Grimbergen: Double Ale

While the posts are getting less frequent, if you remember, I have a few habits associated with this blog. And they are not just drinking and writing about tasty beer. One routine I try to keep is to sample at least two beers from the same brewery. My philosophy on this, is I'm not just enjoying a specific beer, but I'm enjoying the craft of a brewery. While some breweries have one or two good beers, others run out a whole host of quality selections. And I like to know this.

As you may recall, my last beer sampling trip to the liquor store, I had a hankering for a blond ale and tried out Grimbergen's take on this style of beer. I also snagged a single Grimbergen Double Ale (side note - gotta love liquor stores that allow you to buy single beers).

Why? Because I wanted to give the brewery of N.V. BR. Alken-Maes, located just north of Brussels a shot. I know nothing of this brewery and have only been to Brussels once. The likelihood of me sampling beers from this brewery again, or even remembering it's consonante filled name, is small but I felt necessary to give these Belgian monks a fair shake. So here's the review of number two: Grimbergen's Double Ale. This is dark throughout with light brown on the edges where the light can penetrate through. After pouring, again into improper stemware, the brew is mighty bubbly and the 11.2oz of liquid almost overtakes the 16 oz glass. However, the head dissipates and this double is not nearly as carbonated as the blonde. The smell isn't the most appetizing and has aromas of strong prunes. Working through the strong odor, the taste is very smooth with molasses and brandy flavors. For being a double and 6.5% abv, its very drinkable and I think mild enough for even causal drinkers. The taste lingers on the tongue a bit giving a couple of additional dark fruit flavors rounding out a rather tasty beverage. If not for the somewhat unpleasant smell this would an overall good beer.

So I did enjoy both Grimbergen's blonde and double. While not my favorite beers in the world (or Belgium), both are pretty solid. Realizing the incredibly small chance that anyone asks if I have an opinion on N.V. BR. Alken-Maes brewery in Belgium, I'll be able to confidentially say - pretty good. Cheers.

Grimbergen: Blonde Ale

I have a new attraction: blondes. While that is an incredibly cliche intro to this post, that's the most apt way of describing my latest craze for blonde ales; an attraction. Within the past couple months, whenever I am at the liquor store or on a bar stool I find myself gravitating toward the blondes. If you dig through my 50+ prior posts I'm sure you'll see in there somewhere that I have professed my love for pale ales and amber ales. While I can't say that I have changed my preference away from hoppy American ales, I find myself more and more preferring a Belgian Blonde.

As a result of this latest crazy, my latest visit to the store resulted in the purchase of a sixer of Grimbergen Blonde Ale. Grimbergen starts with an incredible aroma of fruit, bubble gum, and touch of yeast. The most amazing and unique part of this brew is how bubbly it is. Honestly this is this might be the most carbonated bottled beer I've ever seen. As soon as I poured it into the improper glasswear, the air pockets have been racing their way to the top. I'm been drinking some of these guys pretty slow and no matter how long I let the glass sit on the table the bubbles keep screaming to the top. These bubbles also create more than just a visual effect. The carbonation cuts through the thickness of the beer pretty nicely making the beer feel lighter and easier to drink. The initial taste is kinda bready but the aftertaste clearly has a strong citrus flavor. While the citrus lingers a little long leaving almost a sour feeling on the tongue it doesn't taint the flavor of the beer and it's still dry enough to round out the flavors.

While not my favorite blonde ale ever, again this was exactly what I was in the mood for. And I guess I'm ok if that preference never changes back. Cheers.

Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.: Piraat Ale

It's a strange spelling, but I still have to go for the beer with a pirate on the label.

Piraat is an exceptionally flavorful Belgian pale. It leads with a honey-sweet malt taste that is followed very quickly by a leafy hop taste. The taste of alcohol permeates throughout, which is not surprising, since this brew weighs in at 10% ABV. Unfortunately, there's something about the malt flavor that really sticks to your tongue, and the alcohol sticks along with it. As a result, the aftertaste is an awkward mix of honey, alcohol, and leafy hops. Not a fantastic combo, in my book at least.

This beer is a great example of why I don't really consider myself a devotee of Belgian-style beers. I can see that, for those who really dig the flavors that are typical of Belgian beers, Piraat would be quite exciting. For me, it's just a tad bit overwhelming. It's fun to venture into unexplored territory now and again, but I remain loyal at heart to my Anchor and Stone inspired roots.

Brouwerij Huyghe: Delerium Tremens

Happy Veterans' Day. Or rather, Happy Day Before Veterans' Day, which is why I'm delving into a beer that generally isn't consumed on weeknights.

Delerium Tremens is one of the Belgian brews we see in America with some frequency that is actually from Belgium. Whether its because of that little bit of authenticity, the somewhat foreboding name, or perhaps the pink elephants dancing accross the bottle, Delerium has earned a reputation as being a particularly devastating ale. Truth is though, that Delerium is actually a pretty manageable beer. The taste is downright comforting--it's got a certain honey-sweetness to it that is really rare in Belgian brews, and the hops have more of that bright and citrusy taste (think lemons) typical to American pales than they do the traditional earthy bitterness in most Belgian beers. The beer is quite bubbly, giving it an almost champagne-like texture on the tongue, and while the taste is quite bright and bold, the aftertaste is pretty mild. And finally, at 8.5% ABV, Delerium is really more of a middleweight when it comes to strong ales, which is a good thing, since given how tasty this stuff is, you'll probably want more than one.

So fear not the opaque bottle guarded by pink elephants and strutting crocodiles. Delerium Tremens is a beer that even the lightest of lightweights among us can afford to enjoy.

Brasserie d'Achouffe: La Chouffe

If you couldn't figure it out from the name, this one isn't just a Belgian-style beer, it's a Belgian-brewed beer. And while it's a bit outside my normal price range, it's also the kind of brew that merits top dollar now and again, especially if you can find it on tap. May I present, La Chouffe.

La Chouffe is an abbey-style Belgian ale, in the same vein as Leffe. However, this brew definitely one-ups Leffe, as well as pretty much any American-brewed abbey ale that I can think of. Like most abbey ales, this brew has a faint sweetness about it. Ususally, this is tempered by a very earthy hoppiness, but La Chouffe's hops are a bit more muted. This seems to work because the sweetness has also been scaled back, perhaps because the malts are toward the dry end. The real treat here is a faint spiciness and subtle fruit flavors, similar to what you might taste in a witbeir. It's very light-bodied and well-carbonated, lending the brew a pleasant fizziness and muting the aftertaste very effectively.

All in all this beer is a real treat. There's a ton of flavors packed into this one, but they are all balanced really well. Probably the best Belgian beer I've had to date.