Review # 3
Brewer: Brouwerij Van Steenberge
Beer: Gulden Draak
ABV: 10.5%
Location: Ertvelde, Belgium
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Belgian Ales were really pretty well the beer responsible for my shrinking bank account. That is, they were the beer that really got me to realize how crazy beer could taste, and as a result, made me not want to buy cheap (quality) beer anymore. I inserted quality, because I can, and do, get beer that’s inexpensive but still well made and respectable. Anywho, all pretentions aside, anyone who’s had a Belgian ale will probably tell you it is one of the furthest things from your standard macro-brewed lager, (and not just because it’s an ale). They’ve got tons of yeast, lots of spice, fruity esters, some funkiness and sour tastes – essentially they have flavour for days. But the ones I find to be the most intriguing are the Belgian Strong Dark Ales and Quadruples (ales that go through quadruple fermentation). But according to the folks at Brouwerij Van Steenberg, Gulden Draak is unlike any other beer, which is kind of a big claim, but also kind of obvious… I mean every beer is pretty well different from all others... right? But, I guess without being a stickler or d-bag, I have to admit that this one really did surprise me the first time I tried it. It was over a year ago, actually the lone occasion that I have had it, and the recommendation to try it came from my brother as he explained that it was one of the craziest beers that he had tried. Well, I can remember liking the beer, but not much else about it, so I decided to pick up another bottle recently to review. It pours a murky, deep ruby color, like granite… or garnet… one of those dark red colors… the one that plays for the Celtics? What? Um anyway, the head is a fluffy off-white one that slowly dissolves but leaves lacing all over the side of the glass. I can see quite a bit of bubbles streaming up the glass. Smell is very malty and sweet. Lots of dark fruits, figs, raisins, and something that I can really only describe as red smelling. Kind of like cherry blasters but not as sweet, or sour, but there is a little bit of acidy sweet smell, like balsamic vinegar. Up front in the taste it is sweet but crisp. Apple-like, but then the caramel flavour of the malts fills it out. You get some spices too, a little bit peppery, but it’s really light, nothing like other Belgians I’ve had. Then the alcohol starts to come in, at first just for flavour, but then you get the burn. It’s not offensive, it adds to a really nice arc of flavours (pretentious...). Finish actually has some brief bitterness, but it really rides out the maltiness. And the mouth feel is great, because it’s not too thick feeling, it’s not thin or anything, but it helps in making sure that the profile of the beer isn’t overwhelming. Not quite as yeasty as other Belgian beer I’ve had, and again not as spicy, but it’s really nice. In reality it’s nothing like any Belgian I’ve ever had. There are some reminders of classic flavours, but it really is its own kind of beer. It’s not cloyingly sweet, it’s rather well balanced, but I could see that some people would want a bigger hoppy bite. That said, if a hoppy beer is what you’re looking for, than you probably shouldn’t go for this anyway, because that’s not what it’s trying to be. But if you need something to warm you up on a cold evening, or just something with an interesting flavour profile it’s a great beer. Plus I mean the name of the beer is Golden Dragon... so what's not to like?
Rating: 650, but when it comes to dragons, I'd still put my money on this.
Review #2
Brewer: Brouwerij Bosteels
Beer: Tripel Karmeliet
ABV: 8.3%
Location: Buggenhout, Belgium
Style: AbbeyTripel
Hmm, Tripels... a style of beer that I really don't have much experience with. I'm pretty sure I've only had 2 in the style, and they would have both been a long time ago, though I remember liking them enough. Most of my friends don't really like them, though some of them don't like Belgian beer altogether. Myself, I happen to like Belgian beer quite a bit, more so the Belgian Strong Ale's and Quads, but I will gladly drink a Witbier on a hot day. Anyways, for anyone that doesn't know what a Tripel is all about, I'll give you my overly simplified version: it's essentially a strong, but light Belgian beer, and apparently the Tripel Karmeliet is a fantastic example of the style. And since today is a sweaty hot mess, I figured it would probably be a good time to give this beer a shot - especially as its been sitting in my cellar for just over a year now. This thing pours probably as bubbly as I have seen any beer pour. It looks like champagne, It was super clear before I added the sediment, but it just will not give up. The head is tons of tight, bright white, little bubbles, and it seems to be sticking around for a while. You get whacked with lemon right upfront on the aroma, but the yeast quickly blends in giving it this like Lemon cookie kind of thing. When I was little, my mom used to buy these like lemon tea biscuit things that came in a tin, and I can only assume they were British. Well anyway they were like sort of buttery but mostly lemony and really light – well yeah that’s what this beer smells like. There is a touch of spice, I wouldn’t say clove, maybe nutmeg, but it’s really faint; some grassiness there too. In the taste the lemon is pretty much ever present. It’s not super sour, especially in comparison to the Cantillon I had just hours ago, but it’s definitely But the yeast gives this an interesting twist. There’s a tang to it that is sweet but kinda weird, definitely the yeast though. Could be because this bottle is a little old, I mean I bought it last year, but it says it says best before 09/19/12, so it should be find. I get more of the spice in the taste than the smell, and a small amount of natural banana – not as dominant as the lemon though. It’s totally inoffensive, and really refreshing on a hot summer day, and it’s definitely really well made. Like it’s balanced and the alcohol is totally hidden, which isn’t too, too surprising at 8.3% and 1 year of age on it. All the same, I would just prefer to pick out a really piny or citrusy IPA over this. I tend to like Belgians, but usually only Dark Strong ales and Quad’s/Abt 12’s, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from it. I had the Chimay Tripel at Christmas, and the Unibroue La Fin Du Monde a couple of times, and I’m sure I’d probably pick them up before this one again, but I also think it’s probably my personal preference and not really reflective of the quality of this beer. Well this review was just riddled with passivity and indecisiveness. If you like Belgian's you'd probably dig this beer, but I wouldn't punch a baby or anything to get my hands on one...
Rating: ...Not baby punching material... but I don't think that I'm a huge fan of Tripels...
Review #1
Brewer: Central City Brewing
Beer: Red Racer India Pale Ale
ABV: 6.5%
Location: Surrey, BC, Canada
Style: India Pale Ale
Well this is a beer that I had the pleasure of trying out probably close to a year ago. I had never heard anything about this brewery before I saw it on the shelves, but 3 things made me buy it. A) it's Canadian, B) It was canned (which was really just more intriguing than anything), C) The can art was cool. Probably the worst, not to mention most superficial, reasons for buying a beer, but meh. It turned out that despite those misguided reasons, my hunch payed off, because what this beer is easily my favorite IPA to come out of Canada, and one of my favorite that I've tried thus far. It pours from a can with a super vibrant orange/amber color and a nice tight off-white colored head. Carbonation makes its way up the glass, and this beer is absolutely clear. The smell hits me right away without even needing to bring the glass to my nose. Tons of Pine, citrus peels - Grapefruit, lemon, orange - and a dank resinous quality. When you dig deeper you can smell some malt that gives it a slight caramel aroma. Only thing left to do is taste it. Well, this thing is just great. Again right up front is that hoppy, piny flavour. Grapefruit bitterness then takes center stage, and almost makes your mouth pucker. You get some of that caramel malt flavour coming in that gives it a tropical kind of fruit, like mango sort of flavour, but its pretty subtle. The hop Bitterness lasts all the way through to the finish on this too, so if you're not a fan of Hops you will truly hate this beer, because it is a hop bomb. No alcohol flavour at all, but that's not really expected of something that's only 6.5%. The mouth feel is great too. medium bodied, great carbonation, and it feels pretty slick. I'm quite certain that this is a fairly fresh batch, as I tend to make a stop to my local beer store every week, and I bought this on the day they got them in - that was about 2 weeks ago though. But the hops are huge, and upfront, so there's no sign of fading due to age. I haven't had any other beers from these guys yet, but I'm looking to remedy that really soon. I guess if you're looking for a decent comparison, I would have to say its pretty damn close to a Dogfish Head 60 Minute. However, I haven't had that beer for pretty close to a year now, and thanks to them pulling out of Canada, probably won't for some time now, but from what I remember that beer shares a lot in common with the Red Racer IPA. What else can I say? If you are in to IPA's you would be ridiculous not to give this beer a shot.
Rating: I'd ride all kinds of bicycles for this beer.
