Summer is over!  I'm not at all opposed to drinking this beer in the winter, but the refreshment that a beer like this gives during hot weather is unparalleled.  So there I was tenaciously and obstinately clinging on to summer (carefree, childhood summers, really).  Dreaming of lazily wasting a warm and perfect day.  This may sound like drivel to some, but to me, certain beers evoke this feeling. As a point of interest, we have previously review Celis Grand Cru, which was the same brewer that was instrumental in creating the Hoegaarden recipe.  He now brews for Michigan Brewing (guess which state that could be in).  But before he left Belgium, he left Hoegaarden. The wit beer itself is 4.9% ABV, which is very moderate compared to many beers that we've sipped on the site. But never let ABV fool you, this beer has a nice punch when it comes to flavor. The Pour: A soft, white head sat like a thin cloud atop the very pale and slightly hazed body.  The haze is desirable, in fact, expected of a Wit beer. The Nose: Having sour mashed recently, I noted that this beer has some slight sour notes on the nose. There was nothing ...

With summer wrapping up, we thought we could go out with a refreshing finish.  This beer is sure to conjure up all the summer moments that were pleasing and lethargic.  Most all of us have had Blue Moon here in the US but many of us have not yet tried the original gangster of the style.  Hoegaarden is simply a wonderfully fresh beer.  Pick up a six pack and sip with us Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.  Half of mine will be gone tomorrow.

This baby was raring to go.  I was warned where I purchased this beer to open it when it was very well chilled. In fact, I was told that it might still be pretty active even if I did that.  Boy was Kari right.  Have you ever had a cork that you really had to pry to get it off?  Me too, but you will never worry about that if you buy this Mead the Gueuze.  I gave it a hair trigger touch and it launched into space (must have been the sugar from the honey-wine).  Crazy!  Needless to say, this thing had plenty of carbonation.  We can't dwell on this forever, so let's just see how this thing was as a beer. As you may have guessed, this beer was a mix between a Gueuze and a Mead (honey-wine). More correctly, it is a mix between a young and old lambic mixed with a honey-wine. The Pour: This calls for a little bit of the bubbly.  No doubt about it, it takes a slower and more gentle beer to get less than the normal amount of half head/half beer that I prefer with my Belgians.  Mission accomplished...slowly.  It seemed like a ...

Now here is a strange label for a beer.  It is distinctively seductive and sexy like lambics themselves.  Rose de Gambrinus is a Framboise (raspberry fruited) version of the style.  As I've said before, most fruited beers tend to lean towards sweetness or sourness.  Cantillion is of the latter variety, which is, in some people's estimation, the truer version of the style.  At any rate, it is always a unique experience when one drink a lambic.  At only 5% ABV, it's still at the higher end of the lambic scale.  Here is my experience: The Pour: Upon pouring this beer, there was a nice pinkish head (which is always weird to see, no matter how often it occurs).  The head was bubbly and retained well.  The body was a lovely rose-colored beauty. The Nose:  Sourness on the nose was one of Rose de Gambrinus most enduring impressions.  Touches of berry were present, but not at the same level of something like Lindeman's version.  I noted on the nose what I can only describe describe as a greasy, oil, machine shop aroma (I know that sounds strange). The Taste:  Puckeringly sour...this describes the most present quality of the taste on Gambrinus.  However, the sour ...

Another Indiana brewer for an Indiana boy on an Indiana night.  These guys hail from Terra Haute, Indiana, and have a good local reputation.  Their Triple de Ripple is pretty good, so I thought I'd give their White a spin. The Pour: White was a blonde beer with a hazy and active body.  The head stood well because of the flurry of activity holding it up.  White and cloudy...dreamily nice! The Nose: Like many Belgian beers, this one had a nice, powdery yeast quality and touches of sweetness on the nose.  Slight metallic aromas were present, along with the yeast spice that resulted from the strain.  There was not much beyond this, except some lemony citrus on the nose. The Taste: The yeast spices and powder popped on the beer.  Despite the fullness of the carbonation, which was perhaps too much, the body was a little thin.  The citrus tones on the nose came through more in the taste.  Brugge White was also fairly wheaty in flavor.  Hopefully this makes sense when I say that White was almost half hefe-weizen and half Belgian Wit in its flavor combinations. Overall, I wasn't impressed by this particular Brugge offering; their other stuff is better.  However, this ...

Sometimes a unique spin on a beer is refreshing.  Few people would call Podge Belgian Imperial Stout a classic rendition of the style.  Normally, I expect a heavy, thick, sweeter or darker version when I hear the words Imperial Stout.  But it's not a necessary quality.  Let's not confuse things; Podge is certainly some of those things but not to the degree that others are.  It also has some unique factors that are firmly Belgian. The bottle I drank was 6 years-old at the time, so it had obviously changed during its aging.  That being said, I would love if someone would give back some input about a fresh bottle.  Here goes. The Pour: Podge was in a thick, stubby Belgian style bottle.  It really is a little strange to see an Imperial Stout in a Belgian bottle.  Anyway, the pour was dark but still fairly light for an Imperial Stout.  At this point in the beer's six year life, the carbonation was not (I'm sure) what it once was, so it had a small amount of head to show. The Nose: Wine-like notes and sweet Belgian candy sugar tones were in the front of this beer.  It had a very juicy and ...

The story behind Kwak makes it worthy of purchase.  Many a beer geek worldwide will disagree, citing the contents of the bottle as THE only reason for buying a beer.  To which I say, "balogna."  While flavor is number one, certainly experience plays a role?  Indulge yourself in a little introspection...have you ever bought a beer simply because of what it represented?  You there with that Dark Lord...was your first purchase of Dark Lord based on a thorough knowledge of the contents of the bottle, or on an irresistible draw to all things esoteric?  I thought so.  It is ok. The story of behind the naming of Kwak is fantastic.  The beer?  Well...decide for yourself.  As for this beer geek... The Pour: Upon popping the cork top I expected a little more "oomf"  from the carbonation in expelling the cork out of the neck of the bottle.  Oppositely, the cork made a mockery of my presupposition and slid lazily onto my counter top.  But, upon pouring the beer into my glass, it was evident that a wealth of CO2 was hidin gbeneath the surface.  A fabulous 2 inch head made ensured the adequate release of the beer's aromas. The Nose: A funky but pleasant aroma ...

As we head geographically closer to Munich and prep our taste buds for Oktoberfest and US brewed Oktoberfest style beers, this Saturday we (and hopefully you!) are going to be picking up a Belgian beer, Pauwel Kwak, brewed by Brouwerij Bosteels. Kwak is Belgian Strong Pale Ale with an ABV of 8.1%  It should be fairly easy to find, but if you are having trouble, shoot us an email, or go to the Beer Mapping Project to find the best libation purveyor in your area. Kwak, by many,  is known more for its historical glassware than the actual beer.  What's in a name?  Everything! From the brewer's website: “In Napoleon’s time, Pauwel Kwak was a brewer and the owner of the De Hoorn inn (near Brussels). Mail coaches stopped there every day, but at that time coachmen were not allowed to leave their coach and horses,” “As a result, the inventive innkeeper had a special Kwak glass blown that could be hung on the coach. In this way, the coachman had his Kwak beer safely at hand.” Fascinating.  I suppose it is a good thing that MADD wasn't around prior to this century, otherwise Brwouerij Kasteels would have amess on it's hands!  It has ...

This beer is fairly well known because it is atypical of a Belgian beers.  Belgians are known for their hop restraint.  Lambics even use stale hops that have had the acid degraded over time.  Not Gaspar.  In fact, the claim is that this beer has 115 IBUs of hops.  IBUs are international bitter units.  As a reference point, it is not uncommon for India Pale Ales (known for their hoppiness) to have 70-85 IBUs.  Needless to say, there is a huge amount of hops in this beer.  However, I drank a bottle that was 6 years old, so I couldn't tell you how a fresh bottle tastes.  After six years, I'm sure the hops toned down and the sweetness ratcheted up.  Here is how my six year-old bottle tasted. The Pour: This beer had a dirty copper-blonde body that was brooding in the glass.  The cloud-like, fluffy head was a tranquil balance to the effervescent beer.  When I pour a Belgian like this with a fluffy head, it's like heaven and earth in the glass. The Nose: A very ripe fruit nose was much present in Gaspar.  Touches of metallic aroma came through the spicy yeast head.  Of course, Belgian candy sugar ...

If there is a lot of hype surrounding Duchesse de Bourgogne, brewed by Brouwerij Verhaeghe in Vichte, Belgium, I am largely unaware. Perhaps there ought to be, though, as this beer contains some absolutely unique flavors, and should be a rite of passage for those who immerse themselves in the beer culture and venture into the brave new world of sour beers. Duchesse de Bourgogne, pronounced "Doo-shay Day Boor-GON-Yuh" means Duchess of Burgandy, and was named in honor of the famed and revered, Mary of Burgandy.  Still today,  Duchesse is indeed a royal beer, as it was requested to be served at the wedding of Crown Prince of Denmark, Frederik, when he and Princess Mary united in holy matrimony, May 14, 2004. To understand why this beer has such a unique flavor, one must grapple with it's creation.  To begin with, the brewer selects water only from a deep French aquifer that has a prized chemical compilation that can be matched by no other water source.  If you think this an insignificant detail, think again.  Brewing is a chemical science, and water has as much an impact on flavor often as malt ingredients. After brewing with only roasted malts (no pale malts), ...