Beer - #590 - Wild Beer - Ninkasi Premier Cru

Wild Beer Ninkasi, the Premier Cru

in for a penny..

"..created by the time and the oak are incredibly tasty, complex, layered beers, perfect for enjoying with friends through the winter months. "

This is a 330ml beer, which is  10 %ABV, that would be then be 300 calories a serve, and 2.6 standard drink units.

Brewed by Wild Beer in the style: Belgian Strong Ale and they are in the little metropolis of Shepton Mallet, England. on the other hand it could be a Saison / Farmhouse Ale.

Named after the ancient Greek goddess of beer, 

Part of the Barrel Trinity 2013 series - came about after a visit to the Somerset Cider Brandy Company at Burrow Hill where Julian Temperley showed us around his amazing farm.

[caption id="attachment_10958" align="alignright" width="300"] It's special, like me[/caption]

On smelling some of his used barrels we thought they would be the perfect vessel to age some of our Ninkasi in. The cider brandy flavours naturally combine beautifully with the apple flavours in the beer and the farmyard brettanomyces character in the beer has become more dominant.

This is a beer we always wanted to make and we are delighted to say, it doesn’t disappoint. Not as highly carbonated as the "normal" Ninkasi, this is softer, more mellow, with a long lingering fruit character.

Well that sounds promising and what could go wrong?

The now familiar sour aroma, like a cider but less sweet. Pour is a richer golden,    and in appearance has more body. Nice head too.

Of the three Wild Beer beers that I've had this is by far the most accessible and sensible. Yes it's a sour beer, but it's a level that is less, more mellow and a bit less edgy, more rounded.

I quite like the way this tastes

Good job I had this last then, otherwise it would have been a disaster.

The aroma has calmed down too, it's now more oaky, unless I've just convinced myself of that.

It isn't a beer to fall in love with,  for me at least, but it is a beer that is quite complex and develops as it warms in the glass, in the way that some beers do. Possibly either because It was too cold in the first place, or because it was too cold in the first place.

A beer that is much sweeter in the front which makes the whole thing quite enjoyable and makes you appreciate that some sour beers are really worth a punt, but I imagine it really is a minefield. Actually I know it's a minefield.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 9 a of its things from the thing. As things go this is a fairly clever beer, it has layers that develop as you drink and it draws you in, all the while hiding that it's on the stronger end of the ABV scale really, and lucky it's in a small bottle.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? I am, in a slightly uncomfortable way.


2. Would I have another? I think I'm mostly done with sours.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? This one might make the grade as a share beer to discuss why it's a thing and why it's worthy of the table. To my mind it this one is.

Kurt Vile, there's a name you don't hear often enough. This is from his album called "It's a big world out there, and I'm scared, you can of course listen here on the Spotify, or mostly all the other places no doubt.

Kurt Samuel Vile is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. He is best known for his solo career and as a former member of indie rock band The War on Drugs

This "Feel my pain"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDgHNbpltho

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 - #562 - Hertog Jan - Grand Prestige

An annual beer, this one the Hertog Jan - Grand Prestige 2013

Hertog Jan Grand Prestige is a deep, reddish-brown beer with a high fermentation and a full, ripe, bittersweet flavour.

Daunting 750ml bottle, cork and cage, which has beer that is 10% ABV, making it 300 calories a serve size, also making it 5.92 standard drinks.(!)

Brewed by Arcense Bierbrouwerij (InBev) In the style that is: Abt/Quadrupel and they are Arcen, Netherlands. However this could well be English BarleyWine, Belgium Strong Dark Ale,  and or other styles.

Heavy dark beer with a full ripe sweet-bitter taste.

Grand Prestige carefully by us is brewed with the finest ingredients. It is one of the toughest specialty beers from the Netherlands.

[caption id="attachment_10644" align="alignleft" width="300"] I look tired, I think it's too much sun again.[/caption]

Grand Prestige is a special beer, also known as "barley wine" is called. It also has many features in common with a good wine, such as the full, ripe flavor.

When you take the time for your Grand Prestige enjoy the full creamy head, you can smell the hops and can distinguish sweet and bitter clear.

The taste and odor need the rest to develop. Grand Prestige so you can best preserve a while, until you have the opportunity to agree to sit there quietly.

Full-bodied dark beer with a sweet-sour taste, Hertog Jan Grand Prestige is prepared with the finest ingredients. It is known as the "barley wine" for its fruity flavor. The hop aroma can clearly discern the sweet and the bitter.

What could go wrong, Google translate seems on the money.

A pleasant change from a diet of various takes on Pale Ale that seem to be awash at the moment.

Interesting aroma, I would have picked chocolate.

Deep dark beer, dark red, that did have a head of sorts but then don't. In the glass you can pick the alcohol bit, but also the rich fruit thing that is familiar.

Wow. Just wow. That is very very lightly butter and has a massive massive sweetness. A lot of sweetness. When you've recovered a bit the next sip or two again brings forward the alcohol astringent in this.

Not convinced that this has been aged well though, that or it's a beer that might not age well.

When you've got over your initial shocks then you realise that the body could have been fuller and richer, this seems to lacks a depth of flavour and fullness in the mouth.

Easy drinking though, did I mention that? Easy quaffing, and then with the realisation that this is really going to make you squiffy. It isn't a sipping beer though, it is a beer for drinking.

Too sweet though, By a notch or two, and it stops you in your tracks and reminds you to slow it down.  But I can't. It's very moorish, which I think speaks to my sweet tooth rather than the greatness of the beer.

Money well spent? Yes and no. Yes because frankly I'm a bit over the pale ale thing. Yes because it's a style of beer that I enjoy. No because I think it isn't at it's best.  I should know, it could be the best it's ever been, has a lot of fans. Not likely to be a beer I'll ever see again.

And there it was gone.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 8 a of its things from the thing. A lovely change of pace and different beer to one I've had for a while.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? I am enjoying it, because it's a style I like, but part of me thinks it's a bit average too, it has the taste, colour and aroma but it lacks the punch.


2. Would I have another? I would though


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Gosh yes, this is a beer that is like a desert thing, have some of this to finish out the evening, hopefully you left it late enough.

Music, well, Mary Jane Blige is an American singer, songwriter, model, record producer, and actress. From "The London Sessions" this is "Right Now"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAsF2C2B-GA

I have to admit that I gave up before the beer did and listened to something else.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr7TAfOkEVc

ABT/QUADRUPEL

Abt, or quadrupel, is the name given to ultra-strong Trappist and abbey ales. The name Abt was pioneered to describe Westvleteren and the beer that would become St. Bernardus. Quadrupel was pioneered by La Trappe. Abts are the darker of the two, with more rich, deep fruity notes. Quads are paler, with corresponding peachy notes. Neither have much in the way of hop, and both are very strong and malty. Though both are bottle-conditioned, abts trend more towards yeastiness. Alcohol is very high (10+% abv) for both.

BARLEY WINE

A Barley Wine is a strong, top-fermenting ale, with an alcohol contents of at least 9% and up to 13% (or more) by volume. Hops may be hardly noticeable at all or very noticeable. Sip them out of the special glass, that will concentrate the aroma. They are excellent with cigars or with dessert.

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

• 5 High ABV Beers to Warm You Up


• Beer Man: Amazing fruit, malt flavors stand out in Abt 12


• Dark As Night Flights Boarding Now

Beer - #550 - Gigantic - Too Much Coffee Man

Beer to coffee by, music to beer by, the numbers of coffee beans and after party coffee

Imperial Black Saison with cold pressed Coava coffee. And what you get with this beer is something a bit more unique in taste

the not so subtle named beer from Gigantic - Too Much Coffee Man,  is on my table.

This is a 650ml bottle , the beer is of 8.2% ABV, and it has a mild 25 IBU rating, 246 calories a serve size, this would be 4.21 standard drink units in NZ.

Too Much Coffee Man is brewed by Gigantic Brewing Co. in the style that is either a Saison or a  Belgian Strong Ale and Gigantic are in Portland, Oregon  USA

Note: It could be a number of styles from "Imperial Black Saison, Belgium Style Black Ale, Saison / Farmhouse Ale, it's a fluid thing (not a pun intended).

I'm going with Saison. This is their Beer #17 and rated a G on their music scale. I might have to work that out.

The Too Much Coffee Man Beer is a rich Belgian Style Black Ale that combines the malt, floral, and fruit notes of a Saison

[caption id="attachment_10487" align="alignleft" width="300"] Never have too much coffee[/caption]

with the caramel, honey, and graham of our cold brew coffee.

At 8.2% alcohol and 134% delicious-awesomeness this beer does not fool around.

It is a reward for your hard working taste buds.

An experiment perfected! This beguiling blend of Imperial black saison and custom roasted cold pressed Coava coffee will have your olfactory zones erongenized and begging for more.

I love cold brew coffee, this sounds like a bit of heaven. And what, I ask myself, could go wrong with that combination?

This does have a lovely flat coffee aroma on opening, a nice hiss too,

Pur is deep dark black, and the head tries hard but just gives up and leaves just a hint, a film, a whisper.

Aroma is musty and coffee and also of some rich fruits. It's interesting to the nose.

The taste, Well I was confused when I tasted tobacco ash, wouldn't you be?

This is also more bitter then you might be expecting and waiting for, all around the edges of the tongue tingling.

Beer has a lot of rich fruits in the body. The coffee is chipping in on the bottom note. There is a lot less sweetness that you might expect too, despite the fruit situation.

Also I though a lot less coffee and I know that cold press should be more mellow. Still they could have worked something out, the aroma somewhat over-plays the taste delivered.

I'm going to say that New Zealand has a strong coffee culture, and that poor coffee isn't tolerated. It is on that basis that I think the coffee-ness of this in the taste might be light. I think it's adequate but I don't think it is "too much" which I might have liked.

Then It is a Saison, or a Belgium Strong Ale, or both , or neither. So you don't get a baseline to go from. So you make your own.

This does have hints of the Saison and musty about it, it doesn't have a hit of sweetness though. It does have a great aroma. Doesn't have a head.

Does make me smile.

As it warms up slightly though, you do get the alcohol burn at the back, which made me smile more in the sense that "oh there it is!" As it warms up it calms down slightly in the bitterness, and this too is welcome.

Once you work your way into this you begin to get a sense that it is indeed a bit clever.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as a 9 of its things from the thing. Either I've been more picky, have lowered my standards, or am in fine form in picking beers. Nine is great, and a beer that I find to have many things going for it, all mostly in the right direction and it stands out as being a memorable beer. Even tomorrow I'd remember this I'm sure.  I love the way this unfolds and lets you enjoy the musty, the fruits, the sweetness, the coffee and then the burn at the back of the alcohol. I'd have liked more coffee, which also comes across as chocolate perhaps. It's a small but important thing that stops this taking the top rung.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? I started off with a frown but it soon turned upside down into a smile.


2. Would I have another? I would love another, this is very drinkable, dangerously so since it's higher in ABV.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I would and I'd be happy to extoll the virtues of all the things, Coffee, Beer, Saison beers, and explain how Cricket works.

Musically, well it seemed a good idea for it to be musics only day, so from the album "Live Sessions" "Bonobo" cracks out "Nothing Owed" Which is quite good live.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkHxZtcT3I4

SAISON

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.

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 - #xxx - Mikkeller - Nelson Sauvignon

Undoubtedly the most expensive beer I've brought.

the man says It’s hard to name a favourite among your children. But if I have to choose one it has to be Nelson Sauvignon. It’s a light Belgian ale brewed with brettanomyces and enzymes for the driest possible beer. We used Nelson Sauvin hops, which have grape characteristics and it is aged on white wine barrels. This is done to imitate Champagne – and I actually think we succeeded.
… But my favorites much depend on the mood. Maybe I prefer wine?

Champagne sized 750 ml bottle of beer, 9%ABV, so 270 calories a serve size, and this would be

Of course by Mikkeller this one brewed at De Proefbrouwerij in the style most likely to be Bière de Champagne / Bière Brut, or at a pinch  Belgian Strong Ale and they're in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Nelson Sauvignon is a New Year beer it is fermented with ale yeast, brettanomyces and enzymes. Then it has been aged three months in Austrian white wine casks. Very dry, very vinous and very delicious.

Brygget af basismalt og under mæskníngen og gæringen tilsat enzymer for at opnå en så høj forgærbarhed som overhovedet muligt. Til både bitter-, smags- og aromahumle er brugt den New Zealandske humlesort ‘Nelson Sauvin’ som er opkaldt efter sine druekarakterer, der bringer minder til den New Zealandske hvidvinsdrue Sauvignon Blanc. Af gær er benyttet både champagnegær og brettanomyces og pga. enzymerne er øllen gæret meget langt ned og dermed er slutresultatet en meget tør øl. Efter endt gæring har øllen ligget 5 måneder på hvidvinsfade fra Østrigske Weingut Kollwentz og opnået yderligere karakter

Brewed of base malt and during mashing and fermentation enzymes added to achieve a high fermentability as possible. For both bitterness , flavor and aroma hops are used the New Zealand hop variety ' Nelson Sauvin ' named after its grape characters that recalls to the New Zealand white wine grape Sauvignon Blanc. By yeast is used both champagnegær and brettanomyces and due . Enzymes , the beer is fermented very far down and thus the end result is a very dry beer . After fermentation the beer has been five months in white wine casks from Austrian Weingut Kollwentz and achieved additional character.

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.

Bière de Champagne / Bière Brut

Bière de Champagne (or Bière Brut) is a hybrid beer style, generally made in Belgium and France. The "brewing" process for this style can more resemble the process used in sparkling wine (AKA Champagne). In general, these beers are lighter in body, higher in alcohol and quite carbonated. Color can range from almost clear to medium/dark gold. ABV can range from 9% to 14% or more.

Or...

A rare specialty beer style with few examples available worldwide, Bière de Champagne embodies the fruity, estery, spicy phenolic character of many Belgian Ales, with the body and fine bubbly texture and mouth-feel of Champagnes and other sparkling wines. With the time and care involved in its production, it gives the term “specialty beer” new meaning. DEUS Brut des Flandres, for example, goes through a months-long process of three separate fermentations, including a bottle fermentation (bottle conditioning), after which the bottles travel from Belgium to France where they go through the remuage process (collecting the yeast in the bottle necks by inverting the bottles) and riddling them (slightly turning the bottles over a period of weeks). The yeast is then removed from the bottles by dégorgement, where the yeast is frozen in the bottle neck and the frozen bung of yeast is driven out by pressure. Refreshing, yet subtle and refined, these are ideal as an aperitif and for celebrations.

Beer - #518 - Mikkeller - Mielcke & Hurtigkarl - a redux

The unpronounceable beer Mikkeller Mielcke & Hurtigkarl -  A Mikkeller beer.

Back to the future beer, back to an old standard, standard numbers and a standard to meet at a party.

... something something something Château d’Yquem

This is a single bottle of a 375ml, 8.7% ABV beer, which is 2.6 standard drinks in NZ. It is 261 calories a serve size, and this is 2.61 standard drink units in the bottle.

For Mikkeller this is brewed at De Proefbrouwerij in the style of a Belgian Strong Ale  and that all happens in that place from Copenhagen, Denmark

Brewed with water, malt, sugar, hops and yeast.

[caption id="attachment_10128" align="alignright" width="300"] Bwahahah, earphones in, cheezy smile, might be New Year Eve.[/caption]

Stored for 6 months Aged in Chateau D'Yquem barrels

This beer was brewed especially for a Mikkeller and Three Floyds dinner at a restaurant named Mielcke & Hurtigkarl (try and pronounce it, I dare you!) in Copenhagen.

It was aged in Château d’Yquem barrels,  Château d’Yquem being the world’s most famous (and probably the most expensive, too) dessert wine.

Stored for a long time in my fridge, its time has come again. I remember being a bit doe eyed about this last time I drank, I'm hoping that either I was right or the money made me all gooey. This wasn't a cheap beer to buy. But it's not an investment, and probably not a beer to cellar, I'm so not an expert in this.

Unusual green glass bottle, and a simple cap, it's not fancy. Seriously you'd never know.

This is intensely bready yeasty on opening, and then candy cane.

Pours like angels tears, or dark chestnut, and is a lot darker than the bottle gives away, and gives to a lovely firm but smallish head too.

A real melange of sweet aroma, candy sugar, coconut? as well.

The bitterness catches you, but that sweetness and sugars are really big. Quite dry on the finish too.

I'm holding back on the gushing enthusiasm this time, clearly.

It is then, for me, now, a very understated but sweet beer. Does my heart soar every sup? Not quite. It's a little shy on fullness.

This got warmer as I sang and danced my way around the table, and it's gets a much more sugary middle, like you think that'd be a good thing.

This really is 'sipping beer' the dead opposite of "Session beer" and it really does get better and more intense the longer it is in the glass. Stopping the bus though, this isn't the end of beers, not the last beer, the last page of the interwebs, it's just a really nice complex, soft, enjoyable, sweet, sour, entertaining beer of some merits. Those kids and the Chateau must know a thing or two with the sugary grapes.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 9 a of its things from the thing. It really is a thing to enjoy and savour, there is nothing to suggest a fall-over 8.7% ABV in this, and if you had the coins you'd buy another, perhaps. 

I can imagine this at the end of a dinner, just chubbed up with good foods, great musics on in the background, and sitting there smiling like a smiling thing. It really is a good reminiscing beer.

I don't think it's a beer you could start an evening with, for me a 'dessert beer' then, if such a thing exists, this might qualify.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? I love this beer, it's like a 4 song beer.


2. Would I have another?  Sadly I'm not made of gold and I might have done my dash, sponsor me though and I would so go again. In the right place and at the right time. 


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Yes, you can't go past a beer that makes to stop and ponder the universe. 

Musically I'm listening to Squeeze, a band I have far to much attachment to, This is "Tempted". I've seen them live, I've seen the stage play, I know most of the words, I should indeed get a life. I quite like "Goodbye Girl" too, #JustSaying

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmlCJFaUnKI

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 - #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 - #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.

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Beer - #393 - ParrotDog - DevilBird

I couldn't help myself  and stopped to pick up a 1 litre bottle from the taps of the ParrotDog DevilBird. For an unemployed man I live it a bit.

Brewed by ParrotDog Brewing and of course no guesses it is in the style of a Belgian Strong Ale and that is out of Wellington, New Zealand.

Its an 8.4% ABV beer and is about 252 calories a serve of 355ml, so about 750 isn for the litre. This would be a 6.63 standard drink units-worth.

 

[caption id="attachment_8476" align="alignleft" width="300"] Borrowed a bottle[/caption]

Golden and complex, featuring hints of fruit, spice and all things nice. ParrotDog’s very first crack at a Belgian-styled beer.

DevilBird’s recipe was inspired by the classic Duvel

Soooo, did not know that it is a homage to Duvel, which I think is slightly emperors clothes if you ask me.

But that's ok because this is not that.

Light bitter aroma on opening, it's brim full and I know I'm going to spill this.

Beer - #384 - Unibroue - Maudite

Canada! Unibroue Maudite - it's all on. 

Brewed by Unibroue (Sapporo)  in the style of the  Belgian Strong Ale and they are in Chambly, Canada

355 ml bottle (12 fl oz) of a beer of 8%ABV, so not a session beer, 2.24 standard drinks in this, and 240 calories. IBU is 22 which is the low end for the style. (I added a handy page guide).

Maudite has a deep amber-red color with a rocky foam head and an appealing aroma of wild spices and floral hop notes. It is spicy, vinous, and deliciously complex with a crisp hop finish.

 The robust maltiness and spiciness of our amber-red ale is counterbalanced by an assertive hop finish, offering a distinctive flavor that is cognac-like in complexity.

[caption id="attachment_8347" align="alignleft" width="300"] Selfie by any other name[/caption]

In November 1992 Maudite (the damned one), was the first strong beer to be distributed in Quebecgrocery stores. Maudite is a mahogany-colored, rich-tasting premium beer that has a distinctive, complex taste. Because of the warmth it releases, this strong character beer must be served cool but not cold. Perfect with pasta, red meats, stews and spicy dishes, it also makes a good aperitif and after-dinner drink.

Maudite has a typically Quebecois name that is reminiscent of the legend of the Chasse-Galerie (the legend of the Flying Canoe). Legend has it that a group of lumberjacks struck a deal with the devil to fly home in their canoes, guided by Satan himself, to make it home in time for Christmas.

Looking forward to this a bit 

Beer - #355 - Mikkeller - Mielcke & Hurtigkarl

The unpronounceable beer Mikkeller Mielcke & Hurtigkarl -  A Mikkeller beer

Brewed at De Proefbrouwerij in the style of a Belgian Strong Ale  from Copenhagen, Denmark

Brewed with water, malt, sugar, hops and yeast.

Stored for 6 months Aged in Chateau D'Yquem barrels

This beer was brewed especially for a Mikkeller and Three Floyds dinner at a restaurant named Mielcke & Hurtigkarl (try and pronounce it, I dare you!) in Copenhagen. It was aged in Château d’Yquem barrels,  Château d’Yquem being the world’s most famous (and probably the most expensive, too) dessert wine.

Single bottle of a 375ml, 8.7% ABV beer, which is 2.6 standard drinks in NZ.

[caption id="attachment_7900" align="alignright" width="112"] Château d’Yquem.[/caption]

This is possibly the most expensive beer I’ve drunk, and I know there are more expensive to acquire beers out there, but this sets a new personal benchmark. In NZ$ this was $30, for 375ml. This is about 261 calories.

This isn't universally liked though. I'm about to find out.

Green glass bottle, healthy pop on opening, sour sweet aroma.

Dark copper pour, with a lively and persistent head, the sour aroma leaves quickly, although not completely.

And Gosh!, that's interesting. A lot of sweetness, you might expect that, and intense depth, with a tip of tongue bitterness.

I'm not saying this because I'm compelled by cost to do so, but this is pretty nice drinking. Plus it's also a style that I like anyway.

Lovely honey notes, and a reasonably long finish.

The bitterness is spot on, for me, and the whole thing is well balances and sits well in the glass and in the mouth, I'm getting a little poetic.

As it warms the aroma gathers some fruits and other sweets around it.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 9 a of its things from the thing. It lacks a depth of caramel in the palate that would make this a spectacular beer. In and of itself it is really good and I've found that I drank it too quickly.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? Oath yes


2. Would I have another? yes, I do have another in the fridge for a later date


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Yes, without a doubt, a small glass each not a bottle each, I'm not Bill Gates rich.

Musically I'm listening to the Psychic Maps;

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyyHPx2hl90&w=420&h=315]

 

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 - #333 - Kereru - Velvet Boot

I gave in and brought some Kereru, this one their "Velvet Boot" Why not, well their go-to-market thing didn't ring my bell, but in for a penny ...

Brewed by Kereru Brewing Company this is in the style of a  Belgian Strong Ale and they do that in Upper Hutt, New Zealand

I have the standard 500ml bottle of a 8% ABV beer (thats 3.2 standard Nz drinks) about 240 calories

A strong Belgian pale ale with complex aroma, spicy and earthy with some sweetness. Mildly-hopped.

or....

A strong Belgian ale with nashi pear aroma. Goes well with a nutty, soft, washed-rind cheese like Kapiti Ramara.

or....

A strong Belgian pale ale with complex aroma, spicy and earthy with some sweetness. Mildly-hopped, complements chicken, soft rind cheeses, & chocolate cake. Serve at 8-10°C.

Like who knows what that 8-10 thing is like, or how do you maintain that, oh it's a drama,,,,

back to now, the aroma is bizarro banana  and Belgium hops..  but mostly just like a wheat beer.

Pours a lot darker than I thought it would, since it smelt like a wheat beer. I thought golden pale hello, got chestnut brown. Head came and went like a Tuesday morning.

Aroma settles to a flat spicy thing, on a flat beer, no idea if there is carbonation or what going on in this glass

I think I reached for this based on 'Strong" and "Belgium" go on judge me.

Tasting this gave me a sense of wet wood. Not something that I ever thought I'd write in a relative term to a beer. but it's like beer through dry sawdust perhaps. At odds with itself.

This is terribly thin and totally lacking, I'm not even going to try an be kind.

Pdubyah-O-meter time says 6.  Shakes my head. Has the flashes of the thing it's aspiring to. but woefully undershoots and finishes embarrassingly short.

Drink a Belgium Strong Ale from a Belgium brewer and then try this, you are kidding yourself if you think this is an effort, it's a poor effort and a swing and a miss as far as I am concerned, and both the readers of this blog will get that.

I was in a kind of mood, so this was with  Barry White.... MrsPdubyah approved.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fcd3XuQwDQQ&w=420&h=315]

1. Am I enjoying it? Nope


2. Would I have another?  Nope


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I think that perhaps it'd end with a discussion about beer styles and how they are perceived in other places, it's not a conversation beer, and frankly there are better attempts than this. I'm sure there is an underlying philosophy but you got to front it before you can back it up . Or no.

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 Beginner's Guide to Belgian Beer Styles


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Beer – #307 – Brouwerij Huyghe – Delirium Tremens

The night clearly is drawing in - next up is from the Brouwerij Huyghe – Delirium Tremens.

Brewed by Brouwerij Huyghe this is the Belgian Strong Ale and they make this in Melle, Belgium

[caption id="attachment_6696" align="alignleft" width="300"] Selfie[/caption]

The allusion to pink elephants and the choice of names is not due to chance. With a particular character, the unique taste of results from the use of three different kinds of yeast. The result is a finish of peppery bitterness without aggression. The gray bottle hides a mystery awaiting discovery by the none faint of heart.

Launched on December 26th 1989 @ 9% abv. Abv reduced from 9% to 8.5% in 2003.
The particular character and the unique taste of "Delirium Tremens" result from the use of three different kinds of yeast. Its very original packing, which resembles cologne ceramics, and the colourful label contribute to its success. 
In 1997, Stuart A. Kallen nominated Delirium Tremens as "best beer in the world". A gold medal during the "world beer championships" in Chicago (1998) confirmed that worldwide recognition.

Clearly not the best beer in the world.

The small 330ml bottle, contains only 8.55% ABV of a beer that is 255 calories a serve. making this 2.21 standard drinks.

Similarly presented in the painted bottle, to look like pottery, and with the blue foil. It looks great.  Pink elephant in attendance.

Sweet sour aroma on opening, lively carbonation as this gets all excited in the bottle. It has been sitting warming for a while, it should be ok though.

Wildly fluffy head on the pour, and it surprised me with how pale it was, but all that subsides to a more normal light fluff, and leaves some decent lacing.

Aroma is more settled and remains towards the sour, but not without a sweet undertone.

Its lovely and sweet to drink, with a bitterness that carried with a  lovely mouthfeel of fluffiness, all of which sounded like poetic nonsense.

I'd finished writing about this before I'd finished the beer. It really is a very full beer. I like the word full, it gives you the idea that when you sip you get a cheeks full of action. This is a very robust beer, and the flavours are not diminished by time or warmth.

The pdubyah-o-meter, which I may have overlooked in previous published versions, mostly due to beer, for this, then, is an 8. How would I be able to rate this higher and 8 is as low as I think I'd go based on the units of beer consumed on empty tummy.

In a scenario where you're  a quaffing away on things, and then this is plied before you, and then you stop to thin about it, and frankly this is a bit of a finisher. Despite is nice balance and delivery of the flavours and profile this really is a beer that made me feel 'full" both of tummy and in the buzz.

Not a bad way to be, but to much to soon. said MrsPdubyah scornfully.

 

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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• Delirium Tremens

Beer - #306 - Brouwerij Huyghe - Delirium Nocturnum

yes indeed, following the Belgium beer thing this is the  Brouwerij Huyghe - Delirium Nocturnum

Brewed by Brouwerij Huyghe as a Belgian Strong Ale and they're in Melle, Belgium

Can sized 330ml bottle of beer, Triple Fermented, A Strong Beer, of 8.5% ABV, and of 255 calories, making this 2.21 standard drink units.

[caption id="attachment_6685" align="alignleft" width="300"] Selfie[/caption]

Colour and sight: Dark brown-red. A compact white-yellow, stable and lacing head. Scent: Touches of caramel, mocha and chocolate. Spices such as liquorice and coriander are also present. Flavour: Initially, a very good mouthfeel of alcohol and softness. This is followed by an increasing bitterness, partially from the hop, but also from the roasted malt and chocolate malt. Towards the end a nice balance between bitterness, sour and sweet.

Nice presentation, the bottle is painted to look like clay or pottery, and this has the purple foil, with the pink elephant label.

This is listed as being a "Dark" ale.

Familiar bitter yet smooth aroma on opening, Pours a darker shade of brown than you could expect, and it seems to pour "thick" and delivered a great white creamy looking and persistent head.

Aroma in the glass is fruity.

Well I nearly used a sweary word. That's a a really attacking taste on the palate. I really wasn't expecting something so tart, abrupt and frankly as full as that. Shows you that the pretenders to the Belgium style might have a ways to go.

Consider myself told.

This is really a full mouthfeel beer, and for me the amount of carbonation has two effects. One is that I'm distracted by the soda mouthfeel, and the other is that I'm aware that the fizz is carrying the taste.

The taste is, again, 'full', with a whole range of tastes and flavours clamouring to be heard. Aroma remains persistent of fruits and sweets.

The legend that tis the Pdubyah-o-meter ranks this as 8, very goodly good, on the arbitrary scale of things.  The aroma persists, the strong mouthfeel persists and doesn't waver, the range of flavours offered up stays the same beginning to end.

After a bunch of "Belgium Style" beers it is a bit nice to get back to the benchmark. But I'm easily impressed, as you know.

I'm also trying to be again, harsher on the scale of things. It's way to easy to mark everything as great, particularly when you've put your own dollars down.

I finished this beer before I finished thinking about writing about it, which makes this a beer that is easy to drink, enjoyable and worth your coins as much as it was worth mine.

Disappointingly not a music night, if it was it might be a bit of Sweet Billy Pilgrim.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuGjK6cJ8Dc&w=420&h=315]

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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• Craft Beer Review: Brouwerij Huyghe "Delirium Tremens"


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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- #287 - Southern Tier - Imperial Compass

Southern Tier - Imperial Compass Brewed by Southern Tier Brewing Company in the style of a  Belgian Strong Ale and that's being concocted in Lakewood, New York USA

Intriguingly Southern Tier call this  a bottle Conditioned Sparkling Ale w/ Rose Hips, and that it has "high" bitterness. I've seen it called an American Strong Ale too in reviews.

This is a 650ml, of a 9% ABV beer, with 270 calories a serve, which makes it a 4.62 standard drink unit beverage  in NZ. After the stunning Porter Noir and the Creme Brûlée I have a high expectation going into this.

[caption id="attachment_6273" align="alignleft" width="300"] The obligatory Selfie[/caption]

We rely on age-old tools in the brewery despite being surrounded by high technology. As a sort of compass, we use the six pointed brewer’s star to help navigate uncharted brews. The cardinal points of water, malt, grain, yeast, hops and a brewer make the baseline. From there anything goes. Sometimes the journey is as important as the destination.

You’ll notice a slight bitterness in Compass derived from our use of rose hips accentuated by high effervescence. Drink it cold from a fluted or tulip glass. And by all means, avoid sea serpents.

Just grassy hops on opening, then an underlying  note of something sweeter, fruitier.

But this doesn't immediately translate to the palate, and I get a very excitable and well carbonated pale yellow straw coloured beer, Fantastic head.  But as to the sharper points they don't appear to be immediate.

On the nose you can pick something sweet, on the tongue you get a understated bitterness for the carry, and it's carrying a slightly sweeter thing, but it's not well defined, not really that sweet and frankly a bit coy.

This doesn't make this a bad or undrinkable beer though, just one that is giving me a few challenges of identification.

Couple of major things that I have a thing with.

No Belgium style, aroma, or taste discernible.  No familiar yeasts, no alcohol astringent note.  So hard to measure it against that. The aroma continues to carry something sweet though.

A quandary ensues then, and as usual I have to put aside what the pre-conception I may or may not have  about this and the style it may or may not have.  I've got a lovely pouring, and looking beer with a head and lacing. I've got a fine mouthfeel and a muted low level of bitterness, but a beer that has a really low and persistent sweet note. It has a great aroma.

All the things that should make this a spectacular beer.

Crucially there is absolutely no indication at all, anywhere in this, that you're drinking a beer that is by any measure strong at 9% and it delivers that without any of the other noises that you'd expect or associate with 'strength'. By which I mean that this is not a LOUD beer to drink, you don't get a punch in taste buds and a wallop of bitterness or a wave of astringent tang. It's just a really really decent quaffable beer, but it's not for all that fulfilling.

So the pdubyah-o-meter rates this at a still very good 9. I've managed to drink it all in not a lot of time, it hasn't warmed in the glass to give me anything else, except an empty glass and that forlorn tipping the bottle as if some magic will happen and more beer will suddenly pour from it. I did that, it didn't do that.

A cautionary note would be that "bottle conditioned" means that this comes with passengers that will cloud up and dance in the glass. I wish I'd thought that through. I now have a cloudy yellow straw well carbonated beer, and I'm going to miss it when it's gone. I'd happily go another of these, and then possibly an early bedtime, it's got a lot of good things about it, but it's an awkward beer when you have expectation (A) and delivery (B).

Music with this tonight  is Tame Impala - an Australian band who give the psychedelic rock a go.

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.

AMERICAN STRONG ALE

Not a style, per se, but the only logical category to incorporate the plethora of strong, stylistically vague beers coming from American micros these days. Some are related to English Strong Ales, but with more hop, while others are ultra-strong variants on the IPA theme. But no matter how varied their origins or characters might be, all are intense, potent, with generous quantities of hops and malt.

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