Beer - #484 - Moa - Blanc

Local beer, Not Local Music, numbers, and  self review.

Moa Blanc wheat beer is a blend of 50% wheat malt and 50% barley malt resulting in an elegantly smooth beer with hints of spice and uplifting esters. Based on a German Kristallweizen style, but in a nod to its origins, Moa Blanc is brewed using renowned Sauvignon Blanc yeast.

Moa Blanc - another of the beers that I thought I'd had, but clearly not, I have no idea how this happens but it does.

Brewed by Moa Brewing Company in that style that is of Belgian White (Witbier) and they're in Blenheim, New Zealand

The bigger sized 750ml bottle, as is the style, from the brewer, and it's a 5.5% ABV beer and 165 calories a serve. Cork and cage too, all fancy. 2.96 standard drinks worth in the bottle.  Lucky I went for my exercise earlier....

Moa Blanc wheat beer is brewed using a blend of 65% wheat malt and 35% barley malt which results in an elegantly smooth beer, with hints of spice and uplifting esters. The slightly cloudy appearance reflects its Germanic origins and it’s customary to gently roll the bottle before opening to create an even distribution of the sediment signature. 

Moa Blanc has a fruity aroma and taste. Banana, vanilla, citrus and bubble gum fruit flavours dominate, with some phenolic characters present. Moa Blanc is a highly drinkable wheat beer, with flavours more moderate than other wheat beers. Hop aroma and bitterness are minimal. Moa Blanc is best served at approximately 4˚C in a pilsner glass.

I've already noticed a confusion between description (a) and (b), makes it interesting for drinking and keeps you on your toes.

I'm also sitting in the sun, in the garden, as you can see, and the music bar is playing the Pixies, just so you know what's coming at the end.

I really did have to use a nutcracker to get the cork out, it was firmly in, but a gorgeous pop when it did let go.

Clear pour, and I know that this is a wheat beer, I can see the sediment in the bottom, it too is a bit in place, so I'm going to muddy it up for the second and other pours.

Nice hop aroma on opening, I'm sure that that is Wheat beer style though, it's more a pilsner aroma than a wheat.  Great head though, nice pour, lovely colour.

I'd still not pick this as a Wheat Beer though, it really does seem more like a Pilsner. MrsPhil had a sip and though it was ok to drink, I'm not  sure that is a good or bad thing though, it could mean I have to share, it could mean I have to go buy more.

[caption id="attachment_9729" align="alignright" width="112"] I used a nutcracker thing to open it, for real, I'm not even joking[/caption]

This is a very lively and well carbonated beer, and I couldn't get it to cloud up, despite a vigorous swirling, it might be my action or it might be there is no sediment to cloud it up.

This though is where I begin to have a doubt about what kind of beer this is! At the end of the bottle though the cloudiness appears, and I really did try, and then the lemony and citrus came through like the cavalry to the rescue. This just made a pleasant beer much more fun and enjoyable.

Now I know that the Moa beers are a bit hit and miss, and this as a style for them is a bit of a miss, not one of their best efforts, and frankly it's a bit of a hodgepodge of things, I can see why there is an "Evolution" and a "Sour" version of the same, sometimes you might have to put lipstick on a pig.

The "Evolution" version, which I don't have, by some accounts is about 3x this, and more the Wheat beer that it should be.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 7 a of its things from the thing, a jolly good and solid mark for a solid and go-to beer, which for me at the moment this is, mostly because the current stock with this branding is on run-out special, I'm so cheap. sometimes. Moa continue to entertain and disappoint in equal measures with their beers. At this, the run-out price, though you'd have to be a curmudgeon no to enjoy it

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? Yes I am, and I have been, and I will enjoy the rest of the stash that I have.


2. Would I have another? Of course! Despite it's confused style (to my mind) this is a drinkable and accessible beer.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Yes, bring a nut-cracker and we will crack another!

Music I've already given away as being "The Pixies" This is "Caribou" The Pixies are an American alternative rock band formed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1986. I'm listening to an album called "Wave of Mutilation" which is a "best of"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6m-pwWCDKU

 

BELGIAN WHITE & WITBIER

Belgian style wheat beers are very pale, opaque, with the crisp character of wheat, plus the citric refreshment of orange peel and coriander. Ingredients sometimes also include oats for smoothness, and other spices such as grains of paradise. Serve with light cheeses or mussels

Beer - #479 - Leffe - Radieuse

Belgium, beats, bingo and brainwork

Strong and generous amber-coloured abbey beer. 

Amber-Coloured with delicate hints of citrus and coriander seeds. 

Brewed by InBev Belgium in the style that is Belgian Strong Ale and they hail from Leuven, Belgium

8.5% ABV of beer, in a 330 ml bottle, 2.21 standard drink units in this and 255 calories.

This beer combines a very complex taste palate and the fruity flavours of banana, citrus fruit, coriander and cloves, with a mild sharpness.

[caption id="attachment_9691" align="alignleft" width="300"] Went the matching top[/caption]

Leffe Radieuse is an amber-coloured beer, rich in flavour and deliciously refined. Its complex taste is particularly enjoyed by true connoisseurs. It is a beer to drink instead of complex wines, with sophisticated and complex cuisines.

An emblem of age-old tradition, Leffe Radieuse’s amber hue reflects its magnificence. Its character is elegantly balanced out by notes of orange rind, coriander seeds and roasted malt. The distinct bitter flavour shows bold signs of a beer that knows how to conquer the heart of a connoisseur.

Incredibly rich and wonderfully full-bodied. However, only in a Leffe chalice will this beer truly relinquish all of its eccentricity.”

A beer that has a bit of a swagger in the description, but on investigation may or may not meet that. But if you don't set a bar how do you know. What's the worst that can happen?

Nice presentation, purple foil over the cap makes for something a bit different.  Familair fruity aroma on opening, and a lively hiss.

Rich brown colour on the pour, small and disappearing head but a fantastic aroma of sweet malts.

Over carbonated if you want me to instantly judge. High alcohol astringent in this too, all at the front in a bit of a clash with whatever the fruits or malt things are trying to do.

Lightly bitter it's not intrusive, it does come together more as it warms slightly and ends up a mellow and rich beer that compliments the snack age that I rustled up, being mostly the home made pate and the rest of the camembert cheese from yesterday.

This though, for me, not the beer of the description, which I'd sum up as "talk's a good game" or "good on paper not so flash in the glass"  I don't this is complex, and I don't get many of the hints of things that I was expecting or might enjoy. I like the Leffe beers otherwise and I don't really have a bad thing to say about this, but it would be my 3rd pick after the blonde, and the sweeter bruin.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 7 a of its things from the thing.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? Not as much as I wanted to hang read their own descriptors.


2. Would I have another? I probably would.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? It is a posh looking beer, and I'd be impressed if someone brought me one over.

What's the best track for a great beer? Blue Oyster Cult of course , Don't fear the reaper, I found the longest version I could in some weird hope that you might listen to it all. It does occur to me that reading time v drinking time are not the same... ah what the heck, I listened to it 3 times.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClQcUyhoxTg

BELGIAN STRONG ALE

Belgian Strong Ales can vary from pale to dark brown in color, darker ales may be colored with dark candy sugar. Hop flavor can range from low to high, while hop aroma is low. The beers are medium to full-bodied and have a high alcoholic character. Types of beers included here include tripels, dubbels and ultra-strong abbey ales.

Beer - #478 - Moa - St Josephs Tripel

A realisation, records, randomising and ruminating.

Moa St Josephs is a classic Belgian Tripel. Strong spice, caramel and banana ester characters create complex flavours and aromas which are heightened by its extended bottle conditioning period. The combination of bittering hops, malt and candy sugars compliment the high alcohol content and integrate into a very approachable and drinkable Tripel.

This is beer that I have drunk and I thought that I'd written about, turns out yes I have drunk it and no not for this diary. I'm now looking forward to this, the Moa St Josephs Tripel.

Brewed by Moa Brewing Company in the style that is of Abbey Tripel and they are based Blenheim, New Zealand

Beautifully presented 375ml bottle, cork and cage too, with beer that is 9.5% ABV, and 285 calories. and 2.8 standard drink units in this bottle to round that out.

[caption id="attachment_9682" align="alignright" width="300"] Mini Champagne, cork- cage, custom bottle[/caption]

Moa St Josephs is brewed in the traditional style of a classic Belgian Tripel. Strong spice and clove characters create complex flavours and aromas which are heightened by its extended bottle conditioning, with a combination of malt and candy sugars complimenting the high alcohol content produced by the Belgian ale yeast. Best served at 8°C in a goblet after gently rolling the bottle to distribute the sediment signature. 

Moa St Josephs is a true abbey style tripel with strong clove and spice flavours apparent with a noticeable fruit ester profile. Smokey phenolic characters can be detected. The bitterness is designed to be complimentary rather than dominant. Moa St Josephs is a complex beer that has no added herbs or spices, and is best served at approximately 8˚C in a tulip glass. 

Love the presentation, it makes it a real occasion beer. And I like the Belgium style, so I should be happy as this unfolds. From memory of drinking this I should just be happy.

Fantastic sweet malt aroma initially that fades. Orange golden pour that you need to work at to make cloudy as desired by the brewer, head is light but persistent.

Chewing-gum aroma is there but it's not prominent.

Full sweet mouthfeel of beer, lots of sweetness. But it's tempered by the bitterness at the top.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 8 a of its things from the thing. It's a style that I like to enjoy and although this isn't a jaw dropping example it is very good and very enjoyable.

So, to summarise, I would have thought more aroma, slightly fuller body, tad more sweetness and more alcohol at the end would make this overly much better.

Not that you need alcohol astringent, but it is by some measure a feature of the style. I'd really like a fuller/fluffier mouthfeel than this gives, it's as if the malts have been held back for a reason. You can pick the typical Belgium style aromas and notes on the palate, but you have to go looking for them a bit.

It's not as good as I remember it being, or it's in someway different than I remember, bearing in mind that a lot of beer has been drunk between, and I've had a few good beers since. Perhaps my own benchmark has changed, again. Or of course I don't remember drinking it, as mentioned, and came in with rose tinted glasses in hope.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? Yes, I am because for its faults it isn't all bad.


2. Would I have another? Yes, I'd be keen to go again, it's an occasion beer for any occasion.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Yes, I'd be happy to share and share this, they make it in a a proper sized bottle too for the grand occasion.

The new Johnny Marr  album is a whole level much better than the last effort, so I thought.

This is "Easy Money" off that new Album "Playland"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_P5iSG_APE

ABBEY TRIPEL

Like other abbey ales, Tripels are strong, yeasty-malty beers. But they are also pale, and have a notable hop profile. Hop bitterness may be higher than a typical abbey ale, up to 35IBUs. But the finish is where the hops really shine, as tripels should finish fairly dry. Otherwise, maltiness is still essential to the style, and the assertive yeast note typical of all abbey ales will be more apparent in tripels, since they do not have the rich dark malts to distract the palate. Alcohol flavours feature more prominently in Tripels that in just about any other style.

Beer - #469 - Yeastie Boys - The Sun Before the Darkness

Next; Spoonbenders, 23 minutes of Kraftwerk, my own private number, and going again.

"Strong golden ale with botrytised viognier candi-sugar."

Yeastie Boys - The Sun Before the Darkness - one of 3 special beers, this seems to be the rarest of them for no reason I can fathom but when I saw it on the shelf I reached for it. I haven't got the other two, yet, lets see how this pans out.

For  Yeastie Boys brewed at Invercargill Brewery in the style closest to  Belgian Strong Ale , but perhaps Abbey Tripel and YB are in Wellington, New Zealand.

Packaged as a 330ml bottle of 10% ABV which makes is 2.6 standard drink units,  of 300 calories in this serve, and 50 IBU things.

[caption id="attachment_9595" align="alignleft" width="300"] Friday... for starters....[/caption]

A new world Tripel with a bouquet of citrus blossom, ripe peach and mango flavours, a silky mouthfeel and a warming, herbaceous spicy finish.

Drink now or cellar for up to five years. 

Like that could happen, although the idea of cellaring beer has ab appeal greater than the depth of my current finances.

Aroma is sour and of a lot of fruits, then is just the fruits.

Lovely orange golden chestnut pour that I couldn't get to a head, but that happens, Aroma is strong in this one, rich and with a strong od something I want to say is banana but isn't, quite.

Wow that is sweet, and definitely  of it's style, an almost over-full mouthfeel. Alcohol is obvious, to me and just larger than that really rich middle, but no present at the end which is where you might expect it more. It also feels more than 50IBU things.

A 'big' beer then sums this up, there are a lot of loud and all in synch things going on which makes this a really interesting and interactive beer to drink, not one that you can quaff and move on from in a hurry. At this point I question my wisdom in starting with this, but it is Friday and what the heck.

As it warms you get more of the harshness of the alcohol showing through, this isn't a down tick, it's the way it behaves and I've experienced it before, it's just a thing. Retains it lovely aroma, and that lovely sensation of soft malt sweetness though.

This is only one of the 3 in the Spoonbender series, and from my observation this was the one that was least available, at least when I had beer tokens for shopping with, and honestly I would have gone for the Belgium style beer first time, and almost every time, since at least in my mind they're my favourite style. Looking at the drinking list you'd pick IPA though, since that is a much more predominant brewing style and standard.

I'm not sure how I'm going to follow this. I know have an IPA ;-)

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 10 a of its things from the thing. I can't not award this a rare 10 from 10, it has so many good things that make it likeable and not a lot of the rough edges that make you question yourself and your experience. A 10, what trickery in that. 

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? Yes, it makes me smile.


2. Would I have another? Yes, I might get me another if I see one, for that mythical cellar that I keep or think of keeping, or to drink, whatever my mood.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Yes, I would stand this up against any of this style with no issue at all.

I was listening to a local radio station bFM, and they have a segment called "that song is longer then 6 minutes" and they cracked out this particular number -  the band Kraftwerk, the track -Autobahn. The original first track of the album Autobahn (1974)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-G28iyPtz0

23 minutes of all things, should be able to knock off a beer to that.

The title track features both untreated and vocoded vocals. Kraftwerk used a Minimoog, an ARP Odyssey, an EMS Synthi AKS and various devices of their own design and implementation, such as their famous electronic drums.

BELGIAN STRONG ALE

Belgian Strong Ales can vary from pale to dark brown in color, darker ales may be colored with dark candy sugar. Hop flavor can range from low to high, while hop aroma is low. The beers are medium to full-bodied and have a high alcoholic character. Types of beers included here include tripels, dubbels and ultra-strong abbey ales.

Related articles

• A Beer Drinker's Guide to Belgian Beers


• Sud Savant: Goose Island - Pere Jacques (Aged 5 years)


• Belgian Blonde Ale


• The 5 best beers in the world

Beer - #449 - Blue Moon - Belgian White Ale

This most certainly isn't craft beer is it. Blue Moon Belgian White Ale.

"Brewed with oats for creaminess and spiced with the perfect combination of orange peel and coriander. An unfiltered wheat ale spiced in the Belgian tradition for an uncommonly smooth taste."

Brewed by Coors Brewing Company (MillerCoors) in the style they think is  Belgian White (Witbier) and they are in Golden, Colorado USA

Bottle is 5.4% ABV and 355Ml so that should be about 192 calories a serve, and makes this bottle 1.51 standard drink units in NZ. This might register at 9 IBU's too.

Blue Moon Belgian White, Belgian-style wheat ale, is a refreshing, medium-bodied, unfiltered Belgian-style wheat ale spiced with fresh coriander and orange peel for a uniquely complex taste and an uncommonly smooth finish.

Much of this beer’s production now comes from the Molson brewery in Toronto. A small portion of Denver draught production comes from the SandLot brewery. Still other product may continue to hail from Golden.  Which is where my bottle is from, and it's made specifically for NZ with country specific label and everything.

I first had this in Australia, and it had fruit in the glass, I think an orange slice, but that was then....

So no orange slice, umbrella or plastic tiki. just the beer, just a glass.

Beer - #424 - Townshend - Divine Intervention

Townshend Divine Intervention - a collaboration beer (with Southstar Brewing). Calm down. Also A Belgium IPA\Belgium ale

Brewed by Townshend Brewery as their take on the  Belgian Ale style and they are in Upper Moutere, New Zealand.

Brewers note on their website has this though as a Pale Ale, despite the label saying otherwise. One of those things. 

All that but a 500ml bottle, (16 fl oz>, of beer that is 7.8% ABV, making it 3.1 standard drinks in NZ,  and 234 calories a serve.

A strong and heavily New Zealand hopped Belgian Pale Ale. This is a collaboration series beer with Kieran Haslett Moores' brewing arm Southstar Brewing Co. The beer is named in loving memory of Jeff Hennaman from Slayer who died last year. (We are both huge Slayer fans.)

Don't expect a Slayer video clip either.

Beer - #357 - ’t IJ - IJwit

They ran out of consonants and this is then another one of those unpronounceable beers  - ’t IJ - IJwit

Brewed by Brouwerij ’t IJ in the style of  Belgian White (Witbier) and they are in the progressive city of Amsterdam, Netherlands

A 330ml bottle of a 6.5% ABV beer, with about 195 calories, only 18 IBU things, this would be 1.69 standard drinks in NZ

[caption id="attachment_7931" align="alignright" width="300"] Ears like Rocket Fins[/caption]

Formerly called ’t IJ Scharrel IJwit A full-bodied, Amsterdam wheat beer that is dangerously ‘moreish’. Slightly cloudy, it has a beautiful golden colour and a soft, foamy head. When we brew IJwit, we use wheat malt as well as barley malt, which is also how the beer gets its name. The wheat malt gives the beer a delightful, fresh flavour, and the addition of coriander and lemon during the brewing process produces a rich aroma of banana, citrus and spices. Topped off by a fine, slightly sweet aftertaste, IJwit is a delicious thirst-quencher.

Same old familiar aroma from this style of beer.

Well nice poor of golden yellow with a dense head of  white foam, bubbles dancing in the glass it looks great.

Lemon citrus wheat beer familiar on the nose, musty aroma under,, really dencet flavours and profile in drinking this, it's much more than I thought I would be.

Here then is a beer that is what it says on the label, it's clean,. refreshing, has some nice flavours and is pretty decent, not dressed up or challenge you to taste what the marketing people say it is. I like that.

However there isn't anything else in this except easy drinking, which is a pretty crowed field.  Eventually the sweetness of this would catch up ab become perhaps cloying and you'd need a change of beers to refresh your tongue.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 7 a of its things from the thing. It's a really clean drinking beer that refreshes but does not challenge you to more than that.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? I am


2. Would I have another? just the one, after that I'd be looking to change


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? As a lead in to something but not for a long story of unrequited love and lost fortunes.

BELGIAN WHITE & WITBIER

Belgian style wheat beers are very pale, opaque, with the crisp character of wheat, plus the citric refreshment of orange peel and coriander. Ingredients sometimes also include oats for smoothness, and other spices such as grains of paradise. Serve with light cheeses or mussels.

 

Beer - #318 - Tuatara - Ardennes

I'm a simple man, but Tuatara Ardennes, strikes me as being something Belgium related, of course.

Brewed by Tuatara Brewing Company this is in the style of a  Belgian Ale and they do that in the metropolis that to me an you is known as Paraparaumu, New Zealand.

500ml bottle (Pint-ish) of a 6.5% ABV beer, or 2.5 standard drinks to me and you, 195 calories a servings.

Tuatara Ardennes is a strong, Belgian-identified ale. There’s no missing the strong bit – 6.5% alc/vol should be fairly self-explanatory – but the Belgian half of the equation is the result of our obsession with the style. In creating his own version we've named it after the Ardennes yeast that gives it all those spicy orange notes. We were also fairly obsessed with making it drinkable, so drinkable in fact that we may have to redirect your attention to the 6.5% alc/vol bit. Avoid heavy machinery.

They say.

I have to cook on the BBQ I hope that at least on of the things works out ok for me

Thats fairly yeasty and a bit sour on opening, vinegary. Very pale, and I was surprised by that, I was expecting darker, or different. No head, at all. But it looks fairly well carbonated.

Aroma settles to more yeast, which would be what you might expect.



Pours a great golden colour, and has a decent head, but this is very carbonated on the tongue. To the nose this is a Belgium style yeasted beer, and the sourness of the up front note is of Belgium. But that's all there is.

Does look nice in the glass though.

So where are we at? This is a beer that is made to, at least, smell and initially taste like a Belgium style beer. Which for me it does.

What else does it do?

Frankly not a lot. And honestly as it warms it gets more 'iffy' the warmth that you'd expect from the malts appear to be a bit off centre, and they clash with the sourness. It's a challenge.

This might make for a fairly decent domestic beer, but it's hard to look past the way that it appears to have rapid changes of personality. The over-riding sourness makes this less than a winner, but not by much

The pdubyah-o-meter - the arbiter of arbitrary- says 7 - which is ok, makes this beer that you shouldn't avoid or skip on, it's ok at what it is an what id odes it's just, again, not setting a benchmark or bar that other beers would beed to meet or beat.

Smells like Belgium beer should, tastes like a Belgium beer should, but that shouldn't be all of it, or perhaps they're showing off and it is, As an extension of their Dubbel and Tripel this is nice rounder.

Musically , the Vinyl gave away to the iPod and some Elbow, and this on the loudness.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dELKUivJo4w&w=640&h=360]

Belgian Ardennes

is one of the great and versatile strains for the production of classic Belgian style ales. This strain produces a beautiful balance of delicate fruit esters and subtle spicy notes; with neither one dominating. Unlike many other Belgian style strains, this strain is highly flocculent and results in bright beers.

BELGIAN ALE

Belgian-style ales seldom fit neatly into classic beer styles, but this category represents those "session" ales (in Belgium this means under 7% abv!) that do not fit other categories. Colour ranges from golden to deep amber, with the occasional example coming in darker. Body tends to be light to medium, with a wide range of hop and malt levels. Yeastiness and acidity may also be present.

Related articles

• Beer - #258 - Tuatara - Dubbel


• Belgian Blonde Ale


• Beer Review # 1: Tuatara APA (Aotearroa Pale Ale)


• Belgian Pale Ale


• A Beginner's Guide to Belgian Beer Styles

 

Beer- #291 - Townshend - Hollandale’s Premium Best

Something a bit more mainstream, a Townshend Hollandale’s Premium Best. Brewed by Townshend Brewery in this style of an Premium Bitter/ESB and that is the mysterious Upper Moutere, New Zealand.

500ml bottle, that's just shy of a 'pint', of a 5.3% ABV beer, making that 2.1 standard drink units. Whopping 159 calories a serve

[caption id="attachment_6328" align="alignleft" width="300"] Look it's a Selfie ![/caption]

Dales Brewing Co produces an award winning Belgian Ale that we here at Townshend's thoroughly enjoy. As fans of Dale's brews, we approached him to ask if he'd mind letting us use his exact same recipe but with a cheeky English Ale yeast instead if his Belgian choice. Here is the result: A smooth, malty ESB. Thanks Dale. You are a star.

Very lively on opening, grassy hoppy, the top runneth over.

Pours a lovely dark chestnut brown, with a lovely amount of foamy and persistent head. It is very lively in the glass. IT really does look magnificent and if only it was based on looks I'd be hooked.

I could't help myself I took a goodly mouthful of this, and I thought, this is very British beer like. Which isn't abad thing

The flavour profile is all in the middle.

It's all grassy hops.  The carbonation gives your tongue a tickle and there is a nod to a caramel finish, but if you drew a bell curve you've pretty much drawn the flavour hit for this.

This isn't overly bitter, and it's not offensive, although the hopiness note does scream bit in the middle.

The pdubyah-o-meter says that this is solid and 8's for your mates. Very good.

This looks great, pours great, had a great head, leaves a decent lacing, is light, refreshing and easy easy to drink. But the bitterness and the loud hop in the middle is a bit off-putting and may stop you after a couple of making this a session beer. I'd happily sit with a few of these, couple of mates and some inconsequential sport on in the background and tell lies like a boss.

But it's not memorable despite being very good.  Bit like the choice of music I have on,

Speaking of the music, I have on for this is the toe tapping Arctic Monkeys Album, AM - and this is the track that has no relevance to me at all - Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High? The style and delivery is their own and you couldn't mistake them for any other band. They might be taking themselves a bit serious, perhaps they need the money.

PREMIUM BITTER/ESB

In England, many breweries have a number of bitters in their range. The style that has come to be known as Premium or Special Bitter generally includes the stronger ( 4.6%-6.0%) examples. These are mostly served in the traditional way from the cask, but some are also found in bottle form where the extra malt allows them to stand up better than the more delicate ordinary Bitter. In the US, the designation ESB is common for this style, owing to the influence of Fuller’s ESB, the London brew that was among the first to be exported to the States. In the US, some ESBs are made with American hops and a clean yeast, but the alcohol range is the same, as is the range of bitterness, usually between 25 and 35 but occasionally creeping higher.

Beer - #288 - Unibroue - Trois Pistoles

I bought me this based on the last Unibroue beer I had that made me cry with joy, this is the Unibroue Trois Pistoles.

Brewed by Unibroue (Sapporo) in the Style of a  Belgian Strong Ale from the cure metropolis that we know as Chambly, Canada. (The Avoidance systems have kicked in about Sapporo....)

Strong Belgian type ale similar to a Port wine ! Is as dark as can be, mellow in taste with an aroma of ripe fruits. It can be compared to an old porto and is brewed from well roasted malt.

Small (by the way of things) 355ml bottle of a 9% ABV beer, really really well presented with loads of silver foils and prettiness.  Lots of warning and advice about glass type and not pouring the dregs at the bottom of the bottle. IBU of 16 and calories at 270. Drinks of 2.5 units in kiwiland.

Beer - #282 - Rochefort - Trappistes 8

I don't know why I haven't drunk this  to review and write about, I've had it on nights out - a  Rochefort - Trappistes 8

Brewed by Brasserie Rochefort in the style of a  Belgian Strong Ale and who knew that you'd find them in Rochefort, Belgium

This is a 300ml bottle of a 9.2% ABV beer,  it has around 276 calories and tips in at 2.39 standard drink units in NZ , all of which I'm about to plunder.

The lower gravity cousin to Rochefort 10. Nicknamed "Spéciale" (’The Special’), this beer is the most recent production.

The Rochefort 8 has a more tawny colour and a more pronounced aroma, with an even richer fruitiness (a slight undertone of fig?) and a little more spiced dryness, like that of a cake, which gives a balanced finish to the final notes.

I can't make an excuse about my intake tonight. I had a strange old day,  it invoked buying a new car, my car breaking down, then going again, then being towed, not eating all day until 4 pm, and a new pair of running shoes.

But I digress. Kings of Leon accompany me in this, they're a bit good for this sort of thing.

This has a really "british bitter" type aroma, sort of wet yeast

Pours a really brown  brown with a decent head, may have poured the sludge though :-( such a n00b. Decent head that stays I can't pick much by way or aroma though. Blame the previous excess.

Not sure this is what I thought it was going to be. I think it's a bit alcohol astringent up front, a bit bitter, and without a lot of the warmth  that I might expect from a soft caramels addition.

What I don't perceive is any sweetness in this. So I stopped and drank some water. Then I tried again, and all I got really was a bit of alcohol astringent, which is what you really could expect.

So how does "the everyone" like this so much ?  It can't be an emperors new clothes thing, and so therefore it could be an emperors new clothes thing, or that there are variance in the bottle quality. It might be the surrounding diet of beers though, the chaff amongst the wheat as it were.

As this warms, and thats important, it does get a couple of things, and "a couple of things" is my new black, it gets a bit more 'fuller' but it also carries that same tang of alcohol astringent.  The thin head is very persistent, and present.

[caption id="attachment_6157" align="alignleft" width="180"] This is Science ![/caption]

The pdubyah-o-meter, the fickle thing it is, is wavering on this, as much as it wants to conform, it has it's own mind.  I have so many better beers that this it's difficult. But of this and only this the thing is that it's not tart, sharp, musty, mouldy, bready, it is like Belgium beers, it's astringent, it's bitter across the whole range, but it doesn't finish long and make you regret drinking it. It lacks the caramel warmth and colour that I like.

So 8, very good, on the scale of things.

I have to get over the worrying what people think about what I'm thinking, I wear a purple floral shirt for pity sake.



Meantime: MrsPdubyah is reading the manual about her new car.

There have been a few trips the garage and back as she discovers new things about it.  It's funny, we will have this for a few years, the car, not the mooching to the garage and back.

Kings of Leon have done a cracking job on repeat to entertain me, the old cat is being weird, the young one crashed and is asleep.

Just another day in a life less ordinary, the same as yours but a bit different.

BELGIAN STRONG ALE

Belgian Strong Ales can vary from pale to dark brown in color, darker ales may be colored with dark candy sugar. Hop flavor can range from low to high, while hop aroma is low. The beers are medium to full-bodied and have a high alcoholic character. Types of beers included here include tripels, dubbels and ultra-strong abbey ales.

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Beer - #258 - Tuatara - Dubbel

a Dubbel, from Tuatara, Brewed by Tuatara Brewing Company in the style of an  Abbey Dubbel in the mystical Paraparaumu, New Zealand

A seasonal beer, so something a little special perhaps.  650ml of a 7.5% ABV beer, of 3.6 standard  drinks, and maybe around 25 IBU's which appears normal for this type and style. Also, and it's important, 225 calories.

Perhaps it’s time to discuss putting beer down. No we’re not insulting the object of our love and livelihood, we’re talking cellaring. With the different malts and house-made Belgian candy sugar, this classic Dubbel could benefit from 6 to 30 months of repose in a quiet, cool place. If you can bear the wait you’ll find the plum and raisin characters, the characteristic phenolics and the hints of dark chocolate reconciled to perfection. ABV from 8.5% to 7.5%.

The aroma is disappointing , but it settles to something like chocolate. I'd best pour it as sniffing a bottle seems weird.  Poured thinner, perhaps paler would be a better, or less thick than I thought it might, with a smallish head, that like my hopes and dreams faded away. All of which is nonsense as it's quite a nice rich deep red-brown colour.

A nice fruit aroma. And it drinks really nice, a really familiar palate of mustiness, and a little sweetness and a bang of astringent alcohol.  Which doesn't sound as good as it tastes, and it tastes great.

I'm easily impressed, this is really easy drinking, and, does it for me.

A reality check though says that this perhaps doesn't have as much upfront sweeteners, doesn't have a lot of middle carry and might be a bit thin, but the alcohol tang isn't a thing as it warms up a bit. However you can put this into it's category as a Belgium beer, it's jolly good stuff

The pdubyah-o-meter says, get in!, and makes this a very very good 8.5 arbitrary stars.

Hopped With Pacific Jade, Styrian Goldings neither of which appear a mention on the hops list  I forlornly copied 

How to sum this up then, Nice. I'd drink it again. It's of it's style, and if you like the style you'd probably be ok with this. It's not strong on any points, there's no over-riding element, and if I had the patience I'd put one on the cupboard for ageing.

Like that's ever going to happen. Cheers!

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Beer - #255 - Pretty Things - Jack D’Or

So the second of a pair of beers from Pretty things - this tbe Pretty Things Jack D’Or.

From the Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project Brewed at Buzzards Bay Brewing this is in the Style of a  Saison and as you know they are in the lovely Cambridge, Massachusetts USA

In a 650ml bottle, 6.4% ABV or around 3.3 standard drink units,  and calorie lite at 195! and 57 IBUS. - High IPA, High Irish Stout,  Low Barley Wine bitterness.

Inspired by some of our favorites like Saison DuPont, but also DeRanke’s XX Bitter, De Dolle’s Arabier, and local IPAs like Smuttynose, the Jack D’Or starts off with North American Pils, Vienna, Wheat and Malted Oats (among others) and is hopped with a combination of four hops, finishing with Palisade and Nugget. The bitterness is the real backbone of the Jack D’Or.  It’s a proper “plant-like” bitterness with all of its jagged edges, beginning deep in the soil, then to the stem of this beer and up into to the very tippity heights.  Fermentation-wise we use a blend of four yeast strains to give Jack D’Or its refreshingly dry character.  Finally, despite all of the spicy flavours in this beer it contains no actual spices – only malt, oats, rye, sugar, hops and yeast.  One more time: there are no spices or citrus in Jack D’Or. Wheat lends acidity at Jack’s edges, then rye and our blended yeast character come into play for a bit of polyphony, displeasing the notion of “balance” and creating the fire in the belly of Jack D’Or!

Ok I brought this based on the label, as I did the last beer, shoot me.

Sugary malt aroma on opening. Pours really pale yellow, almost cloudy, with a skerrick of a head. Looks like it has some bubble action going on but it's not an excitable amount.

Has the aroma of a Belgium type beer, the musty yeast thing. Has a bunch of sweetness like a Belgium beer too, and some astringent alcohol in there.

Of course a Saison would be "Fruity esters dominate the aroma. Clarity is good with a large foamy head on top. The addition of several spices and herbs create a complex fruity or citrusy flavor. Light to medium bodied with very high carbonation. Alcohol level is medium to high."

A very light beer to drink, and one that reminds of other beers of similar style. Not a beer with it's own character then, which would mean you'd overlook this for any of the other beers the same.

As it warms there is a much more pronounced malt warmth, and you're lead to believe this is a very competent beer, which it is.

I'm a bit green on this, but I have no idea why I would choose this instead of a Belgium Beer, for instance, to me they are a bit similar.

What I know is that I like it, a bit goodly, and I would suggest that the pdubyah-0-meter is being a bit light at 8 very good. This has happiness and Belgiumness about it and that is a thing to behold.

Having boldly said that this wasn't special or standout I sit here feeling a bit betwixt and between, I'd actually like another of these and would probably really enjoy it a lot more, which leads me to suspect that the pdubyah-o=meter isn't reliable :-)

I'd be bold enough to suggest that if you see this you should carry two words of advice from me... get in!

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Beer - #235 - Tuatara - Belgian Tripel - Redux

Back to the middle again, away from the heavier beers that I seem to have been having of late with a NZ Tuatara Belgian Tripel, Brewed by Tuatara Brewing Company in the style of a  Belgian Strong Ale and they're in, of course, Paraparaumu, New Zealand.

Develop an active interest in Belgium’s monastic Trappist brews and it’ll quickly become obvious that the Low Countries weren’t named after the alcohol content of their favourite beers. Tuatara Tripel is is brewed in that same intense style, rich on the nose with esters and hop aromas balanced to perfection. It’s possessed of a sustained and lively body that instantly fills the mouth with flavour. Meanwhile a smooth aftertaste ensures the kind of drinkability that by rights no 8.5% alc/vol beer ought to possess.

And just to make it worse for myself here is a clip of me taking it all serious

http://youtu.be/FBpcybmsedY

8.5% of a beer, in a 650ml bottle, in NZ 4.65 standard drink units.  I rated this 8 last time I drank it   Who's surprised that I forgot about this. well me. I don't know that it made much of an impression because I'm usually better at remembering things, he said not convincingly.

I also picked up, knowingly a Brewaucracy "In Triplicate" Which I thought was a 9, as if that changes anything.

Hopefully then, a head, and a bit more balance of flavours. We'll get to that next.

Fair hiss, vinegary cider aroma, Orange golden pour, and fluffy white head to accompany. Aroma more to caramel malts and familiar belgium notes. It's better than I remember.

Slightly sour front, but it gives over to a nice balanced sweetness, and finishes sharp. Again the alcohol is not apparent in this, which is both a good and bad thing. Nose full of aroma every sip too, and you know I mean "big sip".

Lovely earthiness, lovely sweetness, nice tang, and a #smileface from me on this. I rated it an 8 before and I think that on this I would probably rate this on the pdubyah-o-meter as a  9 making it a great beer.

Of course I'm coming off the back of a few of the more eccentric beers, the porters and stouts and some very very hoppy beers, so this was a retreat to something I know, or hope, is more comfortable to drink. Very easy drinking, very tempted I would be to have another if I had one to have. For a New Zealand company this is quite accomplished.

To be able to buy a quality Belgium Tripel style beer, made locally, and for it to be the equal or better than some imported offerings, for my palate at least, is a very rewarding thing. At least it's not like Champagne and they'll have to change it's name to something. Which reminds me that one of our commercial brewers trademarked "Radler" as a name, and so therefore you can't get a 'real' Radler beer brewed or marketed here. But that's a different story altogether.

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Beer - #228 - Renaissance Enlightenment Series - Fresh Hop Benelux Ale

So to the fridge he dashes, and grabs for the Renaissance Enlightenment Series Fresh Hop Benelux Ale.  Brewed by Renaissance Brewing in the style of a : Belgian Ale, and they do that in Blenheim, New Zealand.

Fresh Hop Benelux Ale. You see, it is not quite a Belgian style, but kind of in that region. We based this on a Blonde and brewed it with a mixture of yeasts and a large portion of freshly harvested Wakatu hops. The result, a bright straw coloured ale with a fruity nose and creamy palate. Notes of spice, earth, tropical fruit, and hop resin.

500ml bottle, of a 7% ABV beer, making it 2.8 standard drinks.

After a long drive home from the beach house I was looking forward to sitting down and relaxing with this. However it didn't happen.

Instead i waited, and Wednesday was big night in, and after a more then acceptable curry from my new favourite restaurant I got to hankering.

Intriguing fruit laden aroma, Rich brown poor, but not much of a head,  and that really interesting almost chocolate (this time) aroma, and then it settles to a familiar Belgium beer aroma. It's a thing.

An interesting mouthful that, sort of thin and lacking in depth, but also with a reasonable back of sweetness.  It's a thing.

This isn't so much muddled as confused. I like it. It doesn't have that sharp alcohol burn that you get with some Belgium beers, but it has the aroma and the colour.

It has a sourness, but it's fairly soft, and I may have mentioned seems a bit thin. The Pdubyah-o-meter thinks this is about an 8 - very good - on the arbitrary scale of things, and I probably would buy this again. Yes I would, despite it not making it higher on the scale of things.

Recapping then, Smells like Belgium, looks like Belgium, has a nice caramel things going on, lacks the alcohol note, is a bit thin, doesn't carry. Other than than, it's a bit good :-)