Posts Tagged: Belgium and the Belgian-Influenced
Massachusetts: Baby Tree, Pretty Things, Holyoke
Posted by on Monday, January 25, 2010 in - leave a comment
The second Pretty Thing in a week. A quadruple ale with dried plums. Hmm. Where I come from that's a prune. And what better beer to have of Rrrrrrrrobbie Burrrrrrns than one with prunes - "the beerrrrrr that gud fir yir bowellllls." So, maybe I shouldn't quit my job and go into marketing. • I …
Belgium: Oude Geuze, Drie Fonteinen, Beersel
Posted by on Friday, January 1, 2010 in - leave a comment
New Year's Eve. You want a cork on New Year's Eve, right? This wee pal says it was bottled on 17 January 2006 but it's not going to make its fourth birthday. The Shelton Bros label assures me that it would be good for a full decade but who knows where we'll all be in 2016. And where would that bit …
Belgium: Christmas Ale, St. Bernardus, Watou
Posted by on Saturday, December 26, 2009 in - leave a comment
I had this stuck away as a nod to Ron, the patron saint of Watou. As I can't get the 12 on tap, this is according to Ron the second best thing. • And it is a best thing. Brownest brew under rich deep cream froth and foam. A nose of dark plum and date with cinnamon and nutmeg. All that plus cream …
Don't Forget To Heat Your Beer For Christmas
Posted by on Wednesday, December 23, 2009 in - leave a comment
The Washington Post introduced a piece on Christmas ales today with a reminder that they harken back to the pre-Puritan days of England, days of steaming bowls of hot spiced ale and shorter life spans: • ... originally, the word -- from the Middle English greeting "waes haeil," or "be hearty" …
Belgium: Fantome Noel, Brasserie Fantome, Soy
Posted by on Saturday, December 19, 2009 in - 3 comments
I was good to myself. Having a family reunion with one great uncle in the house, I thought I would pop this gem as we consume t-bones and lamb chops. Have you noticed that steaks go discount at Yule? It sure does here. We always have the beef feed in the lead up. • Barn. Moinette Brune meets …
Joints: Collaboration Not Litigation, Avery / Russian River
Posted by on Thursday, December 3, 2009 in - 1 comment
What to call these beers? For the last few years, brewers have been getting together to make something new together. This one has a deeper back story than most but the point is the same. In the end they are joint projects, opportunities to get together, to share and learn. And no doubt to have a …
Belgium: Margriet, Brouwerji Het Anker, Mechelen
Posted by on Saturday, October 10, 2009 in - 2 comments
Mr. Bad Pour was here. You know, I hadn't intended to be Het Anker week but I had to add my love for this 6.5% Belgian pale ale that has lingered on the shelves of the government store. It's only an LCBO seasonal release, part of that mind numbingly odd strategy of showing the consumer's of … read more »
Belgium: Gouden Carolus Noël, Het Anker, Mechelen
Posted by on Saturday, October 3, 2009 in - leave a comment
I had a Het Anker Margriet after supper, a beer that is on the shelves in Ontario at a incredibly reasonable price for the quality. With the Red Sox winning their last Saturday night regular season game of 2009, I wanted something more. And then I remembered that the good people at Roland and …
Belgium: Saison, St. Feuillien Brewery, Le Roeulx
Posted by on Thursday, August 6, 2009 in - 1 comment
Saison. I think I said somewhere that 2006 or so was going to be the year of saison. Maybe 2010 will end up that way given the new takes that are popping up here and there. I picked up this one when I was in Maine a few weeks ago. It pours a slightly oranged straw with a white froth and rim. On … read more »
Star Island Single, Smuttynose Brewing, New Hampshire
Posted by on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 in - leave a comment
Smuttynose calls this an eminently sessionable, abbey-style ale. Which may make it Belgianesque, I suppose. The colour of aged pine with white froth and rim. The aroma is more grainy than spiced which makes me worry a bit about FBS - false Belgian syndrome. There is, however, comfort in the …
