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.
Showing posts with label Rare Beer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rare Beer. Show all posts
Lucky Baldwins' Belgian Beer Festival Part II
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Labels:
Belgian Beer,
Belgian IPA,
Festivals,
Gueuze,
Rare Beer,
Saison
Moylan's Brewery: Cask Conditioned Double Kilt Lifter
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Labels:
Moylan's,
Rare Beer,
Scotch Ale
Before you run out to your local beer joint to look for this beer, STOP! Moylan's does not bottle it; I had the privilege to try it when I visited the brewery and restaurant in Novato, California. If you live (or will be staying) anywhere within an hour's drive of Novato in the near future, it is in your best interests to take a trip to the brewery and give this bad boy a try! Why you may ask? Here goes . . .
If you are familiar with Moylan's already, you will know that they brew a fantastic scotch style ale called the Kilt Lifter. It is a fine beer itself. Now, make this a double scotch style ale (i.e., increase the malt and hops and therefore the alcohol content). Then, take the 1000th batch made and age it for more than 6 months in bourbon barrels made of apple wood. That is right . . . apple wood brandy barrels. Condition the beer for a cask and what you got is a delightful beer who's actual name escapes me now.
What does this all mean then . . .
The alcohol content is increased from 8% to 11% from the regular Kilt Lifter to this beast. The aroma is like nothing you will find in any other beer . . . clearly there is a hint (and a big one at that) of apples and brandy on the nose. A slight floral aroma can be detected but the alcohol scent somewhat overwhelms that. Right out of the cask, it is the alcohol that one tastes for the most part. Which, for most people is not a good thing. However, I let the beer warm up a bit. As it warmed the burning sensation of the high alcohol content ceased and what I was left with was an apple flavored BIG beer. The brandy barrels almost give the beer a woody character and the apple flavors are both sweet and crisp. This beer is surely a sipping beer . . . in fact I believe it took me the good part of 90 minutes to finish my glass. The reason for this is that the beer is incredibly complex and heavy. Chugging it would be a waste of hops and malt. The intense malt flavors are matched quite elegantly with the bittering hops.
The bottom line: Get to Novato, California immediately to try a one of a kind scotch ale!
If you are familiar with Moylan's already, you will know that they brew a fantastic scotch style ale called the Kilt Lifter. It is a fine beer itself. Now, make this a double scotch style ale (i.e., increase the malt and hops and therefore the alcohol content). Then, take the 1000th batch made and age it for more than 6 months in bourbon barrels made of apple wood. That is right . . . apple wood brandy barrels. Condition the beer for a cask and what you got is a delightful beer who's actual name escapes me now.
What does this all mean then . . .
The alcohol content is increased from 8% to 11% from the regular Kilt Lifter to this beast. The aroma is like nothing you will find in any other beer . . . clearly there is a hint (and a big one at that) of apples and brandy on the nose. A slight floral aroma can be detected but the alcohol scent somewhat overwhelms that. Right out of the cask, it is the alcohol that one tastes for the most part. Which, for most people is not a good thing. However, I let the beer warm up a bit. As it warmed the burning sensation of the high alcohol content ceased and what I was left with was an apple flavored BIG beer. The brandy barrels almost give the beer a woody character and the apple flavors are both sweet and crisp. This beer is surely a sipping beer . . . in fact I believe it took me the good part of 90 minutes to finish my glass. The reason for this is that the beer is incredibly complex and heavy. Chugging it would be a waste of hops and malt. The intense malt flavors are matched quite elegantly with the bittering hops.
The bottom line: Get to Novato, California immediately to try a one of a kind scotch ale!
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Inc.: Immort Ale
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Labels:
Barley Wine,
Dogfish Head,
Rare Beer
After a short hiatus in posts, I am hoping to catch up with the recent beers that I have had the privilege to enjoy. The first being the Immort Ale from Dogfish Head (not currently being distributed in my area, but I was fortunate enough to find it on a trip to Charlotte, NC).
The first thing I noticed is that this beer has little head after the pour . . . I was hoping for a bit more, but you got what you have and move on. The aromas from this beer are comparable in complexity to a fine wine. However, unlike a fine wine, the fruit tones are not accentuated in the Immort Ale, but instead the nose is toasty, filled with notes of caramel, vanilla, and maybe even a tad of oak and smoke.
Turns out that the smoke comes from the peat-smoked barley, something that you likely wont find in more than a small handful of other beers. It is no wonder that this craft beer is a limited release every year. I feel lucky to have got my hands on one! In addition to the smoked barley, Dogfish Head adds in maple syrup, vanilla and organic juniper berries. The vanilla and maple syrup come through nicely at low temperatures. Out of the fridge the Immort Ale is crisp and clean, great for a mild summer day, even if it is on the dark side and a bit high in alcohol (11% alcohol by volume). The smoked-barley malt overpowers the hops; the Immort has 50 IBUs, which is about that (maybe a little high) for your standard IPA. But, the overwhelming amount of quality malts limits the hops effectiveness in this beer. Normally, I would through a fit over this, but, not this time. The smooth character of this beer and its delightful sweetness is second to none (and no this is not because I am in love with anything that Dogfish Head makes). As the Immort Ale warms, the smokey tones become ever more profound, simply adding to the complexity of the beer.
The bottom line: Its Dogfish Head . . . do you even have to ask!?
The first thing I noticed is that this beer has little head after the pour . . . I was hoping for a bit more, but you got what you have and move on. The aromas from this beer are comparable in complexity to a fine wine. However, unlike a fine wine, the fruit tones are not accentuated in the Immort Ale, but instead the nose is toasty, filled with notes of caramel, vanilla, and maybe even a tad of oak and smoke.
Turns out that the smoke comes from the peat-smoked barley, something that you likely wont find in more than a small handful of other beers. It is no wonder that this craft beer is a limited release every year. I feel lucky to have got my hands on one! In addition to the smoked barley, Dogfish Head adds in maple syrup, vanilla and organic juniper berries. The vanilla and maple syrup come through nicely at low temperatures. Out of the fridge the Immort Ale is crisp and clean, great for a mild summer day, even if it is on the dark side and a bit high in alcohol (11% alcohol by volume). The smoked-barley malt overpowers the hops; the Immort has 50 IBUs, which is about that (maybe a little high) for your standard IPA. But, the overwhelming amount of quality malts limits the hops effectiveness in this beer. Normally, I would through a fit over this, but, not this time. The smooth character of this beer and its delightful sweetness is second to none (and no this is not because I am in love with anything that Dogfish Head makes). As the Immort Ale warms, the smokey tones become ever more profound, simply adding to the complexity of the beer.
The bottom line: Its Dogfish Head . . . do you even have to ask!?
Avery Brewing: Mephistopheles' Stout
Mephistopheles' Stout is the last installment in Avery's The Demons of Ale series. That is too bad, because after drinking this fine stout, I am interested to see what more they could do to make a more fantastic beer!
If one were to concoct this magical blend of malt, hops, yeast, sugar, and water with just ingredients lieing around the house, here is what you would need:
1 Blender (you need to mix the ingredients somehow)
1 Bar of Dark Chocolate
1/4 Cup of Ground Espresso Beans
Licorice (and not the fake red crap made by Twizzler)
1 Small Bunch of Merlot Grapes (for an added touch)
Now, just press blend, and viola! Okay, I would not recommend drinking that mixture, but, the nose of Mephistopheles' Stout is comprised of all these ingredients. If there wasn't so much alcohol in this bad boy (~16% alcohol by volume), you may spend more time just sniffing than drinking. This is a sipping beer after all and its complexity elegantly evolves as you plow through it.
I started this guy off at about 40°F (not recommended) . . . if I were to drink it again, I'd try to pour it at about 52°F to 56°F as that is about the temperature of the beer when the malt really comes through. Also, at such a low temperature, the feeling in the throat was a bit unpleasant, sort of like taking shots of rum. However, as the beer warmed, it became something that words can not describe (but I will make every attempt to do so!). First, are the hops . . . coming in at 107 IBUs, this stout is loaded with those green friends of ours. Two variates are used: Magnum and Styrian Goldings. The immense amount of malt in this beer does kill some of the bitterness that you might expect from a beer that has 107 IBUs. So, don't go pick up Mephistopheles' Stout expecting the bitterness of your standard IIPA . . . not going to happen. The Magnum hops (13-15% alpha acid) provides the bulk of the bittering and the, much lower acidic Styrian Goldings give the beer is delicate aroma.
This beer is complex, on par with some of the world's finest wines in complexity. The two notes that were most clear to me were the black malt and roasted barley. The combination of these two ingredients not only gives the Mephistopheles' Stout is charcoal black color, but also its sophisticated taste. I don't want to say that it tastes burnt, because it doesn't, but it approaches that taste . . . its like standing on the edge of a high dive looking down at a pool with no water in it . . . I, personally love this flavor in a beer, especially when drinking a high quality stout. Avery notes on the bottle that they use some added sugar (turbinado sugar) . . . makes you think when you pour this beer that you are about to indulge in something sweet, like eating half-gallons of ice cream late at night. But, taste buds do not lie . . . sweet is probably the last word I would use in describing this beast (and lets face it, when you are a beer with 16% alcohol, you are a beast). Don't get me wrong, there is a slight sweetness to the Mephistopheles' Stout, but nowhere even remotely close (like "really sweet" is the moon and the Mephistopheles' Stout is the Earth) to what you might expect.
The bottom line: Tons of dark malt + tons of hops + some special yeast + water + sugar = tons of alcohol + tons of beer goodness!
If one were to concoct this magical blend of malt, hops, yeast, sugar, and water with just ingredients lieing around the house, here is what you would need:
1 Blender (you need to mix the ingredients somehow)
1 Bar of Dark Chocolate
1/4 Cup of Ground Espresso Beans
Licorice (and not the fake red crap made by Twizzler)
1 Small Bunch of Merlot Grapes (for an added touch)
Now, just press blend, and viola! Okay, I would not recommend drinking that mixture, but, the nose of Mephistopheles' Stout is comprised of all these ingredients. If there wasn't so much alcohol in this bad boy (~16% alcohol by volume), you may spend more time just sniffing than drinking. This is a sipping beer after all and its complexity elegantly evolves as you plow through it.
I started this guy off at about 40°F (not recommended) . . . if I were to drink it again, I'd try to pour it at about 52°F to 56°F as that is about the temperature of the beer when the malt really comes through. Also, at such a low temperature, the feeling in the throat was a bit unpleasant, sort of like taking shots of rum. However, as the beer warmed, it became something that words can not describe (but I will make every attempt to do so!). First, are the hops . . . coming in at 107 IBUs, this stout is loaded with those green friends of ours. Two variates are used: Magnum and Styrian Goldings. The immense amount of malt in this beer does kill some of the bitterness that you might expect from a beer that has 107 IBUs. So, don't go pick up Mephistopheles' Stout expecting the bitterness of your standard IIPA . . . not going to happen. The Magnum hops (13-15% alpha acid) provides the bulk of the bittering and the, much lower acidic Styrian Goldings give the beer is delicate aroma.
This beer is complex, on par with some of the world's finest wines in complexity. The two notes that were most clear to me were the black malt and roasted barley. The combination of these two ingredients not only gives the Mephistopheles' Stout is charcoal black color, but also its sophisticated taste. I don't want to say that it tastes burnt, because it doesn't, but it approaches that taste . . . its like standing on the edge of a high dive looking down at a pool with no water in it . . . I, personally love this flavor in a beer, especially when drinking a high quality stout. Avery notes on the bottle that they use some added sugar (turbinado sugar) . . . makes you think when you pour this beer that you are about to indulge in something sweet, like eating half-gallons of ice cream late at night. But, taste buds do not lie . . . sweet is probably the last word I would use in describing this beast (and lets face it, when you are a beer with 16% alcohol, you are a beast). Don't get me wrong, there is a slight sweetness to the Mephistopheles' Stout, but nowhere even remotely close (like "really sweet" is the moon and the Mephistopheles' Stout is the Earth) to what you might expect.
The bottom line: Tons of dark malt + tons of hops + some special yeast + water + sugar = tons of alcohol + tons of beer goodness!
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