New Belgium- Biere de Mars.

Today I am drinking a bottle of New Belgium's Biere de Mars. Mars means March (the month) in French, and this style was typically brewed in the early winter out of the finest ingredients of the season. It would be laid down for the winter and then drunk in March.
This beer pours the orangest/amberest color I have ever seen. There is a little bit of a white head that recedes and leaves some nice lacing in the glass.
The aroma is very fruity and citrusy. Light touch of brett. The carbonation on this beer is not extremely high; I can see a bit of streaming bubbles in the glass but not all that much. The flavor is citrusy with a touch of malt and a light brett character at the end. The mouthfeel is pretty full, though the beer is pretty light, something you will often find in French or Belgian beers of this style. A somewhat lingering finish to it of hay/barn.
My rating: Worth a try.
Abv: 6.2%.
Website: New Belgium.
Price paid: 7 or so at PJ's Wine and Spirits.
Number of cans of Bud Light you could buy for the same price: 11.

The ones that got away.

In this post I will highlight some commercial beers I have had in the past few months but forgot to review. Some of my flavor memories are gone now, so I will write up what I remember.
New Belgium- Mighty Arrow.
This is a good American Pale ale. Nice bitterness and great floral hoppiness, though right on the edge of being too much for my tastes. This is a seasonal release available only in the spring. The story on the label is heartbreaking. It'll probably run around 8 dollars for a six pack, and it is worth a try if you see it.
New Belgium- Blue Paddle.
This is New Belgium's Pilsner and it is great. Very refreshing, great malt flavor with the accents of noble hops tasted and felt through out the glass. I would say if you are looking for an authentic Pilsner, this would be something to buy over imports. It'll probably be fresher and didn't journey halfway around the world to get to you. A six pack will run you around 8 and it is a must try.
Avery Brewing- Karma.
The label states this to be a Belgian farmhouse style ale. I totally disagree with that, as it doesn't taste like it at all. Not a bad beer, but also not very remarkable. Very light. You'll probably find this for 7-9 dollars in a six pack. Maybe worth a try, but not if you are looking for something Belgian style.
Boulevard Brewing- Lunar Ale.
This is an interesting take on a red/brown ale. It is not sweet like Newcastle, not hoppy like some others. It was brewed with wheat, so I can say it tastes like a tart version of a wheat beer, but with more body from the barley. I didn't like the first bottle all that much, but it grew on me and I finished the six pack wishing there were a few more. This would be a great summer beer. Expect to see it for around 8 dollars. If you are a fan of wheat beers, definitely give this a try for something a bit different.
New Belgium/Boon- Transatlantic Kriek.
This beer is a dark ruby red. It is made of Kriek brewed in Belgium by Boon and a pale ale brewed in Colorado by New Belgium. They are blended together and bottled here. The Boon lambic is definitely sweetened in some manner and this beer does not have that tart edge you would expect from a traditional lambic. Very candy like and somewhat one dimensional. I think a better thing to do would be to age la Folie with some cherries at New Belgium and release that. It was somewhere around 13 dollars for this bottle. I think it would be worth spending a dollar or two more and getting a true lambic from Cantillon, 3 Fonteinen, or spending a few dollars less and buying Liefmans Kriek.
Newcastle- Brown Ale.
After a big marketing push, you can find this beer all over the place. A coworker recently told me he felt that this beer has gotten sweeter in recent times. That could be, but I really can't say for sure. This is one of my all time favorites. Nice malt character with a crisp minerality from the water using in brewing. Light hop accentuation and a bit of sweetness. Very drinkable. Expect to pay 7 for a six pack, 13 for a 12. Worth every penny.
Coniston Brewing- Bluebird Bitter.
WOW! I was so psyched when I saw this at a local liquor store. I have had it once before and found it to be one of the best beers I have ever had at that time. I was very disappointed. The malt flavors and great floral hoppiness that I remembered were not there at all. That could have something to do with the freshness of this bottle. It had dust on it and who knows how long it had been sitting there? I found my home brewed bitter (which is a clone of this) to be much better, though not as good as the first time I had this. I think I got it for around 5 bucks. That would be a steal if you saw it somewhere that has a high turnover. I knew what I was getting into by buying a dust covered bottle, but had to anyway. It was ok, but I would recommend something like Fullers over it at most places. I imagine drinking this in the UK out of a hand pump would be a sublime experience.
De Dolle Brouwers- Dulle Teve 10.
The name of this beer means 'mad bitch' in English. HA! This is a tripel made with candy sugar added in. I got this at the same place as the Bluebird, and again found myself wondering how long it had been sitting there for. There was a large amount of floating sediment in the bottle and in my glass. Not my favorite beer. Maybe again the freshness issue came into play. I believe it was around 5 bucks for a bottle. The other De Dolle beers I have had have been fantastic. This one kind of meh.
Bear Republic- Racer 5.
I never would have tried this on my own, but a friend of a friend said my bitter reminded her of this beer. I don't really care for IPA's but this one wasn't bad at all. Of course massive hoppiness, but also had a nice malt flavor there to compliment it. Still a bomber of it was a bit much for me. I think it was around 7 dollars, and definitely worth a try.
Bavik- Petrus Oud Bruin.
I had this so long ago I don't really remember much of what it tasted like. This is a mix of Petrus aged pale and a sweeter brown beer. If it were up to me, I would rather have the aged pale any day. I am finding I don't really care for this style of beer all that much. But if I were to buy it, I would look for either this or Liefmans Goudenband. I think this was 4 and change for a bottle.
Bavik- Petrus Gouden Tripel.
I don't really remember much of the flavor profile of this beer, but I do remember liking it. I think it was between 4-5 for a bottle.
Boddington's pub ale.
This is another bitter from the UK. It is very creamy and has a nice velvety mouth feel, but is unspectacular otherwise. Little hop perception, little malt perception. For a much better bitter look for Fullers, Bluebird Bitter (as long as it is fresh), or maybe Old Speckled Hen.
Unibroue- 10.
The somewhat hilariously named Unibroue (guess it means something else there!) released this beer for their tenth anniversary. I believe they were possibly the first Belgian style brewery operating in North America, but New Belgium may have beat them to it.
Anyway, this bottle has some history. I remember when it was released in 2002, I read on Unibroue's website that it could potentially age for up to ten years or more. I bought two bottles and drank one then, and told myself I would keep the other bottle for as long as I could up to ten years. It has travelled with me from Philadelphia to St. Louis back to Philly and finally to Colorado. I decided to open it up for the fifth year anniversary of the end of my cancer treatment. It made it a little more than eight years after it had been brewed. The cork came out with a pop, and there was plenty of carbonation in this beer. It tasted like a slice of heaven. Too bad, because I will never have another one. It was probably around 10 bucks then. Now I doubt you could find it anywhere.

Brouwerij Verhaeghe- Duchesse de Bourgogne.

This is a beer I have been wanting to try. I have seen it around at a few places, but usually there is something I have wanted more.
It pours out a dark red/brown color with an off white head. The first whiff is both sweet and tart, hints of caramel ice cream, port, fig. There is nice carbonation with a fuller mouth feel probably owing to the sweeter portion of the blend. The flavor has some aged balsamic vinegar, both sweet and fruity with a bit of a tarter finish. Ripe dark fruits abound.
There are several sour beers that I would pick over this. However, it is good and worth a try.
My rating: Worth a try.
Website: Importer.
Price paid: 9.86 at Pj's wine and spirits.
Number of cans of Bud Light you could buy for the same price: 15.

Pour une poignée de houblon or Per un pugno di luppolo?

This time around I have decided to brew something that will be like my Grisette, but definitely more on the hoppy/sour/funky side. In this beer, I will be using a mixed culture to ferment (of Brett L and 3711) as well as 'hop bursting'. This is a technique that emphasizes hop flavor and aroma. Normally a bittering hop addition would occur at the start of the boil. This lends most of the overall perception of bitterness to the beer. The flavor and aroma additions come near the end of the boil.
Using hop bursting, there is no bitterness addition, and all of the IBU's come from additions near the end of the boil. Supposedly, this contributes an amazing hop aroma and taste to the beer, though you have to use large amounts of hops to achieve this effect. In this case that would be four ounces.
The name was inspired by the Clint Eastwood movie 'A Fistful of Dollars' or 'Per un Pugno di Dollari' since the director was Italian. Not sure if I should use French instead...
5 lb Belgian Pils
2 lb White wheat
7 oz Flaked wheat
5 oz Acidulated
1 oz Styrian Goldings pellet @ 20 min
.5 oz Styrian Goldings pellet @ 15 min
1/4 tsp Irish Moss @ 15 min
.5 oz Styrian Goldings pellet @ 10 min
1 oz Styrian Goldings pellet @ 5 min
1 oz Styrian Goldings pellet @ 0 min
Ferment with 3711- French Saison and 5526- Brettanomyces Lambicus.
Dry hop with 1.5 oz Crystal leaf @ 1 week to bottling.
Estimated og- 1.043
Actual og- 1.042
Intermediate- 1.003
Final- 1.001
5.37% Abv.
97.5% apparent attenuation.
80% actual attenuation.
6/16/10- Mashed the grains at 145 for 90 mins. Got around 5.5 gallons of wort. Added 1.5 gals of water to make up for evaporation during 90 min boil. Still ended up adding another gallon plus after the boil to get over 5 gal in volume. That burner is very efficient! The Brett L came from a 2 day old starter. The 3711 was pitched directly from a jar of washed yeast. Lots of hops made their way out of the pot and into the primary.
Yeasts.
Five hop additions = 4 oz of hops! A fistful!
Boiling.
Almost done!
6/22/10- To secondary and .5 oz of the oak cubes I used in the Grisette. Tastes very fruity and estery with a little Brett character and little hoppiness. I will definitely dry hop, maybe with a significant charge. I think I will add some wine (no more than a cup or two) as well to give it some vinous quality. (did not add wine) Picked up a few samples today. Added another .5 oz of new oak cubes, boiled for awhile.
Intermediate gravity.
A few artsy sunlit secondary pictures..
7/5/10- Some pellicle forming. Added 1.5 oz Crystal leaf for a dry hop finish.
7/13/10- Bottled with 6 oz corn sugar, aiming for 3 volumes of carbonation. Tastes very interesting and complex while still remaining pretty light. Long lingering hop finish as well as a bit of caramel oddly.
7/20/10- First tasting.

De Proefbrouwerij- Reinaert Flemish Wild Ale.

I saw this at Pj's and had to have a try since it is mentioned in Wild Brews.
It pours a crystal clear golden color with a fluffy, abundant, creamy head that lasts. I can see a ton of streaming bubbles in the glass.
The nose reminds me of many Belgian strong ales, though with less hopping. Slightly musty, funky, yet also clean (kind of reminds me of Duvel in a way). Maybe a bit of tart apple.
The taste is surprisingly fruity, with an earthy side. Nice malt character, abundant tingling carbonation, with a finish that is all Brettanomyces- imagine the taste of riding a horse with a leather saddle through a field of dried hay ready to harvest. A little citrus tartness hangs around.
Nice lacing in the glass, with the abv being hidden quite well in taste.
My rating: Worth a try.
Abv: 9%.
Website: Importer. DeProef does not seem to have a website at this time.
Price paid: 9.86 at Pj's Wine and Spirits.
Number of cans of Bud Light you could buy for the same price: 15.

1600 dollars worth of wine...

This is what it looks like...


We have a frequent guest at the restaurant who is wealth and likes his wine. He always comes in and gets a tasting menu and brings a few bottles with him. Of course, they are always sick. He also seems to be pretty generous, as himself and his guests never finish the bottles and he gives the server the remaining 1/4 bottle or more. Usually the server shares it with everyone, as was the case this time.
The average retail I can find for the 1985 Mouton Rothschild is 382 dollars, a relative bargain when you look back a few years at the 1982 vintage and see it going for 1550. This was my favorite of the two. Deep garnet with flavors of dark ripe berries (cherry poss?), spices, tobacco, leather, and the unmistakeable touch of Brettanomyces! Rich silky mouth feel, and long, lingering finish.
The average retail I can find for the Coche Dury is 1220! Yikes. Well I only got a tiny sip of this one and it didn't taste very good. Maybe it had been open too long or too many people had drank out of the glass, but I didn't care for it.

What to brew?

It has been three weeks this week since I have brewed and I am planning on doing something this week. Several options include...
A Belgian style wit. I wrote the recipe for this months ago, and I am planning on using Unibroue's yeast which is one of Wyeasts' VSS strains this quarter ending with the month. I have had several commercial white beers lately and would like to do my own take on the style.
Rebrew the Grisette. When I was bottling I had one bomber that only got ten oz or so. I opened it up and the beer inside was completely different from the rest of the batch. Slightly tart (owing to the acid malt and...) as well as infected with Brettanomyces. I use infected in this beer, because I did not want or add brett as I have to others. Anyway, it was really good! I would simplify the grain bill, taking it down to just pils, wheat, and acid, and ferment with 3711 and brett l right from the start. This seems like something I would like more than the wit in the end. However, I would guess that Wyeasts' VSS strains for the next quarter will include at least one farmhouse ale strain which may be good to use as well.
Rebrew Back Door Beauty. This ended up pretty good I would say. In fact one of my coworkers last night said it was the best home brewed beer he had ever tasted! However, it didn't end up as I planned. This time I would let the sour mash go for two whole days before continuing. Now that I think about it, this will not be an option since I would have to buy the grain today to start the sour mash tomorrow, and due to weather I will be taking the bus in.
I would like to do the wit, but at this point I am thinking I will redo and change up the Grisette.

Jolly Pumpkin- La Roja.

I definitely had a hankering for some sour beer this week. I stopped by a local shop here in Longmont called PJ's that is primarily known for wine. They do have a small but relatively well stocked beer section(though nothing I couldn't find elsewhere), including this beer that I have been wanting to try for awhile. This is blend 14 from 2008.
This beer pours a dark amber to red color, with a thin beige head that settles pretty quickly. Very complex vinous odor of red wine, earthiness, tartness, brett, dark fruits, and a little oak.
In the mouth, the oak comes through alot more. Light vanilla toastiness, tannic bitterness. I don't find much in the way of hops, good tartness, though not too tart. Nice dancing on the tongue carbonation, a little bit of lacing in the glass. Definite wild, funky, and vinous taste. Very dry, and the abv doesn't come through.
Lingering finish of oak, tartness, ripe berries, hay. I could see this being a good refreshing beer to drink on a hot summers day, as well as good warming beer to drink on a cold winter night.
My rating: Worth a try.
Abv: 7.2%.
Website: jollypumpkin.com.
Price paid: 11.25 at Pj's wine and spirits.
Number of cans of Bud Light you could buy for the same price: 18.

The beer tasting event of a lifetime.

Unfortunately I didn't know about it until too late, but this past week as part of Philly beer week, a Lambic tasting event was held at UPenn. It featured Frank Boon of Boon (of course), Armand Debelder of 3 Fonteinen, and Jean Van Roy of Brasserie Cantillon. In addition to tasting some of their every day products, it was said that they would be bringing along bottles unavailable in the United States and possibly anywhere else.
I have yet to read anyones write ups on the event, but I wish I had known earlier! Sure, the flight to Philly plus the cost of the tasting would have been 4-500 bucks, but that is alot cheaper than a flight to Brussels and renting a car and visiting each brewery independently.
Ah well.

Drie Fonteinen- Oude Gueuze.

The camera is kind of not working so great again...But I'm sure you get the idea!
In one of the books I have about beer, the author discusses the 'oude' designation. It means 'old' and was one something that was sought after, as it indicated a quality beer that had been brewed and aged properly. But the term has fallen out of favor these days, as a younger generation doesn't want to drink something old. This can be seen in alot of American beers which has born on/bottling dates and advise drinking within three months for maximum freshness.
The bottling date on this beer advised to drink within the next ten years, and I am sure it could go 20 or even 30. But it'll never get a chance because I drank it.
This beer pours out a nice orange/golden color with a fluffy white head. The aroma is fruity, light oak, sourness, earthiness. The taste continues with fruit- tart citrus, green apple, vanilla, oak, very complex. Sour and acidic but less so than Cantillon. Very dry, refreshing, and extremely drinkable. A bit of lacing in the glass, with a copious amount of carbonation. Very vinous and reminiscent of white whites and champagnes.
My rating: a world class gueuze.
Abv: 6%.
Website: 3fonteinen.be.
Price paid: in the neighborhood of 15 at Twin Peaks Liquor.
Number of cans of Bud Light you could buy for the same price: 24. A whole case!

Back Door Beauty- First tasting.

The Ralph Steadmanesque label...The redesque beer...
Today I am tasting my sour mash red ale. This is the half that I bottled with Brettanomyces, though I did taste the non brett half yesterday. I will write up a tasting of that half as well, though they are similar.
First off this beer pours a nice reddish brown. Hard to tell from the picture of course. It has a nice hoppy aroma, little head, no lacing, nice tingling carbonation. The taste is similar to the nonbrett half, though I would say there is less hop presence and more of maybe a cidery taste?
Similar malty finish in both beers, but neither are really sour that I can tell. I should brew this one again and do a longer sour mash.
Despite that, I would say this is still a very good American style ale. Nice hop taste and aroma but it is not overwhelming. I think the sourness would add another dimension though.