Tag Archives: Belgian Ale

Rodenbach 2011 Vintage Oak Aged Ale

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rodenbach-2011-vintage-oak-aged-ale

And the hits just keep on comin’. Brouwerij RODENBACH selects a single oak cask of their Flanders Red Sour Ale that, after having matured for two years, has produced the best beer, and bottles and labels the beer that comes out of this cask as their “Vintage” for year. In the case of 2011, this is cask number 95. The nose is floral with honey and faint wild yeast, the middle is tart with cherries and strong plum flavor. The finish is sweet, with the sugars coming back to the fore and tamping down the tartness, but the flavors of cherries, plums, and green apple are still consistent and dominant. The oak is quite subtle, and I suspect is responsible more for maturing the flavors that already exist in this intensely flavored sour than for adding new flavors of its own, though there are tiny hints of vanilla in the finish. This is not a particularly big beer at 7.0% ABV, or a heavy one, but it is exceptional. It should be on every sour lovers list.

I give it a 4.9 out of 5.

Allagash Interlude

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allagash-interlude

Interlude is a Saison style ale from the Allagash Brewing Company of Maine. It’s one of their specialty beers, not a year-round offering, and the version that I’m tasting tonight, bottled in October 2013, is indeed special. Farmhouse ales tend to be complex and interesting, but generally (not always) on the milder side of the flavor spectrum. This is one of the outliers. The addition of wild yeast (Brettanomyces) gives this the brilliant, sharp, tangy, fruity flavor of a wild lambic. One of the first things I noticed about this beer is it didn’t build a particularly large head, and the head that was built dissipated quickly. The nose is mild with pear and apricot, and a tiny hint of the yeast notes typical of a Belgian style. The middle is explosively flavorful and mouth-puckeringly tart. More pear, some raspberry, and a lot of grape here. The tartness fades into sweetness in the finish, with more grape and a bit of sweet bread, with a strong undercurrent of heat from the alcohol, which is a not-insubstantial 9.5% ABV. The body is medium weight, not particularly heavy, but it packs a punch. One of the best beers I’ve had this year.

I give it a 4.8 out of 5.

Delirium Nocturnum

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Delirium Nocturnum is another Belgian Strong Pale Ale from the Huyghe Family Brewery, also the makers of Delirium Tremens which I’ve reviewed before. This is a fabulous Belgian brew that doesn’t have the huge rich dark fruit of many other strong dark ales. Not that it isn’t huge and rich, it just has a flavor profile that goes in a different direction. The nose is yeasty, with licorice and aniseed, and it is fruity, but the fruits are more along the lines of pear and apple rather than the plums and prunes and raisins that are typical of the style. The middle continues this theme with tart apple and sweet pear followed by a bit of herbal bitterness, and then a hint of chocolate. The finish is dry, big, boozy, and spicy with a bit peppery heat. The body is medium to heavy and the alcohol level is significant at 8.5% ABV. This is a really nice, and somewhat different example of my favorite style.

I give it a 4.6 out of 5.

SweetWater Whiplash White IPA

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Whiplash is a spring winter* seasonal from SweetWater Brewing Company in Georgia that starts with a Belgian White Ale using Belgian yeast and wheat, then adds oats to further smooth out the malt flavor and loads of American hops to create a unique twist on an IPA. The nose is grassy, with a little bit of lemon. The middle has a generic citrus flavor that leans toward grapefruit and some sweetness from the oats. The finish has a good bit of orange, some pine, and is slightly metallic right at the end. The body is medium, with a nice weight added by the oats, and the alcohol is moderate at 6.2% ABV. This is a fun combination of a couple of really tasty styles, and I’m enjoying it quite a bit.

I give it a 4.4 out of 5.

* I was informed via Twitter by the fine folks from SweetWater that this is actually a winter, not spring seasonal.   I thought I was done with the winter seasonals.  I was wrong.  Again.

Brother Thelonious

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north-coast-brother-thelonious

 

Brother Thelonious is the perfect marriage of Belgian ale and jazz. I love Belgian beer, and I love jazz, so North Coast Brewing’s Brother Thelonious, a Belgian Strong Dark Ale named after jazz great Thelonious Monk has a special place in my heart. This beer pours a rich dark golden brown with a champagne-like head that doesn’t hang around very long. The nose is mild and Belgian in character, with some apricot, plum, and yeast notes. The middle ticks all the right boxes but with flavors that are brighter and less subtle than you’d often see in a traditional Belgian offering. It’s fruity and malty with plum, cherry, and vanilla. These are the things you’d expect from a prototypical Belgian Strong Dark Ale, though there’s a bit of artificiality to it, as if the cherry were of the maraschino variety rather than picked fresh off a tree, for instance. The alcohol (9.4% ABV) comes through strongly in the finish giving it some heat, and there’s a bit of prune in there at the end as well.  All of the characteristics are right, but the execution here is just a bit off. This is a fun beer and I enjoy it for the marketing tie-in with jazz and the style they’ve chosen, but it’s not what I’d want to use to introduce someone to the Belgian Strong Dark Ale style. North Coast Brewing is an outstanding brewery, and they have some amazing beers, but this isn’t one of their best.

I give it a 3.5 out of 5.

Adriaen Brouwer Dark Gold Ale

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It’s a dark and rainy evening here, and I think a beautiful Belgian strong dark ale perfectly fits the bill. A gold medal winning brew, from Brouwerij Roman in Belgium, Adriaen Brouwer Dark Gold Ale is fine example of the style. In the glass it’s a dark honey brown, with a big, thick, lingering head. The nose is fruity and funky and clearly Belgian, but not as heavy or bold as many. The middle is straightforward, predominantly dried fruit like raisins and prunes, and fairly sweet. The body is medium, which is on the light side for a strong dark ale, but it’s nice none the less. The finish fades from the sweet fruit to a dry earthiness. It’s not hugely complex, and nothing jumps out, but this is a really solid beer that is well executed in every aspect. I like it very much, and I’m going to enjoy relaxing with the rest of my glass now that I’m done writing.

I give it a 4.6 out of 5.

Unibroue Éphémère Cassis

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unibroue-ephemere-cassis

I’ve previously reviewed Unibroue’s Apple variant of Éphémère, but tonight’s bottle is brewed with Black Current juice, Coriander, and orange peel. The result is a fruity beer that’s delightfully unsweet. The frothy champaign-ish head gives it a fizzy, carbonated texture, and there’s not much of a nose. The middle is spicy and heavily current flavored, but there’s an unusual lack of sugar that pegs the profile of this beer solidly in the “spiced ale” camp. It’s a medium bodied ale, and quite dry. The finish rounds out with some notes of plum, but again, without sweetness. Éphémère Cassis is a very unusual and enchanting brew.

I give it a 4.5 out of 5.

Unibroue Éphémère Apple

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unibroue-ephemere-apple

Éphémère Apple is a white ale brewed with apple must, curacao peels, and coriander from my favorite brewers in Quebec. The first thing that strikes me is that it isn’t sweet. This is not a cider-y apple beer, or a dessert-wine-like fruit beer. There’s definitely some strong apple flavors, but none of the sugars to speak of. The first flavors on my tongue are apple peel and coriander, and there’s some strengthening citrus notes towards the finish from the curacao. There’s an malt backbone throughout that’s understated as wheat usually is. This is a really nice, different fruit beer. Well worth a try if you enjoy Belgian lambics, or other fruit-based beer.

I give it a 4.6 out of 5.

Bell’s Winter White Ale

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Bells_Winter_White_Ale

I’ve been remiss is reviewing beers lately…It’s about time I finished off the last of the winter beer, and started on the spring seasonals, of which I already have several among the dozen or so in my refrigerator waiting  patiently to be reviewed.   With that, I give you Bell’s Winter White Ale.   A medium-to-full bodied wit bier, there is citrus in the nose, and the middle is sweet with a strong hint of orange.  I really like Belgian ales and this is  a good one.  Not a great one, but definitely a good one.

I give it a 4 out of 5.