccgUIh5CCJ-__WdB50_5oXHf7GkQC1WNLME32_MfmhpAgaFtx/s1600/Borefts+Bierfestival.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Oud0kEQNylDhFRxbUimzeELmNuGQ10dDWeNn5uej9sekvtnkms0CQLUrMSqKO2St8-FXEXCwyEd7pCe0Y1QQVIjd9PRccgUIh5CCJ-__WdB50_5oXHf7GkQC1WNLME32_MfmhpAgaFtx/s1600/Borefts+Bierfestival.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pic not mine.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Every year, a choice selection of brewers from across Europe gathers for what many consider to be the definitive beer festival. Last year was my first time attending, and there was little that could stop me from attending again this year. Joined by BeerBert and fellow-homebrewer Frank, we set out on the last sunny Saturday morning of September, in high spirits and more than a little excited(*) already.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*) "excited" was redefined by Toby later on during the day, but we weren't excited <i>in that way</i> yet.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
No less than 19 brewers had set up their stalls on the premises of De Molen, Bodegraven's most prominent landmark as well as the site of the eponymous(*) brewery.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*) as one attendee remarked: "<i>Choosing a name for your brewery is easy if you have this kind of setting. I mean, "De Ark" would have been stupid, right?</i>"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZL4HpRNi44GcJSWj5BoF8vr3WR24HhRF2gJa-nvN4O-2RjBxqdBGA3aAM2X0mqODbw0eGnISBaQ26WIbpsmCSzzcf9-7vK1NEhTz6-WPK77atu_4pQYDX4U-_Du1VN-rpxmUKs-v1K5LX/s1600/ff2db6c05adf426600069933a63b748a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZL4HpRNi44GcJSWj5BoF8vr3WR24HhRF2gJa-nvN4O-2RjBxqdBGA3aAM2X0mqODbw0eGnISBaQ26WIbpsmCSzzcf9-7vK1NEhTz6-WPK77atu_4pQYDX4U-_Du1VN-rpxmUKs-v1K5LX/s1600/ff2db6c05adf426600069933a63b748a.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is how you use the number nineteen and be meaningful, Steve.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://www.kulturbryggeri.se/wp/" target="_blank"><b>Närke</b> </a>were present again with a number of traditional and/or herbal beers. I started off the proceedings with a<b> </b><i><b>Peated Viking</b></i>, which was remarkably easy for such a boldly named beer. Peat and smoke, sure, but nothing as bold or overstated as you'd expect from a bog-flavoured norseman. BeerBert went for the moose-grass-based <b><i>Äljäjl</i>, </b>which highlighted Närke's signature: another seemingly easy brew, which nonetheless displayed its intriguingly subdued flavour profile in its late finish. Frank, who had a cold, decided straight away to forego all subtlety and dove into the <b><i>Kaggen! Raspberry Stormaktsporter</i></b>. The Kaggen in its basic version is one of those <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aX2Bo6odEgdMgzpyHNvgEwy-nA-TDtBl3T-9j3idSzA/edit" target="_blank">White Whale</a> brews which will set you back a good 300 bucks (or the equivalent thereof in other rare brews) if purchased through the Internet Beer Market. Which is why I've yet to taste it, but was thrilled to find the raspberry version here at Borefts.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWmsfwJMNJl5JFYCjQIGbtEycDtd1uth8ybN4OoQPYfEGW6bhUqFu_sxv7WecKakffmDnt7WqoxHuIy3cZBazK2MLGcrz1XJ1pPHQ_5EPI-650vjhz35ooikE6S3OhLaMpWtZCOd1xEd7/s1600/Moby_Dick_p510_illustration.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWmsfwJMNJl5JFYCjQIGbtEycDtd1uth8ybN4OoQPYfEGW6bhUqFu_sxv7WecKakffmDnt7WqoxHuIy3cZBazK2MLGcrz1XJ1pPHQ_5EPI-650vjhz35ooikE6S3OhLaMpWtZCOd1xEd7/s1600/Moby_Dick_p510_illustration.jpg" height="320" width="204" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...with raspberries, and <i>sans</i> the shear-like jaws.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I loved the smell of this beer, which was everything a porter should ever smell like and more. In the taste, the raspberry both added and subtracted from the overall enjoyment of it. While the idea of red fruit in porters is sound and sensible, it's an idea that's often let me down, and here again, I've the impression the Kaggen simply doesn't need the extra raspberry. That being said: excellent porter, and decidedly different from the other brews Närke had to offer.<br />
<div>
Going back for seconds, I had the <b><i>Tanngnjost&Tanngrisnir</i></b> <i style="font-weight: bold;">, </i>a traditional ale using beech-smoked malt and juniper-infused mash water. Much like the Peated Viking, this was a wonderfully smooth smoked brew, with a hint of the junipers coming through. Going by<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanngrisnir_and_Tanngnj%C3%B3str" target="_blank"> the name</a> and the ratebeer description, I'd hazard this was actually a bock-beer (and hence a lager) but brewer HG Wiktorsson claimed it to be fermented with ale yeast. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Oh and HG & crew liked my Sahti!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<hr />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Interlude</b>
</div>
<hr />
</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
I recently brewed <a href="http://hoppyslosh.blogspot.be/2014/09/hoppyslosh-brews-sahti.html" target="_blank">Sahti</a> and what better opportunity for me to get me some credible feedback than to bring along a half-gallon growler for the brewers at Borefts to sample? </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv2VlY5cRK0Q8Ru93RnSdVLA4ld-yA1tBudxDyABgii02iVK3Khh48mFbNcdcdiSU_cfxfOAHchJys95qGdduHhqzhF9zeAMwQNODvGvijLXf4mB8jwvkpxtmTehGwyltAhuicOFsGbKMb/s1600/guinness_pig_by_arekkusu_kun-d11gjrr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv2VlY5cRK0Q8Ru93RnSdVLA4ld-yA1tBudxDyABgii02iVK3Khh48mFbNcdcdiSU_cfxfOAHchJys95qGdduHhqzhF9zeAMwQNODvGvijLXf4mB8jwvkpxtmTehGwyltAhuicOFsGbKMb/s1600/guinness_pig_by_arekkusu_kun-d11gjrr.jpg" height="320" width="272" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let the brewers decide.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So yes, I pushed my homebrew sahti onto all and any unsuspecting brewer and forced some compliments out of them. Most were actually very civil and polite about the whole thing. None begged for second servings, though.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For future reference, I present to you the Borefts Attending Brewers' Sahti Appreciation Scale (BABSAS, trademark pending).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
1 - spat out in disgust </div>
<div>
2 - made the "<a href="http://www.kult-faktor.org/Blech.gif" target="_blank">blech</a>" face</div>
<div>
3 - made the puckering "<a href="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/1c/55/22/1c552202cce255ebd8b04219e24fb986.jpg" target="_blank">eww what's this oh wait I think I got it down</a>" face</div>
<div>
4 - made the "<a href="http://api.ning.com/files/tA1e*yQbLBnBDfoBs-Kosedj46A74LLUwCzQcHlwCvQcL3syt*HONYhwVN4oNHS64n5HhDg2FDIUga4Y4qdwwXBE*wEXxT0v/meh.jpg" target="_blank">meh</a>" face</div>
<div>
5 - politely went "Hm.", then handed back the glass and pretended none of this just happened</div>
<div>
6 - arched one eyebrow and expressed mild approval</div>
<div>
7 - "It's not shit"</div>
<div>
8 - genuinely seemed to like it</div>
<div>
9 - genuinely seemed to like it and/or kept the glass and/or was actually Scandinavian</div>
<div>
10 - Menno. Not necessarily the rating you want though.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For individual brewer's BABSAS ratings, scroll way way down.</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<hr />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Interlude about done now</b></div>
<hr style="text-align: center;" />
<br />
<div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
<div>
With the Sahti rapidly warming up, I hurried over to <b><a href="http://www.brekeriet.se/valkommen/" target="_blank">Brekeriet</a></b>'s stall, where I wheedled more affirmations of "uhuh it's not bad" out of the attending brew-crew, after which I helped myself to a glass of <b style="font-style: italic;">Brunette, </b>a<i> </i>sour brown, with a strong lactic sourness, typical of culture-inoculated sour ales, combined with a slumbering <i>"brown"</i> aroma of toffee and toasted biscuits. The brewers seemed like an ambitious bunch, and my interest is piqued. Keeping an eye open for them.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
BeerBert meanwhile had helped himself to a glass of <i style="font-weight: bold;">Saison L'Ete</i> from <b><a href="http://www.burningskybeer.com/" target="_blank">Burning Sky</a></b>. Interesting brewery, who seem to've embraced the farmhouse idea of the saison style quite intimately. They brew quite a few saisons, and they brew 'em in a barn. What's not to love about these guys? The Saison L'Ete was a nice and summery brew, with a hint of lemony freshness. Light and quenching, and a very OK brew. </div>
<div>
Much much later in the evening, I finished off the festival with a glass of their <i><b>Saison à la Provision</b> </i>which was soured with Lacto and aged on Bordeaux barrels. I love the idea (and "historical correctness") of sour saison, and this one was an excellent execution of the idea: fresh, tart, lingering, and just complex enough to keep wanting more. Definitely a brewery I want to taste more of, and I think I got a bit teary when lamenting the irony of UK brewers doing more, better and more inventive saison brewing than most of Wallonia combined.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Joined by two mates and their spouses, beers started following one another in quick succession so pardon me if memory fails and/or I somehow lost track of the exact sequence of choice beers.</div>
<div>
Frank (who's a sourhead and no jokes there please) had some two-weeks-old <b style="font-style: italic;">Kriek</b> by <b><a href="http://www.cantillon.be/" target="_blank">Cantillon</a></b>. I love how a true, proper kriek manages to blend all the flavours of the old and new lambiek together with the fruits and pips of the cherries. Tart and sour, but it's a more mature, stately sourness than what you'll find in cultured sour ales. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp5ccEmUPBpFCSQC13fDCmSpnVzw4VDVtA6qaMvjeJc8kJMX02Enbrl96MBVvXZA_LUB1b2ZVlvI-MgxmoClFIv6bTb5gUitQV-Pw6fSJ2QduFF6NNAFWLpKU3ZQs5P-9sOvbG1UlGyij_/s1600/BK089+-+BM089+-+BM090+-+G%C3%A9lose+MRS+-+Lactobacillus+casei+d%C3%A9tour%C3%A9+copie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp5ccEmUPBpFCSQC13fDCmSpnVzw4VDVtA6qaMvjeJc8kJMX02Enbrl96MBVvXZA_LUB1b2ZVlvI-MgxmoClFIv6bTb5gUitQV-Pw6fSJ2QduFF6NNAFWLpKU3ZQs5P-9sOvbG1UlGyij_/s1600/BK089+-+BM089+-+BM090+-+G%C3%A9lose+MRS+-+Lactobacillus+casei+d%C3%A9tour%C3%A9+copie.jpg" height="320" width="319" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Culture. Not culture.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Sour, you say? <b><a href="http://www.thekernelbrewery.com/" target="_blank">The Kernel</a></b> brought an absolutely outstanding <i style="font-weight: bold;">Raspberry sour, </i>brimming with juicy raspberry goodness, and solid, tart-but-not-puckering sourness underneath. Quite spectacular, and obviously something they're very proud of.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Another sour Frank came up with is <b><a href="http://www.gueuzerietilquin.be/nl/" target="_blank">Tilquin</a></b>'s <i style="font-weight: bold;">Meerts</i>, a Radler(*)-meerts hybrid which was very refreshing and yet slightly chewy. No idea how representative this is of the historic meerts style, but I'm intrigued.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<hr />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Interlude part deux</b></div>
<hr style="text-align: center;" />
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
*) Radler.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Ok. </div>
<div>
Sit down, draw a deep breath, relax your mind and let go of your preconceptions. Which I share, for that matter. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Radler isn't beer. </div>
<div>
At best, Radler has beer in it, but not much, and mostly not very good beer to begin with.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Radler is the recreational cyclist's answer to Bacardi Breezer. It's a low-abv alco-pop, based on beer instead of spirits. It's a bit of beer, with a lot of lemonade, and tastes like soda pop poured in a used beer glass. It's mankind's way of flipping the bird to the idea that you can't do sports <i>and</i> drink beer and every time you order one in a bar or pub, god kills a puppy.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Better now?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Every year, Menno challenges the attending brewers to brew "something else". Something inventive or clever or far-fetched or not-done. Something with which they can demonstrate their Craft. Achievement unlocked, that kind of thing.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnbxRWXnoel9wiZ3Ahw9MyHOiuC945grpWRywsHqZu-xLR2Lrwf8_fc6X6LBX9mVbaexJtJ4fjkiuPkuTJteThLs87qdAU3SiEKyFFfaV9-aEg7Uc2btTPG74eHUgH33htVMYuk9GfWiym/s1600/achievement_unlocked.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnbxRWXnoel9wiZ3Ahw9MyHOiuC945grpWRywsHqZu-xLR2Lrwf8_fc6X6LBX9mVbaexJtJ4fjkiuPkuTJteThLs87qdAU3SiEKyFFfaV9-aEg7Uc2btTPG74eHUgH33htVMYuk9GfWiym/s1600/achievement_unlocked.png" height="138" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This year (how<i>ever</i> did you guess?) the challenge was Radler. Needless to say (but I'm sayin' anyway) brewers and attendees took the idea and ran with it, resulting in everything from The Kernel's 1.5% ABV Lime Radler to De Molen's 11.8% "Imperial" Radler with Amarena, and from <a href="http://www.gueuzerietilquin.be/nl/" target="_blank">Toccalmato</a>'s on-the-spot infusions with lemon, over Brekeriet's rhubarb sour all the way to <a href="http://brouwerijhetuiltje.nl/" target="_blank">Het Uiltje</a>'s G&T infused radler.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Now quit yer whinin'.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRnT04Lj8JDeq-ZQqpwWCu0TkSrCScu5JVXnXLI-htUb7Vkbi4QLL68GrYO-R1e5PVc8c0qD1RKsoG3ezzNN7Cwyu20DLFcfVW701aqBp7XDIJxXeor2oWcXk3eg_s_SDrCbiaTSlXARQA/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRnT04Lj8JDeq-ZQqpwWCu0TkSrCScu5JVXnXLI-htUb7Vkbi4QLL68GrYO-R1e5PVc8c0qD1RKsoG3ezzNN7Cwyu20DLFcfVW701aqBp7XDIJxXeor2oWcXk3eg_s_SDrCbiaTSlXARQA/s1600/download.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and have a Radler.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<hr />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Interlude's over</b></div>
<hr style="text-align: center;" />
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
BeerBert, who loves his blacks and no that's not a poltically incorrect statement <i>at all</i> thank you very much, brought over a rapid succession of impy stouts and the likes. <b><a href="http://www.magicrockbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Magic Rock</a></b>'s <i style="font-weight: bold;">BA Bearded Lady</i> was nice and smooth, and also not a radler, and <b>Het Uiltje</b>'s <b><i>Meneer de Uil Bowmore</i></b> was very, <i>very</i> Bowmore-ish, which, while a good thing in my opinion, was not to everyone's taste: big and ashy and very assertive.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
From there on, things escalated, and some of the more heavy-handed brews entered into the picture. <b><a href="http://www.brouwerijdemolen.nl/" target="_blank">De Molen</a></b> are known for plus-size brews, and we had the intriguing <i style="font-weight: bold;">Vlees&Bloed</i>, with <i>fleur de sel, </i>habanero and heather honey. Immensely rewarding brew: full and fleshy, with none of the components ever outshining the other: a pinch of salt to fatten the body, a meaty undercurrent of habaneros and just enough honey to make it luxurious. A meal, including appetisers and desserts, in a glass.<br />
The <i style="font-weight: bold;">Hel&Verdoemenis Wild Turkey Eisbock</i> is nothing shy of a miracle. The WT edition of the H&V is already immensely drinkable, but the eisbock version is ridiculously delicious, and dangerously drinkable at 20%ABV. Definitely one of the best eisbocks I ever tasted.<br />
For comparison's sake, I hauled ass to <b><a href="http://www.emelisse.nl/brouwerij" target="_blank">Emelisse</a></b>'s stall and fetched me a sample of their <b><i>XXV</i>, </b>a 25% ABV eisbocked black&tan, which, while still an impressive beast of a brew, was really really boozy and a bit of a throat burner. Much more macho than the WT H&V.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
One of the ladies present asked me (of all people) what she should have, and since she apologetically confirmed the stereotype that ladies prefer sweet beers, <i>and</i> expressed an interest in barley wines, I pointed her to De Molen's stall again, with instructions to order the <i style="font-weight: bold;">Prachtig&Machtig</i>, a collaboration brew with Emelisse. While none of our group really likes barley wines, this one was unanimously declared spectactular. Yes, it's sweet, but heavens does it have oodles of flavour as well! It's really one of those beers that make you reconsider your opinions and prejudices, and again confirms the fact that <a href="http://youtu.be/S2dsGxIryoA" target="_blank">Kees & Menno</a> have their shit together.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVGqiFdQRyq_DiJ9GIbSR_NlmEA9tdq7VYfzvuajhtiaFhF6jDMUuea0zaBrH8vHM6Btpw6KS9i92ANGsnSxVgQACVItBlIGS09x0ztD67gZ8MeMqMUDUueZ0uXN18IHZTmiarYThvNUuF/s1600/get-your-shit-together_o_1110775.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVGqiFdQRyq_DiJ9GIbSR_NlmEA9tdq7VYfzvuajhtiaFhF6jDMUuea0zaBrH8vHM6Btpw6KS9i92ANGsnSxVgQACVItBlIGS09x0ztD67gZ8MeMqMUDUueZ0uXN18IHZTmiarYThvNUuF/s1600/get-your-shit-together_o_1110775.jpg" height="320" width="314" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not an actual picture of Menno&Kees' shit.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Further descent into stout madness yielded Emelisse's <i style="font-weight: bold;">Aceto Balsamico</i>, which was interesting but kinda confirmed my suspicion that acetic flavour work well in salads and British chips, but not so much in beer.<br />
Last year's wonderboys <a href="http://www.laugarbrewery.com/" target="_blank"><b>Laugar</b> </a>were back with their awesome <i><b>Aupa Tovarish</b> </i>which once again did not disappoint. Their <i style="font-weight: bold;">Aizkolari Crowbeer</i> however was not something we were fond of: a "Belgian strong ale" which reminded me a bit of <i>Delirium Tremens</i> in its expressive yeastiness. Quite likely a good example of the style, but nonetheless a style I don't quite fancy.<br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;">Hell & Zombier</i>, a collab brew between De Molen and brewer-beerseller <a href="http://zombier.es/" target="_blank">Zombier</a>, was a huge coffee bomb, and possibly one of the most intensely coffee-flavoured coffee stouts I have ever tasted.<br />
<b>Närke</b>'s <i style="font-weight: bold;">Skvat Galen</i> was brought out at some point, re-emphasising the simple fact that I don't really like gruit beers, and that perhaps the sweet gale is partly to blame for that. Objectively, this was a good example of a gruit/herb beer, but subjectively, I was put off by the combination of sweet/malty and the herbal taste of the gale.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
One thing which struck me quite a few times: IPAs and festivals are not the insta-win I'd pictured them to be. Sure, the hops will clamorously announce themselves, no matter what (or how much) you've tasted before, but all the subtlety and, well, greatness layered on by all that hoppiness sort of blends together in a uniform, nondescript "yeah it's an IPA" kinda way.<br />
From <b>Magic Rock</b>'s <i style="font-weight: bold;">Cannonball</i> all the way to <b>The Kernel</b>'s <i style="font-weight: bold;">IPA</i> (I forget but I though it was Simcoe, Columbus and something else): none of them were allowed to shine in the presence of all these other flavours.<br />
I'm sure somewhere out there, a self-help guide(*) exists which lines all these things out, but I suspect next time I'd better start with IPAs, and go from there, rather than mix them between the lot as I go along. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWS2GOQzmFgk0kQJg0hGvJL1qwxVnXeouj1Msj7MmMVdLsbNTWwNA4zxeFDjPHb8okkFYrFYy1yb_SzwaMp40dVbJg42QsjmXvZ-8Mk57mF4t1niR4xj_3e9hY5VgiHJiro7Kx8xxkGqo/s1600/download+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWS2GOQzmFgk0kQJg0hGvJL1qwxVnXeouj1Msj7MmMVdLsbNTWwNA4zxeFDjPHb8okkFYrFYy1yb_SzwaMp40dVbJg42QsjmXvZ-8Mk57mF4t1niR4xj_3e9hY5VgiHJiro7Kx8xxkGqo/s1600/download+(1).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">*) Oh look. It does.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
In spite of my lack of appreciation for the IPAs on offer, a couple of exceptional ales did bring a smile to my face. <b>The Kernel</b> brought a truly spectactular <i style="font-weight: bold;">Columbus pale ale</i> which somehow made much more of an impression that their IPA. Columbus is a great hops even by its lonely self, and this beer proved both that, and the fact that yes, hoppy beers can stand up to the onslaught of bizarre and strong flavours of such a festival setting.<br />
The Kernel guys once again proved themselves to be amiable fellows, brimming with enthusiasm and a love for brewing, beer and consumers alike. Also, Toby took great care to explain to me the difference between being drunk(*) and "<i>so excited I really need to hold on to this tent pole</i>" which I'm sure will be a great leverage tool in future discussions with him.</div>
<div>
<div>
<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">*) all jest and slander aside, he wasn't drunk. No really he wasn't. Just very excited.</span></i></div>
</div>
<div>
<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
Another IPA-related brew which did stand out was a trio of Japanese fruit-brews brought along by <b><a href="http://eviltwin.dk/" target="_blank">Evil Twin</a></b>. I had the <i style="font-weight: bold;">Femme Yuzu, </i>an all-Brett IPA, flavoured with yuzu juice. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3dV1pIGUPvRA0z6eGdfEhiTaJC9ILGE0jvbTAEgy2hUVZDbYfeQCDqLMAO_1c5IoX_XdXwo_2t6kuDAkp5h_dBt3qqK2R08pNt0awa9vNEQ7fzBmF2LCO9omNliHK0G9BqEd7QigoiEah/s1600/japanese-yuzu_0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3dV1pIGUPvRA0z6eGdfEhiTaJC9ILGE0jvbTAEgy2hUVZDbYfeQCDqLMAO_1c5IoX_XdXwo_2t6kuDAkp5h_dBt3qqK2R08pNt0awa9vNEQ7fzBmF2LCO9omNliHK0G9BqEd7QigoiEah/s1600/japanese-yuzu_0001.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lemon-quince hybrid basterdised by pumpkin mongrel. Yummy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Not an IPA in the traditional sense at all (De Molen brought a series of fruit-based IPAs as well so maybe this really is the future of IPA), this reminded me more of a fruit-based sour saison. Very fresh and tart, refreshing and slightly puckering, but really really tasty. Frank had their <i style="font-weight: bold;">Nomad Weisse</i> which was likewise fresh and tart, but didn't really make much of an impression.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Last in line of the new wave of British ales was the most unassuming brew of the festival. Seemingly lost between the huge 30-tap stall of De Molen and Burning Sky's huge horizontal plywood menu-counter, was <b>Gadds' Ramsgate Brewery</b>. Almost apologetically, the couple manning the tap (sorry folks, I missed your names) explained how they brew classic UK ales (including a <i>boring old brown</i>), and that they'd only brought their <i style="font-weight: bold;">Green Hop Ale</i> which was all about fresh green East Kent Goldings hops. The end of September is a great time to be serving fresh hops beers, even if perhaps the greenness of the hops only arguably adds to the flavour of the beer. This one tasted clearly of EKG, which happens to be one of my favourite hops, given its ability to outshine even the most clamorously balls-to-the-wall hops from the States, when used properly. While I liked the Green Hop Ale, it suffered a bit from non-optimal cask conditions (which they warned me about in advance and apologised for profusely): it was flat, even beyond the stereotype of UK-beer-as-seen-by-continentals, and the aromas were decidedly unconventional (read: <i>normal</i>) for a festival like Borefts. I felt for them, as they'd clearly made an effort to brew a very solid ESB, which, sadly, is easy to dismiss out of hand when overshadowed by such noisy neighbours. </div>
<div>
Kudos for bringing the only "normal" beer to the festival, extra kudos for using <i>plain old</i> EKG, even more kudos for bringing a real cask and bonus kudos for scoring 9 on the BABSAS and not even being vaguely Scandinavian.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
What else? What else....memory is a fickle thing once Borefts reaches the 5:00 PM mark, but I distinctly remember <b>Rocket Brewing</b>'s <b><i>Supernova</i>, </b>a Flemish Brown which tasted (I suspect unintentionally) like pork sausage.<br />
<br />
Oh and I had my first <i>ever </i><b><i>Berliner Weisse, </i></b>expertly brewed and poured by <b>Brasserie du Mont Salève</b>. Theirs was perhaps the most varied collection of brews (a smoked IPA! a BA rye porter! a gentian gruit!), and since I have a medical condition called <i>chronic indeciciveness</i>, I let the head brewer decide. Their Berliner weisse really blew me away, and was perhaps the singlemost outstanding(*) brew of the festival as far as I'm concerned. Brewed with a sour mash comprising the totality of the mashed grains, this beer was fresh and lactic, with a vast array of subtle wild flavours lurking underneath the tartness. It reminded me a lot of my own attempt at brewing a sour gose (brewsflash imminent), albeit much more skillfully executed than my own sour wort experiment. Duh.<br />
Really, if I could take home one single brew of this festival, it would be this one. The Kernel's <i>Raspberry sour</i> is a close second.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*) the concept of <i>outstanding</i> requires a new definition when mentioned in the context of Borefts. Perhaps it means nothing more than <i>"I can still taste it, in a good way, even though I think fondly of all those other brews"</i></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Borefts 2014 was a blast. We had great weather, great fun and great beers. The community spirit, the <i>sharing vibe</i> and the ceaseless "<i>What's that you're having ooh and have a sip of this</i>", all of that and more is what makes me yearn for the last weekend of September 2015 already.<br />
<br />
Until then,<br />
<br />
Greetz<br />
<br />
Jo<br />
<br />
Oh. Almost forgot.</div>
<div>
For future reference and scientific purposes manifold, here are the individual brewers' BABSAS ratings. Some were lucky and escaped the social pressure of having to taste it, but they won't get away so easily next time.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Närke crew: 9</b></div>
<div>
<b>Brekeriet boys: 5 <span style="font-size: xx-small;">with a hint of 9</span></b></div>
<div>
<b>Burning Sky: 9 <span style="font-size: xx-small;">and are as Scandinavian as Ploughman's Lunch. So yay.</span></b></div>
<div>
<b>Emelisse: 6 <span style="font-size: xx-small;">and added "no really"</span></b></div>
<div>
<b>The Kernel: 7 <span style="font-size: xx-small;">but Evin actually ditched whatever he was having at the time in favour of an entire glass of mine yay!</span></b></div>
<div>
<b>Mont Salève: 5 <span style="font-size: xx-small;">mais peut-être j'avais mal expliqué</span></b></div>
<div>
<b>De Bierderie(°): 8 <span style="font-size: xx-small;">and gave me a bottle of <i>Mirjam</i> in exchange</span></b></div>
<div>
<b>Menno: 10<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> which is somehow not as impressive as it looks</span></b></div>
<div>
Ah...Menno. </div>
<div>
Menno<b> </b>took a sip, and proclaimed "Ah that's not Sahti" with his lips still wet. Too little juniper character, too much yeast. All true, and even though he's hardly Finnish, I reckon he was, like myself, disappointed by the lack of oomph of this brew. Knowing Menno's brews, any Sahti coming his way would definitely have to be more, well, <i>more</i> in order to impress(*). It needs more of the <i>essence</i> of Sahti, and definitely could use some exaggeration. Ah well...there's always next time.<br />
Also, this means the BABSAS is the only scientific scale where 10 means both "Menno approves" <i>and "</i>Menno was not impressed". In a weird way, that's all the encouragement this particular homebrewer needs at the moment.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*) Mind, my goal was not to impress but yeah, impressing Menno would have been great.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">°) more news on Mirjam later but thanks to Dagmar for her ceaseless PR endeavours. May they odds be ever in your favour.</span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01143877602262019920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281950320075665382.post-77547406071203827062014-09-23T05:59:00.000-07:002014-09-23T06:24:45.191-07:00HoppySlosh brews: Sahti<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A long overdue update, for which (*) I humbly apologise.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*) for it being overdue, that is. Not for the update itself. Duh.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
These past few months have been rather busy, with much brewing and tasting and a couple of beery events surreptitiously trying to intertwine with my everyday activities, insofar as those don't already center around beer.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvlzuds-GXahfQ7CaxUk2PaFWwDLe1K_IljDKO1ayd9CouwB0AUu3L_HbnukT6gRwFM3r1dQW_zAafYLA1F_nmmz5E3o5-3EmvnezUSQBZ1PxUgnx-GKPRIQ3-_Dpncs4FTPTbJdCzrhXC/s1600/homer_simpson_beer.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvlzuds-GXahfQ7CaxUk2PaFWwDLe1K_IljDKO1ayd9CouwB0AUu3L_HbnukT6gRwFM3r1dQW_zAafYLA1F_nmmz5E3o5-3EmvnezUSQBZ1PxUgnx-GKPRIQ3-_Dpncs4FTPTbJdCzrhXC/s1600/homer_simpson_beer.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...such as dreaming of beer...</td></tr>
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One little project I embarked on was the brewing of <b>sahti</b>. This almost extinct Finnish beer style is a remnant of the days when literally everyone knew how to brew beer, despite knowing hardly jack shit about how brewing beer actually works. Quaint rural brewing practices, still unhindered by scientific knowledge, form the basis of this empiric, and nigh-on disappeared beer style.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLRfvYfk7zktL2Qhv_79DQaqX-7iKCq5oPpssQR9X5T4kc0Hob-Sd9Nsx3JSX3OKRyosX8Ae564ZfPhquDC6V_1MkdSWn4zXKMzKT8P_bWQPHlRRAweX37qv4gc0-hWOQOtKAC7OsoupPg/s1600/finland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLRfvYfk7zktL2Qhv_79DQaqX-7iKCq5oPpssQR9X5T4kc0Hob-Sd9Nsx3JSX3OKRyosX8Ae564ZfPhquDC6V_1MkdSWn4zXKMzKT8P_bWQPHlRRAweX37qv4gc0-hWOQOtKAC7OsoupPg/s1600/finland.jpg" height="191" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finland has it all.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Sahti, then, is a primitive country beer, historically brewed by Finnish farmers using whatever they had lying about the place (not unlike saison in that regard) but typically including a hefty dose of rye malt.<br />
More importnant than its malt composition, however, is the use of juniper during the lautering(*), in the form of berries, branches and needles. The idea is to use the piney fragrant branches to serve as a filtering aid.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*) <i>lautering</i>, you ignoramuses, is fancy brew speak and entails the recirculation of the turbid wort through the mash grain, which serves as a filter to clarify it.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
<br />
Juniper (aka <i>Juniperus communis)</i>, I am sad to report, is a protected species in this part of the world, but apparently it's free-range in parts of France, where my inlaws, assisited by a local friendly couple, were able to score me a box of fresh twigs.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBpZJlyrbw7Yh75jz5wqkw32NPBceReiB-UTw8CwkANJA-Lp1WMRAl9E2yUofLPSyzJDdmMkbsey0BuX6UuKjjwo6u_MWDUmHu2u5jWOenVzWRK73gYUXw-t3MEoM3RjUvM4c3OZWivt0/s1600/sahti7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBpZJlyrbw7Yh75jz5wqkw32NPBceReiB-UTw8CwkANJA-Lp1WMRAl9E2yUofLPSyzJDdmMkbsey0BuX6UuKjjwo6u_MWDUmHu2u5jWOenVzWRK73gYUXw-t3MEoM3RjUvM4c3OZWivt0/s1600/sahti7.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Juniperus <i>communis</i> in hic arca.</td></tr>
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<br />
No web article about sahti is complete unless it features that picture of the headless, feetless Fin pouring his mash on top of a layer of fresh juniper twigs, into a hand-made hollowed-out log...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWffNJKG6Pup1xLYXpre4pqy2sbRNIduTynOcK49UN32-ZeaSaODp9VHlY35AXKR48Z4Zqc1w997y9WjF50kdFDmYRzEcTvZbh3pBhYImlstLh4vPOB0g4w8hV1e8_d-4OwvVGazsxNXQc/s1600/kuurna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWffNJKG6Pup1xLYXpre4pqy2sbRNIduTynOcK49UN32-ZeaSaODp9VHlY35AXKR48Z4Zqc1w997y9WjF50kdFDmYRzEcTvZbh3pBhYImlstLh4vPOB0g4w8hV1e8_d-4OwvVGazsxNXQc/s1600/kuurna.jpg" height="220" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...called a <i>kuurna</i></td></tr>
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The idea is simple and self-evident: the twigs in the <i>kuurna </i>not only<i> </i>serve as a filter, but at the same time impart a resiny juniper flavour to the wort.<br />
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First things first: I mashed my grist (60% Pale malt, 25% munich and 15% rye malt) with water in which I'd steeped those same branches which would later filter my wort.. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX9bzXuWsiXDI-d9UIERHlk0g4qbvmki99O0zb4NrMl9hos4fI81dzCRfNd-PiAUrMXvp-o8IofWKeEJ4KkBiD89OVX5NGE3ER4gCj9CbIh9l_pR0iINQDclSW3ztiCF1uHg5WpKTX4AZ6/s1600/sahti6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX9bzXuWsiXDI-d9UIERHlk0g4qbvmki99O0zb4NrMl9hos4fI81dzCRfNd-PiAUrMXvp-o8IofWKeEJ4KkBiD89OVX5NGE3ER4gCj9CbIh9l_pR0iINQDclSW3ztiCF1uHg5WpKTX4AZ6/s1600/sahti6.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Berries included.</td></tr>
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While the mash was underway, I layered the twigs onto the false bottom of my highly sophisticated Double Bucket Mash Filter Gizmo Thingy (TM pending), onto which I dumped the mash.</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOf988fX_IITlK1hNw1d_oU2LOeDGrwPr-DSoHVVPvLs3Oi2vsT7kSUxHtCG1sVlnPLlo3WUaxE07GUDUYAcBLMIXcw7x66b6zObmW0E4RegzG3C0MfGr2pkslHvuBXzkMAzxYD_1JNBqp/s1600/sahti2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOf988fX_IITlK1hNw1d_oU2LOeDGrwPr-DSoHVVPvLs3Oi2vsT7kSUxHtCG1sVlnPLlo3WUaxE07GUDUYAcBLMIXcw7x66b6zObmW0E4RegzG3C0MfGr2pkslHvuBXzkMAzxYD_1JNBqp/s1600/sahti2.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">21st century <i>kuurna's</i> are made of white plastic though.</td></tr>
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Now a word on rye.</div>
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It's a bitch.</div>
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No lacing it: rye is a bitch to lauter and sparge(*) because it forms the gummiest, stuckest filter bed since the invention of the verb "to stick".</div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> *) sparging is more confusing brewspeak for "rinsing the mash to extract more awesome from the grist".</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
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Good thing I had plenty of other things to do inside the house because the sparge took literally forever (°). And it was raining.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCfbIW7_yyF7nQuZzK2YDNzD1xWBB09T7-wxMKom13-0R-6wfYTm8PBZ7abt8bWJ7hV6N_sFMv5ghJfq3m8UwSOJB-A3CT22_JXpmKnfJplO7enMNQdlH7YDoGl8_5bYCoptEHNii4Pcp/s1600/sahti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCfbIW7_yyF7nQuZzK2YDNzD1xWBB09T7-wxMKom13-0R-6wfYTm8PBZ7abt8bWJ7hV6N_sFMv5ghJfq3m8UwSOJB-A3CT22_JXpmKnfJplO7enMNQdlH7YDoGl8_5bYCoptEHNii4Pcp/s1600/sahti.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sparging at a milliliter per minute or so</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">°) Well, no, not <i>literally</i> forever otherwise I'd still be sitting there waiting for it to finish and you wouldn't be reading about how long it took since it would still be busy taking literally forever.</span><br />
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Eventually, I collected about 3 gallons of turbid(*) wort, 30 gravitiy point shy of my 1.100 goal (°).<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> *) since sahti is traditionally a cloudy drink, that didn't bother me none.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">°) That's 1.070 in case you're confused by now</span><br />
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Besides the juniper-kuurna-shennannigans, sahti is known for two other things. The first is anathema to most brewers (and beers alike): no boiling.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VW8Zy_I_vqdZiI20ML9IHReh_yBefdTuSLIitMmDsXBFMhTmnECnVrd3SHsmQUbyfreaRyrRNz9gbUiBfRcdoJ8ybTU0By1FoBnFaOhKlbE8V0qgLYE4ktxH-HClu66HTe9Eky26u_bt/s1600/ANATHEMA_0803_2014_credit_Scarlet_Page.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VW8Zy_I_vqdZiI20ML9IHReh_yBefdTuSLIitMmDsXBFMhTmnECnVrd3SHsmQUbyfreaRyrRNz9gbUiBfRcdoJ8ybTU0By1FoBnFaOhKlbE8V0qgLYE4ktxH-HClu66HTe9Eky26u_bt/s1600/ANATHEMA_0803_2014_credit_Scarlet_Page.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Like I'm going to spoil the opportunity to show you what Anathema looks like these days...</td></tr>
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No boiling means traditional sahti is meant to be drunk fresh and fast (yeah, vikings don't drink slowly but at least their brew is fresh). Since I didn't fancy quaffing 3 gallons of strong weird beer all by myself, I decided to flip the bird to tradition and do short, 15 minute boil with a handful of saaz hops for sanitary reasons. Tossed in a handful of dried juniper berries for good measure.</div>
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Cooled to tolerable levels and then pitched. </div>
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With bread yeast.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbHIN4gNbscv_XHPbhWtvhkvYoaniHbglqkKlxmq7DQ-2R6GE5otCIPtV4tJMqDJjtXsTo_loL13JXCo_DHRIWaXVkmkVTCvNgkvMtGKbfzJhxkA6CwrZeUEJCIx53tfzsh3oxyoZejMDc/s1600/P1010043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbHIN4gNbscv_XHPbhWtvhkvYoaniHbglqkKlxmq7DQ-2R6GE5otCIPtV4tJMqDJjtXsTo_loL13JXCo_DHRIWaXVkmkVTCvNgkvMtGKbfzJhxkA6CwrZeUEJCIx53tfzsh3oxyoZejMDc/s1600/P1010043.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...which, I hasten to add, I did <b>not </b>dissove in milk first<br />
Pic not mine.</td></tr>
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Fermentating with bread yeast is another quirk which sets the sahti brewer apart from his peers. Although it could be debated how likely it would be for 16th century Fins to have a steady supply of beer yeast cubes, I can agree with the idea (or at least the spirit) of using bread-related fermenting agents, rather than, say, leftover sahti.</div>
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Without putting up more pics of scouser post doom metal bands: brewing with baker's yeast is also anathema and very much frowned upon, even among home brewers. However, since brewer's yeast and baker's yeast are both essentially the same genus <i>and </i>species (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), there's absolutely no reason other than the strictly brew-technical why you couldn't brew with either.</div>
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Baker's yeast ferments swiftly, vigorously and Fragrantly, with fenolic whiffs of banana and clove wafting from the airlock. A bit like a <i>hefe</i> going postal.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgznde0Szr9GM9QJESW9PDdbUje_aNad40p2QrTWS3ST-5ZAAXhyphenhyphenSmqVahNKllQSln6Mmmlx70W83sp_PxBZQrhXUCan0briiHMZ2aDVRMiJP2jC-uKnaWcU0naa7TXqkS1qLcKa79ZFguo/s1600/sahti5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgznde0Szr9GM9QJESW9PDdbUje_aNad40p2QrTWS3ST-5ZAAXhyphenhyphenSmqVahNKllQSln6Mmmlx70W83sp_PxBZQrhXUCan0briiHMZ2aDVRMiJP2jC-uKnaWcU0naa7TXqkS1qLcKa79ZFguo/s1600/sahti5.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From 1.070 to 1.010 in three days.<br />
Showoff.</td></tr>
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The resulting beer is flat, and intended to be drunk as such. Ideally scooped directly from the fermenting bucket, however I decided to bottle anyway.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0H1WkMIPGvIa4uygH0DjdYRKa-Gk9XscvWWI4L6bITWoSzNEw4t7XImUwlld9VQKIcrqhKXWl3DokJtMzXJW9qip9u_S-pTDO4EG6WW0xuFsViSumXlvuHlbw6yFB7EnYOxceyV3OGpTj/s1600/sahti4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0H1WkMIPGvIa4uygH0DjdYRKa-Gk9XscvWWI4L6bITWoSzNEw4t7XImUwlld9VQKIcrqhKXWl3DokJtMzXJW9qip9u_S-pTDO4EG6WW0xuFsViSumXlvuHlbw6yFB7EnYOxceyV3OGpTj/s1600/sahti4.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cloudy, with a chance of beer.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="text-align: center;">An 8% ABV semi-authentic Scandinavian herb brew, in just over three days. Not too shabby.</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">But what's it taste like?</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;">Well, honestly, even though I quite like it, it's nowhere near as special as I'd imagined it. Sure, it's cloudy and flat, and smells strongly of yeasty phenolics (specifically ripe banana), but the juniper is somewhat disappointingly subdued. There's a slight zip of resins way at the back of the finish, but without a heads-up, you'd never tell it's a juniper brew.</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">My guess is that the branches were either not "in season" (meaning they weren't fragrant enough yet) or they were the wrong variety after all. If you scroll up again to the pic of the headless feetless <i>kuurna</i> guy, you'll notice his twigs are not only a different shade of green, but also morphologically different. My guess is he's using the <i>viginiana </i>variety, which is native to North America, and which I presume is more piney, seeing as how much more coniferous it is than its <i>communis</i> cousin.</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">All that being said: this was a fun beer to brew. Not only do I like its oddball character, I also like many of the archaic techniques that comprise its brewing process. While perhaps not very special flavour-wise, the result is tasty enough for me to want to improve on it.</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">Definitely something I'll try again, possibly in the shape of a spruce or pine beer.</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">Until then,</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">Greetz</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">Jo, who will do his best not to take so long between blog updates anymore</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01143877602262019920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281950320075665382.post-90220266727687249762014-04-01T05:36:00.000-07:002014-04-01T05:36:28.692-07:00Brewsflash<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
March already nearly gone and not a blog entry in sight. Have no fear, beergeeks of the world, a long-due update is here at last!<br />
<br />
The past month has been rather busy, with a bunch of brews and other beery events in swift succession. A short (ahem) recap is in order.<br />
<br />
The Emelisse crew hosted a get-together-again for the lucky attendees of their earlier first edition of HomeBrewDay. Yours Truly attended the former as well as the latter, and was rewarded with not only 20 liters of Emelisse IPA wort, to ferment at his own leisure and in the comfort of his own home/brewery, but also with the scoring of a few new beery acquaintainces. Homebrewers are a jovial lot, and both days were a hit as far as I'm concerned.<br />
I did some pretty left-field experiments with Kees' beer, adding citrus peel and ginger in secondary for one batch, and Thai herbs&spices for another.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkOtfNurLmin4tYIExW0kaqeUac0NLCi3yte_onXxWv4pc1n22q_QNt91Fqba3gaPhbrwH1xA3ieeur1cIEQFdDlSPEfFIwu9rTJgCBqwbQEwxshMTiwBB4nOt-DJSB-NRmFiArW2FE7uI/s1600/1558538_790280477653045_1253160476_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkOtfNurLmin4tYIExW0kaqeUac0NLCi3yte_onXxWv4pc1n22q_QNt91Fqba3gaPhbrwH1xA3ieeur1cIEQFdDlSPEfFIwu9rTJgCBqwbQEwxshMTiwBB4nOt-DJSB-NRmFiArW2FE7uI/s1600/1558538_790280477653045_1253160476_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brewing with veggies. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Neither brew ended up entirely drinkable (*) but at least I learned a thing or two about whacky ingredients in beer.<br />
In case you're wondering, a third batch is still chewing on that pomegranate you see on the right. More news on that one if I ever got to bottle it.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*) which is BrewSpeak for "entirely undrinkable". As in "dishwasher fluid".</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
While we're on the subject of brewing disasters: that <i>kagami biraki</i> brew I've been meaning to serve the dudes and dudettes at Honbu Dojo is another dud. A loud, smelly and blisteringly bitter dud, but a dud nonetheless. My hefeweizen yeast, which was less than enthusiastic during primary fermentation, refused to impart any hefe-qualities to the brew, so it ended up thin, watery and decidedly off-center where hops are concerned. It might still mellow out eventually, but there's no way I'm serving that at the dojo, lest I turn them all off of beer forever. I'll need to come up with another brew if I'm ever to be taken seriously again whenever I invoke BrewDay as an excuse to miss training, but I've an idea or two. More news if and when.<br />
<br />
What with all the brew mishaps happening lately, I rallied BeerBert and BeerFrank and together, we entered the Brouwland Competition. Our entry will be a saison which we soured prior to primary fermentation using a specially selected Lactobacillus started.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_MFNuCTQDQX3VV4fDbs5BR9UN86afI3NLcGI-_Rt0OL7JcZUol8qdus72_9BezcOfjXHZuS-DTigSX5Mx8-dox7bA7ZoLn4Mvku-9x7z19lOLROwsC3YStLwY_4krkTSMNisBOttj_OS/s1600/cantillon-1138-0001-009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_MFNuCTQDQX3VV4fDbs5BR9UN86afI3NLcGI-_Rt0OL7JcZUol8qdus72_9BezcOfjXHZuS-DTigSX5Mx8-dox7bA7ZoLn4Mvku-9x7z19lOLROwsC3YStLwY_4krkTSMNisBOttj_OS/s1600/cantillon-1138-0001-009.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By which I mean we poured in a bottle of geuze.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's ready to be bottled now, and it's looking very promising. Apples, and a bit of vinous complexity not unreminiscent of Flemish old brown ales, coupled with a mild but very present tartness make this a brew I really look forward to brewing again, even if it never wins a prize. Which I'm hoping it will though.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZN7lTnCGzd3q75FWWdOBb6sMYgNK7ZYMZgIJxYRqNqLYdtyh1MehvHc-M3sK7NKQ4g5YQBZ-gsH4RcxHinWtkhOhMhg12Inp96dTVw6ofWYbVzermHb4MwE6OBW49FD4xsAws6dTYy8zN/s1600/1898286_807116435969449_1523737548_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZN7lTnCGzd3q75FWWdOBb6sMYgNK7ZYMZgIJxYRqNqLYdtyh1MehvHc-M3sK7NKQ4g5YQBZ-gsH4RcxHinWtkhOhMhg12Inp96dTVw6ofWYbVzermHb4MwE6OBW49FD4xsAws6dTYy8zN/s1600/1898286_807116435969449_1523737548_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wort souring. Note the presence of wild <i>kraüsen</i>, <br />
also known as "infernal spawn of evil". </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We brewed this one in the morning (the wort had to sour for a few days before we could boil it) so we had time for another brew. Veyversleyck version 2.0 will be a bit beefier than the one I brewed last year, with more focus on the (deliberately mucky) mud-colour and a bit more hop-centeredness. Pacific Jade is still there, this time joined by its granddaughter Waimea. Shoudl be ready for secondary any day now, altough the main reason it's still sitting on the yeast is a sudden shortage in fermentation vessels which I hope to remedy someday soon.<br />
<br />
Also nearing the end of primary is a SMaSH (*) beer using second generation saison yeast and Summer hops. Smells promising already, although I'm not picking up any of the promised apricot/melon touches. Very curious as to how that one will turn out.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*) Single Malts and Single Hops. What it says really: a simple recipe with minimal ingredient complexity.</span><br />
<br />
Spring is showing its pale winter skin and all around shoots are sprouting.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjcpWU3AhvhAfABbuWFZLV5eRvkXFeXkb_ktZJRabfNPgq9fMT7WoWkLwYEG8dcHSt9RwWixnne0vZJt6JXfFiNZ_WQKUoHovzRi39anwy_GWM2GVn72IQJdUzIRWezxdguSNEl9poDq9A/s1600/1958338_818005014880591_461507468_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjcpWU3AhvhAfABbuWFZLV5eRvkXFeXkb_ktZJRabfNPgq9fMT7WoWkLwYEG8dcHSt9RwWixnne0vZJt6JXfFiNZ_WQKUoHovzRi39anwy_GWM2GVn72IQJdUzIRWezxdguSNEl9poDq9A/s1600/1958338_818005014880591_461507468_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meantime Hops-in-a-Box finally showing their true colour.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Spring also saw yours truly and the Missus visiting London again, where a visit to the Kernel proved incompatible with British Airways' Hand Luggage Only policy.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-wJs9RJCYvctWaglPzSybq-aJd4CJE0JqCuh_7jCI3sPU3zod5KjGUS8tReJ-_TzAlamRdHHpATJ-ym1jNE6ldeuHCCU-oDN6oFEfmOsAhiqiFK0FiHJf4WPTPSyXqPHFjNOmi__PDvhv/s1600/1975193_814217871925972_937601382_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-wJs9RJCYvctWaglPzSybq-aJd4CJE0JqCuh_7jCI3sPU3zod5KjGUS8tReJ-_TzAlamRdHHpATJ-ym1jNE6ldeuHCCU-oDN6oFEfmOsAhiqiFK0FiHJf4WPTPSyXqPHFjNOmi__PDvhv/s1600/1975193_814217871925972_937601382_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thank you, terrorists of all and any presuasion, for not yet being caught with explosives in 100ml bottles <br />
or I'd never have got this one across the Channel.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The guys and girls at the Kernel are absolute darlings, and their beers are by for the most impressive UK brews I've tasted so far, so if you're around, stop by to say hello and have a brew. I had their barrel aged saison (which tasted suspiciously like what I had in mind for our competition brew but I'm trying to think of that as a good thing) and their brown ale, both of which were yum, but it was the Polaris pale ale which really blew me away. Definitely a hops I need to get to know and brew a few beers with.<br />
<br />
March also saw me adding another 1 to my age, an event which was celebrated with food and beer and, most importantly, friends. Say what you will of beer but once enjoyed, it's gone. Friends, when well cared for, are forever. Thanks, y'all!<br />
<br />
Greetz<br />
<br />
Jo<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01143877602262019920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281950320075665382.post-81622013324367813782014-02-05T02:59:00.001-08:002014-02-05T02:59:46.153-08:00A brew or two<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Been far too long since I sipped a brew with a bro, so I invited BeerBert over for a chat and guess what? He brought beer :)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqXqhGLszl6OEKFsa0z20SJrjH4gfRd5pL-bydk2L7tdwWUXjWuc0JCBYLawXoO8bVH1GKpWtUcKAOwmbR2cqezFr_K_BhZAEmwp1BLB9U_tooN7Z9pH26140R28ofVtKskmBTZvbWuaYJ/s1600/p1140521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqXqhGLszl6OEKFsa0z20SJrjH4gfRd5pL-bydk2L7tdwWUXjWuc0JCBYLawXoO8bVH1GKpWtUcKAOwmbR2cqezFr_K_BhZAEmwp1BLB9U_tooN7Z9pH26140R28ofVtKskmBTZvbWuaYJ/s1600/p1140521.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This beer. <br />Pic not mine cuz I forgot to take one.<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Préaris is the flagship brew of <a href="http://www.prearis.be/" target="_blank"><i>Het Vliegende Paard</i></a>, a new-and-coming brewery who started making a name for themselves after winning the Brouwland Homebrew Competition in 2011. Since then, things have sped up a lot for them, and they've obviously been busy. Their brews can be found in quite a few drinks stores around the country, and although still far from widely known, they are rising from the murk of obscurity and seem to be settling into the furniture of Belgium's zythological sipping room.<br />The basic Préaris is a typical quad, with a bit of booze to carry a rich and spicy onslaught of malt. Very "Belgian" if such a thing exists, and although not my favourite style, it's still a very stylish brew.<br />
<br />
This <b>Préaris Grand Cru</b> rides the wave of barrel aging wich is finally reaching even the most obstinate of Belgian traditionalists. Over here, barrel aging is still mostly done only by wacky craft brewers, and only cautiously by the larger mainstreamers, but <i>Het Vliegende Paard</i> obviously saw the potential of the technique. For the 2012 edition, they used <i>Rémy Martin</i> cognac barrels in a very limited release of less than 2500 bottles.<br />
<br />
The beer pours nice and clean, deep mahogany with a tinge of red. Delicate off-white head which promptly succumbs to the alcohol, dwindling to a bit of lacing near the edges. In the nose, there's an immediate indulgence of milk chocolate with a splash of booze and woodsy vanilla. The cognac itself is delicately hidden, and while there's a trace of booze to be detected, it never gets thick and cloying like a boubon barrel often does.<br />
On the palate, all those highlights the nose detected make the rounds again, gracefully and balanced. Milk chocolate was my main impression, and the signature heavy spice of the quad genre was notable toned down, making this a very rewarding brew. Impressive, and I'll definitely pay more attention to what these guys come with next (wich is bourbon, apparently).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Next, I pulled out a sample of that <b><i>Kagami Biraki </i>brew</b> I didn't dare bring to the New Year's drink at the dojo as it wasn't quite ready yet. Turns out the hops have gone down a bit (which is rarely desirable but a good thing in this case) but are still too harsh to make the beer enjoyable. Also, the sluggishness of my yeast pitch seems to have made for an utter lack of banana-clove-esters which would have lifted the beer above its current state as "hop soup". So yes, I'm becoming disappointed with this beer, but I'm sure there's lessons to be learned so yay. Ish.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs1-T-S8RybYnnCVk3INFU_9AZoe6ijHcXHydilTB9mT3hnYGIOcKb5ucCMeJV1vg0TpYKIYaerAAEi01KYHa2YtTDYIRjjNIMIBcOI_xPYlrm561TQILqc6Lcz_YdA80IlSXXsjalYi56/s1600/clouds-silver-lining.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs1-T-S8RybYnnCVk3INFU_9AZoe6ijHcXHydilTB9mT3hnYGIOcKb5ucCMeJV1vg0TpYKIYaerAAEi01KYHa2YtTDYIRjjNIMIBcOI_xPYlrm561TQILqc6Lcz_YdA80IlSXXsjalYi56/s1600/clouds-silver-lining.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See that lining? That's what I'm talking about.<br />Pic again not my own since it was already dark outside and no a silver lining in sight.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Next up was a brew I got from my beer trade buddy Joan who sent me a crate of Catalan/Basque brews a while ago. So far, I've been cherrypicking the IPAs he sent me (which were pretty damn good actually), but have kept the darker stuff for occasions such as this, so out came this brew.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXlio95xcxaRcIG4uHtfqpzEMa5NO77jgXj2-sqa8-Fpt6endpvKVso6TUxT07T17OmvVGtJhKtTAmJkQ4dqS3dEb4lLY1ZS1Zo5O0Gqt-yaRMEgbrA5jcJ9fn9brHd0dr9cXqmN5leumI/s1600/1891247_798390696842023_1378384271_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXlio95xcxaRcIG4uHtfqpzEMa5NO77jgXj2-sqa8-Fpt6endpvKVso6TUxT07T17OmvVGtJhKtTAmJkQ4dqS3dEb4lLY1ZS1Zo5O0Gqt-yaRMEgbrA5jcJ9fn9brHd0dr9cXqmN5leumI/s1600/1891247_798390696842023_1378384271_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's what pics look like when processed by Instragram's Hop Filter.<br />Now you know why I rarely post my own.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If BeerBert looks a bit miffed to you on that pic, you're not mistaken: this was a weird brew alright.<br />
<a href="http://cervesareptilian.blogspot.be/" target="_blank"><i>Reptilian </i></a>is, if I'm to believe Joan, a homebrewer who brews what he can, when he can. So I'm guessing he contract brewed this on some else's rig, which is impressive and makes me just a little envious. <b>Cocoa's Dark Side </b>is a 5.2% chocolate stout and when I say chocolate I really do mean chocolate this time. The beer's so laden with cocoa it formed a film on the inside of my glass, with suspended cocoa dust particles visible in the beer itself. When poured, it <i>fizzed</i>. As if I'd poured a very dark brown beer on top of an Alka Seltzer. Not fifteen seconds later, the frothy head had disappeared entirely, revealing a murky brown surface with streaks of oily cocoa exudate doing beery impressions of the <i>Exxon Valdez</i>. Not a pleasant sight at all, and I'm not a fussy drinker when beer's concerned.<br />
The beer positively reeks of cocoa. There's bit of beer underneath which just about makes the grade, and if that were lacking, I could have thought is was a cocoa-based dairy beverage. Not so much bad as pretty weird and alienating. Which, all things considered, is a good thing.<br />
Sort of.<br />
In the mouth, the beer drowns in cocoa. You get a big, dense whoof of chocolatey one-direction-ness (no, not <i>that </i>one direction), and just when it could turn into a rewarding beer, it veers off the track and into the deep dark woods. There's an unpleasant iron tang of roast barley which, together with the chocolatey-but-not-quite-chocolate sensation of the cocoa gives the beer a thin and anaemic mouthfeel. The beer's quite flat, with all carbonation seemingly puffed out as once the beer hit the glass. A mildly unpleasant afterburn of something-or-other (I'm guessing yeast and maybe some hop bitterness) doesn't exactly invite one to take the next sip. Weirdly enough, there's Pacific Gem and Phoenix hops in the mix, neither of which ever step out. The beer could've been brewed with any old neutral hops and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.<br />
A disappointing beer, although bold in its ambitions and aspirations. It really does make me wonder if cocoa beer can be made to work at all. While I'm loathe to compare any beer to it because the comparison is invariably unfair, it does ring nasty echoes of that one time I dared to try the best known chocolate beer in the world.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIvqx6knjavPj8jUzxVNTFLTV6Z-vzLReafJe6BHK3XKm5FqlC74tbLGEfmRONpJAbyhV09nAM9Otnw3_FXinnK-6W5g-9b-kdacjK9O70yC7h6V2X7bGXb1NXV4O3DnypCtazvAhSFtCI/s1600/floris_chocolat_groot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIvqx6knjavPj8jUzxVNTFLTV6Z-vzLReafJe6BHK3XKm5FqlC74tbLGEfmRONpJAbyhV09nAM9Otnw3_FXinnK-6W5g-9b-kdacjK9O70yC7h6V2X7bGXb1NXV4O3DnypCtazvAhSFtCI/s1600/floris_chocolat_groot.jpg" height="312" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Shoggoth of all beers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
To finish on a more positive note, we dug up a bottle of this.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAwoZbVyzM48feqHb5Xo1eyyfJ1GaYqDeFJeQRZaMEQoGdRfad6mdJFKZw2YssMXYFqDDWyfCdoo15UqhTLfjbqfhNfR7OTKY8d-zNGYELNa1OYC32Oco0XeCrzxSNSrNz-W-AeGYk8pW3/s1600/1625667_798400716841021_925831698_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAwoZbVyzM48feqHb5Xo1eyyfJ1GaYqDeFJeQRZaMEQoGdRfad6mdJFKZw2YssMXYFqDDWyfCdoo15UqhTLfjbqfhNfR7OTKY8d-zNGYELNa1OYC32Oco0XeCrzxSNSrNz-W-AeGYk8pW3/s1600/1625667_798400716841021_925831698_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"You're sure this one doesn't have any cocoa in it? At all?"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
That's <a href="http://www.rooiedop.nl/" target="_blank"><i>Rooie Dop</i></a>'s <b>Double Oatmeal Stout</b>, barrel aged on bourbon. Three different ones, no less: <i>Buffalo Trace, Wild Turkey </i>and <i>Satin Wood</i>. <i>Rooie Dop </i>is perhaps the best known of the unknown Dutch breweries around, and if you look at the experimental brews listed on <a href="http://www.rooiedop.nl/blog/" target="_blank">their blog</a>, you cannot help but wish these guys would get the break they deserve.<br />
DOS is reckoned to be their best commercial brew by many, and the BA version came highly recommended to me by StDennis himself (many thanks for the bottle, buddy!). Off with its head!<br />
<br />
The beer pours just like an imperial stout should: thick, black and viscous, with a prudent mocha coloured head. You don't need to smell this beer; the smell will come to you. Thick and glowing bourbon alright, with that heaven-made match of dark roast and coffee of the base beer underneath. And funny enough: a whiff of yoghurt when I took a first sniff. Fresh and zingy, and utterly unexpected. BeerBert didn't find any yoghurt, so it's possibly a low-threshold thing; once I took a sip, the yoghurt was gone and never came back.<br />
Oh but that sip...the Rooie Dop guys really nailed this one: think and unctuous and perfectly balanced bourbon...this is a keeper. Hits all the right spots and never becomes too much of a good thing or not enough of it. There's touches of vanilla and toffee hidden in the malt, and just enough boozy kick to make you go easy on the sipping. A delight, really and truly.<br />
<br />
Ahhh it's good to be back :)<br />
<br />
Greetz<br />
<br />
Jo<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01143877602262019920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281950320075665382.post-65213197929252352272014-02-01T06:40:00.001-08:002014-02-01T11:22:06.087-08:00Brewz aplenty!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Right!<br />
Been a long time since I updated this blog so here goes a quickie.<br />
<br />
I've a couple of brews awaiting sampling in the cellar. January was NoSugarNoBooze month for yours truly, and with that out of the way, the time to take some samples is, well, now.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTfhbeEoRORjS68g9qijJM_cpVdxc8yaFYyruINdWCS7raHNqfZXTpU8-KMqA0fAwNS36CPcqreXMKm-5dtFzVaTk6J_VDgicLoDoeZW-4v2wQFnsidccWNKcPapzFliVpgKPhUVNF1f5J/s1600/now_watch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTfhbeEoRORjS68g9qijJM_cpVdxc8yaFYyruINdWCS7raHNqfZXTpU8-KMqA0fAwNS36CPcqreXMKm-5dtFzVaTk6J_VDgicLoDoeZW-4v2wQFnsidccWNKcPapzFliVpgKPhUVNF1f5J/s1600/now_watch.jpg" height="320" width="308" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Or thereabouts.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Expect some notes on this year's misstimed <i>Kagami Biraki </i>brew, which is a different version of that Lawnmower Amarillo Inferno I brewed last year. Think low-ABV hefeweizen with a shitload of hops. When I tried one on the day of the dojo's New Year's celebration, it was resiny like a freshly chopped pine log, and utterly undrinkable, but I've high hopes for this one.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_x5Qru9jgOdC0_rir_c-w5LtjcuVp5RklZ6PJcb1p1vn8cHGITWixkBG8XIOqds1TI6rTscBMFMXx7YzqhwXnmCKn_7QR_tKWuskqoNQF9Syvar5piQ_lalBLpP0VlLVM-emEGmeXnIW/s1600/pine_resin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_x5Qru9jgOdC0_rir_c-w5LtjcuVp5RklZ6PJcb1p1vn8cHGITWixkBG8XIOqds1TI6rTscBMFMXx7YzqhwXnmCKn_7QR_tKWuskqoNQF9Syvar5piQ_lalBLpP0VlLVM-emEGmeXnIW/s1600/pine_resin.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Like so, with a hint of something beery.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
That Christmas pineapple barley wine I reckoned wouldn't be ready before the last withered Christmas decorations have dropped from doorposts by themselves? I'm really curious how well that's been behaving down in the cellar. More news sometime this week, I think.<br />
<br />
And 2014 will bring lots of brewing activity. I've about 4 different brews scheduled for the next few months, including a wicked imperial stout with some wood'n'booze, and some improved, pimped-out-chromed-out versions of prior attempts at brewing. Oooh yeah I'm in the mood for some brews.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2GwljHLXQkS-E_wk_4DX9szeoP6qRSGSosJetBsrBNIT3MiqYeOqYFTx57Nnz6Ss-EFYanaNu9qDSut6eOvgIDm0DLbDp9hHE_Cg3qjhEIONHCeVClC59Jh6UxjL0f24jgqrbMTvts63h/s1600/IMG_20140127_170903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2GwljHLXQkS-E_wk_4DX9szeoP6qRSGSosJetBsrBNIT3MiqYeOqYFTx57Nnz6Ss-EFYanaNu9qDSut6eOvgIDm0DLbDp9hHE_Cg3qjhEIONHCeVClC59Jh6UxjL0f24jgqrbMTvts63h/s1600/IMG_20140127_170903.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stocked up on brewing supplies.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
But that's not all! Last year, I acquired (read <i>stole)</i> some wild hops from a neighbouring garden by digging up a piece of rhizome and planting it in our own front yard. While the plant did take, and actually grew about 10 feet or so, no cones were produced. And look what the exceptionally mellow January weather is doing to it now:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2H1SZ0b47fcbtqNhTPBvqiotHlKETiKbRpJMQVS6CHdZlo89zCY6S-zWdqFczGnx3dMQBQz0t7kIY0vatbM9Hzqb2rC_NxtalQHIBrWUxTOzx87s7QAgd4qoILAtGUKRTzNhug08ELS2Z/s1600/IMG_20140201_152417.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2H1SZ0b47fcbtqNhTPBvqiotHlKETiKbRpJMQVS6CHdZlo89zCY6S-zWdqFczGnx3dMQBQz0t7kIY0vatbM9Hzqb2rC_NxtalQHIBrWUxTOzx87s7QAgd4qoILAtGUKRTzNhug08ELS2Z/s1600/IMG_20140201_152417.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two fresh new sprouts!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Which reminded me of something I still had lying around on my shelf: a gift from the guys at <a href="http://www.meantimebrewing.com/" target="_blank">Meantime</a> in the form of Hops in a Box!<br />
About time I got those prepped for their first year in Continental soil.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrcne6AE8rwHrPPCjpqRUcXVfQzJqrm_aWZXdANT98n1fOOcbGbaY7fFOFO6VKA40RVPgTIZcztSKX_C3lDX41Wr8DGE_SzpXPlwggDx7vmnDi7e3hsi6uY0sdIlvcKYDKko5R4RhltCRC/s1600/1655937_796924590321967_98817775_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrcne6AE8rwHrPPCjpqRUcXVfQzJqrm_aWZXdANT98n1fOOcbGbaY7fFOFO6VKA40RVPgTIZcztSKX_C3lDX41Wr8DGE_SzpXPlwggDx7vmnDi7e3hsi6uY0sdIlvcKYDKko5R4RhltCRC/s1600/1655937_796924590321967_98817775_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But first: a good long soak.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So yay! Feeling pretty stoked about all this brewing activity. Expect more regular updates in the future. I promise! (sort of).<br />
<br />
Until then,<br />
<br />
Greetz<br />
<br />
Jo<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01143877602262019920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281950320075665382.post-54389293824496848702013-12-09T02:48:00.001-08:002013-12-09T02:48:19.105-08:00Beer Geek Night and another Beer Geek Night. Oh and the Ouzo effect!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So much to do, and so little time to do it in...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNq_gVqqBkcBB0ryhwc5M06kxZTbqsOhuOf1Yvbs6b1pnPoqm0jCJFfbXmjF0Y5Jt0NsjAsPoGl30l3UpA6x-IuKlImu0kdQZ9XLnlc4PVcOLA26Ua9JBlNl8DQuKsav7vAH8dR8fu0BNH/s1600/pro.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNq_gVqqBkcBB0ryhwc5M06kxZTbqsOhuOf1Yvbs6b1pnPoqm0jCJFfbXmjF0Y5Jt0NsjAsPoGl30l3UpA6x-IuKlImu0kdQZ9XLnlc4PVcOLA26Ua9JBlNl8DQuKsav7vAH8dR8fu0BNH/s320/pro.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Apologies, Constant Reader! It turns out I've a couple of undocumented beery incidents on my drive, accumulating cyberdust and feeling a bit forlorn.<br />
What with all the brewing and contemplating beery things all day, I've a bunch of beer related events to cover, two of which are Beer Geek Nights. So, enough of the apologetic preamble already, onward! For science!<br />
<br />
Beer Geek Night #3 was a bit of a pot luck afair, with all attendees adding something to the pile of science to be assessed.<br />
First beer of the evening was <b>Vinken Blond:</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioIcNHt01diSmwho-xDbSakfMQyTr8hUvTfhVTtx7g3WSmogcypZ33oJEDIQpp_SJyWU1yeww0phcbkq8r_94qfM3lu4KH8cGN61J35CMkLfadO8ThnAXDhK5__MZttaQWZqXntOoJDA2Y/s1600/wpfceac5f8_05_06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioIcNHt01diSmwho-xDbSakfMQyTr8hUvTfhVTtx7g3WSmogcypZ33oJEDIQpp_SJyWU1yeww0phcbkq8r_94qfM3lu4KH8cGN61J35CMkLfadO8ThnAXDhK5__MZttaQWZqXntOoJDA2Y/s320/wpfceac5f8_05_06.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Turns out fellow Beer Geek Johan's grandfather used to brew this beer back in (ahem) 1866, and apparently, the village of Geistingen thought it time to <a href="http://www.geistingervinkenbier.be/" target="_blank">resurrect </a>it. A beer with a bit of history and family folklore, I like that. However, much as I'd feared, Vinken Blond is a rather generic and interchangeable Belgian blond, which fails to stand out amidst the hectoliters of comparable blond beers available all over the country. Historic or not, Vinken Blond never makes a mark, and fades into the background of easy, commonplace blond flavours. Nice, don't get me wrong, but most of my sympathy vote is derived from the history behind the beer, rather than the organoleptic experience it evokes.<br />
<br />
Next up was <strong>Tète Noire </strong>by Brass. Desprat:<br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoVoNZzqshME30JaTps1St8BGS-9SyvMxxPKD69yIaORu-qAHdm-higK35AY00cWP3_vjHDtsXsjIdDM39iHq4tEyin8yhQq8XLP_ZYx-sz0HKHY9xgCmFhVIGEPgbGZtgiulNcAMzaSbD/s1600/138-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoVoNZzqshME30JaTps1St8BGS-9SyvMxxPKD69yIaORu-qAHdm-higK35AY00cWP3_vjHDtsXsjIdDM39iHq4tEyin8yhQq8XLP_ZYx-sz0HKHY9xgCmFhVIGEPgbGZtgiulNcAMzaSbD/s320/138-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Go ahead. <br />
Google "Cèpes d'Auvergne" and try to think of a beer with that in it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A mushroom beer then, and my first in this oh-so-easily (and perhaps deservedly) overlooked substyle. <i>Cèpes</i> are also known as <i>porcini, </i>although the latter tends to refer to the mushrooms when they're preserved in oil, whereas this probably contains the dried variety. Not an easy beer to describe, but when everyone involved takes a sniff, frowningly mutters "Hm. Interesting.", after which a bout of collective sniggering ensues, perhaps descriptions are bound to fall way off the mark. Beer Geek Frank, in an unusual display of leniency, described the smell as "rags which have soaked in something unspeakable, and then left to fester for several weeks behind the compost heap" (or something along those lines). I found the smell to be weird and definitely off-putting, unlike any beer I've ever smelled before (in a rather bad not quite as bad you'd think kinda way). In the mouth, the Tète Noire was thin and watery, mildly sour and disappointingly bland. Like an uninspired attempt at a Flanders Old Brown, with a dash of oddball to spruce it up.<br />
<br />
Oh and incidentally: guess what Tète Noire translates to?<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0KBw2W5WujSDRghZ-eaowO8kIoXNZbX88YDIsabY6G4W0WjIpEptokgyHa2PwEbqekUKNTrh_ZD7p3cnyu7IWS3AStWsfgsjsbRa73FkTp8pB4WAYQGsf7XcZvk_N9BtcSxBC8mEm1DcG/s1600/blackheads-on-nose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0KBw2W5WujSDRghZ-eaowO8kIoXNZbX88YDIsabY6G4W0WjIpEptokgyHa2PwEbqekUKNTrh_ZD7p3cnyu7IWS3AStWsfgsjsbRa73FkTp8pB4WAYQGsf7XcZvk_N9BtcSxBC8mEm1DcG/s320/blackheads-on-nose.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Only mildly more revolting than the beer, actually.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Onwards to number three: <b>Pochs Summer Ale</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHPv5ox2R0QMjfEJp67x1K0DrE6FYcpMV8kodkm1PSK76k0IH6tD9WJ8Uxp3yZi33VzZbMMmdAwbpiEIPOmMtQ9CdL4U3UusoRhe8TsBP8oJTTRkdTHMqVZoZ7AJdGkJftqgJubLFIN6R/s1600/90911db41c9aa1e352650be03e0324ff_640x640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHPv5ox2R0QMjfEJp67x1K0DrE6FYcpMV8kodkm1PSK76k0IH6tD9WJ8Uxp3yZi33VzZbMMmdAwbpiEIPOmMtQ9CdL4U3UusoRhe8TsBP8oJTTRkdTHMqVZoZ7AJdGkJftqgJubLFIN6R/s320/90911db41c9aa1e352650be03e0324ff_640x640.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Approved by Anubis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I'll share the details of how I came by this artisanal Catalunyan brewery in a later attempt at travelogue blogging, but for now, suffice to say it's a Spanish ale (du-UH-huh) brewed with Cascade and Willamette hops. Also, now's the time to talk about the Ouzo Effect.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
--------------------------------INTERLUDIUM--------------------------------</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
You've all experienced it. You're on holidays in some faraway place. Let's say, for argument's sake, Greece.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilkjG4wv7n3BHX47wezpKZbkuRjQLCvWWt79CHL4x5GpqPC9t6BKpxSyiK0sJ7Qe6B0NP1Le8JX9BQsT9RxTN9N6ru_qqJx9L-Jej2VAzUo6FaVB6FQGFk4yVP2QXWecXt-52pfQVFA3wU/s1600/athens2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilkjG4wv7n3BHX47wezpKZbkuRjQLCvWWt79CHL4x5GpqPC9t6BKpxSyiK0sJ7Qe6B0NP1Le8JX9BQsT9RxTN9N6ru_qqJx9L-Jej2VAzUo6FaVB6FQGFk4yVP2QXWecXt-52pfQVFA3wU/s320/athens2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The land that Thatcher forgot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
You soaked up some rays, went clubbing in all the wrong places, and had that dinner at the shoreline where they served <i>that drink</i>. What's it called again?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtPYKeabdQfRdbzYtw3-89hjqr7TPAEFODT47mMfpytl50eWLe8t6KOuxh0iDhlsODO_a6R5BsfD9E2GVC8nL6wbyupqdZ4YkGXygq4IDAeRg81fa7_anMp-Pf8-ehEEAnLauJbduv6P3m/s1600/ouzo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtPYKeabdQfRdbzYtw3-89hjqr7TPAEFODT47mMfpytl50eWLe8t6KOuxh0iDhlsODO_a6R5BsfD9E2GVC8nL6wbyupqdZ4YkGXygq4IDAeRg81fa7_anMp-Pf8-ehEEAnLauJbduv6P3m/s320/ouzo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Never figured out how to read the label but it certainly wasn't <i>Petoiva</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The next day, just before checking in at Krastinapalodopolis Regional Airport, your hungover head still swimming with delight from this unique discovery of local customs and alcoholic escapades, you purchase a bottle at the tax free shop. <i>Hades</i>, you went all out and bought six of them, determined to sip anise-flavoured booze on your porch till well into next spring.<br />
<br />
Now, fifteen years later, check the contents of your bar. Look waaaaay in the back. Recognise that bottle?<br />
<br />
That is the Ouzo Effect, and it applies to all things experienced abroad, and relived when no longer proverbially <i>in Rome: </i>the magical veneer of being somewhere else just can't withstand the ham-fisted skepsis of the homestead, and back in <i>wherever-your-true-home-is, </i>the <i>whatever-it-was-you-purchased</i> simply doesn't perform as well as it did in <i>wherever-it-was-you-purchased-it.</i><br />
<br />
Scientific fact, empirically verified but as yet unproved.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
--------------------------------INTERLUDIUM ends about here--------------------------------</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
Poch's Summer Ale was such an eye-opener when I first had it in the shadow of Castellfollit's little church, that the Ouzo Effect had no option but to strike deep and hard: while the hops (hops! in a Spanish beer!) were still there, they were less pronounced and, well, refined, than they were back <i>wherever</i>. The ale yeast (ale yeast! in a <i>Spanish</i> beer!) which flocculated so nicely (flocculation! <i>IN A SPAN...oh hell you get the point already</i>) had accumulated as an ungainly muddy clump in the neck of the bottle. And while the beer was still a drastic step up from the Tète Noire, all assembled agreed that its superiority benefited significantly from the relativistic nature of the experiment: it's pretty hard to fail when you're being paired to a mushroom beer named after a chronically blocked sweat gland. By no means a bad beer, this Summer Ale, but it has a lot (and I mean a LOT) of competition from similar hoppy beers the world over. I've some more stashed away, and perhaps it stands up better on its own. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Last up on this Pot Luck Beer Geek Night was the <b>5 Golden Rings</b> by <a href="http://www.thebruery.com/" target="_blank">the Bruery</a></div>
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXrR53YMody-nDhb5sXMQXvu0GMsKSTQRnO0pZ-exDAnm4IL-UhKsgJQMXR7JnxEnpP9aNZ025xcRoF4jYW73-mFpNMxP0ToyZlrmd3L1EJfSZ-mgUflv0DOLU-NDTnSTIWhrDzpxGOPZV/s1600/The-Bruery-5-Golden-Rings-690x578.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXrR53YMody-nDhb5sXMQXvu0GMsKSTQRnO0pZ-exDAnm4IL-UhKsgJQMXR7JnxEnpP9aNZ025xcRoF4jYW73-mFpNMxP0ToyZlrmd3L1EJfSZ-mgUflv0DOLU-NDTnSTIWhrDzpxGOPZV/s320/The-Bruery-5-Golden-Rings-690x578.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Because pine-apple-pimped christmas beer is best enjoyed <br />
on the hottest day of the year</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<b><br /></b>
The Bruery are known for their Big-Assed, Bold-Faced, Brass-Balled brews, and this is perhaps the whackiest beer I've had in a long time. A thickly cloying malt base, heavy and dense like a barley wine deluded into believing it's an imperial stout. Pineapple is definitely present, to such an extent as to be close to overpowering. Spices and a boozy punch to the throat, lingering on and on and on, straight into next Christmas. At 11.5% ABV, this is no quaffing brew either, although the alcohol is remarkably restrained.<br />
Not an easy brew at all, and most of the assembled Beer Geeks didn't actually like it, although I daresay some were intimidated by it. I think it was Beer Geek Frank who said something along the lines of "<i>Innovation implies transgression of the established boundaries</i>", and if there's one adjective which the 5 Golden Rings lives up to, it must be <i>transgressive</i>. If you ever get the chance to pick up a bottle of this, don't hesitate. It's one of those beers that's designed to make a single point:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-l20VRIEGXXmSfwrWAUd06waGbp9kq5VdYTTl5ZvdM_51TuhZ5CaMrpfbNav03c1PCV_FYDCinPsiD8s6JolWXrMp6HiUmcMX3E9BeHT6e3kbCQ8QX6nsKvukRlM4BVgNEF3GgDg4x6Y/s1600/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-l20VRIEGXXmSfwrWAUd06waGbp9kq5VdYTTl5ZvdM_51TuhZ5CaMrpfbNav03c1PCV_FYDCinPsiD8s6JolWXrMp6HiUmcMX3E9BeHT6e3kbCQ8QX6nsKvukRlM4BVgNEF3GgDg4x6Y/s1600/logo.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...or rather <i>"this is still beer"</i></td></tr>
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In all, this was a fun, if somewhat bizarre Beer Geek night. Highlight of the evening was definitely the 5 Golden Rings. While not something I'd drink every (or even any) day, it was by far the most skillfully brewed beer of the lot.<br />
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Beer Geek Night #4 then, with a dark and stoutish theme.<br />
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Beer Geek Frank brought a bottle of <strong>Viking Chili Stout</strong> (<a href="http://www.hornbeer.dk/" target="_blank">Hornbeer</a>). <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjedRyL3f1X5YsLgUVGNyOIFgCFt14v6mbn_hG8srqELZyfBFGZkTboohI8mxFdcfMWyctzZX9jm3MAB61i_1j-_SenrNyyrGyezIVScNZ3fPq_J_lBI3Fg1fI6Wo_vR-j8g9uTdtu-R-OP/s1600/l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjedRyL3f1X5YsLgUVGNyOIFgCFt14v6mbn_hG8srqELZyfBFGZkTboohI8mxFdcfMWyctzZX9jm3MAB61i_1j-_SenrNyyrGyezIVScNZ3fPq_J_lBI3Fg1fI6Wo_vR-j8g9uTdtu-R-OP/s320/l.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Seriously, Google?</span></div>
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Hornbeer is a Danish brewing company, and going by what little I understand of the Danish language, I gather they brew some pretty creative beers. Their Viking Chili Stout is a spin on a thick imperial stout, infused with chocolate, liquorice, vanilla, chocolate and (du-UH-huh) chili. Pours thick and gloopy, just the way I like it, with a filthy richly chocolatey nose. In the mouth, there's a ton of boozy sweetness, laden with coffee flavours and a weird, mildly upsetting chili-afterburn in the throat. The alcohol combines with the chili (which isn't really noticeable in the flavour) to make this a potent, fiery brew. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_vXkQogGNb7hvM7h82cL0O7rHXEHvRcWDXZ3gLafU_9AsQndV4GqQ3mfmQv5HybuRvbusH_xKuo-k7_f2JDjosqs56DNvflYZgxWlwDwR_pAvtStPcLHubutJxKb77q-oKuJ4hgy_8u1Z/s1600/238f2640240c16efe6c785742e65a475_320x320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_vXkQogGNb7hvM7h82cL0O7rHXEHvRcWDXZ3gLafU_9AsQndV4GqQ3mfmQv5HybuRvbusH_xKuo-k7_f2JDjosqs56DNvflYZgxWlwDwR_pAvtStPcLHubutJxKb77q-oKuJ4hgy_8u1Z/s1600/238f2640240c16efe6c785742e65a475_320x320.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">A Viking Chili Dog?</span></div>
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Me likes, but my esophagus was getting worried by the time we hit the bottom.<br />
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Next up was one I'd been meaning to try ever since I acquired it, and since Beer Geek Bert was offering one of his own bottles, I wasn't going to say no to <strong>Tokyo Black Horizon</strong>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjePgVerJCLvdwt9EJvez4ErtpWqu0UPJjykvSN4qJOnezI-lyFQFKGkzvtHPllm8gBBM8nKCwv0qldy4X1j15iJvtIGLOlEvFA5onrMebD6ZCblIUDMJta5EKuPi4yODMVak6TUQniHeD8/s1600/936407_10151989351823102_1837636692_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjePgVerJCLvdwt9EJvez4ErtpWqu0UPJjykvSN4qJOnezI-lyFQFKGkzvtHPllm8gBBM8nKCwv0qldy4X1j15iJvtIGLOlEvFA5onrMebD6ZCblIUDMJta5EKuPi4yODMVak6TUQniHeD8/s320/936407_10151989351823102_1837636692_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Free ad space in the back for the initiated</span></div>
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This collaboration brew is a blend of three pretty drastic brews: Brew Dog's <b>Tokyo*</b>, Mikeller's <b>Black </b>and Nogne O's <b>Dark Horizon</b>, none of which I had first hand experience with when I tasted this blend. I'd been told both the Black and Tokyo* are "too much of a good thing": intensely black and overly potent brews which barely categorise as "still beer". </div>
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In this blend, you'll find so much it almost becomes impossible to describe what's going on. There's a prominently malty nose, rich and cozy without becoming decadent. Remarkable abscence of anything normally associated with a beer this black: no roast, no coffee or chocolate, but rather a velvet blanket of dark dried fruits and ripe figs and raisins. Smells like an insanely pimped quadruple, without that annoying hint of sugar in it. In the mouth, smoothness is the word again, albeit without that decadent velvety mouthfeel you'll find in many imperial stouts. It's smooth alright, but it's also very pure and honest: nothing is hidden or glossed over by booze or barrels or somesuch. Rich and rewarding, and remarkably balanced: even at 17.5% ABV, this beer is immensely easy and fulfilling, and definitely one of the finest dessert beers I've ever had.</div>
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Last up was the <strong>Embrasse Peated Oak Aged </strong>by <a href="http://www.dedochtervandekorenaar.be/" target="_blank"><em>De Dochter van de Korenaar.</em></a><em> </em></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqALENTP4sq5ena1f5Fn-_OMvcIwsBfIkY7-E9q2a0UPFYKEErBwoHJ48PkOW4wNm1yt828Hcp2msw4rUfPCwsBKhZqAXMHpTNW1itbT9Y8UGqD5n6RGyBH4CRMqAZIhlXED39r0fcq0-U/s1600/embrasse-special-edition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqALENTP4sq5ena1f5Fn-_OMvcIwsBfIkY7-E9q2a0UPFYKEErBwoHJ48PkOW4wNm1yt828Hcp2msw4rUfPCwsBKhZqAXMHpTNW1itbT9Y8UGqD5n6RGyBH4CRMqAZIhlXED39r0fcq0-U/s320/embrasse-special-edition.jpg" width="276" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Gotta love the presentation of this one</span></div>
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I love this brewery, and their basic Embrasse is anything but basic in its own right, but this barrel aged edition couldn't stand up to the preceding onslaught. I'd been told this one was "very peaty" but it turns out we should perhaps have started with this one, rather than keep it until last (peat tends to numb the tastebuds like pretty much nothing else this side of an acid-bleach cocktail). Neither the base beer -which is pretty present and stated under normal conditions- nor the added wood-and-whisky tones did stand out at all. What we did find was elegant and even a bit delicate, but I'm convinced we need to taste this beer again without first rewiring our concept of "balance" with beer like the Tokyo Black Horizon. </div>
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That being said: I'm not sure De Dochter has got her barrel aging skills fully under control just yet. I distinctly remember the Bravoure OASE as falling way short of the mark, in spite of what a wonderful beer the basic Bravoure is.</div>
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After half the assembly had left the premises, Beer Geek Frank and myself shared a nice Geuze Mariage Parfait by Boon, because all the above had left us a bit thirsty. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-fMd4qNrltBgrmuciMZm1ovOgzlnJPgO2mK6ydBbtWjHU07-zOQJq_L5P_81942ea8qbgX6ecFqVFhG2t4z_SkhTIPpydYXCfM01ZSbV6lKTCMijb6h8QuBdXgYD3H6LLkYNrTNwzYqRP/s1600/687474703a2f2f692e696d6775722e636f6d2f42737770312e706e67.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-fMd4qNrltBgrmuciMZm1ovOgzlnJPgO2mK6ydBbtWjHU07-zOQJq_L5P_81942ea8qbgX6ecFqVFhG2t4z_SkhTIPpydYXCfM01ZSbV6lKTCMijb6h8QuBdXgYD3H6LLkYNrTNwzYqRP/s320/687474703a2f2f692e696d6775722e636f6d2f42737770312e706e67.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">And also, of course, for science.</span></div>
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Next Beer Geek Night, we'll try to do a better match up.</div>
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Until then,</div>
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Greetz</div>
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Jo </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01143877602262019920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281950320075665382.post-3038301644651970532013-12-02T06:51:00.001-08:002013-12-02T06:51:08.599-08:00Black & Heady<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Because we were curious as to how the Zwarte Madam was coming along, and because any excuse is good enough to share a beer or two, BeerBert and Yours Truly sat down at the table the other night to do some science.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkGLqin37ggLWaEmVEv0pru8gGUH-L2Emx_yTPr0x_T2tkW9WSIAQIwzJcXcEdwFqcsRQ2jmQ-Cgs2jImvskxoTy2BBvilU_piN0qLwcI7T9XAYHqcIS4grYwoP4Ex8OG50COaoiKzWeT2/s1600/Curiosity+killed+the+cat.+source+smosh+facebook+page_06d5f5_3980829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkGLqin37ggLWaEmVEv0pru8gGUH-L2Emx_yTPr0x_T2tkW9WSIAQIwzJcXcEdwFqcsRQ2jmQ-Cgs2jImvskxoTy2BBvilU_piN0qLwcI7T9XAYHqcIS4grYwoP4Ex8OG50COaoiKzWeT2/s320/Curiosity+killed+the+cat.+source+smosh+facebook+page_06d5f5_3980829.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curiosity cannot be trusted around cats.</td></tr>
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Because I had just acquired a can of <b>Heady Topper </b>(thanks, Denno!), we dug into that first. It needs to be drunk fresh after all, so it made no sense to keep it around. </div>
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<i>Drink from the can</i>, it says, but since we're proper scientists, we did in fact use a glass. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMOESpPSQmG1zV7GWi4vGJm2opw2lIzIqAlObPQZ8JSY1hVbdmieLi3jVOFP_7yQTrX9InL0sTcOgRyJ9Ehn_JpKAvcY8HbMHsnxoP3G9AY6XW0Hbw1v_Tu7xecx6DYwv6R2F0DVllZJ4/s1600/heady+topper+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMOESpPSQmG1zV7GWi4vGJm2opw2lIzIqAlObPQZ8JSY1hVbdmieLi3jVOFP_7yQTrX9InL0sTcOgRyJ9Ehn_JpKAvcY8HbMHsnxoP3G9AY6XW0Hbw1v_Tu7xecx6DYwv6R2F0DVllZJ4/s320/heady+topper+001.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blasphemy!<br />Pic not mine, sorry.</td></tr>
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Pale and cloudy, with a minimal head, this is a splendid IPA, chock-full of hops, with some extra hops ladled on top. The beer checks all the proper boxes, and sort of sets the rules regarding IPAs. </div>
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From the nose, across the tongue, bouncing across the hard and soft palate, all the way down into the throat, the Heady Topper is smooth and fresh hops all the way. You get just about the whole gammut of hoppy impressions, from grassy to piney, from fruity to flowery. Juicy almost. Almost as if it's not actually beer, but a beer-flavoured hops tea. Delicious. Although extremely hopped, it never becomes extreme. Except perhaps extremely drinkable, even at 8% abv.</div>
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But science beckoned, and the Zwarte Madam needed tasting too.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTTKdXjxzuA5DGuCXW7YvJZy6U24zfoXx4XpJQvWF7B1Fl9etq9lMm5NPaDHEzR0awVoXnKD_MPaSMZEMQk6je6cWpjTCv0Z6x_SBVhyphenhyphenSfA6fAkngyWYw2NZPI7T9-LN5h9K5A0VLI_GFl/s1600/zwarte+madam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTTKdXjxzuA5DGuCXW7YvJZy6U24zfoXx4XpJQvWF7B1Fl9etq9lMm5NPaDHEzR0awVoXnKD_MPaSMZEMQk6je6cWpjTCv0Z6x_SBVhyphenhyphenSfA6fAkngyWYw2NZPI7T9-LN5h9K5A0VLI_GFl/s320/zwarte+madam.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pic by Dennoman, who wasn't even there.<br />FLTR: Zwarte Madam basic, caraway and water cress seed.</td></tr>
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The basic version, now with about six weeks of bottle conditioning under the cap, still pours a sluggish black. Low carbonation and a slackish tan head. Nose is chocolate and just a faint whiff off greenish hops. With a thick pour like that, the nose is a bit underwhelming, actually, and could use a bit more <i>chutzpah.</i></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEziWFcklov-ABOn9eAl-rwOjSPMxKR9kBxt_R08RXAx1tFz2dMEmn5Q026BWsuWTwOsJ99qqa6x0aWoUhSXJPqTRwWDyIj-ux9e5bs27SztyeEKgvkLXrC5GFvT0RSzeF1GWSMHCcYT7K/s1600/chutzpah2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEziWFcklov-ABOn9eAl-rwOjSPMxKR9kBxt_R08RXAx1tFz2dMEmn5Q026BWsuWTwOsJ99qqa6x0aWoUhSXJPqTRwWDyIj-ux9e5bs27SztyeEKgvkLXrC5GFvT0RSzeF1GWSMHCcYT7K/s320/chutzpah2.jpg" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 image > 1000 words in this case.</td></tr>
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In the mouth, the Zwarte Madam doesn't surprise, and remains somewhat modest, with chocolatey, smooth dark malts tones. Onset is smooth, if a bit light, then peters out in the middle part, but luckily returns with a malty sweet aftertaste. Slightly too much body, or too narrow a taste to stand up against it.</div>
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In all, the basic version is okay, although unfinished. I need to adjust the malt bill to achieve a broader, more rewarding flavour to warrant the relatively heavy body. Perhaps a smidge more hops too. Carbonation should be increased as well. BeerBert seemed to be agreement: this beer is quite alright but in its current incarnation perhaps not interesting enough to have another one. Denno detected hints of oats in an independent tasting, and I'm tempted to add some toasted oats in future incarnations to spruce up the body.</div>
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But hark! I opened up two dry-spiced versions to compare and <i>-gasp- </i>blend! </div>
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The caraway version is already decidedly overdosed, with the caraway so firmly in the picture that the delicate chocolate notes of the base beer can hardly stand up against it. I happen to like the particular flavour imparted by the caraway, but BeerBert was quite put off by it. Granted: too much is too much, especially since the base beer isn't really robust enough to withstand more than a pinch. A blend of perhaps 1/6 caraway and 5/6 base made a better impression on me, although Bert's palate got thoroughly wasted from the very first sip of pure caraway. In future incarnations, I may consider boiling the caraway instead of dry-spicing, to better incorporate the flavour into the beer. Mixed messages here, as some seem to like it (quite a lot actually), while some find it unpleasantly overspiced.</div>
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The watercress-seed version...well, what can I say other than that it was a bit of a nut-job? The beer really pongs. An overwhelming scent of watercress, poppy seeds and something vegetable which really kicks the shit out of the poor base beer. Even minimally blended (a tiny splash in the aforementioned 1/6 caraway blend) still violently annexed the beer. I can see how the flavour imparted by the cress seeds itself could be an asset to dark beers like this, but I really need to go Uncle Scrooge on it, lest it become an undrinkable mess. Also: for some odd reason, the cress seed seems to amplify the beer's sweetness, turning into a syrupy mess.</div>
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Conclusion: Zwarte Madam is a good idea, but needs quite a bit more work. The base beer as it is will serve as a good basis for a more rounded incarnation, possibly including a drastically lowered dose of caraway, and mayby some oats. On the cress seed, I'll refrain from make a decision just yet, but it's not a plausible ingredient at all.</div>
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BeerBert always brings stouts when he comes to visit and I'm not one to complain. Especially not if by "stout" you mean this:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwKVAIV9fLpgMOHzhZ5XslUOesrXnst7kvQjDrPUSaAXrMZa8bgiiwFho-VVfh7sBxMxkxj0a-_5GzyRwM63lpaBPzfCilCOkiDodzohYDkxNYj9wSsoXhkoxVr3yLPyNI2MtZvq3xIamy/s1600/beer_230612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwKVAIV9fLpgMOHzhZ5XslUOesrXnst7kvQjDrPUSaAXrMZa8bgiiwFho-VVfh7sBxMxkxj0a-_5GzyRwM63lpaBPzfCilCOkiDodzohYDkxNYj9wSsoXhkoxVr3yLPyNI2MtZvq3xIamy/s320/beer_230612.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Which I do. <br />Pic again not mine.</td></tr>
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<div>
Murder & Larceny, and another ampersand pun from the Molen guys. "Screaming bloody murder" is the anglophonic counterpart, and yes, the beer is good enough to apply the proverb. </div>
<div>
All the usual Molen-boxes are ticked: a big, fat body, with a rich tan head. Sublime nose, with hints of smoke, vanilla and bourbon. There's a hint of playful, saturnine mischief lurking in the darkness, which I put down to the rye malts. While it's a big nose, it's not a big fat booze bomb at all: you can sniff the glass all evening and never get bored, nor overwhelmed, but ultimately, you're tempted to take a sip.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In the mouth, this beer simply oozes flavour. There's a nicely balanced smokiness in the undercurrent, beyond noticable but well within limits. Rye and oat malts complement this smokiness splendidly, and the bourbon sits just at the detetection threshold. It's truly amazing how well each individual ingredient of this beer pairs off with the others: the smoked malt elevates the roast and prevents it from becoming ash-like. The chocolate is tempered by the roasted, oat and rye malts, which prevent it from turning the beer into a more familiar (and I daresay less interesting in this case) chocolate-and-coffee stout. The bourbon barrel ageing adds a slightly boozy sweetness, but is quite delicate when compared to recent-day bourbon stouts.<br /></div>
<div>
Although they're completely unrelated style-wise, I'd like to take the opportunity to refer to Emelisse's <i>Smoked Rye IPA</i>. Both beers have an aluring undercurrent and an intriguingly delicate smokiness which make them an utter delight to drink.</div>
<div>
Truly a marvellous beer, exceptionally well balanced and rewarding. Thanks, BeerBert!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Drunk separately the next day, each from within the confines of our own comfy chairs, we tasted the <b>Emelisse Black & Tan</b>. While I had half an idea what to expect, I daresay I was totally unprepared for this one. </div>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdxy_L05r49KEijSlPFzgcLq3SOraPq0FLzyskazXwVWQ1dDSy0OOetkVn5IF9Ex-5m3l2w2J2CmIpq0iyBlsXjr6TMG4_vPVwO1oejHcQxunOE3hKpouAdVmh_B26VB3nRNokf9E_HLQt/s1600/f695c825b57079fa62a879cfceef2aa8_320x320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdxy_L05r49KEijSlPFzgcLq3SOraPq0FLzyskazXwVWQ1dDSy0OOetkVn5IF9Ex-5m3l2w2J2CmIpq0iyBlsXjr6TMG4_vPVwO1oejHcQxunOE3hKpouAdVmh_B26VB3nRNokf9E_HLQt/s1600/f695c825b57079fa62a879cfceef2aa8_320x320.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Okay I forgot to take pics alright? <br />Stop rubbing it in already!</td></tr>
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<div>
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<div>
<i>Black-and-tan</i> (sometimes called <i>Half-and-Half</i>) , for those of you interested in beer history, is something like a beer cocktail. It's a blend of two beer styles, which the landlord would blend on site according to the customer's taste. Typically, a pale ale and a dark beer would be combined in one glass, sometimes presented in two individual layers.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb3f6bt9GoizUl9yFj_K0Xy-nZUd5i78nhS5WSkJtgnmSoMtDeygHwQChqg7V6FuWINfGsbJGJk8T5R7v2uQYstmGHYwel8MlBBFmnnnxMzld5etDE2ohT5vTLqzneZ33mW1QQ_BIYvVle/s1600/images+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb3f6bt9GoizUl9yFj_K0Xy-nZUd5i78nhS5WSkJtgnmSoMtDeygHwQChqg7V6FuWINfGsbJGJk8T5R7v2uQYstmGHYwel8MlBBFmnnnxMzld5etDE2ohT5vTLqzneZ33mW1QQ_BIYvVle/s1600/images+(1).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beer for the pathologically indecisive.</td></tr>
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<div>
In this case, the blend is between Emelisse's own TIPA (a splendid <i>triple</i> IPA) and their IRS (a solid imperial stout, well suited for all kinds of shenanigans). What's not on the label is the fact that it's also been aged on Islay whisky barrels. </div>
<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZcvwaYqVKmQPwMXaRB7jKMWjYCHSpJaPn4v4b8FiUbZdSJKdMEPioXDvR5Zk1a45BiLIbufitQHWRJAHU89N12Y0zmrmJtpwHr95GthSF83C5Zim27R0AgGIz7h1f6CNwA7-9JdBHOXBV/s1600/islaymap_base.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZcvwaYqVKmQPwMXaRB7jKMWjYCHSpJaPn4v4b8FiUbZdSJKdMEPioXDvR5Zk1a45BiLIbufitQHWRJAHU89N12Y0zmrmJtpwHr95GthSF83C5Zim27R0AgGIz7h1f6CNwA7-9JdBHOXBV/s1600/islaymap_base.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: left;">
Peat lovers, start your drooling.</div>
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<div>
The beer pours a very dark brown, almost black, with cola touches near the edges and a light tan head. Nose is medicinal with peat and smoke at the forefront. While the intensity is quite moderate, the peat amplifies the experience, making this come across as a bit of a wrecking ball.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
In the mouth, the first impression is a full gale blast of peat and smoke. Seriously, if you can't stand smoked malt, and if you're not already a dyed-in-the-wool fan of Islay's signature up-front peatiness, then you might as well turn back now. Very little of the constituent beers remains upright under the onslaught of Islay barrel goodness, and you're left with something which most resembles a firm-bodied stout. Not exactly an imperial, but by no means a dry stout either. The DIPA is normally quite (*) hoppy and chewy, and although the chewiness remains in the blend, the hops are entirely washed out by the peat.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*) by quite I mean very but not ridiculously. Adjectives become somewhat meaningless when discussing the hoppiness of double-and-above IPAs</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
That initial blast of peat mellows down slightly, after which the beer becomes intesely phenolic, in an absolutely unique way. Yes, there is a hint of medicine in there, which is precisely what makes Islay-fans seek out these iodine-and-sea-brine flavours. But the medicinality is really just an undercurrent: the impression which really carries the beer all the way home is one which is decidedly unique, and which took me until the last sip ere I could finally put the finger on it. This beer, ladies and gentlemen, tastes like <i>vetiver </i>smells.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhazj33OATuXcuD9OilbxI7FUZJ5rjBGwbgCQ6NDeIervfxYYgo1SmVXjhxiBLapCSkokt7M6pqVHXeob3Zpsi5NayKqHZpLIbjiSRpfRJlNHVPHar7NDXgOZ6GpRja84oe21Qd024yxRwt/s1600/vetiver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhazj33OATuXcuD9OilbxI7FUZJ5rjBGwbgCQ6NDeIervfxYYgo1SmVXjhxiBLapCSkokt7M6pqVHXeob3Zpsi5NayKqHZpLIbjiSRpfRJlNHVPHar7NDXgOZ6GpRja84oe21Qd024yxRwt/s1600/vetiver.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not that many people know what <i>vetiver </i> smells like but still.</td></tr>
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<div>
Truly a unique beer, this Black & Tan, but subject to polarisation. Some people will love it, but most people I know will consider it to be at least <i>too much</i>.</div>
<div>
I am one of the latter: it's a beautiful beast of a beer, and it coated my tongue for the rest of the evening. Marvelous job again from Kees&co!</div>
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Greetz</div>
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Jo</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01143877602262019920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281950320075665382.post-31104876992878041032013-11-06T06:55:00.001-08:002013-11-06T06:55:59.782-08:00Hoppy Slosh Steps Out! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It had to happen sometime. Living in Belgium, combined with a fondness for beer in all and any shape, necessitates a trip to Mecca. Exactly where its beery equivalent may lie depends on the beer geek in question, but I daresay more than a few will point towards the West.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6DZXyQowf48_ldnMG2KTxDMVLj63826vCkCqkxl74s5EJ9JIxx6-iofxnvCivBX2oeFcD-WSuVIiMrtgLmQK8yrtbQidXOgcaCxnSLRof2xZJUfmd0ylW68nSdw4ityRFSnN5Blr84nR/s1600/point+west.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6DZXyQowf48_ldnMG2KTxDMVLj63826vCkCqkxl74s5EJ9JIxx6-iofxnvCivBX2oeFcD-WSuVIiMrtgLmQK8yrtbQidXOgcaCxnSLRof2xZJUfmd0ylW68nSdw4ityRFSnN5Blr84nR/s320/point+west.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>'t Es oldoare peizek</i></td></tr>
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The West, from where I'm standing, would be Flanders' Fields.<br />
The Westhoek.<br />
A place so steeped in ancient history that the Flemish spoken by the locals is incomprehensible even to the staunchest of Flamingants. Think of the place as something between Blackpool and Oregon, populated by people who've learned the Dutch idea of Welsh from illustrations in a textbook.<br />
That, but in Belgium.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF0iIJRyRq6OEo3HtUO2ziJGf-G7JkCsfVwMl31lwK4_S5eLsAmbre1g6ZCQBOFcDDykpxvqMvMyMlK3v6KtpggiXb1fXMDR_Dqyca6Y3cz0TCCj7IMG6370QMhpEnCIxCaKzJjaagaNRl/s1600/mazepic-300x199.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF0iIJRyRq6OEo3HtUO2ziJGf-G7JkCsfVwMl31lwK4_S5eLsAmbre1g6ZCQBOFcDDykpxvqMvMyMlK3v6KtpggiXb1fXMDR_Dqyca6Y3cz0TCCj7IMG6370QMhpEnCIxCaKzJjaagaNRl/s1600/mazepic-300x199.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But i digress...</td></tr>
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Some people, he said, realising the rapidly rising level of offtopicness, claim that BeerMecca is situated at the abbey of <a href="http://www.sintsixtus.be/" target="_blank">St. Sixtus</a>. For, all evidence to the contrary, still people seem to believe that "<i>the best beer in the world</i>" (*) is brewed by the Trappist monks in Westvleteren.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*) if such a thing exists, which I'm increasingly less certain about since a Google search on "<i>best beer in the world</i>" returns a picture of a Carlsberg bottle, some guys quaffing gallon-sized Oktoberbeer and a girl in a pink top.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
I could ramble for quite some time about the harmful legacy which the late Peter Jackson has inadvertantly bequeathed unto beer, Belgium and monastic tradition alike when he hinted at the superiority of <b>Westvleteren 12</b>, but I'll leave that until some other time. That's how nice a guy I can be.<br />
Fact of the matter is that ever since, so many people have been seeking out this beer that the hype exploded to ridiculous proportions and hasn't stopped balooning since.<br />
<br />
Suffice to say that it's hard, as a beergeek, to drive through the region and <i>not</i> make the effort to stop at the abbey's visitors' center (*) to score a sixpack of it. I know enough people willing to part with a few surplus limbs in order to acquire a bottle of anything called Westvleteren, and truth be told: I'd forgotten what it tastes like myself.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjguu7CYHFrx6qrfCm8BmbJQyRhyNA67sWdK1m9SUjVQcwuc3Knh81SfZCwQwIm-QvSiJXlapiHy6jamNMHRv6XFfTJXdMchL5rogXfZGb6TOmoKElExV9qs7Jg0Mtb0j2pBDxEdkSasr1g/s1600/inter-westvleteren2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjguu7CYHFrx6qrfCm8BmbJQyRhyNA67sWdK1m9SUjVQcwuc3Knh81SfZCwQwIm-QvSiJXlapiHy6jamNMHRv6XFfTJXdMchL5rogXfZGb6TOmoKElExV9qs7Jg0Mtb0j2pBDxEdkSasr1g/s1600/inter-westvleteren2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">*) for those not in the know: like most trappist abbeys, St.Sixtus isn't open to visitors. The visitors' center of which I speak is a bistro-like tavern named <i>In de Vrede</i>, situated just outside the abbey's walls. <br />Not a monk in sight, and the brewer's kettles are carefully hidden from view.</span></td></tr>
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Scarceness breeds expectations, so here's to all things beery! BeerBuddies Bert, Frank and Goya, myself included, set out across Flanders' most pittoresque highway ("<i>den E40 nor de Kust</i>") and eventually settled down <i><a href="http://www.indevrede.be/" target="_blank">in de Vrede</a></i>, a freshly poured <b>12</b> smiling beatifically at us. Except at Frank, who'd ordered a <b>6</b> because someone had to.<br />
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What to say about a beer which is so hyped even Belgians lower their voices when they speak of it? Even if they've never tasted it.<br />
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The 12 is a standard dark quadruple, with a typical but restrained banana-yeast nose and a moderate dose of spices. Alcohol is present but not at all distracting. Round and balanced, with a mellow, slightly chewy medium finish. Comparing it to other trappists is inherently nonsensical, since only three(*) of them are even remotely related in style, but if I must, I'd say the 12 is the easiest, most balanced of these four.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*) By which I mean the Rochefort 12, the Chimay Bleu and, for the heck of it, the La Trappe Quadrupel. I'm disregarding the Austrians and the Americans for lack of having tried them, as well as the fact that comparing them is a bit like comparing four otherwise unrelated puppies. Unfair and pointless.</span><br />
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There's nothing wrong with this beer, mark me well, but it's nowhere near special enough to warrant a lengthy detour, an overworked and underwhelmed tavern staff, and some pretty stiff prices. The tavern, the only place in the world where you're guaranteed to find the elusive brew, is spacious, but swiftly fills to full capacity on weekend afternoons. Beer is served from the bottle, so those hoping to enjoy a draft Vleteren had better quench their hopes already. The 12 is a wonderfully balanced beer, spiced without becoming a quad monster, and extremely drinkable. The 8 is an underwhelming brown ale, somewhat unremarkable on all levels, and the 6 is a wheaty blonde with some banana hints that befit its heritage.<br />
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None of these beers, I think, are world-shocking at either end of the good-bad scale.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjKLlbIokZEicWeJH5LMCBSWYg5HHrQI0WZSSxnDwxlMC0tq_n6xa2DdkKLvjQA2dTnhG1TMxoLk8hd45nXkENIOKoFItpdXqNsMIOV_uMmLsIaKx40W2g7A93EBNDGUK2D6cwu_rprY4/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjKLlbIokZEicWeJH5LMCBSWYg5HHrQI0WZSSxnDwxlMC0tq_n6xa2DdkKLvjQA2dTnhG1TMxoLk8hd45nXkENIOKoFItpdXqNsMIOV_uMmLsIaKx40W2g7A93EBNDGUK2D6cwu_rprY4/s1600/download.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pointing straight at "<i>meh</i>".</td></tr>
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I know, hold your horses already, I know!<br />
<br />
It doesn't take a lot to transform the casual beer drinker into a snob. But, I asked myself several times these past few weeks, what's the difference between snobbery and being picky?<br />
I've become a fussy customer where beer's concerned, I know that. I'll even apologise profusely for it whenever I understand people make an effort to accomodate my zythological quixoticness, and fall somewhat short of my ridiculously elevated bar of standards.<br />
<br />
I know I'm a spoiled little beer brat, but I also know that at least half of Westvleteren's credits are due to its scarceness. Fill the supermarkets with the 12, strip it of its Trappist logo, and suddenly the world will stop caring so ludicrously much about it and simply admire it for what it is: a solid, balanced beer, expertly brewed in a tradition and style already overpopulated by similar brews.<br />
<br />
Adding all of that up leads me to conclude that the famous Westvleteren, in either of its 3 incarnations falls short of the hype. Nowhere near worth the price they charge you in the visitors' center's shop (20 euros, not even batting an eye in shame, for a sixpack, I kid you not), and certainly a whole lot less than what they charge all over the world for a bottle. I've been places where you're charged 20 euros for one single bottle, and are expected to count yourself lucky.<br />
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That being said, I'm quite happy I got to try one again, and that I invested my 20 euros in beers to hand out to people who would otherwise have to part with one of their kidneys in order to acquire one. I am however all the more convinced that the world needs to be told, repeatedly and vociferously, that it's a hype.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKveLu4muiXtP3poSFNegYjsTO97XF-cV9Y0r_WFcoH8V1OPosaDxz_BgXiF-X6e0NfT202TgiovFo1H-H_zqczsInO10DyAo7vwLaupR0i_xrnIno0V-XHHQfXqX11xxp7OuceRzWdFF_/s1600/download+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKveLu4muiXtP3poSFNegYjsTO97XF-cV9Y0r_WFcoH8V1OPosaDxz_BgXiF-X6e0NfT202TgiovFo1H-H_zqczsInO10DyAo7vwLaupR0i_xrnIno0V-XHHQfXqX11xxp7OuceRzWdFF_/s1600/download+(1).jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>It's a hype, I sez!</i></td></tr>
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<br />
When drinking Westvleteren, nuance needs to be applied, lest one become conviced the hype is true, or, perhaps sadder still, that it's no good.<br />
It's good, alright, but not <i>that</i> good.<br />
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I'm also quite certain I can easily tell the 12 apart from the so-called identical Sint Bernardus Abt. Go on, make me eat my words :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKypB5iFn7YJWyVMDCfMqUqixmHZmF3yAukjZejPSzb6ZHXzis4wgL67-OMugPAbPFjuWoNEC_MxstoGgLyFRNM06WvnDB22XHBQjLRKJO5wHgo6dVdcIUIOb2Z9avtakexwZEPcSBcGqc/s1600/westvleteren-12-and-st-bernardus-12-side-by-side.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKypB5iFn7YJWyVMDCfMqUqixmHZmF3yAukjZejPSzb6ZHXzis4wgL67-OMugPAbPFjuWoNEC_MxstoGgLyFRNM06WvnDB22XHBQjLRKJO5wHgo6dVdcIUIOb2Z9avtakexwZEPcSBcGqc/s320/westvleteren-12-and-st-bernardus-12-side-by-side.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next week on <i>Epic Rap Battles</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
All ranting aside, this trip to Westvleteren was actually only a pit stop, as we were really <i>en route</i> to that other place so many call BeerMecca: nearby (Oost)Vleteren where the <a href="http://struise.com/" target="_blank">Struise Brewers</a> abide.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQ41mxeFdSdS16rk0GhwXhzu7KDs18LRv6oGgokfaqMHhPSbnSkDGaO9cjPeoU6QkTv1DKwyn4j3tNCc8LE0ficfiJPS7-UDMQqoXLp432_bou8Jn-thTMsdSlBIgLAoz7ub33MkD6uhd/s1600/midsummer-nights-dream-intermission-title-still.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQ41mxeFdSdS16rk0GhwXhzu7KDs18LRv6oGgokfaqMHhPSbnSkDGaO9cjPeoU6QkTv1DKwyn4j3tNCc8LE0ficfiJPS7-UDMQqoXLp432_bou8Jn-thTMsdSlBIgLAoz7ub33MkD6uhd/s320/midsummer-nights-dream-intermission-title-still.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Give or take.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
--------------------<i>intermission starts about here</i>------------------------------</div>
<br />
Bear with me for a second.<br />
Or ten minutes if I succumb to digression again. <br /><br />
In all that follows and came before, understand that I realise the parallels between the Struise and the StSixtus monks all too well.<br />
Both brewers produce beers which are almost impossible to find outside of the specialty market. Some of the scarceness of the Struise brews stems from export issues, sapping the local market of its merchandise, while the trappist monks abide by the monastic laws of their order, resulting also in scarce beer.<br />
Both produce beers which cost a bit of money (although the Struise's can actually be picked up for cheaps if you know where to look). Try as I might, I find it hard to reconcile the monastic tradition of poverty with the elevated prices of the <i>on site </i>brews. What wackos all over the world are willing to pay is up to them, but €5 for a beer is expensive, no matter how you look at it. De Struise have some budget brews priced around €2 <i>on site</i>, and charge robust prices (€15 and upward for a 75cl bottle) for their specialty brews. But, as you'll read below, these are <i>specialty</i> brews, often one-of-a-kind deals with a low chance of re-entry into any market whatsoever.<br />It's important to understand that both breweries have a different approach to beer, and to the selling of it. The monks brew beer as part of their <i>ora et labora</i> ideology, in which "surplus" beer can be sold to visitors, with the profits being considered <i>non profit</i>: used for charity and maintenance.<br />
The Struise brew because they love beer, and have made a living from that love.<br />
<br />
I'm aware of the parallels, as well as the differences, and while it may seem at times like I'm keeping double standards, I am actually willing to dish out credit either way with all of this taken into account.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
--------------------<i>done with the intermission I think</i>------------------------------</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
That being said: the welcome at the Struise could not be more different from the aloof tourist attraction in Westvleteren if they'd put on skirts and danced the french can-can. Carlo and Urbain welcome each of their guests in person, and pour their beers with a generosity which borders on wellfare. I swear, we almost had to insist we pay for our drinks when we left.<br />
<br />
And we'd had quite a few, I must add.<br />
<br />
The brewery is located in the building of Vleteren's old elementary school, with much of the equipment installed outside in the school yard.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibC6w8Al18r5sbDyxqa8ySgq7Us0zsT_z-yapi950n77NqbgsoDRwna-giQG_f_ke25Azm8-ShybTE8x9Bw4Ktq67mXawU_MoNj9QP05P-qwIVeUpXRirFU_ODw9PDQCewGF3GtxDoeDvf/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibC6w8Al18r5sbDyxqa8ySgq7Us0zsT_z-yapi950n77NqbgsoDRwna-giQG_f_ke25Azm8-ShybTE8x9Bw4Ktq67mXawU_MoNj9QP05P-qwIVeUpXRirFU_ODw9PDQCewGF3GtxDoeDvf/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The only school which only opens on Saturdays</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A narrow corridor hosts an array of beers for sale, as well as a graveyard display of ridiculously rare and yummy foreign beer bottles, all sadly empty. An old class room has been converted into the visitors' center, with desks and chair and a blackboard on which the brewing process is outlined in chalk. Behind some barrels looms the Struise Rig, with no less than thirty (count 'em, <i>biaatches</i>, 30!) beers on tap.<br />
No food, no bowls of nuts, no uniformed waitresses.<br />
Just the Struise and their brews.<br />
<br />
Oh and we ran into Kees Bubberman & crew. The <a href="http://www.emelisse.nl/brouwerij" target="_blank">Emelisse</a> boys were visiting to pick up some gear for an upcoming brew, and we had a nice chat with them. More on Emelisse sometime soon, I promise :)<br />
<br />
In the course of the next couple of hours, we had quite a few beers, served in 15cl sample glasses. With such a vast array of beers on tap, it'd be a crime to use the 33cl glasses Belgian beers are normally served in.<br />
<br />
"<i>Something easy to start with?</i>", Urbain winked, while pouring us our first brew, the immensely drinkable <b>Imperialist</b> pilsner. With its 8-point-something % ABV, hidden under a playful load of Galaxy hops, this brew firmly asserts the Struise's merrit. Compare this to (and I know I'm being unfair but they asked for it) Jupiler's <b>Tauro</b> before InBev chucked its risibly prominent balls into the bin by lowering it from 8.2 to 6-point-something, and you realise the Struise know what beer is about.<br />
The Imperialist is an imperial pilsner, higher in alcohol but still immensely smooth and refreshing. Unlike turbo lagers the world over, it isn't cloyingly sweet or chemically bitter, but fresh and hoppy.<br />
First brew in and already I am in awe.<br />
<br />
Between the four of us, we tucked into some of de Struise's trademark black brews. Apologies if I missed any in the overview below.<br />
<br />
<b>Mocha Bomb, Black Mes</b><b> </b>and <b>Blackberry Albert</b> were all on.<br />
They're all incarnations of the <b>Black Damnation </b>project, in which their signature brew, the <b>Black Albert</b> (sadly out of stock) is blended with <a href="http://www.brouwerijdemolen.nl/" target="_blank">De Molen</a>'s <b>Hel&Verdoemenis</b> and submitted to the brewers' wiles.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2RfSkYJIeROE6xnLItOByl5hyqD89Ow9-b6QuBhiLyLUN4Ja_zJ7ylZy7R-eAF1QC4KOo2gUadAqewDX54dDDObEZOv64NcJqVtQKat81UVDEipqhlN12TpI2MkDlsoQ_ach4S3JEp9c/s1600/new-struise-beer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2RfSkYJIeROE6xnLItOByl5hyqD89Ow9-b6QuBhiLyLUN4Ja_zJ7ylZy7R-eAF1QC4KOo2gUadAqewDX54dDDObEZOv64NcJqVtQKat81UVDEipqhlN12TpI2MkDlsoQ_ach4S3JEp9c/s640/new-struise-beer.jpg" width="323" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Probably more accurate than we think</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Mocha Bomb was slightly boozy (courtesy of both the H&V as well as the swig of Cuvée Delphine which make up part of the blend) and delicately coffee-ish. Surprisingly gentle and civil for such a monster brew. The Blackberry Albert, as hinted at by its name, has blackberries it, imparting a delicate tang to the brew, which is carried by a subtle port barrel undercurrent. Not much blackberry to be detected though.<br />
The Black Mes is pure Black Albert, aged on Caol Ila barrels. It's got a nice kick to it, as it whispers soft obscenities under its breath.<br />
<br />
<b>Cuvée Delphine </b>comes as a stand-alone brew as well. It's the Black Albert again, in unblended form and aged on Four Roses bourbon barrels. If you're into sweet brews, with a touch of boozy delight, Delphine's your thing. Not unlike a boozy bonbon, but in a good way. Compared to the Black Mes, the Cuvée is much more feminine and, all innuendo aside, more rounded.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>O.N.E.</b> takes the idea of the Cuvée Delphine and applies it to the Struise's other flagship brew, the <b>Pannepot</b>. This quad has been aged on bourbon barrels, and the result is a wonderful, robust yet delicately sweet brew.<br />
<br />
But, and it's easy to forget this, the Struise brew more than black beers. In fact, some of their more <i>risqué</i> brews these days are anything but black. Take the recent <b>Weltmerz</b> for example, a low-alcohol lactic brew with hints of apple, flowers, and yoghurt. Definitely a polarising beer, but I for one am very much impressed by it. As if it weren't audacious enough already, Urbain&Co have made a variation by infusing it with red forest fruit. The result (I didn't catch the name, sorry) is a vividly red, immensely tart and puckering brew with an overpowering nose of berry skins, foresty things and something I can't put a name to. My guess is this one was quite young ("only" three years on a barrel, or so Urbain claimed) and needs to settle a bit before it becomes enjoyable. In its current state, it's too astringent, and perhaps a tad too rash.<br />
<br />
If barrels are your thing but booze ain't, then I simply must recommend some of their more off-centered brews. <b>T.H.R.E.E. </b>is a barrel aged tripel (or a golden quad, I could't tell) which tastes more like an spiced light barley wine, thickly laced with oak. From the nose to the finish, this is a massive oak brew, with inbetween hints of vanilla and marzipan.<br />
<br />
Similar, yet slightly more delicate, is the <b>Rio Reserva</b>, which has a bit more bourbon going but still shows that prominent woody flavor.<br />
<br />
Apart from the red Weltmerz derivate, not a single questionable brew was encountered at the Struise. In fact, I was impressed by the side-by-side comparisons of their myriad of black'n'boozies, as each was able to hold its own, and reveal a different and distinct personality.<br /><br />
A note of criticism, ere someone accuse me partiality and bias. If you visit the Struise (and I insist that you do), try to enquire in advance if there's a group visit planned. The tap rig is installed in the class room where the (lengthy) group sessions are held, and if your plan is to try lots of different beer, waiting in the narrow corridor-<i>annex</i>-shop for the occasional break so you can have a refill is perhaps not your idea of a fun afternoon. I should hasten to say that I think the groups session is probably very worthwile: Carlo will take his time to run you, school style, through the entire brewing process. I'm sure if you ask politely, he'll even give you some pointers on how to brew something passable of your own.<br />Also, be forewarned that you're visiting a brewery where, sort of by coincidence, you can have a beer or thirty. It's not a tavern or an actual shop or a tourist attraction, so there's no food, no kiddie rides, no formal staff, no actual parking. I like that quaint and bare-basics approach of de Struise, but if your plan was to have a family outing, someone's going to end up disappointed.<br />
<br />
As the day drew to a close -<i>a pox on you, daylight savings time!-</i> we headed back home, and there was much talk of beer and beery things related to beer.<br />
<br />
If I'm making all of this seem like the monks are somehow to be avoided, allow me to set the matter straight.<br />
If you're in the Westhoek on a Saturday, I fully recommend you pay a visit to Vleteren, be it Oost or West. Preferably both, if only to witness the difference in style and attitude. The deal is pretty straight forward.<br />
<br />
You want WestVleteren and a see-saw for the kids? Head to SintSixtus.<br />
You want beer in ways most of Belgium hasn't even dreamed of? Head to de Struise. My preference is the latter, but then again, I'm a spoiled little beer brat.<br />
<br />
<br />
Greetz<br />
<br />
Jo<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01143877602262019920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281950320075665382.post-34230902394620446722013-10-23T05:10:00.002-07:002013-10-23T05:10:44.345-07:00Borefts! Beer! Buddies old and new!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Every year, the guys at De Molen organise a festival, highlighting some of the best breweries of Europe and thereabouts. Given my partiality to just about everything Menno&co undertake, it was only a matter of time and logistics ere I was able to attend in person.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG3QJW8JqxoQU1V8udTRs84zjDCcTeZ3mx2i5aK5YK4d3Q6KWb91QKdsIQtHy8ef3nYvjQvzPo8xUVDLUa4-l1OF-vS7gWKMvqRM1apYI9hDuGPv9psMHFQj2oKYJAJ2oicAv7FMPRIdvc/s1600/20130927-DSC_0040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG3QJW8JqxoQU1V8udTRs84zjDCcTeZ3mx2i5aK5YK4d3Q6KWb91QKdsIQtHy8ef3nYvjQvzPo8xUVDLUa4-l1OF-vS7gWKMvqRM1apYI9hDuGPv9psMHFQj2oKYJAJ2oicAv7FMPRIdvc/s320/20130927-DSC_0040.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Witness me attending</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's been at least twenty years since I attended a beer festival, and things have changed a lot since then. Not only am I older (and -at least by a margin- wiser), but the beer scene has changed as well. It took a Dutch beer to convince me that Belgium is not the navel of the world's beer belly, and it's since become clear to me that borders and beer simply don't combine well. Borefts embraces and in fact embodies this idea, and brewers from all over the world (alright, Europe plus the UK then, if you insist) joyfully examplified the concept of beer as a borderless unifier.<br />
<br />
My buddy Bert and myself arrived early, as we'd been informed the whole town of Bodegraven would be taken over by the festival, and parking space would be scarce and contested. We were in luck and scored a parking spot in the very shadow of the brewery's eponymous mill.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEMM7DS9tE_D3w3Oayu5UANSUUHPjJJOLoN2jPYmjYz0PgAjFY6avGVrrjo4QilbOEnOoBqAh0WrNB2YYC8dV2yDvkTqxDmhrpIcWHAL_oRMX6O3hClYzQBEjVPzTx5dFS_cWvVEx_aXaS/s1600/20130927-DSC_0126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEMM7DS9tE_D3w3Oayu5UANSUUHPjJJOLoN2jPYmjYz0PgAjFY6avGVrrjo4QilbOEnOoBqAh0WrNB2YYC8dV2yDvkTqxDmhrpIcWHAL_oRMX6O3hClYzQBEjVPzTx5dFS_cWvVEx_aXaS/s320/20130927-DSC_0126.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What else could they've called it?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One advantage of arriving early to Borefts this year was actually being the first to whine to the <a href="http://www.kulturbryggeri.se/wp/" target="_blank">Närke </a>guys about the absence of <a href="http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/10902/42664" target="_blank">Kaggen! Stormaktsporter</a>. But Christopher kindly introduced us to the brewery's seasonal forest-inspired ales, pouring me a nice and balanced spruce beer called <b>Gran Sus (*). </b>A nice and friendly beer, with a firm Munich malt body, which gently evolved into a subte and lingering herby aftertaste. Not at all piney, but very mellow and utterly hospitable. Beer Buddy Bert had a beer with moose grass called <b>Äljäjl</b>, which did some pretty evocative things in the mouth, but was somewhat feebler of body, compared to the Gran Sus.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnMDIoF5rYA6pJu1w1FIx1LsjYYp2wOcK0TNj-leF4P6j5oOj1Vpj25xAzp0iCauLgpnyddNru7CiN5lxK8kAysjGo1YrH2VKkdOOGUVOEvTyiI7ytf9ccWzDXil8p-fIBw8yNV6dfDona/s1600/20130927-DSC_0037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnMDIoF5rYA6pJu1w1FIx1LsjYYp2wOcK0TNj-leF4P6j5oOj1Vpj25xAzp0iCauLgpnyddNru7CiN5lxK8kAysjGo1YrH2VKkdOOGUVOEvTyiI7ytf9ccWzDXil8p-fIBw8yNV6dfDona/s320/20130927-DSC_0037.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good thing they didn't bring forest bears</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Looking back, I'm sorry I didn't get to try Närke's other two forest beers, as the brewery had clearly made an effort to evoke the Scandinavian wildlife, without chucking their beers full of composting humus. A nice introduction to a brewery whose renown has reached the point where it's almost ludicrous. Very curious as to what else these guys can do (wait for it, we've only been here ten minutes).<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*) It speaks volumes for the Swedes that they have a word for the wind blowing through the treetops. </span><br />
<br />
Onwards then, for across the street loomed the familiar shape of Dennis, patron saint of Beer Geeks the world over. He was manning De Struise Brouwers' trailer, an impressive array of (I didn't count but I daresay exaggeration is minimal) thirty taps. Dennis, being who he is, was singing beery praise to all and any with an ear to hear, and recommended the visiting Spaniards of <b>Laugar</b>, hosting nearly a dozen beers at the far end of the trailer. "Give them your love" he said, and love them I did and still do.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg50IN3ahYGGdmSi8hhyphenhyphenGJgTXNWdeG0vPS6iSpZSYqGEZG1LPkPDATY1Z0vbpskemxhwVPMP5YeeUGQQS7vaaX9q-kCNAuUvRAln7bd-H4nED9mgpIcgrst3EtCw8sQb9GAKpeZE7PkUtv1/s1600/20130927-DSC_0043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg50IN3ahYGGdmSi8hhyphenhyphenGJgTXNWdeG0vPS6iSpZSYqGEZG1LPkPDATY1Z0vbpskemxhwVPMP5YeeUGQQS7vaaX9q-kCNAuUvRAln7bd-H4nED9mgpIcgrst3EtCw8sQb9GAKpeZE7PkUtv1/s320/20130927-DSC_0043.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nine garage brews. <i>Au lait!</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A jovial bunch of energetic beer enthusiasts, with an impressive array of beers on display. I had their ridiculously amazing <b>Hop Shock</b>, a low-alcohol (3.9%) session IPA with oodles of flavour. Immensely drinkable, and from what I hear, the festival favourite of quite a few people who would have got insanely drunk had they chosen differently. Beer Buddy Bert tucked into their very juicy <b>Pumpkin Saison</b>, a darker-than-usual, beefier-than-usual but again expertly crafted and insanely drinkable session beer.<br />
<br />
There was no way for us to escape our orbit around Dennis' considerable gravity. The man helped me to a magnificent new version of De Struise's <b>Ypres</b>, which was so drastically different from the bottled version I'd tasted earlier this year it might as well be a different brew.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBnEn-BnCdRiQU3d2sXI-DAsGTTk_dvQ_jzRQWWnTkxkkdDY6oCYsbKBcZw994Pat-U1_ZsMXQKjKE-3_ayWcBn-k7AOf3u5VY5v6yD5sq-z_Oqr5iaC0JNj7qwOHZwMjmrrSY_usD-PpX/s1600/struisse-ypres-2009-0500-l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBnEn-BnCdRiQU3d2sXI-DAsGTTk_dvQ_jzRQWWnTkxkkdDY6oCYsbKBcZw994Pat-U1_ZsMXQKjKE-3_ayWcBn-k7AOf3u5VY5v6yD5sq-z_Oqr5iaC0JNj7qwOHZwMjmrrSY_usD-PpX/s320/struisse-ypres-2009-0500-l.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's pronounce "wipers". <br />Even by Yprians. <br />Yperites. <br />People from Wipers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Dennis revealed the new version is matured on Bordeaux barrels instead of the (less impressive) Bourgogne barrels, and it turns out this makes a huge difference. Vinous and tart, the new Ypres easily stands up to the greatest of Flemish Old Brown ales, and should be an instant pickup for anyone even remotely interested in the style. Urbain, I salute you! Beer Buddy Bert delivered himself unto the tender mercies of Saint Dennis, and was poured a generous serving of Laugar's flagship brew: the <b>Aupa Tovarisch Oporto.</b> Bert loves his black beers, and this one did not disappoint. Rich and complex, like any imperial stout should be, with a thick fat layer of port whipped liberally in between. Almost too much port, but in a good way: never did it become something spiked with boring grape juice, and the stately but tiresome flavours of over-aged ales were also pleasantly absent. Laugar are undertaking efforts to market this beer, so if you ever encounter them, don't hesitate. A brewery to watch, and for my part the pearl of the festival.<br />
<br />
Burgers then, because the above was all just an excuse to be the first to reach the food stalls. Aperitifs safely slurped up, we tucked in for some grub, but I hasten to say we didn't waste too much time chewing, which is only proper when attending a beer festival.<br />
<br />
A brief stroke of undecisiveness later found us queueing the taps of London's Finest: <b>The Kernel.</b><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMyiLZhEY68oy0khUTNPcqMS4hkODlJlShLiTGpn3GlEIXlrdZ90rSJQiKr2NdtwWt0KnW6sJsAL8XfGj0tQvVZ5x3nVYH8HraLP2qZslWVi_DcX47xmPiJ3mjpNDIl8BrU8x5Jp769sHL/s1600/20130927-DSC_0056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMyiLZhEY68oy0khUTNPcqMS4hkODlJlShLiTGpn3GlEIXlrdZ90rSJQiKr2NdtwWt0KnW6sJsAL8XfGj0tQvVZ5x3nVYH8HraLP2qZslWVi_DcX47xmPiJ3mjpNDIl8BrU8x5Jp769sHL/s320/20130927-DSC_0056.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">London baby!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Toby himself did the honours, pouring me a very decent, but somewhat underwhelming and otherwise nameless <b>barrel aged bière de table</b>, a cloudy, pale-white saison of 4.6% ABV. The barrels where subtly there, and truth be told: without them, the beer would have been disappointing. But what was there made it an enjoyable lesson in humility: thin without actually being dry, with a casual nod at tartness, and a whiff of french oak. Oh but in the late September sun, the beer did grow on me. Bert, who likes his blacks, had fallen in love with the <b>Imperial Brown Stout</b>, aged in Glen Spey Whisky. And really, what can I say about this beer which can ever do it any justice? The Kernel's signature toffee/chocolate/coffee flavours are so perfectly paired off with the stately, slightly smoky balance of the scotch barrels, that the beer becomes instant organoleptic bliss. The only thing which could have made this beer any better (and I'm quoting Bert here) was a big fat cigar.<br />
<br />
Time's awastin', so onward, to Jopen's array of brews. The cheerful ladies (wo)manning the taps were demonstrably proud of the brewery's achievements, and introduced us to one of the leading trends of the festival: gruit beer. Granted, the <b>Koyt</b> isn't really a gruitbeer, but close enough. BeerBert went for the <b>Gouds Gruit</b> which was really gruity. I don't normally pick up that typical herby gruit flavour, but in this beer it was pretty much all there was. Real nice if you like that stuff, but I'm a hop head myself, and I tire easily in such a herbal presence. I went for the <b>Gratzer/Grodziskie. </b>Normally a heavily hopped, smokey beer style, this one was sour and tart, and a little watery. Another trend this year was light-bodied, low-ABV beers, and while this one was all that, I found it perhaps one of the least impressive I sampled. Somehow, I still haven't had a Jopen beer which blew me away, and while I gave the Gratzer every chance, it remained a bit underwhelming.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_4o8OQIGJE7R-l1vsoWWbX5Jcn6HwOWZR8exY62zLngNJqoyvxNRkvqOy_h8uulyelnFe9JpZ7L6oMRMKpm0Y5gSYoxhwNlckZxUblK6ttkgWeCePQY8RIQ6vYebmMv0QsfckNMRvvPBl/s1600/jopenkerk-700x253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_4o8OQIGJE7R-l1vsoWWbX5Jcn6HwOWZR8exY62zLngNJqoyvxNRkvqOy_h8uulyelnFe9JpZ7L6oMRMKpm0Y5gSYoxhwNlckZxUblK6ttkgWeCePQY8RIQ6vYebmMv0QsfckNMRvvPBl/s320/jopenkerk-700x253.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unlike the location of their pub.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Time for a short break, and some cheesy comestibles, whilst chatting to a couple of fellow countrymen, equally impressed by all the quality brews on display. BeerBert found himself accompanied by his first Italian brew: <b>Brew Fist</b>'s <b>X-Ray</b>, an imperial porter. I thought it was pretty decent, but BeerBert's palate is becoming harder and harder to please, especially where black beers are concerned. I contented myself with nibbling the cheese, but quickly found myself facing <b>Amager</b>'s <b>Envy</b>, which I was informed is the base beer which in pimped form became the Gluttony I had earlier this year.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz5Rf4IUImYVfrEttbPGnCADLi-dDjxqwQw9tVVV5NvGKYBYimtlyMCwrJyv-yWH-spxOiy_nliwKs2iUrmX5Ob899eBfCqNypR0UKvFZ73dWMjjU7gdScTMK5lYG40Mac19RdoCpX0zv6/s1600/20130927-DSC_0060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz5Rf4IUImYVfrEttbPGnCADLi-dDjxqwQw9tVVV5NvGKYBYimtlyMCwrJyv-yWH-spxOiy_nliwKs2iUrmX5Ob899eBfCqNypR0UKvFZ73dWMjjU7gdScTMK5lYG40Mac19RdoCpX0zv6/s320/20130927-DSC_0060.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eat that, David Fincher.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Amager is another one of those breweries who can do no wrong, it seems. BeerBert, who likes his blacks (*) obviously went for the <b>Hr. Fredriksen Nieport</b>, another splendidly barrel aged imperial stout. Maybe my tastebuds were getting tired but I found drastically different from Laugar's port-based Aupa Tovarisch, and a bit heavier. A hint of tobacco perhaps.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*) did I mention Bert likes his blacks already? He sneaked off for a sip of <b>De Struise Brouwers' O.N.E.</b> while I wasn't watching.</span><br />
<br />
Off our lazy asses, and back into the awning's shade, to check out what <b>Thornbridge </b>was up to. Ever since they introduced me to British ales when I was in London, I've had my eye on them, but they're hard to find in Belgium, besides which UK ales (especially Thornbridge's) tend to underwhelm when bottled and compared to casked (*)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ZT5w-M_HtoLn7XGr01Z2x5vazrmpZg-ZbftduKK7ZfGQp2GGMXO9ltZmQUvoWDDRlwwHP3LNdgAP4dBzb9E5kC23sgyBah1qRfar-wRJmfNixYhVjYzMms-j1m78vNr8YKB_45EkTFJW/s1600/20130927-DSC_0077.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ZT5w-M_HtoLn7XGr01Z2x5vazrmpZg-ZbftduKK7ZfGQp2GGMXO9ltZmQUvoWDDRlwwHP3LNdgAP4dBzb9E5kC23sgyBah1qRfar-wRJmfNixYhVjYzMms-j1m78vNr8YKB_45EkTFJW/s320/20130927-DSC_0077.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">*) casked beer is really a different product from bottled, kegged or canned beer. <br />A bit like soft cheese vs hard cheese. <br />Only different and without cheese.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Thornbridge brought their big and stately <b>Bracia</b>, barrel aged on bourbon. Guess when BeerBert stopped reading the menu? Not a stout but a strong dark ale, a bit like a quadrupel or a wee heavy. Bert wasn't too impressed and I concur, with reservations I'll line up a bit further on. For myself, I went for the Rum-aged <b>Kacho</b> porter, a wonderfully subtle brew which to me confirms Thornbridge's outstanding reputation. The rum brought wonderful flavours of cane sugar to the brew, as well as slight boozy tingle. A bit on the thinnish side, but I'm blaming that sip of Bracia I took earlier. For here's the snag with Thornbrigde as I've experienced them so far: they brew absurdly subtle brews. The Jaipur I remember from two years ago, and the Bracia, as well as the Kacho; all are stately but delicate brews, easily overshadowed in the presence of boozily barreled USA-inspired beers of today. I understand BeerBert's reservations towards the Bracia, especially in the light of several thick black impy stouts already savoured earlier. For my part, I was charmed by the Kacho, which stood out precisely because it wasn't a big ass brew. But on a festival like Borefts, it's easy to dismiss Thornbridge's elegance in favour of more bold and brazen brews.<br />
<br />
Still working our way across the length of the festival's main venue, we stopped at <b>Toccalmatto</b><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>rig<i>,</i><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>where the Italians had set up a nice display of quaint-looking bottles. From what I've seen of Italian brewing, I gather presentation is not just the icing on the cake but part and parcel of the beer itself. Toccalmatto took this perhaps a step too far: a beautifully presented <b>Russian Imperial Stout (Wild)</b>, aged on red Sagrantino barrels and decanted like a treasured wine, failed to impress either Be(e)rt or myself. It was a beautifully aged beer, no question, but the typical port-and-madeira flavours of aged beer got in the way with what I've come to expect from an impy stout. Similarly, their nameless <b>Göse</b> didn't really do much, and was a missed opportunity to put the brewery's stamp on the festival. If you're bringing a salty beer to Borefts, you better make sure it stands out, or people will end up disappointed.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjN5oGKjFANSjRymhNq378YxbgxoJNMDD2TqZ67NFjY6KMiQZ8_u4x6dsf_GKxEIiH1mqc_l-zA9Gja_cMM82s56SwGYNXA-yzz-VbFYoyV89wdWvr5p6-Zk7JqK5XnzlySfn8x4GZVfDH/s1600/20130927-DSC_0078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjN5oGKjFANSjRymhNq378YxbgxoJNMDD2TqZ67NFjY6KMiQZ8_u4x6dsf_GKxEIiH1mqc_l-zA9Gja_cMM82s56SwGYNXA-yzz-VbFYoyV89wdWvr5p6-Zk7JqK5XnzlySfn8x4GZVfDH/s320/20130927-DSC_0078.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But what a spectacularly classy presentation it is!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Heading back across the street to the brew house, I tried <b>Närke</b>'s 5 o'clock Special: a thick and immensely sweet honey Braggot. Impressive, but not my kind of beer: shitloads of honey which acted like a fire blanket on top of the booze underneath. Braggots were another notable presence on the festival by the way, with many brewers bringing along their take on honey-and-herb beers. Again: not a style I'm particularly fond of, but it's always nice to see old traditions rise up from the past.<br />
<br />
We chatted to a visiting Spanish couple with whom I forged some beer-swapping plans to be executed in the near future (*).<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*) the plans. Not the Spanish couple. Just thought I'd clear that up. More on those plans later, as they reach fruition.</span><br />
<br />
Meanwhile, we sipped some more Spanish beer, this time by <b>Napar Bier</b>, whose name is growing every day, even outside of Spain.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqARnifcLuO4OTfAu-bCEVK86VVl3kBP1zaV6-i1oA8Nimxb6oGB4McJ7N7UljI6AHtkJLgwnHYrupG9I94cdFAAbiIxa7zmIdfpfRWsBPLCmzkMoMCmOg_ZASJgezEYLzoQL5LaV8VuwT/s1600/brew_12991.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqARnifcLuO4OTfAu-bCEVK86VVl3kBP1zaV6-i1oA8Nimxb6oGB4McJ7N7UljI6AHtkJLgwnHYrupG9I94cdFAAbiIxa7zmIdfpfRWsBPLCmzkMoMCmOg_ZASJgezEYLzoQL5LaV8VuwT/s320/brew_12991.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Naturally.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I had the <b>Back in Black</b> IPA, a robust, roasty chunk of solid brewing skill, while BeerBert hopped across the border to France to sample <b>Brasserie du Mont Salève</b>'s <b>Imperial Stout</b>, which finally pierced the myth that French don't know jack shit about beer. Mont Salève is a brewery to watch, and I'm very curious as to what else they can do.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3MYH2ASw_HCpLs0d5xjE6yDhJcSkOpbSpRBcsPOCbe1DCGByJ7aOEdQwGHUnw_TsYskHfPQZWTLpwIwSv2NQhBajvC8drqoZGPknbl22mQmyJVFcOUTopGXhyphenhyphen8ByksmNDnZgYg-r8-mFz/s1600/La_Brasserie_du_Mont_Saleve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3MYH2ASw_HCpLs0d5xjE6yDhJcSkOpbSpRBcsPOCbe1DCGByJ7aOEdQwGHUnw_TsYskHfPQZWTLpwIwSv2NQhBajvC8drqoZGPknbl22mQmyJVFcOUTopGXhyphenhyphen8ByksmNDnZgYg-r8-mFz/s320/La_Brasserie_du_Mont_Saleve.jpg" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giant twenties lady derails cable car. <br />Read all aBOUT it!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I think at some point BeerBert went back to The Kernel for refill of his festival favourite, the Imperial Brown Stout because when I got back from an urgent number one, he was chatting up brewer Evin. Turns out the Kernel don't really have many secrets, and base many of their beers on old 19th century recipes. Making mental notes to do some research of my own, we bid the Kernel goodbye and headed off for some local Chinese food to make a splash in our beer-laden bellies. Irony being what it is, we found a great beer store selling (almost) only Dutch beers, literally within a hundred paces of the Molen's own beer-emporium. We grabbed a few things to try back home, found and devoured some Chinese (*) and headed back to the festival for one last glass.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTVJyXvrczKP7KKcB1eOlI12pQ_NxCBh4xnFvYPcUgpKQMeqcvXES4DbyI1KY378gvTzX2St5Dk2MWIb6829Sqy3sodaESBVS_sdehloyxJqCpjsL6Hq85tm-SSPa2sLAtN7WFQREPfyR6/s1600/human-flesh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTVJyXvrczKP7KKcB1eOlI12pQ_NxCBh4xnFvYPcUgpKQMeqcvXES4DbyI1KY378gvTzX2St5Dk2MWIb6829Sqy3sodaESBVS_sdehloyxJqCpjsL6Hq85tm-SSPa2sLAtN7WFQREPfyR6/s320/human-flesh.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*) no denizens of the People's Republic of China were harmed in the process described above</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
</td></tr>
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The festival ended with a shared glass of <b>De Molen</b>'s <b>Russian Imperial Stout</b>, aged in used <b>Balsamico</b> barrels. Yes, that's another novelty which others are picking up too: aging beer in non-boozy barrels. I wonder what's next. Beer in sauerkraut jugs? Natto-infused Imperial Double Wheat?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRl_665eIYAUBYZYdS2M6Ll7xDEafYsskaCzrEC2Fpi2e9SQftgOAd0R_HTQ67K9RYNGzuI-IJ5hithEn-4Resa-QW_2VKXi6-0ASdKHUqVSjAdTWt0JC-dwtLxIAeeWJLT1nVWG_rPjw-/s1600/Natto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRl_665eIYAUBYZYdS2M6Ll7xDEafYsskaCzrEC2Fpi2e9SQftgOAd0R_HTQ67K9RYNGzuI-IJ5hithEn-4Resa-QW_2VKXi6-0ASdKHUqVSjAdTWt0JC-dwtLxIAeeWJLT1nVWG_rPjw-/s320/Natto.jpg" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This, only in a fancy glass.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A quick stop at the beer store situated in the old mill proper, where agonising choices were made but some great great beers were purchased, and off we were, on the long and endless road home.<br />
<br />
This was our first time at Borefts, and a fun time it was. Splendid weather, jovial guest and hosts, plenty of time to chat with people and strike up new friendships. I'm definitely going back.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitR4Q2SxXn3p6J35GioO1XhtLAuWCesxxxtEdl3fOPcHkLHfFMB_kLQJ8hoJX8-ly9hXW_sSpMw6DWE4kplD3APnIpkQnogUsALeN1sOhtx-1jrf03XPkP2zZYdCUjmXe2evodJ2PVTgMb/s1600/20130927-DSC_0066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitR4Q2SxXn3p6J35GioO1XhtLAuWCesxxxtEdl3fOPcHkLHfFMB_kLQJ8hoJX8-ly9hXW_sSpMw6DWE4kplD3APnIpkQnogUsALeN1sOhtx-1jrf03XPkP2zZYdCUjmXe2evodJ2PVTgMb/s320/20130927-DSC_0066.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Optimism only works if there's anything left in the glass though.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Until then<br />
<br />
Greetz<br />
<br />
Jo</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01143877602262019920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281950320075665382.post-10724875795483101122013-10-21T13:33:00.002-07:002013-10-21T13:33:44.898-07:00Brewz anewz<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I know, Constant Reader, I know.<br />
I have been neglecting this blog, and you along with it, for far too long. And while my beery exploits in the months past have been diverse and many, time to yack about them has been scarce and without plenty.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSbxV3e4UEN0vnMNHi02SWrwLPlZZVHJECkNqTnzoyngXILn_ZyIc9Znp6ilWl2N_22grcJl92Q-9yNlVGqZhgxL1whVJEca0qYlxNZuFLH7XVoytdMsv7tgE7iN-oMRFjv1NOaRYcd-Af/s1600/Procrastination.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSbxV3e4UEN0vnMNHi02SWrwLPlZZVHJECkNqTnzoyngXILn_ZyIc9Znp6ilWl2N_22grcJl92Q-9yNlVGqZhgxL1whVJEca0qYlxNZuFLH7XVoytdMsv7tgE7iN-oMRFjv1NOaRYcd-Af/s320/Procrastination.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 18.65625px;">Also this.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><div>
But hark! Rather than banter about <a href="http://www.brouwerijdemolen.nl/index.php/nl/bierfestival.html" target="_blank">other peoples</a>' <a href="http://www.modestebierfestival.be/" target="_blank">beer</a>, I'll banter a bit about my own while I have time to spare.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
So far, my supply of home brew has been dwindling swiftly. In order to correct this skewed situation and prevent my cellar from becoming a place of dry and dreary sobriety, I have decided to step up my brewing activities. Brewing is not a summery activiity <i>per tradition</i> and we can't mess with tradition now can we?</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwTACYN7JF9_-bXy3BrGfrousp7y558sNrOFuXgTvE9XSf5ovymDCf8IQOYZvr5qxVrxlzziA3fyBIXhyphenhyphen0jeXio1l6SWeXpE_jFRKZXZ3AvEEXPnQzNsMyCVTvicDgX9NGoYXxNfPruzyG/s1600/tradition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwTACYN7JF9_-bXy3BrGfrousp7y558sNrOFuXgTvE9XSf5ovymDCf8IQOYZvr5qxVrxlzziA3fyBIXhyphenhyphen0jeXio1l6SWeXpE_jFRKZXZ3AvEEXPnQzNsMyCVTvicDgX9NGoYXxNfPruzyG/s320/tradition.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unless tradition involves running from a herd of enraged bulls whilst wearing something red.<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Bottled just this weekend, the prototypes of the Zwarte Madam are getting ready for sampling. I hazard that in about a week's time, I should be able to crack one open and reach a verdict. </div>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPwz8GrtFikrn13Qs-uw0xy9FSyVrX-A2_PbwyXUvelWKZQY4dqDpoE1jGXaSGj1s1MXd7ucbhnrlDW6-6byBof-JiDUbaYK6hS_bDsnhrnkfA0IV61YTwQe1-6F5gCpug9ipEyqgczw4l/s1600/1385956_731192113561882_1222480809_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPwz8GrtFikrn13Qs-uw0xy9FSyVrX-A2_PbwyXUvelWKZQY4dqDpoE1jGXaSGj1s1MXd7ucbhnrlDW6-6byBof-JiDUbaYK6hS_bDsnhrnkfA0IV61YTwQe1-6F5gCpug9ipEyqgczw4l/s320/1385956_731192113561882_1222480809_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bottled Bliss(*)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*) math-savvy Constant Readers may realise I am still nowhere near a point where I can confidently predict my final volume of brew. While I think I can account for most of my losses, I'm still not brewing a full 5 gallon batch.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
From what I <i>accidentally</i> gulped down during bottling, the basic version is really smooth and chocolatey. More a slick porter than the top-fermenting ersatz-<i>schwartzbier</i> I had in mind, but very tasty even in its unfinished state. The three <i>bonus</i> batches I'd set up to test my various mystery ingredients were a mixed bag. One showed a lot of promise, the other forced me acknowledge my over-enthusiasm where dosage is concerned, and the last one...well...let's keep that last one our little secret until it mellows down a bit.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So far, we're dealing with a pitch-black robust porter of about 8% ABV and about 17° Plato. After bottling and maturation, I'll need to present to the Silsombos crew to see if it makes any sense to them. Even if it doesn't (porter isn't a common style over here), I'll have learned a thing or two again, and now I have a lovely basis for Porter <i>à la Moi. </i></div>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihV5hHphspUPlTbetFH2hQzAdX7WMzq4RbDTZyknQjsbJuyLx9Wf6_P9oK0Zen9D2BMuCQrrOdL1mUZZRGUHuHV4rkTMiFetiietkMVq6ggu6JMqHNGkdiIOb19AaQn6O0Dcw1QThGNW6n/s1600/1375959_731192546895172_963758290_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihV5hHphspUPlTbetFH2hQzAdX7WMzq4RbDTZyknQjsbJuyLx9Wf6_P9oK0Zen9D2BMuCQrrOdL1mUZZRGUHuHV4rkTMiFetiietkMVq6ggu6JMqHNGkdiIOb19AaQn6O0Dcw1QThGNW6n/s320/1375959_731192546895172_963758290_n.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">So yay me!</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
The other brew is a cloning experiment, set up to get Beer Buddy Bert started on the road of Making-a-Mess-in-the-Kitchen-Whilst-Doing-Beery-Things. We went for<a href="http://www.brewdog.com/product/libertine-black-ale" target="_blank"> Brew Dog's Libertine Black</a>, a potent and ballsy black IPA, brimming with Simcoe hops. </div>
<div>
Brew Day went splendidly, and if I had a beer for every time someone mentioned hot cocoa after seeing our mash, I'd need another cellar just to store the labels.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0jOSNvIU-IVkbyYaVqDRnzJfsUj3MrnFDLuGtkuv6kBM9cB_eDEufeUQZz_8HBJ_EaOPEWKTFS3vZhQQTMTWqwUn7mSbsgem7RELYYoHFd_754j-ajL_SdryRr1ocsT63O4b0J3J88CJ5/s1600/1381389_10152290591233662_1714468581_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0jOSNvIU-IVkbyYaVqDRnzJfsUj3MrnFDLuGtkuv6kBM9cB_eDEufeUQZz_8HBJ_EaOPEWKTFS3vZhQQTMTWqwUn7mSbsgem7RELYYoHFd_754j-ajL_SdryRr1ocsT63O4b0J3J88CJ5/s320/1381389_10152290591233662_1714468581_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hot cocoa!<br />Idiots.</td></tr>
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<div>
Brew Dog were kind enough to list (hopefully all of) their ingredients on the Libertine Black's label, so we slammed together something with a least a chance of approximating the original, and are now fairly certain we'll get a drinkable black IPA for our efforts.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJv9Se_uq9hxclmdM5enfa_WOSjwdbVv2QrLf6YWzK5viS13SCk9r0jSnop9KxTodjH9L_5XAiAZSyQQHIcVFgVHX9ZlONEOXc5im_ZB3f69qCrLblQHAZGua1MFDf3Wr1wkSgSs5FHxsl/s1600/10005_731224356891991_989872_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJv9Se_uq9hxclmdM5enfa_WOSjwdbVv2QrLf6YWzK5viS13SCk9r0jSnop9KxTodjH9L_5XAiAZSyQQHIcVFgVHX9ZlONEOXc5im_ZB3f69qCrLblQHAZGua1MFDf3Wr1wkSgSs5FHxsl/s320/10005_731224356891991_989872_n.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now dry hopping with what looks like not enough Simcoe.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Will it resemble the real thing? We'll have to wait and see.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Until then,</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Greetz</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Jo</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01143877602262019920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281950320075665382.post-49215842940828210112013-08-21T01:33:00.002-07:002013-08-21T02:30:47.464-07:00Beer Geek Oddyssey: Hispania!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
First off, an apology. This blog entry has been long overdue, but hey, it's the holidays.<br />
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Holidays for a true BeerGeek mean just more work, and more opportunities to score some new and exciting brews. <br />
I'd been told the craft revolution is really happening on the Iberic Peninsula, so with anticipation soaring, we set out, diagonally across France (where, it saddens me to say, the revolution is still so deep underground it may only be experienced if one applies a shovel) into Iberia proper.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY1zNSp6G27gjQK_uyEslEW4W_ReDWXDOpolZRbE3WFfe9Y22fwphceF-RGnGlOULdg4EtrFHtzMZMtH90f9UcU_CWMhSvpFjSuYpFyuCnja1yPl3abRQblWnoBNsJokypAMdLibsODTtk/s1600/catalunya-espanya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY1zNSp6G27gjQK_uyEslEW4W_ReDWXDOpolZRbE3WFfe9Y22fwphceF-RGnGlOULdg4EtrFHtzMZMtH90f9UcU_CWMhSvpFjSuYpFyuCnja1yPl3abRQblWnoBNsJokypAMdLibsODTtk/s320/catalunya-espanya.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Catalunya to be more precise.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Pretty much like most European contries, the zythological topography of Spain is dominated by a couple of national/local superbrands (<a href="http://www.damm.es/" target="_blank">Damm</a> and <a href="http://www.sanmiguel.es/" target="_blank">San Miguel</a>) and the usual noxious international megabrews you'll find the world over (Heineken, Amstel and the ubiquitous AB/InBev). I steered clear of the latter but a word on the former: Spanish megabrew is mostly okay, in an easy, inoffensive "it's hot and a need a really cold drink" kinda way. Most of the Spanish megabreweries have at least one decent lager on offer, which is what you'll be ordering if you ask for a <em>canya</em>. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcWBTW109E3AmTg7o67rDV9nwwkqV5_DqcmiiwwPQyn_aLPh9oxHdmMZ0guvLQM7xHIBLknsU6ZBBXBC4MiK03Xlkwvdm8zpzSh_46v0pj2nx1MbgxQaJvyhPwrFweZY_D4jPrg5rbjoR-/s1600/bf79225af2e211e1a2f822000a1d012f_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcWBTW109E3AmTg7o67rDV9nwwkqV5_DqcmiiwwPQyn_aLPh9oxHdmMZ0guvLQM7xHIBLknsU6ZBBXBC4MiK03Xlkwvdm8zpzSh_46v0pj2nx1MbgxQaJvyhPwrFweZY_D4jPrg5rbjoR-/s1600/bf79225af2e211e1a2f822000a1d012f_6.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That beer-shaped thing in the foreground.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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While it'd be easy to mistake these Spanish <em>cervezas</em> for pilsners, they are in fact not. Most of them, if not all, have a bit of rice in the malt mix, sometimes a bit of corn. The corn varieties are the least savoury, reminding me of generic American lagers. The rice varieties are ok, really. In the hot summer sun, they get the job done and any beer that makes you want another as soon as you see the bottom of the glass is fine by me. Unassuming, smiley-faced quenchers.<br />
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First stop, then, to test the waters: the local supermarket. Expect those same <em>cervezas</em> you just had at the bar, canned or bottled (go for cans if possible; the Spanish sun does not treat beer in transparent bottles kindly). And lo and behold: a whole section of "specialty" beers. Most of them from the same handful of megabreweries, but five years ago, supermarkets simply didn't stock them. <br />
Here's a handful of the ones I sampled.<br />
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<strong>Voll Damm (Doble Malta)</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvmaCtsGTdPpyg14QwcdSwL0L-3tNUoLZgIBsSIFjQqLsN0NIHYt-8LkooJ66ujr1OlVfNuPj9R3VjAbhl60tMDFZrzsqzQXJHZ4Ig7Fi__NtcxgoPUrnZ3SzYtmlYwXtZ0U6TCzCh140O/s1600/7_939_voldam_wide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvmaCtsGTdPpyg14QwcdSwL0L-3tNUoLZgIBsSIFjQqLsN0NIHYt-8LkooJ66ujr1OlVfNuPj9R3VjAbhl60tMDFZrzsqzQXJHZ4Ig7Fi__NtcxgoPUrnZ3SzYtmlYwXtZ0U6TCzCh140O/s320/7_939_voldam_wide.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Märzen in July. In Spain. Makes total sense to me.</span></div>
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Of all the Spanish commercial breweries, Damm is the one least likely to let me down. Their Estrella is the archetypal Spanish cerveza, and this double malted hybrid between a spécial Belge and a märzen is quite okay. It's nothing special, mind, but sometimes, that's all you're likely to get. Don't expect big bold flavours here, nor even anything subtle like you'd expect in a well-poured <em>Bolleke. </em>I don't really see the point of drinking a 7.2%ABV beer in this weather if you're only getting a relatively thin-bodied, lightly malted brew, but given the rest of the commercial range of beers, this is a welcome change of style.<br />
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<strong>Bock Damm (Negra Munich)</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ZQU612CNe1pJ9hHAZbNbEbTihAIo6uxO-x8AioiifWdUtP_IMr3n6lQBQgreO6h5Vt8UW7s581PsctMWwCxssXgty3y4wTk4ufMHr6jSgt5XfgRVCkwc43Z9vFI5sQKIiL542NK3k3I0/s1600/bock-damm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ZQU612CNe1pJ9hHAZbNbEbTihAIo6uxO-x8AioiifWdUtP_IMr3n6lQBQgreO6h5Vt8UW7s581PsctMWwCxssXgty3y4wTk4ufMHr6jSgt5XfgRVCkwc43Z9vFI5sQKIiL542NK3k3I0/s320/bock-damm.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">"Black". Ish.</span></div>
Notice a trend? Most of what we're seeing here is German in style if not in function. Some of the cans even had a bit of Reinheitsgebot blather on them. Nothing wrong with that, but it's saying something about Spain's lack of zythological identity. Here we have a beer which can't decide whether it's a darkish dunkelbock or a lightish schwartzbier. Like the Voll, the Bock is okay, if lacking in ballsy gutsiness. Nothing inherently wrong with it, except perhaps an utter lack of, well, <em>espiritu catalàn.</em><br />
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<strong>San Miguel 1516</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRiI0dN3EE7GbyS1Ot3_NRJNlhcR3MiE2ohRCTKUP5CQNhlq9eLtCtkhh0ginPJERrQLNCbuvH1ccOYm9129kFVqecAjwPAgVPk8BF3I0E139K5aTlHfm7OX5cRsiprCO46tiWveq3owi6/s1600/san_miguel_1516_old_new_Carousel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRiI0dN3EE7GbyS1Ot3_NRJNlhcR3MiE2ohRCTKUP5CQNhlq9eLtCtkhh0ginPJERrQLNCbuvH1ccOYm9129kFVqecAjwPAgVPk8BF3I0E139K5aTlHfm7OX5cRsiprCO46tiWveq3owi6/s320/san_miguel_1516_old_new_Carousel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Now in an fancier bottle!</span></div>
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Here's a "true" pilsner, which apparently won gold in the World Beer Awards in 2012. Now I'm no beer judge, and pilsners are a dime a dozen anyway, but this one was, again, merely okay. Sometimes, that's all a beer needs to be, but it makes me wonder about the contenders who didn't go home with a trophy in 2012.<br />
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Onwards then! Things sort of lose focus once you see fancy bottles with gold writing on the labels, but a true scientist never shirks his duty.<br />
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<strong>San Miguel Selecta XV</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXsZKT2tMgAjSCNEoDxZ3NOTO1XZO-5iW0n5iEJcrEPmottiiMTZd5xAeEkxvBIUM0f13HxtdUaCBoiKBVwciYgD7nt8ZbOPE_9i8-Qj1vM9vHI667IX5Iw7pkt31W0KP1x0qTetAKiDVI/s1600/8713393058_40c6e04269_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXsZKT2tMgAjSCNEoDxZ3NOTO1XZO-5iW0n5iEJcrEPmottiiMTZd5xAeEkxvBIUM0f13HxtdUaCBoiKBVwciYgD7nt8ZbOPE_9i8-Qj1vM9vHI667IX5Iw7pkt31W0KP1x0qTetAKiDVI/s320/8713393058_40c6e04269_z.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Not my pic. <em>Señores </em>in the background unknown by me.</span></div>
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This is where things get dodgy. What we have here is something which we call a <em>specialty<strong> </strong></em>beer. Irony being what it is, this term covers a wide spectrum of beer, many of which are anything but special. This Selecta epitomises the current state of afairs where Spanish commercial brewing is concerned. It's just trying too damn hard to be something it is not: special. Too much alcohol in a watery brew. A whiff of hops but utterly devoid of direction and focus. A slightly unpleasant bitterness which hints of chemicals. Drink it ice-cold and it's barely enjoyable. Drink it slightly too warm (i.e. five minutes after pouring it straight from the fridge) and it becomes unpleasant enough to give up on it. A bottle covered with pretentious descriptions tops it off: this is a Spanish mutt, crawling with the lice of Belgium's Specialty Beer tradition (*).<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*) A bit of off-tangent ranting on "Belgian Specialty Beers": do not mistake the word "specialty" with "special". Belgium has idly been wallowing on its laurel-scented bed called "Beer Country of the World". While it's true that Belgium hosts a staggering number of brewers and beers, what's truly staggering is how few of them are truly special, despite being promoted as "specialty beer". In fact, any beer proclaimed to be "special" tends to be conformistically uniform and devoid of identity. Self-proclaimed specialty beers are seldom special at all, but this is true in any country, not just Belgium.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<strong>Cruzcampo Gran Reserva</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2N5DeZJfu3muur8ctj9Wk2KkqFG5dusSRracWLya8NzgRgTBjQnCS33UT2qtjmmeyVr1yVSAZBW5-TN99reGqsEEkgmCfkjnhTLdf0141AXqVDvSFasi7TmW47_deP2aBer58903G_0E2/s1600/cruzcampo_granreserva1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2N5DeZJfu3muur8ctj9Wk2KkqFG5dusSRracWLya8NzgRgTBjQnCS33UT2qtjmmeyVr1yVSAZBW5-TN99reGqsEEkgmCfkjnhTLdf0141AXqVDvSFasi7TmW47_deP2aBer58903G_0E2/s320/cruzcampo_granreserva1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Note to Self: inquire about World Beer Awards and its judges</span></div>
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The only thing missing here is specks of gold leaf floating in the bottle, Anthony Martin style. <em>Strong lager</em> generally means "something boozy pretending to be beer". Fortunately, this one never even comes close to the vileness you'll find in Gordon's Finest Platinum or other beers of its ilk. Nevertheless, just like the San Miguel Selecta, it suffers badly from SpecialtyBeer-itis: it's just full of pretense, trying too painfully hard to be the next best thing since canned laughter, and failing equally painfully. Not sure what the Gran Reserva's supposed to mean, since this one probably wouldn't survive a single year in the best of cellars. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9JiLC57wOkI6LsWrZM9P0Ezb-KHge2xlbS0Rj_lEhR9kIVhPFKLBQZgUJW3YVgZ4R4ENAiNKUAVqxAlOwWkTFcbjlcHvVfr31he_FQRDSUCurD9rwysaxRicLPltNJ5W6vGs2TAJw42Q8/s1600/table-from-stairs-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9JiLC57wOkI6LsWrZM9P0Ezb-KHge2xlbS0Rj_lEhR9kIVhPFKLBQZgUJW3YVgZ4R4ENAiNKUAVqxAlOwWkTFcbjlcHvVfr31he_FQRDSUCurD9rwysaxRicLPltNJ5W6vGs2TAJw42Q8/s320/table-from-stairs-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Oh wait, it would. <br />Because no one would be drinking it.</span></div>
<br />
<b>Ambar Export</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMfMNHJ1HfRTC-8NjnMj5iIkNLruFnaIjWcN4gSGWr3LTR64vABIbrDEhbwMgow4Ys9_NKjTip4wbCBg4qaqetAdUYDThUAY0X-4nZvAyK9VDQdl0Pu9v0VC2L8qf-d_qgNCfKOvs4sCDp/s1600/Ambar_export.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMfMNHJ1HfRTC-8NjnMj5iIkNLruFnaIjWcN4gSGWr3LTR64vABIbrDEhbwMgow4Ys9_NKjTip4wbCBg4qaqetAdUYDThUAY0X-4nZvAyK9VDQdl0Pu9v0VC2L8qf-d_qgNCfKOvs4sCDp/s320/Ambar_export.jpg" width="248" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More gold on label</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br /></b>
Another fine example of the principle "gold label = prentetious overcompensation", Ambar Export is a overly sweet, overly strong amber beer, flaunting various "special this" and "exquisite that", and blending it all into an overall experience of mildly annoyed meh. Another beer with no purpose, no focus (or rather, the wrong focus on the wrong things) and no appeal. The only thing which sets this one apart from the Gran Reservas and the Selectas of the world is that it's not a turbo-lager, if that's any consolation.<br />
<br />
<br />
None of this inspires me to loud whoops of approval regarding the state of Spain's beer culture, but to be fair, it's not hard to walk out of a supermarket in any country (including my own) with a dozen inferior brews in one's hand. We're talking commercial beers here, and despite the megabreweries' efforts to polish off the patina of Greatest-Mean-Denominator blandness (by means of lots of gold labels), commercial brews in Spain simply don't stand out.<br />
<br />
But hark!<br />
<br />
<i>Cervaza artisanal</i> is booming in Spain, and nowhere more so than in Catalunya. Stay tuned for a specialty (ah ah ah) report on Iberian craft brewing later on. I promise it won't be as long in the making as this one.<br />
<br />
Until this,<br />
<br />
Greetz<br />
<br />
Jo<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01143877602262019920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281950320075665382.post-75275149049906332132013-06-26T05:18:00.000-07:002013-06-26T06:01:24.611-07:00Mini Magic BeerGeek Night<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
You know what's fun about all those big ass brews out there? Those more-is-better, bigger, bolder, boozier brews? Those "anything below 10% ABV is for frail old ladies and babies" brews? You know what's fun about those? <br />
<br />
They practically scream to shared.<br />
<br />
So when Fellow Beer Geek Bert showed up last night carrying a box of zythological discoveries in one hand, and a fistful of Magic cards in the other, I was quick to help ease his burdens.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLp_im8cKxQkJUe523qQ04epzI2uzvBTLe2F0ElXi2NGzA20GIc9HDHYtapGAQZYNymrOS5O9OM-igbEZGYhOC4ul6rVWKAZkCAD92Zh8WeHfXOIJgBvgtoMMW4v27Pof-CvTIMhdxg8c/s1600/headerwhite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLp_im8cKxQkJUe523qQ04epzI2uzvBTLe2F0ElXi2NGzA20GIc9HDHYtapGAQZYNymrOS5O9OM-igbEZGYhOC4ul6rVWKAZkCAD92Zh8WeHfXOIJgBvgtoMMW4v27Pof-CvTIMhdxg8c/s320/headerwhite.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Because there's always room for more Geek.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
First things first, a host must offer to share bread and salt, lest the laws of hospitality remain disregarded and his House shamed forever. Recent events in Westeros however prompted me to skip the bread-and-salt bit and cut right down to the beer: Brew#6, the Lawnmower Citra weizen.<br />
<br />
I still owe you all a pic about that, but suffice to say, it looks okay. It's cloudy and (very) pale, with a bit of a disappointingly unstable head, atypical for a weizen. But in the nose, and on the palate, the hops and the yeast and the wheat combined do all that I wanted this brew to do. Fruity, just bitter enough, light and refreshing.<br />
<br />
<strong style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Beer: </strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Brew#6: Lawnmower Citra</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-weight: bold;">Brewery: </span><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://hoppyslosh.blogspot.be/" target="_blank">HoppySlosh Home Brewery</a></span></span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Style:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> Hoppy hefeweizen-ish</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">ABV:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> 4.5% est.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">EBU: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">45 est.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">EBC: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">about 10</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Served:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> 330ml bottle</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<br />
I think Bert's comments were "quite okay" so not quite the winner I'd wanted it to be, but a good starting to point to vamp this until all the stops are pulled.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisz175DGBq-VGsbyEYqLw1cr0ZAWmjDO8-Cm3nLqdhR1QmFn6fRf8lC4Jj33WeM9IKMZVXjfZnDzUdWuTTcys1AuGS1FyFxhAy9N3qjDU07Ee1OQjO3ZTHNR4bsd1Ni2ftKSxXGyOWMFe6/s1600/Pull%2520To%2520Release.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisz175DGBq-VGsbyEYqLw1cr0ZAWmjDO8-Cm3nLqdhR1QmFn6fRf8lC4Jj33WeM9IKMZVXjfZnDzUdWuTTcys1AuGS1FyFxhAy9N3qjDU07Ee1OQjO3ZTHNR4bsd1Ni2ftKSxXGyOWMFe6/s320/Pull%2520To%2520Release.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maybe not <em>all</em> of them.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
But hark! Slumbering in Bert's cardboard box was more beer to be sampled. Without further ado, I give you...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4ww-w8V9a8DqfCWQIRywL-k2WiSFwjhmwJ0Zd4Sh8Xb-iRPM9rUmnkemWvVPAvob4A8uKqb5hp3X8oTju4UkW0hHvMRDJ5hLDfdEBdCNN-z5QFzNxb_2xkeaiDIouWeQnKghqjrDEsWj/s1600/IMG_6213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4ww-w8V9a8DqfCWQIRywL-k2WiSFwjhmwJ0Zd4Sh8Xb-iRPM9rUmnkemWvVPAvob4A8uKqb5hp3X8oTju4UkW0hHvMRDJ5hLDfdEBdCNN-z5QFzNxb_2xkeaiDIouWeQnKghqjrDEsWj/s320/IMG_6213.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">FLTR: Even More Jesus, </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">even more Even More Jesus, </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">plushie, </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">and half a Bert</span></div>
<br />
Evil Twin are a Danish brewey, specialising in potent, slighly off-beat brews. They've a certain lack of seriousness which I find quite charming; a boyish "for the heck of it" attitude which strongly appeals to my Inner Geek.<br />
Even More Jesus is an imperial stout, which is obvious from the moment gravity tries to coerce the beer to vacate the bottle: thick, viscous, bordering on treacle. No head whatsoever at any given moment, and a colour which, according to science, isn't one.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkgLi3ReaK9Kqvr7fYaepUAqIEDI-AzbKtOEzzC5Ag3hXNnHMyR8eJXkKBBFuyc9qixabv902uSxYSPQp5FAARJtSB5PXn54agUq96W0oOoSC6KMkqkybojSIiYPZYRIlfVYs-95pYUg1T/s1600/kuufsyD.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkgLi3ReaK9Kqvr7fYaepUAqIEDI-AzbKtOEzzC5Ag3hXNnHMyR8eJXkKBBFuyc9qixabv902uSxYSPQp5FAARJtSB5PXn54agUq96W0oOoSC6KMkqkybojSIiYPZYRIlfVYs-95pYUg1T/s320/kuufsyD.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">A bit like this, only darker.</span></div>
<br />
In the nose, you get that rich, dark malt fragrance, earthy and slightly boozy, with such a shitload of chocolate you might be fooled into thinking you're sniffing a bottle of cacao concentrate. Only it's not, and the malt and the hops still manage to come out in high enough doses to make this not just a chocolatey dessert thing, but beer after all. And while all I'll say from hereone still applies, it's also a beer which is somewhat pining for a barrel. There a lot going on, but like so many impy stouts, this one seems made to mature in a bourbon barrel, and it's just a little bit of a pity that this lack of Even More Booze becomes apparent as soon as you take a whiff.<br />
<br />
In the mouth, the beer does crazy things with your tastebuds. There's the intense sweetness of the gloopy malt base, combined with a wonderfully balanced, but very present hop bitterness. One one hand, the malt is cloying and chewy, and on the other hand, the hop is puckering, giving a weird in-and-out sensation as the tastebuds contract and expand in quick succession to accomodate all those conflicting inputs. Chocolate is less pronounced than in the nose, but notably present, next to a firmly chunky roastiness. The bitterness, while quite present initially, wears off rather smoothly, and the aftertaste is sweet and aromatic, with sweetened coffee, rich milk chocolate and a bit of toffee or fudge in the background.<br />
<br />
Make no mistake: this is a big beer. A bold and spanking brew. It's nowhere near the best in its style, and I can see myself getting a bit tired of the sweet-bitter woingwoing effect after a while, but it has a lot of character, a quality which, ironically, is sometimes overlooked in imperial stouts. Immensely enjoyable.<br />
<br />
<strong style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Beer: </strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Even More Jesus</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-weight: bold;">Brewery: </span><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://eviltwin.dk/" target="_blank">Evil Twin Brewing</a></span></span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Style:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> Imperial Stout </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">ABV:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> 12%</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">EBU: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">pretty bitter but no numerics forthcoming</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">EBC: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">a bit darker than that pic I put up earlier</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Served:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> 330ml bottle</span><br />
<br />
Whilst getting beaten up in a little bit of Izzet vs Golgari duel deck Magic mayhem, Bert uncapped the last of his bottled prezzies:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisGaP4XPg6HslUlFqvfAlUbwkOTSzRjDQb2FatMYEiKp8IhKSWH-8_kzaKmzgtZDVz34ZAmvrkTjygZlaDq_m2zbdOyi4KuZOBeNFMp0qAqC3VVxp_zvEl8SLgr2DoC_glOQYNu3LPxt3V/s1600/p1790mne85742150l1km675t1rnj3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisGaP4XPg6HslUlFqvfAlUbwkOTSzRjDQb2FatMYEiKp8IhKSWH-8_kzaKmzgtZDVz34ZAmvrkTjygZlaDq_m2zbdOyi4KuZOBeNFMp0qAqC3VVxp_zvEl8SLgr2DoC_glOQYNu3LPxt3V/s320/p1790mne85742150l1km675t1rnj3.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ceci n'est pas un Barley Wine.<br />
C'est quoi alors, enfin?<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(pic not mine btw)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Not to be mistaken by <a href="http://www.thofbrouwerijke.be/" target="_blank">'t Hofbrouwerijke</a>'s "Ceci n'est pas" series, this brew from Sainte-Hélène <i>is </i>indeed a Barley wine, coming from a Belgian brewery I've not heard a lot about, It wasn't until I saw their regular labels that I realised I do in fact have a bottle of their Black Mamba waiting to be sampled.<br />
Barley wines aren't at all common in Belgium, and other than the ubiquitous Bush (known in the USA as Scaldis), I can't think of one I might have tried before. It's a bit of an oddity, as it's not so much a beer style as a certain attitude, I suspect.<br />
<i>Ceci n'est pas</i> did pour exactly like I expected, from what little I understand of the style: an almost-flat, dark-golden-bordering-on-deep-amber hue, with a fine lacing of foam on top. Crystal-clear and very pleasing to look at, I'm now wondering why the brewery chose to abandon their trademark <i><a href="http://sainte-helene.be/index.php?page=beer" target="_blank">mysterious ladies</a></i> label design in favour of this more austere presentation. <br />
<br />
In the nose, you'll find much of what makes Bush such a great couch-lounging brew: oodles of subtle malts, floating on a crisp, alcoholic cloud. There a dark sugary note there, and a bit of almost pharmaceutical <i>je ne sais quoi</i> which I think is coming from the yeast. It's nowhere as present as some of the more phenolic brews I've tried, but it's there, and I'm sure not everybody likes that.<br />
<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zhfzrRC6uvBGqPVoQFCz-nNieNwES5YKyJxAmNOvb-EjCfSoB29f_WHP9WpEwdMIX5AJ-XSFD2Nfjvd-s7YaGa7RNhgg1WOPr_nhRmrSNVGUQ02wskhj1M3Zc6ik4CW1tOvR_py4Ndm-/s1600/je-ne-sais-quoi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zhfzrRC6uvBGqPVoQFCz-nNieNwES5YKyJxAmNOvb-EjCfSoB29f_WHP9WpEwdMIX5AJ-XSFD2Nfjvd-s7YaGa7RNhgg1WOPr_nhRmrSNVGUQ02wskhj1M3Zc6ik4CW1tOvR_py4Ndm-/s1600/je-ne-sais-quoi.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A certain something.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Aromas and taste were spot-on and entirely congruent with the nose: there's that almost whisky-like maltiness, so drastically different from that of the preceding stout, combined with a volatile alcohol presence. Despite the malt presence, it's quite a dry beer, and the alcohol and carbonation levels accentuate this just enough to make the sweetness, which is its main focus taste-wise, enjoyable. Low hops presence, which is a bit of pity if you're a hop head like me, but probably a wiser course for this particular beer. I can see how this beer would benefit from a touch of Sorachi Ace though, something gummy/woodsy to make it hum a little more. A firm yeast presence evokes plenty of estery flavours, all equally subtle and understated.<br />
<br />
In almost all respects, this beer is the opposite of the Even More Jesus. The malts are employed in almost perpendicular strategies, hops play entirely different parts here, even the alcohol applies itself differently. Interesting to see how extremely different these two beers are, in spite of the things they have in common.<br />
After the chunky presence of the Even More Jesus, Ceci n'est pas still held its own, although I would advise trying this on a clean a palate as possible. Barley wines' powers lay in their subtle maltiness, whereas impy stouts are rarely very subtle at all.<br />
<br />
Excellent brews, and my appreciation of Berts generosity translated itself into a flawless victory on my behalf.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxUi2t3vAudbTunyd7fHKEJx-cBcOv27Raf_4qFSDbPsIM2XjltO8-4kgw6fjHK9nrmrpBKYkz-cUfL4Oh2sSsftY_K1XldeSc1uYeyJvbKvtA5xdEp95MmTUVWb-9J5QVchmaluQiocxE/s1600/platter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxUi2t3vAudbTunyd7fHKEJx-cBcOv27Raf_4qFSDbPsIM2XjltO8-4kgw6fjHK9nrmrpBKYkz-cUfL4Oh2sSsftY_K1XldeSc1uYeyJvbKvtA5xdEp95MmTUVWb-9J5QVchmaluQiocxE/s1600/platter.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Would monsieur like some <i>pommes frites </i>to accompany his <i>cul de soi-même</i>?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Gratitude will manifest itself, but certainly not in the form of letting him beat me at games again.<br />
<br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" />
<strong style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Beer: </strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Ceci n'est past un Barley Wine</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-weight: bold;">Brewery: </span><span style="color: #333333;"><a href="http://sainte-helene.be/" target="_blank">Sainte-Hélène</a></span></span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Style:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> oh it's a barley wine alright</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">ABV:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> 10%</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">EBU: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">60 IBU, although you'd never tell</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">EBC: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i>rouge-brun</i>. That's science for you.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Served:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> 330ml (green) bottle</span><br />
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Until next time!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Greetz</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Jo</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01143877602262019920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281950320075665382.post-37161212449691254862013-06-20T00:18:00.000-07:002013-06-20T00:18:09.132-07:00Ten Fidy (Oskar Blues Brewery)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
An ode, perhaps.<br />
<br />
To beer, because I figure you already suspected as much.<br />
To stouts, because it's pretty hard to get more beer in your beer than with a stout.<br />
To <em>imperial</em> stouts, because they're pimped out chromed out stouts so more beer in your already-a-lot-of-beer.<br />
<br />
To beer then.<br />
<br />
But most relevantly, to <i>canned </i>beer.<br />
<br />
Let me go off-tangent here for a short while.<br />
Canned beer, in this country, seems to embody all that is wrong with beer in the world today. Canned beer spells <em>cheap-ass lager </em>like nothing else, and if not that, then it spells <em>comfort to the homeless</em>, in whopping half-liter cans of blisteringly boozy chemically enriched Frankenbrew.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm5rxvduC9OEvbRaXNgZNQpGsoQc1aoHOZSzs2YWBqFNZtH6FhcNvuhclW3Pdc0hUfgzockNTbYyUYdaS-kMti0lwlopjwZjn8JhTQVmLIbnT_04WAfEJYm1iL3Mt7Mfgfh-Y_UKgrXcK_/s1600/22-big_741ea4e5c99b0c3914f74ddd8b0698d0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm5rxvduC9OEvbRaXNgZNQpGsoQc1aoHOZSzs2YWBqFNZtH6FhcNvuhclW3Pdc0hUfgzockNTbYyUYdaS-kMti0lwlopjwZjn8JhTQVmLIbnT_04WAfEJYm1iL3Mt7Mfgfh-Y_UKgrXcK_/s320/22-big_741ea4e5c99b0c3914f74ddd8b0698d0.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, Anthony Martin, I'm looking at you and your triple-X steroid lagers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's ironic that we all seem to trust bottled beer just a little bit more than its canned counterpart, when a tin can is such a superior vessel in every way. It doesn't break, it's somewhat easier to clean and supposedly more sustainable than glass, but most importantly, it keeps the light out of the brew.<br />
Light which, as you may already know, is pretty damn bad for beer.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_hgaZnOXBGlidWdSsxkxsnq3Wfu91MowI8WlE2-eXBR5yg6HbXS4zn1grHnpHFv8KxdRNe1b6Ca2ebOSHmFPdjXxp0y6XvN21uzgxGrVK-hsm4X6BjI3ShbN7-MDffz7Fquab_-ak_Qf/s1600/which-light-kills-you-2009_jpg!Blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_hgaZnOXBGlidWdSsxkxsnq3Wfu91MowI8WlE2-eXBR5yg6HbXS4zn1grHnpHFv8KxdRNe1b6Ca2ebOSHmFPdjXxp0y6XvN21uzgxGrVK-hsm4X6BjI3ShbN7-MDffz7Fquab_-ak_Qf/s320/which-light-kills-you-2009_jpg!Blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Filthy nasty little lightses. We hates it!</span></div>
<br />
But in spite of the redeeming qualities of the tin can, you'll find most beers which actually come in cans are, well, <em>not the best</em>.<br />
Oh who am I kidding: most canned beers are crap. Period.<br />
<br />
Coming slightly back from what only appears to be a tangent: when last I hooked up with SaintDennis, we did the usual "<i>yay you got me beer, here's some beer</i>" thing which beergeeks the world over know as "swapping". Among my stash that night was...<em>a can</em>. <br />
<br />
A can of imperial stout.<br />
<br />
Someone (*), somewhere (°), not only decided that a can is indeed a fit receptacle for all things beery, but took that decision one step further and delivers <i>all</i> of their brews in a can.<br />
Not <i>one can</i>.<br />
Just, you know, <i>in cans. </i><br />
<i>Canned. </i><br />
Whatever.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>*) <a href="http://www.oskarblues.com/" target="_blank">Oskar Blues</a>, apparently.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>°) Colorado, apparently.</i></span><br />
<br />
So here we are, with a can of 10.5% ABV imperial stout in our hands. Ain't nuthin' left to do but drink it then.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl31xvkr2ypi_l6Aqnf9AJDZu-AgkExYYPz43sT4oFk2EJeqkX4tJ1PfGWNLf9ACrRNbm-TStcnRPqbkC-vd4TYzAAj08_8_P2z3gecSH9PMf0hDKe3RDdEomhXUQjN2daivVdtimvrqoA/s1600/IMG_6211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl31xvkr2ypi_l6Aqnf9AJDZu-AgkExYYPz43sT4oFk2EJeqkX4tJ1PfGWNLf9ACrRNbm-TStcnRPqbkC-vd4TYzAAj08_8_P2z3gecSH9PMf0hDKe3RDdEomhXUQjN2daivVdtimvrqoA/s320/IMG_6211.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Da's one big ass mofo brew.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When poured, Ten Fidy ticks all those boxes you expect in the style. Thick and almost gloopy, black as an inkwell in a safety deposit aboard the Titanic, with a humble tan head which is swiftly pulled under into the darkness below.<br />
"<i>Are you drinking ink now?</i>" werethe exact words of my son when he saw me pour it.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirNQXyThjDcxHRVGKin2mNdcucMVjp7IwTuVuPhnh-8ZiVmoEBKTWkDilqbXdDnx6UIPDQCPwq6qD3cNSjl1aSMoiuz7TNTaUIkyVHjmGLp_0I075MHW1NKRPAplx6-B1FbeWPd9ZNs63H/s1600/ink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirNQXyThjDcxHRVGKin2mNdcucMVjp7IwTuVuPhnh-8ZiVmoEBKTWkDilqbXdDnx6UIPDQCPwq6qD3cNSjl1aSMoiuz7TNTaUIkyVHjmGLp_0I075MHW1NKRPAplx6-B1FbeWPd9ZNs63H/s1600/ink.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seriously, Google?</td></tr>
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In the nose you'll find a massively dense malt presence, with the mandatory chocolate and coffee fragrances taking the lead. Underneath is a not-very-subtle-but-quite-alluring whiff of soy sauce, giving the beer an almost meaty aroma. Deeper still you'll find subtle and, yes, <i>elegant</i> specialty malt touches, not unlike what you'd expect to find in barley wines. Not an easy beer on the nose, because there's such a lot of depth to it, but I could sniff this all night long.<br />
<br />
Ah and when it hits the lips and passes on from there into the mouth, across the tongue, to the back of the throat and way into, well, let's not follow it <i>quite </i>all the way, shall we?<br />
In the mouth, this beer again does everything right and more. It's thick and velvety, sweet-bordering-on-clingy-sticky, with a massive 98 IBUs of bitterness being wonderfully balanced by the shitloads of malt that went into the brew. Coffee and chocolate again, as well as a subtle roast, but also a deep and almost undetectable hint of dark red fruits. It's a beer which sighs yearningly, almost mournfully, for the inclusion of bourbon.<br />
This is quite common in imperial stouts: the style seems to be almost dependent on barrel ageing, and often you'll find the base beers somewhat lacking, deficient almost, when not invigorated by boozy barrels.<br />
The Ten Fidy however, merely whispers promises of <i>even </i>bigger, <i>even </i>more, <i>even</i> better, but is perfectly capable of holding its own without being propped up by a barrel of Bourbon. A barrel aged version does exist, I'm happy to hear, and while I'm dead curious to see how that turned out, the base beer is, in all respects, phenomenal all on its own. If I ever manage to brew a stout half this good, I'll be counting my blessings (if somewhat double-sightedly).<br />
<br />
<strong style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Beer: </strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Ten Fidy</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><strong style="color: #333333;">Brewery: </strong><a href="http://www.oskarblues.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Oskar Blues Brewing</span></a></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Style:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> Imperial Stout (in a can!)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">ABV:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> Ten Fidy uv coahse</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">EBU: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">98 but you'd never tell</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">EBC: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">So black as to no longer really matter</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Served:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> a spiffy 330ml can!</span><br />
<br />
Oskar Blues Brewing have a whole range of canned brews, and unless this impy stout is a lucky one-shot fluke, I whole-heartedly recommend trying some if ever you get the opportunity.<br />
<br />
A toast then.<br />
To canned beer, to Oskar Blues and their Ten Fidy, and to SaintDennis and his Underground Treasure Trove of Beery Bliss.<br />
<br />
<br />
Wassail!<br />
<br />
Greetz<br />
<br />
Jo</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01143877602262019920noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281950320075665382.post-12827468289605657212013-06-12T10:38:00.001-07:002013-06-13T02:16:49.594-07:00Lawnmower Inferno goes pop<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Rejoice! Brew6 went <em>pop</em> today, after only 4 days in the bottle. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1XBQ9XK0UIAbdrx8saKROZt6AqvlTopt3QSKPocMBk9yACRAkhfsJCJ5mfGmkjpphoQAwvYdFDfpRKoY0URn5gzzM9b-1_89pc8TvEuLgUPeDW3QB6ntMV8APrauu2rwbLF_-fzSo4yD/s1600/tumblr_mlyujd2vzh1rxu6bko1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1XBQ9XK0UIAbdrx8saKROZt6AqvlTopt3QSKPocMBk9yACRAkhfsJCJ5mfGmkjpphoQAwvYdFDfpRKoY0URn5gzzM9b-1_89pc8TvEuLgUPeDW3QB6ntMV8APrauu2rwbLF_-fzSo4yD/s320/tumblr_mlyujd2vzh1rxu6bko1_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Like this, only more docile.</td></tr>
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Carbonation was on the light side, which is normal after so little time, and in fact desirable: I don't want this beer to be a fizz bomb. Hoppy, thanks to my last minute decision to up the dosage dry hops to 30g in a 20 liter (*) batch. Fruity, thanks to the hefeweizen yeast, which I'll definitely be using again, in spite of a sluggish latter half of fermentation. Fresh and wheaty and light and summery, just as I'd conceived it. Oh yes, this will definitely be repeated.<br />
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Bit pale in color (pics forthcoming once it's reached a more mature stage) but that's not something I find worrying in a weizen, be it hoppy or not. <br />
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In a few days, it'll be all ready and then I'll find me a good excuse to drink one. Pity the lawn's already mowed though.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*) speaking of volumes, I really need to get a grip on those. Between boiling and bottling ,my 20 liters of wort (measured using the HoppySlosh Unified Graded Measuring Spoon Handle) somehow got reduced to 12, which implies a volume loss far greater than I can account for. More careful measuring needs to be undertaken by yours truly, as part of the fun in brewing lies in the sharing of the brew, but with the final result being so scarce in quantity, there's little to actually be shared at all.</span><br />
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So yay! Another beer under my belt, and more lessons learned, with satisfying results. Next brew will need to wait until after the holidays, but rest assured, more brews are upcoming.<br />
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Until then,<br />
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Greetz<br />
<br />
Jo</div>
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