Sunday, July 6, 2008

Královský Pivovar Krušovice: Krušovice Cerne

I apologize for my long delay. I'll have to admit, I probably could of found time in the past month to post on more beer. But with summer in full swing I've finally been getting to all the activities and fun I've was craving this past winter.

To prove my intentions, I'll inform you that I bought this Krušovice the second week of summer. But instead of cracking it open and and enjoying, I buried it deep in my fridge. After drinking handfuls of beers that I never reviewed, I finally found myself staring at this beauty.

Back in June, I picked out this Krušovice from the shelves because I really enjoyed every Krušovice I had in the Czech Republic. Even two years after that visit, I'm still surprised and giddy every time I found a solid Czech beer in American shops.

The Crene is not their flagship. Krušovice is known for their traditional pilsner (which I posted on earlier). But they brew a selection of good beers. This beer is very dark with only a hit of amber-brown coloring around the edges. Almost no head. The smell is very strong and pierces the senses with a burnt roasted coffee flavor. The taste is not as powerful as the smell and it has a thinner body for a dark beer, so finishing a pint or two isn't as difficult as you would imagine after first view. There's a touch of a hop bite, but the after taste of dark roasted malts is the predominate flavor.

While not my favorite from the brewery a Schwarzbier is a nice change of pace from american microbrews. I haven't tried all of Krušovice's craft, but I'm looking forward to stumbling onto more. Cheers.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Unibroue: La Fin Du Monde

Summer is officially half over for me, so while it isn't technically the end of the world yet, I felt the occaision (and the 3 day holiday weekend) called for something special. Enter, Fin Du Monde.

I went through a bit of a belgian kick earlier this year, which is when I discovered Fin du Monde. I sorta burnt out on Belgians generally, but Fin du Monde is a brew I don't think I'll ever get tired of. It's a very carbonated belgian-style trippel, boasting that peculiar light Belgian maltiness. Unlike most belgians, however, this one doesn't leave any of that earthy bitterness lingering on your tongue, which makes it remarkably drinkable and refreshing. Fin du Monde also has that subtle spiciness that characterizes some Belgians, and in the absence of any strong bitter flavors, you can really taste the spice. But what makes this brew really stand out is just how well balanced it is. Finally, the beer does a second-to-none job of masking the high ABV (9%).

I don't care if you're a lager-lover, a paleophile, or any other particular brand of beer-partisan. This is one you have to try.