This particular beer is a Belgian Triple Blonde Ale and the only one that I've tried from Green's brewing.  I had this a couple of nights ago, which gave me a few days to process the brew.  Like the name indicates, the beer is very blonde in appearance.  There was very little head and it was not very stable, which is not typical for a lot of Belgians (see Duvel review). As I sniffed the beer, I noted a very grapish aroma which can also be characterized as winish.  The alcohol aromas also came through very plainly as a vodka-type smell, which also came through noticeably in the taste.  Of course, this beer is 8.5% alcohol. Upon tasting the beer, the alcohol was very up-front.  There was a nice fullness in the mouth, which gave the impression of hard cider.  The beer ended with a dry woodiness.  Overall, I thought that the beer lacked balance.  The primary reason for the lack of balance was that the alcohol flavors dominated a style which is normally very subtle in its alcohol qualities.  I hope that this is not the end of the quest for a better Quest Triple Ale beer.

It's been quite a long time since I have had any of the Chimay Ales.  At the time that I drank them, I knew they had a reputation of being very good beers.  As time goes on, you develop your palate and taste stuff very differently.  I imagine that I'll taste this even a little differently in five years.  One thing has not changed: it is a very good beer that deserves to be tried.  By the way, the reason that I bought the three beers (i.e., the Red, White, and Blue Chimay, which would have been fitting for the Fourth of July) is that they came in a three pack with a "25 year of Chimay in America" anniversary glass.  Here is how I see the beer with my current tasting abilities. The appearance of the beer closely resembled its bottle's red label.  Fine carbonation was a major feature in the the head of the beer, which helped to maintain its long stable head.  Creamy--that is a good way to describe the appearance of the head.  As I looked at the glass, I saw just how effervescent (like Coke, pop, or soda, whatever you might call it) the beer really was.  The aromas and tastes of the beer were ...

Like I said a few weeks ago, Christmas is coming.  Because Christmas is coming, we are going to be drinking some Christmas beers.  We are actually hoping to do a drink it with us everyday at some point during the season.  The first beer of our Christmas list will be Corsendonk's Christmas Ale.  This Ale hails from Belgium and promises to be excellent.  I've had and enjoyed their regular brown ale.  I really am looking forward to this week's beer.  Enjoy it with us.

In an effort to talk about more beers, we are planning to review an additional beer or two a week.  This will happen on top of our Drink It with Us Friday beers.  We want to beginning building a database a beers for those who visit to scroll through.  We're also hoping that this will create wider exposure to our site.  The first beer in this series hails from Belgium.  The Oerbier website has a history and blurb about this beer and its others; check out their site.  It may take a little bit of looking to get this beer, but it is worth it.  I found mine at the Hop Shop in Indianapolis.  Without further ado, I will offer my thoughts on this beer. When I poured this beer, there was an extreme amount of carbonation.  Who's to say that this isn't appropriate to the style?  I'm sure it is intended in the brew.  The extra carbonation may come from an extra does of candy sugar in the bottling process.  Of course, Belgian beers are known for utilizing candy sugar in the brewing, as well as conditioning, process.  Either way, the head was creamy and slightly bitter.  The head retention (because of the high carbonation) lasted a virtual eternity.  ...

What the Devil?  Maybe you said this when you drank it.  Maybe you said, "What the deuce?"  Either way, we hope you said, "Yum!"  Here is what I thought of the beer.  When pouring the beer one cannot help but be struck by how pale and soft it looks.  It has a light/pale blond color, yet the haze in this beer makes it appear to be hiding something.  Indeed it is.  Behind its foam laced creamy white head, its constantly churning (almost shivering) body, and delicate appearance lies something heinous. It almost had some of the "skunky" aromas that one might attribute to Heineken, but Henieken it is not.  Its 8.5% ABV eclipses the beer from Holland.  There was also a notable smell of ripe fruit, hoppy odors, and a powerful floral aroma.  One could even notice the candy sugar so typically used in Belgian beers.  Beyond this was a delicate yeast smell, which was maybe more on the nose than the lips. When drinking the brew there is a slight but immediate bite that is a presage of things to come.  Duvel's sweet maltiness and dryness seems to hang on for an eternity.  It is a long finish that is indicative of ...

Here is the beer for Friday.  This particular beer is made in Belgium in a very complicated brewing process.  It runs at 8.5% ABV but is extremely deceptive;  it drinks more like a 5% ABV beer.  I've obviously had it before, but I am looking forward to revisiting it.  Duvel (pronounced doov'l) means Devil.  It is alleged that it is called this because one of the people involved in its conception said something to the effect of, "This is a Devil of a beer."  I don't know if it was because of the subtlety that it had while really being a destructive beast or if if was simply an accolade.  Either way, I think this beer will be a nice night cap to a rough week.  Thank heaven for a beer with such a devilish nature.  Look for this beer as a 750 ml or a 4-pack.  The 750 might be between $6-9.  The four 11.2 ounce bottles will be between $7-10.  Enjoy with a friend.