Belgian fun with St Bernardus

Who knew that my day was going to take a fabulous turn when I poured a bottle of St. Bernardus Abt 12? I knew it was going to be good, I had no idea it was going to blow me away! This is hands down one of the best beers that I have had the pleasure of consuming to date. The brewery has past connections with the Trappists and sits in Watou, West Flanders in Belgium. No, I didn't know that off the top of my head but pulled it from one of my new favorite books, Michael Jackson's Great Beers of Belgium 6th Edition.

Ok, so what makes this so good is that the beer is huge but disguises how strong it is amazingly! 10% ABV in a 11.2 fl oz bottle. You don't really notice the alcohol until you hit the warm finish of the beer, as you have a virtual cornucopia of flavors you experience first. So far I have picked up raisin, vanilla, dark fruit, brown sugar in a syrupy way, a little phenolic and am sure I will get something different and more complex with each sip. For a beer of this style that is this big it drinks impossibly light bodied while remaining it's complexity with many different flavors that play shockingly well together.

The Lost Abbey's version of the 10 Commandments

Ok, so I have a bit of a weakness for Belgian beers - I do believe I found a brewery that shares the same affliction. The Lost Abbey a sister line to Port Brewing is all about the Belgians. My first bottle of 10 Commandments, a seasonal from Lost Abbey was awesome. A BIG beer in both flavor and ABV (10%), it did not disappoint.

Brewed with honey, raisins and rosemary it took the Belgian Abbey to a new place with a fruity sweetness and an herbal finish. But the fun didn't stop there, on the bottle is their version of the Lost Abbey 10 Commandments, couldn't have put it better myself!

- The most imaginative beers are our crusade
- We believe we are all in this together
- We strive for honesty and integrity in our lives like you
- Fresh beer is great. Aged beer is better
- Now that you have found us help us spread the message
- There is good and evil in the world. Our beers are good
- Passion isn't something you can buy at the corner store
- We believe an inspired life is worth living
- Life is about choices. The Lost Abbey is a good choice
- We are not perfect, but no one is

It's still 100 degrees in AZ = I am still ok drinking summer beers!

I know it is starting to snow across the country but here in sunny Arizona we broke a record when temperatures climbed to 102 yesterday. So, instead of diving into one of the fall beers in my fridge I decided to try out Dogfish Head's summer seasonal Festina Peche (pronounced peshy, in case you were wondering).

I always get a little excited and a little scared when I pick up a Dogfish Head beer. Excited for what is sure to be a trip to a new place in beerland and scared for what is almost without fail an incredibly strong beer. Festina Peche proved to appeal to the excitement but delivered it in a rarely seen low ABV of 4.5%.

This is a Berliner Weisse style of beer - what is that you ask? I had to look it up to be sure. It is a beer whose grain is half wheat, half barley and is characterized by a distinct tartness. A style that is not widely used in the US and is given a unique twist in this beer by adding peach juice during fermentation. What you get is a beer that would appeal to a cider lover, Belgian sour lover or anyone that enjoys mowing through a king size bag of sweet tarts. While tart, it does have a pleasant fruit quality from the peaches that makes it refreshing instead of pulling your mouth into a permanent pucker.

Finally a note on Dogfish Head - these guys are pioneers in the craft beer world. Spend 30 seconds on their website and you will know what I mean. Often a little more expensive than the other crafts beers out there but most definitely worth the price of admission!

Twilight in Arizona

So I must say there are benefits to living in Arizona, you know 70 degrees in February, plentiful supply of cacti, over 300 days of sunshine. But there are a few downsides, 115 degree days and what always seems to be a too short summer beer season. Honestly folks, even though it is mid-September it is still 100+ degrees here. So you can imagine my delight at trying Deschutes Twilight Ale and finding it to be a truly awesome brew! Then to figure out it is a summer brew and will require a search party to find left over stock in the stores - quite sad.

Ok, about the beer. It was balanced, refreshing, amazing, well hopped and I wanted more. It had a sweet malty flavor that lulled you into your comfort zone before an explosion of floral hops. This might be the perfect summer beer. I know, my enthusiasm is a tad over the top I was just in a moment of beer bliss with this session brew. So, run, don't walk to your store to see if you can pick up Twilight in it's twilight.

Hoptober at the Hub

Our trip to Colorado ended in the best way possible: a trip to the New Belgium Hub. We made the trek across the airport and down the long hall of Terminal B just to enjoy a tasty brew. Our efforts were rewarded when we found out that the new fall seasonal, Hoptober was on tap!

Mmmmmm, Hoptober was delicious in a way that I couldn't quite put my finger on. I could taste the Cascade Hops like in Skinny Dip but also the Sterling like in 2 Below. Add to that an unusually creamy mouth feel for this style I must say I was stumped. So I turned to my friendly bartender, Jake and asked to see the sell sheet. Well Jake went above and beyond and clearly knew his beer (so proud) and told me about the FIVE different hops in the brew, including both named above plus Willamette, Centennial and Glacier. Add on to that FOUR grains: Pale and Wheat malts with rye and oats for fun explained the creamy mouth feel.

After learning all of this, the flavors became a little clearer and made each sip an adventure to see what I could pick up next. This should hit stores any day now and will most certainly be served at Tour de Fat.

I must apologize for the photo, our priority was the beer and we closed the place down, as you can see...

Ahhh, Colorado land of good beer

I am happy to say I just returned from my home state and mecca for good beer, Colorado! Mick and I headed up for the long weekend to enjoy some quality family time and a few good beers too. Our adventures started with a hometown favorite, Colorado mountain pies (pizza) at Beau Jo's. This place takes it's pizza seriously, you order by the pound and eat the extra thick crust with a drizzle of honey....perfection!

Now it would be just fine with just great pizza but when you add great beer it is turns into the perfect experience. Your brew comes in a mason jar, just adds to the ambiance of a place that serves it's salad bar from old bathtubs. We had two great beers ther - Mick got a New Belgium Blue Paddle and I ordered a Tommy Knocker Pick Axe Pale.

Fair warning, I worked for New Belgium and therefore am a tad biased as I love this brewery!! When you pick up a bottle of Blue Paddle you see a lovely canoe scene on a lake. Little do you know that Blue is named for the paddle that an NBB coworker got smacked on the behind with for stealing sips of beer. The beer itself is a good Czech style pilsner. Very drinkable and a good fit for those that dig a traditional pilsners like Pilsner Urquell or other imports like Stella Artois.

So being a former NBBer I had to get my hands on something new (don't worry I indulged in plenty of the NBB goods while up there). Tommy Knocker brewery was located just a few doors down from Beau Jo's in Idaho Springs. I have heard about Tommy Knocker but since they don't distribute to Arizona haven't had a chance to try it...until now. The Pick Axe Pale was delicious, it had a bright hoppy flavor to it that reminded me of Anchor Liberty Ale. It was smooth and well balanced and paired perfectly with the pizza.

Karma, Beer Style

May the birthday beer tasting continue with a little Avery Karma. A seasonal from this Boulder, CO based brewery that already has a wide variety of beer. Karma looks like it should be inspired from India but in fact is based on a Belgian Farmhouse style of beer. It tastes like a mellow Saison to me, still has the delicious fruit ester quality without being sweet.

So Saisons are a fun style of Belgian beer. They originate from the farm houses in Belgium they are brewed during planting, fermented during growing and enjoyed at harvest. It seems that no two Saisons are alike and that adds to the uniqueness of this style of beer.

Ok, back to Avery's version. When compared to a Saison I find it to be a mild version of the style but still quite enjoyable. I love that it is a unique seasonal that doesn't conform to the big four in craft beer seasonals: hoppy spring beer, light summer lager, octoberest followed by spicy holiday brew. If drinking more Karma gives you good "Karma" then I'll be sitting down with a six pack of this very drinkable brew.