Wed, 29 November 2006 Following is a conversation with a man named Martin, someone who knows a lot about Belgian beer. The question asked was a simple recommendation for a new Belgian beer fan. The answer is worth sharing. My favorites among the Belgians are the lambics, but real lambics are pretty thin on the ground, here. The only Lindemann's worth drinking is Cuvee Rene, which you seldom find. The rest of their line is sickly-sweet soda pop. Boon is usually good but highly variable. Cantillon is the best from my point of view, but most people seem to find it to harsh. I've seen Mort Subite here, but can't recommend it. Any of the (real) Trappists are well worth it, with the possible exception of Orval. This is an utterly lovely beer when it's in good condition, but it can't stand up to commercial importation. Drink it in Europe, but not here. Chimay, of course, is wonderful. Westmalle Dubbel and Tripel are generally considered to be the benchmark examples of those styles. I've once or twice seen Westvleteren beers here; they're utterly lovely, but they have no formal export program as their output is very small. Rochefort's output is scarcely larger, but I've seen them here from time to time. One of their beers is on the Belgian menu at BJ's, but they've never had it when I've asked for it. Rochefort is my own personal favorite of the Trappists. In their close cousins the "abbey" beers (Trappist styles by secular breweries), I like Affligem, and to a lesser extent Leffe. There are a lot of good examples out there and relatively few duds. One of my favorite general categories is the red and brown sour beers of Flanders, but the last few I've tasted have disappointed me. Liefman's used to be the gold standard in Flanders Browns, but some years ago they were bought out by a large brewing combine and the beer declined in interest as the technology was updated. Some years earlier they'd bought a larger kettle in an attempt to increase production, but couldn't afford to upgrade the steam plant, which wasn't up to bringing the bigger batch to a boil, so they instead went to a method of simmering the wort overnight. They also couldn't afford to maintain their own yeast strain, so they'd send a brewer with a bucket over to Rodenbach now and then. Their new corporate owners decided not to upgrade the steam plant either, and instead had the wort brewed at another plant in their chain, and trucked in to be fermented with one of their existing corporate yeasts. The last one I tasted was just a beer, with scarcely a hint of what had made it great years ago. Rodenbach seems to have suffered a similar fate. Formerly crisp, complex and aggressive, the last couple of bottles I've tasted have been dishwatery and uninteresting. Wit beers are also somewhat in flux. The American-made Blue Moon is quite pleasant. The classic used to be Hoegaarden, but it's grown blander and blander, and its owners plan to discontinue it soon. I saw a whitebeer in cans at Trader Joe's, and probably should have bought it, but didn't. The best Wit I've ever tasted was Celis White, made in Texas, of all places. Not sold here, but it used to be available in the Mountain states. There are a bunch of strong specialty ales I don't care for with names mostly similar to Delirium Tremens, Phantom, Piraat and other vaguely sinister themes. Then there's Duvel, which is the real thing. Outstanding beer, fairly widely available here, and stands importation well. Saisons are another interesting category, with DuPont the most widely available here. Ah, there are so many truly lovely Belgian beers ... - Martin Category: general -- posted at: 1:28 PM Comments[1] |
Mon, 13 November 2006 Join Mark, Mike and Rick as they taste six beers sent in by Jamey. This show has a lot going on, and starts a little slow with distractions and all the things you'd expect on election night. Beers Enjoyed: Victory Prima Pils The extended time is an afterparty of sorts, as the PBN guys become engaged in conversations focusing on East Coast vs West Coast beers and whatever else came to mind. You will notice after we 'sign off' our audio quality changes - this is due to the informal nature of the whole thing and the lack of someone controlling the mixer.Old Dominion Oak Barrel Stout Smuttnose IPA Three Floyds Alpha King Dogfish Head World Wide Stout Dogfish Head 120 Minute Imperial IPA Moylan's Hopsickle Imperial IPA 21st Amendment Watermelon Wheat 21st Amendment IPA Enjoy Show 32 Comments[2] |
Tue, 7 November 2006 Wow folks, this event kicked ass! It's noisy. It's fun. It has great beer. We hope you enjoy Rick and Tracy as they go to San Francisco's world famous Toronado bar. with 50 some-odd taps of beers that just don't suck. We hope you enjoy this as much as we enjoyed recording it. A big thanks to Russ, Jeanette, Tracy, Mike from Speakeasy Brewing, stranger number 1, number 2 and all the extras that made this production what it is. links The Toronado www.toronado.com Dude Night - The Beer Witch Project www.dudenight.net UPCOMING EVENTS The Bistro in Hayward - Barrel Aged Beer Festival 50 barrel aged beers in one place November 11 www.the-bistro.com Comments[3] |
