Day #89 – Fullers London Porter

Well the Chimay trio was fantastic.  I am so glad that I had a chance to review those beers back to back to back.  I figured the best thing to follow up some great beers is ANOTHER great beer!  Haha, well I haven’t had this particular beer in several years but from what I remember it was quite lovely.

Fullers London Porter

Fullers is a brewery based out of the jolly ole town of London, England.  They were founded in 1845 and are well known for their cask versions of their English Ales.  Cask beers if you remember are beers that are kegged with an additional pitch of live yeast.  This causes the beer to continue to develop as it is in the cask.  Cask beers in particular are all the rage in the UK and have been for awhile.   The bottle I have tonight is their London Porter, a standard porter at 5.4% ABV.

I decided to pour this beer into a glass of fellow UK brewer Wells.  It pours a very dark brown color with some reddish colors.  There is also a nice foamy beige head.

Wow what a great aroma!  I can smell loads of sweet and dark chocolate, with a fair amount of coffee on the nose.  Dark and roasty with sweet notes of chocolate malts.  Awesome aroma!

The flavor is very roasty as well.  Lots of toasted dark malts with some bitter Baker’s chocolate.  There is a fairly bitterness that lasts all the way through to the finish.  Some bits of coffee as well, roasted grounds.  The flavor isn’t quite as good as the aroma but it still remains nevertheless a very tasty beer.  Let it warm before enjoying.

Cheers!

Day #88 – Chimay Bleue (Blue)

Today has been super long but I am finally getting around to reviewing this gem.  The hardest part of this is waiting.  I got home late and just want more than anything to tear into this but I took it out of the fridge and set it on the counter to warm first….I want to experience this in all it’s majesty.  The first and only time I have had this, I was fairly new to beer in general, and I didn’t understand that this was bottle conditioned so I dumped the entire thing in the glass, and then couldn’t figure out why there were giant chunks in my glass.  Even still I loved it back then.  I can only imagine what I will think of this one tonight!

 

Chimay Bleue (Blue)

Chimay Bleue is probably Chimay’s most celebrated beer.  It is classified as a Belgian Strong Ale and kicks butt at 9% ABV.  These monks aren’t playing around.  I’ve been going back and forth to the kitchen trying to warm this beer up with my hands.  For the most part, Belgian beers can be enjoyed closer to room temperature than most American made beers.  That is not a general statement though….there are absolutely exceptions.  OK I can’t wait any longer.  Gotta pour it.

This beer pours elegantly.  No other word can describe it.  It has a hazy maroon color that touches on brown and rouge tints.  Lots of bubbles add to the already solid beige head.  Very nice.

I’ve continued to warm this beer as much as I can through natural means as I know this will release all the aromas that the brewers have intended.  The aroma certainly does not disappoint.  Lovely dark fruit and sweet Belgian candied sugars fill the nostrils.  Easy grains and more Belgian fruit/yeast flavors follow behind.  Lovely.

Flavor is lovely grape juice, plum, raisin, sweet malt, sugar and Taylor Swift.  I imagine that if Taylor were a beer she would be sweet and innocent.  I mean that in the most non-creepy way possible.  Light bitter finish reminds you that this beer has a bit of a kick to it; and the tingle on the tongue confirms.  This is one of my favorite beers to date.  The great thing is, even though I’m enjoying a 330 ml bottle of this, it also comes in sizes large and gigantic.  Check out this photo of my buddy holding the latter size.

I highly recommend that you try this beer.  Awesome!

Cheers!

Day #87 – Chimay Rouge (Red)

Today is day 2 out of 3 for my Chimay trio.  I’ve had all three of them before but it’s been several years, but I thought I should let you know I started with my least favorite of the 3….and the white one was pretty good!  That should tell you a lot about what to expect on the red one today and the blue tomorrow.  This is also a new style for the blog today.

I also feel I should mention what the big news story was today on the beer front.  A Chicagoland company, Goose Island, which was considered to be one of the foremost leaders when it comes to craft brewing, was purchased by Anheuser-Busch.  Technically since they are now owned and controlled by a non-craft brewery, Goose Island themselves cannot be considered craft anymore.  This goes to show how quickly things can turn around in the beer industry.  Let’s hope for the best and that they don’t change anythings as far as recipes and improve on their marketing and distribution.  I would love to be able to review a GI beer for my blog, but have held off as they do not currently distribute in our area.  Anyways, on to the beer.

Chimay Rouge (Red)

Chimay Rouge is classified as an Abbey Dubbel.  They are brewed in the same fashion as Abbey Trippels but there are major taste differences.  While a trippel is typically light, spicy and zesty fruit in flavor, the dubbel is dark, heavy in malts and dark fruits.  The alcohol on this is 7%.  Let’s roll.

This beer pours a lightly cloudy amber red, rich with orange highlights.  There is a nice smooth white head that doesn’t disappear.  It gets fairly murky towards the top of the glass.

Man I could smell this beer from way above the glass.  All good things though!  It has a very yeasty smell, even though I saved the yeast dregs at the bottom of the bottle and saved them for my homebrew.  There is a nice dark fruit aroma as well, such as black cherries or tart plum.  Very nice.

The flavor is immediately lightly tart, which reminds me of grape juice.  A nice touch of sweet flavors from the fruitiness also fill in well.  It finishes with a yeasty dryness that doesn’t linger longer than need be.  The alcohol begins to be tasted at warmer temperatures, but only in the slightest.

Man this is good beer.  The Belgians know how to do it!  Well I guess technically the monks don’t since they took a vow of chas….you know what, never mind.  Enjoy the beer and leave me to enjoy mine.  Blue is tomorrow!

Proost!

Day #86 – Chimay Triple / Blanche (White)

Over the next 3 days I have the pleasure of reviewing authentic Trappist beers.  What is a Trappist beer you ask?  In general terms, it is a beer brewed by monks for monks.  The FUBU of beer you could say.

Here are some specifics:

• Out of the 171 of the world’s Trappist monasteries only 7 produce beer.
• 6 are from Belgium (Orval, Chimay, Westvleteren, Rochefort, Westmalle and Achel) and one from the Netherlands (Koningshoeven).
• These monasteries make up the International Trappist Association that monitors and controls what products may carry the name “Trappist”.

For a beer to qualify, it must meet the following criteria: (quoting wikipedia)

• The beer must be brewed within the walls of a Trappist abbey, by or under control of Trappist monks.
• The brewery, the choices of brewing, and the commercial orientations must obviously depend on the monastic community.
• The economic purpose of the brewery must be directed toward assistance and not toward financial profit.

Trappist beers are well regarded among the craft beer community.  In fact, the much debated “Best beer in the world” is brewed at a Trappist monastery,  Westvleteren.  Don’t bother looking for it at your local Kroger.  They only authorize sales of their beer at the brewery itself (in Belgium) and the monastery-owned bar across the street from it.  If you really want to try it you can find bottles of it on ebay, but you’ll pay a bit to get your hands on it!

Chimay Triple / Blanche (White)

The Chimay brewery is located in Baileux, Belgium at the Scourmont Abbey.  It is an authentic Trappist brewery and also produces cheese as well as beer.  They have 3 widely distributed beers that may be found in North Texas, and I will be reviewing all 3.  The street terms for these are Chimay Red, White and Blue.  How very American for a Belgian brewery.  🙂 Speaking of cheese, I think I’ll accompany this beer with a delectable cheese platter.

I’ll be starting with the white beer, which in actuality is an Abbey Trippel.  It rings in at 8% so this is no weakling.  A Trappist beer should always be served out of a Trappist glass, preferably from the brewery its made for.  I have my trusty Chimay goblet here, ready for pouring.

I poured this beer very slowly, so as to leave the yeast sediment in the bottom of the bottle.   I am actually cultivating this yeast for a homebrew beer I am planning on doing later this week.  Even pouring it slowly, the beer still develops a nice frothy white head.  The color starts at a light orange yellow near the stem of the glass and gradually grows to a darker amber color as it nears the head.  Lots of suspended sediment can be seen in this as well.  That is to be expected however.

The aroma is fairly yeasty, with lots of banana and clove esters.  Very much a Belgian fruit aroma.  Sweet notes and fruit are the main things that I can smell for sure.

The flavor is fruity, like sugary fruit snacks that tingle the tongue.  The alcohol levels can certainly be felt through the tingles and it’s overall mouthfeel.  Flavorful and tasty, this starts off well and has a slightly bitter/fruity-dry finish.  Lots of other spicy notes in this, like clove and zesty flavors.  Very nice and better than I remembered.  The best has yet to come however….

Op uw gezondheid!  (cheers in dutch)

Day #85 – Samuel Adams Coastal Wheat

I’m bottling my most recent homebrewed beer, which is a Golden Ale which I have affectionately named “Fireman’s #451” and to do that I have to collect lots of bottles.  I like the shape and build of the Samuel Adams bottles, so I picked up some more of them.  Today’s is their Coastal Wheat.

Samuel Adams Coastal Wheat

The Coastal Wheat is a wheat ale which is most notably brewed using Lisbon lemons, which are grown in California.  Let’s see if those characteristics show up in the flavor.

It pours a slightly hazy golden color with lots of carbonation bubbles that form a foamy white head on the top of the beer.

The aroma is fruity and tart.  Lemon and floral sweetness on the nose, with wheat grains and maybe a light spiciness. Kind of a candied aroma as well, like lemon drops.

The flavor is a decent balance of lemon peel and zest, and wheat bread.  There is a light bitterness on the finish but it is fairly subtle.  The lemon spice is what prevails in the flavor here.  Hmm, this one is fairly well done; flavorful and different.

Cheers!

 

Day #84 – Joseph James Weize Guy

Getting a late start on day 84.  I spent the afternoon at the Rahr & Sons Brewery and feel quite tired now.  I’ll push through in the sense of honor and journalism!

Joseph James Weize Guy

Joseph James Brewing Company has only very recently come into the craft beer scene.  They are based out of Henderson, Nevada.  This is classified as a German Hefeweizen and is very light as it comes in at 3.5% ABV.

The appearance of this beer is rather disgusting to be honest.  It is cloudy/murky golden orange with a brownish mix in the color.  There is a foamy white head that dissipates quickly, but the biggest component in the appearance are the large chunks of yeast floating in it.  Unfiltered for sure.

The aroma is very yeasty which is expected due to the large chunks of sediment in the pour.  Spicy yeast, grains and some lemony notes as well.

Flavor is spiced lemon and coriander, with a big grain flavor mixed with bread and yeast.  There is a punchy type flavor in the finish that stays with the drinker for awhile.  This is odd, and almost overdone with the spicy flavors.  Hmm, I’ll have to think on this one some more.

Cheers!

Day #83 – Sierra Blanca Roswell Alien Amber Ale

Ok, I’m going to be honest here and say straight up that I have no idea what I’ve gotten into here.  I seriously only bought this next beer due to the label, but I am terrified about what it might taste like.  Advertising works people; let’s hope I don’t live to regret it.

Sierra Blanca Roswell Alien Amber Ale

Sierra Blanca Brewing Company is based out of Moriarty, New Mexico.  I hope your mind immediately went to the episode of Star Trek where Data battles Professor Moriarty in the holodeck and Moriarty takes over the ship.  That was awesome.  This is a fairly small brewery with a regional distribution, so don’t expect to see this outside of the Southwest.  It is classified as an Amber Ale at 5.2%.

Check out the picture of the label!  I mean first off it’s named Roswell Alien Amber and it has a picture of a green alien with UFO’s flying in the background.  How could I NOT buy this??? Even the cap has a picture of an alien on it.  Hope it doesn’t suck.

This beer pours a clear, dark amber color with a foamy beige head.  Looks alright, with a fair amount of carbonation in it.

The aroma is a mix of sweet and bitter malts with some notes of old grain and water.  Meh I’m indifferent about the aroma it seems.

The flavor is bitter malts, old grains, popcorn, stinging metal and alien sweat.  BAH!!!

I’d rather be abducted and anally probed than drink this again.

Aliens!

 

Day #82 – Anchor Steam Beer

I’m back from my trip and it was a fun one.  I really enjoy camping and would certainly like to do it again sometime soon.  I came home to a good beer waiting for me in the fridge, and it’s a new style!

Anchor Steam Beer

Anchor Brewing Company is based out of  San Francisco, California and is the 15th largest craft brewer in the United States.  Their Steam Beer is the flagship beer of the company and is classified as a California Common.  There is a bit of history behind this style.  In the 1800’s, there was a major rush out west during the Gold Rush.  This was certainly the wild west and people lived without the luxuries of the East Coast.  Refrigeration technology was one thing that people had to do without.   This also applied to breweries so many had to improvise.  They began to brew beers with lager yeast that fermented at warmer temperatures.  If you remember from my beer styles page, ale yeast ferments best at warm temperatures and lager yeast ferments best at colder temperatures.  Because of the brewers fermenting the lager yeast at warmer temperatures, the lagers (which normally are smooth and crisp) began to develop fruity esters typical of an ale while still maintaining a bit of the lager smoothness.  Thus, a new style was born!  It’s been probably 4 years since I’ve tried this beer, and I am very much looking forward to having it again.

On we go….

This beer pours a very clear bright orange color with a lovely foamy head.  The head sits calmly upon the beer and doesn’t dissipate quickly at all.  Lots of carbonation bubbles are rising from the bottom.  Looks appealing.

The aroma is heavy on the grains with some light fruit esters and a touch of hopped bitterness.  Smells fairly smooth however.

The flavor is very dry upfront, with bitter grains and a slight touch of fruit.  Slight banana esters.  This is very dry and grainy.  Bitter flavor and bitter finish with some tastes of copper.

I realize this beer is a classic, but I’m not really feeling it.  Much too dry and bitter.

Cheers!

 

Day #81 – Stella Artois

If you recall, last week I reviewed what is arguably the world’s most recognizable stout, Guinness Draught.  Well today I am planning on reviewing what is arguably the world’s most recognizable craft BEER!  I’m excluding the macro breweries for the purposes of this blog because, well they aren’t craft beer.  However, technically as this company was purchased by InBev Belgium then they no longer qualify as a craft brewery anyway.  Oh well screw it.

Stella Artois

Stella Artois is a pale lager that originates from Leuven, Belgium.  While Stella itself has only been brewed since 1926, the brewery it came from dates back all the way to 1366!  If you look closely you will notice this is reflected in the label for this beer, “Anno 1366”.  From my research I found that tax records date back this far and that is how we know the brewery existed back then.  Even hundreds of years ago beer was still taxed.  Crazy.

Stella Artois is also known for it’s iconic glassware, with a thick stem and base that melds into a large sloping bowl topped with a gold rim.   I usually have more than one of these laying around my house but as I am checking now, it looks like I only have 1!  (It was fairly dusty when I pulled it out, so excuse the freshly washed appearance in my picture). I must have traded the others away.  Oh well, I’ll just have to find another time to hold a free glass contest.

On to the beer…

This beer pours a very clear light golden color with a fizzy white head.  There is quite a bit of carbonation apparent in this one.

Aroma is of pilsener malts and grains, slight metal, and some other sweet notes.  Almost a candied sweetness.  I don’t think it’s skunked but I can’t say for certain that there isn’t just a hint of light striking.

As an aside, I was watching a beer special on the cooking channel earlier this week and it centered around this beer, Stella Artois and how it gets from the grain to the glass.  At one point they were inside the brewery and viewing the bottling line.  It was at this point that it was mentioned that all Stella that is bottled in brown bottles is reserved for the Belgians themselves and the green bottles are used for export.  The gentleman who was working there mentioned that this is due to the green bottles having a special treatment to protect them from the light.  This was absolute CRAP!  No amount of special treatment would improve green glass over brown.  I don’t know the real deal here, but if I were to guess it would be that green glass is cheaper to come by and American consumers don’t know the difference between good beer and bad beer so that’s why they use them.  Granted that’s merely speculative on my part.  If it were me, I would want the beer that has the furthest distance to travel to carry the most amount of protection.  But that’s just me.

The flavor mirrors the aroma.  Bitter grains and malts with some metallic flavorings and a bittersweet finish.  No skunk flavor at cold temperatures.  Drink it fast though because this style certainly does not improve as it warms.

And the glass goes back on the shelf…

Cheers!

Day #80 – Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Day number 80 and today I am reviewing an all time classic!

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Sierra Nevada is the 2nd largest craft brewery in America, just behind Boston Beer.  Their pale ale is highly regarded and is known by homebrewers everywhere.  Why is this?  Due to the fact that it is bottle conditioned.  This means that just prior to bottling, a small amount of fermentables are added to the beer, which the yeast continues to ferment in the bottle.  This leaves a light layer of yeast on the bottom of the bottle which is easily cultivated for use in another batch of beer.  Because of this, homebrewers can easily save this yeast and create a pale ale of their own.  Unfortunately I do not have a glass for this beer, which blows my mind!  I need to work on that.

Something to keep in mind while pouring a beer that is bottle conditioned; it has a light layer of yeast at the bottom that will change the flavor of the beer is drank along with it.  Sometimes that can be a good thing, sometimes not.  Yeast add a very bready, often fruity flavor which might not pair well with the beer.  When pouring a beer that is bottle conditioned, pour it very slowly while leaving the last quarter inch of beer in the bottle.  This should keep most of the yeast in the bottle and out of the beer.

This beer pours a fairly clear copper orange color with a slight bit of haziness in it.  There is a nice white head that is held at the top of the beer.  Quite nice.

The aroma is very hoppy.  Lots of pine esters and citrus fruit.  It has a fairly aggressive aroma, which to those not accustomed to how a good pale ale should taste like might find adverse.  I for one like it.

The flavor is also very hoppy and fairly aggressive.  Lots of pine notes and tree sap, with pine needles and OOOO grapefruit!  Lovely, that came out of nowhere!  Fruity finish with a big bitterness that lingers on from the hops.  Wow my opinion has changed quite a bit on this beer from the early days of struggling through a bottle.  This is an excellent example of an American Pale Ale, and if you like the taste of hops in the least you will enjoy this!

Cheers!