Lucky Baldwins' Belgian Beer Festival Menu

Below is the beer list from Day 6 of the Belgian Beer Festival at Lucky Baldwins' in Pasadena, CA. Note that the beers on the list change quite frequently, especially on the weekend when they are busier! Also, I have neglected beers that are not part of the beer fest, i.e., Boddingtons, etc.) and the numbers correspond to the list below only and are NOT the numbers used for ordering!

1. La Rulles Triple - 8.4%
2. Kwak - 8%
3. Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoor - 9%
4. St. Feuillien Easter Beer - 7.5%
5. St. Feuillien La Blanch - 5.5%
6. Piraat - 10.5%
7. Delirium Tremens - 9%
8. Witkap Pater - 6%
9. Blanche de Bruxelles - 4.5%
10. Scaldis - 12%
11. Saison Dupont - 6.5%
12. Moinette Blonde - 8.5%
13. Chimay Triple - 8%
14. St. Bernardus ABT 12 - 10%
15. St. Feuillien Triple - 8.5%
16. Tripel Karmeliet 0 8.4%
17. Dupont Avril - 3.5%
18. Moinette Brune - 8.5%
19. Witkap Pater Dubble - 7%
20. Witkap Triple - 7.5%
21. Biere de Miele - 8%
22. Maredsous 10
23. Gouden Carolus Ambrio - 8%
24. Affligem Noel - 9%
25. Leffe Brown - 6.5%
26. Affligem Blond - 7%
27. Hoegaarden - 4.9%
28. Grottenbier - 6.5%
29. St. Louis Gueuze Fond Traditional
30. Petrus Oud Bruin - 5.5%
31. De Koninck Winter - 6.5%
32. Gulden Draak - 10.5%
33. Koningshoeven Wit - 5.5%
34. Boon Mariage Parfait (Hand Pump) - 8.6%
35. Ename Tripel - 8.5%
36. Maredsous 8
37. Monks Flemish Sour Red - 5.5%
38. La Divine - 9.5%
39. Klokke Roeland - 11%
40. Urthel Hop-It - 9.5%
41. Koningshoeven Quad - 10%
42. Brigand - 9%

Enjoy!

Lucky Baldwins' Belgian Beer Festival Part II - Day 5

After taking days 2-4 off from the festival, I made a visit to Luckys last night (Wednesday) for a few beers. For the most part the list was the same as what I recall from the first night of the festival with a few minor changes. I made two selections from the list, two beers that I knew nothing about and never heard of:

1) Klokke Roelland - I would call this a Belgian Amber if I had to categorize it. It is brewed at Van Steenberge and is one of many offerings that the brewery has. The Klokke Roelland has a deep, dark, and rich hue . . . a sugary aroma fills the glass. Its not a very complex beer but it is bursting with flavor; the malt nicely balances the bite on the tongue that comes from the yeast used in the brewing process. i would definitely have another (especially given it is 11.5%!)

2) La Divine - Although the server classified La Divine as a Triple, I think it is fits more into the double category. It is brewed by Les Brasseurs de Gayant. The aroma is that of your standard citrus fruits with a dash of melon while being balanced by a wide array of spice tones. The color of the La Divine is typical for that of a Belgian Double . . . straw-like. On the tongue, it is smooth and full of fruity notes with a hint earthy flavors on the back-end. It is very drinkable and made a nice compliment to the malty Klokke Roelland that I started the night out with. The La Divine is a bit lower on the alcohol scale (~8.5%) but that is expected for a double. Again, I would definitely have another . . . after I try all the other beers on the list!

I will be heading to Luckys again this evening. So, check back tomorrow for some more updates from the festival (and hopefully a posting of the full menu!!).

Lucky Baldwins' Belgian Beer Festival Part II

It is that time of year when beer drinkers from all over the Southland venture to that tiny watering hole in Pasadena (and now in Sierra Madre as well) called Lucky Baldwins for the finest in Belgian Beers (for the second time this year). This time around is sure not to disappoint. In fact, the folks at Lucky's have extended the second part two two full weeks . . . well 16 days in total (from August 15th to August 30th)! And, don't forget to bring your glass from the previous festivals in order to take advantage of the steep discounts! For example, the average Belgian goes for $8-$9, as is expected for beers of this caliber. But, if you bring that glass with you, you only pay $6 (or $4 for a taster, but who would do that?).

Don't have a glass? Buy one! It pays for itself in two drinks . . . the glass is $10 this year.

So what should you expect? Well, I cannot speak for every night since the beers get rotated out quite frequently given the volume of beer that they sell. But, I can give the following notes based on my visit last Saturday:

1: St. Louis Gueuze - Went with this to start off mostly because I have never seen a gueuze on tap. It is a fantastic beer, but for those of you familiar with gueuzes know that it is more of an acquired taste. And this is true for the St. Louis as well. It is very tart, almost like sour lollipop, yet malty enough to mellow the beer out. Its color is straw-like. If you are new to gueuzes, I think this is a good starting place, especially for only $6.

2: Urthel Hop-it - I have to admit that I have had this beer many times in the past. But, I was in the mood for hops and, well, Belgian beers are just not know for their hop characteristics, except for the Hop-it. Its a bizarre beer if you will in that its aroma is almost that of dial soap at times (you know, the stuff you wash your dishes with), but the taste is very fruity in nature and the color is rich if not leaning toward the red side. If you want hops at a Belgian beer festival, this may be the way to go.

3: St Feuillien Saison - Having never seen St Feuillien's Saison before, I had to give it a try. Lets face it, Dupont's Saison and Ommegang's Hennepin (also a saison) are two of the tastiest beers. The St Feuillien Saison did not let me down. I highly recommend it. In fact, as I was leaving the pub a friend of mine showed up. I forgot to give him my recommendations and so I made sure to send him a text saying "#5" . . . since the St Feuillien Saison was the fifth beer on the list of more than 50. It is complex in nature due to the spices used in the brewing process. These additions also give the beer the aroma of a kitchen full of orange and spice. Wow. I wish I could find this beer in bottles as I would definitely be willing to purchase multiple bottles. It was that good. The maltiness is just enough to mellow out the spices such that you don't get the feeling you are dry-huffing a jar off coriander or something along those lines. It is simply a fantastic beer.

So, hopefully you will make the time to head out to Pasadena (if you are in the area) for the Belgian Beer Festival Part II at Lucky Baldwins before it ends on August 3oth. But, if not, stay tuned for more beer updates from the world of Belgian beers.

IPA Fest at Lucky Baldwins: Day 1

As promised, I made a trip to Lucky's last night for the first day of the IPA fest. And, as expected, the folks at Lucky Baldwins brought in a vast list of IPAs and IIPAs . . . I imagine that there will be more on the way as the week goes on too.

First though, the bad news . . . no Pliny the Younger :-(.

Next, the good news . . .


Beer 1: Port Brewing Company's 3rd anniversary

Definitely not filtered, with a great golden color. Floral aroma. The taste is quite surprising . . . not as hoppy as I was expecting, far more malt though. However, it is fantastic and very drinkable!

Beer 2: Victory's ______ IPA

The blank is because for the life of me I cannot remember the name (and no, it was not Hop Wallop or Hop Devil, although they both were on tap last night as well!). This was your your standard IPA, not too hoppy, but still full of flavor. I sensed something a bit peculiar though in that the beer had a hint of sourness to it, but very slightly. And interesting touch to a superb IPA

Beer 3: Speakeasy's Big Daddy IPA

Although actually an IPA, this one is on the list as a IIPA for good reason. The Big Daddy is something special, something remarkable, something extraordinary. Its appearance is like no other IPA that I have ever seen . . . very translucent, straw like. The aroma: floral as expected. The taste: out of this world. Initially you wonder, "am I drinking an IPA or water?", but after about a second or so, the hops kick in . . . its like the Amarillo hops are fighting the warrior hops in your mouth, like a world war of hops in your mouth!! And, this lingers . . . . . for a while, making this beer a good one to sip! This beer really is a special delight. Thank you Speakeasy.

Well, that is all for now, I plan on making many more trips to the pub before the festival is over (especially since the IPAs are only $3 and the IIPAs are $4 . . . can't beat that). Keep checking back for more updates!! And lastly . . . they have Maharaja on draft . . . it is #2 on the list :-).

The bottom line: Stop reading my blog and go to Luckys!

IPA Fest at Lucky Baldwins

That is right. While everyone else seems to be blogging about the new Bing search engine from Microsoft or about his/her opinions on Sonia Sottomayor, I have my heart set on the upcoming IPA Fest at Lucky Baldwins in Pasadena (13 June to 21 June). For those of you in Southern California, this is one of the best opportunities to taste some of the worlds best IPAs, even if the majority come from California. Lucky's has many festivals throughout the year, but there are really only two that I look forward to: The Belgian Beer Fest (you have to, its over 2 weeks long . . .) and the IPA Fest.

Why is the IPA Fest so special? There are very few bars that have more than 60 taps so as it is. And then, when you take 50 of them and pour only IPAs from them, now that is something special. That is something to mark on your calendar weeks, if not months, in advance. You might be thinking, so what, I have tried so many IPAs already I doubt that Luckys will have many that I have not tried?

Well, you should be ashamed of yourself for even thinking this. I go to all of the festivals at Lucky's and each time there are beers that either I am yet to try or, better yet, did not even know existed previously. Without a doubt, this will be the case again this time around. And, so what if you have already had Avery's Maharaja . . . its well worth trying it again (and its cheaper at the festival that anywhere else!). And, I am willing to be that the folks at Lucky's have been sitting on a keg of Pliny the Younger from Russian River . . . what more could you ask for in a festival!?

Anyhow, I plan to be trying many new beers starting this coming Saturday and then providing a detailed list with reviews for each and everyone shortly after each visit to the festival. And, if its like the last Belgian Beer Festival (I went 17 times in 16 days . . . and there were some days that I did not get to go!), there will be plenty to write about over the coming days!!!