Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Location: Milton, DE
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Brewery Website
Rating: B+
Up for review today is Dogfish Head's Raison D'Etre. This is a Belgian-style dark ale brewed with raisins. The Raison D'Etre pours dark brown with a hint of ruby. A thick, brownish-tan, foamy head slowly rises. The nose detects juicy and winy notes along with some sweet cereal.
On the palate both wininess and a slightly sweet cereal note come to the forefront. There are notes of brown bread and burnt toast here. The hops take on an herbal character with a touch of bitterness. Oaky/woody notes sit in the background along with raisins. The Raison d'Etre has a moderate-heavy mouthfeel that is nearly syrupy. The finish is off-dry with dark wheat toast being the dominant flavor.
Dogfish Head has a really good beer on their hands with the Raison D'Etre. It drinks similar to an aged barleywine with a bit more burnt/raisin notes and not quite as winy. The raisins here seem to emulate the great raisiny flavor that develops with time on a vintage barleywine (see Thomas Hardy). Similar to aging wine or scotch in small barrels or over oak chips, you get a sneak peek at an aged beverage, but some of the complexity that can only be produced by time is missing. I am very curious to see how this beer ages.
Showing posts with label Belgian Strong Ale. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Belgian Strong Ale. Show all posts
Friday, November 12, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
Chimay Grande Réserve (aka Chimay Blue)
Brewery: Bières de Chimay S.A.
Location: Chimay, Belgium
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Brewery Website
Rating: A+
Today's tasting is the legendary Chimay Blue. Chimay is widely regarded as the preeminent Trappist brewery in Belgium, and the Chimay Grand Réserve is their flagship offering.
The Chimay Blue is a hazy, deep reddish brown in color with some fine sediment. It pours a frothy, brownish-tan head bith big clumps of foam. The nose picks up some sweetness, with notes of port, sourdough bread, yeast, as well as earthy and mineral notes.
The Chimay Grand Réserve has a rich maltiness up front. There is not as much sweetness on the palate as the nose would have you believe. There are toasted notes, yeast, wine and some warming alcohol. There are distinct notes of wood and earth. The Chimay Blue has a faint acidity, and a slight note of black coffee bitterness. The finish is soft with woody and earthy notes along with toasted sourdough and a lingering winy warmth. The Chimay Blue has a medium body that stands up well to the complex flavor, and is surprisingly smooth for a beer brewed at 9% ABV.
The Chimay Grand Réserve is one beer that lives up to the hype. Perfectly balanced, and loaded with great flavor complexity, this is the pinnacle of Belgian beer. Buy two and stash one for aging, as a beer of this style and complexity will only improve as the years go by. One matter of note, with many of the complex flavors being quite soft, the Chimay Blue is particularly sensitive to the temperature it is served at. Anything more than a slight chill (45-50F) will kill off some of the softer notes. Give it ample time to warm up a bit if you had this in the fridge.
Location: Chimay, Belgium
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Brewery Website
Rating: A+
Today's tasting is the legendary Chimay Blue. Chimay is widely regarded as the preeminent Trappist brewery in Belgium, and the Chimay Grand Réserve is their flagship offering.
The Chimay Blue is a hazy, deep reddish brown in color with some fine sediment. It pours a frothy, brownish-tan head bith big clumps of foam. The nose picks up some sweetness, with notes of port, sourdough bread, yeast, as well as earthy and mineral notes.
The Chimay Grand Réserve has a rich maltiness up front. There is not as much sweetness on the palate as the nose would have you believe. There are toasted notes, yeast, wine and some warming alcohol. There are distinct notes of wood and earth. The Chimay Blue has a faint acidity, and a slight note of black coffee bitterness. The finish is soft with woody and earthy notes along with toasted sourdough and a lingering winy warmth. The Chimay Blue has a medium body that stands up well to the complex flavor, and is surprisingly smooth for a beer brewed at 9% ABV.
The Chimay Grand Réserve is one beer that lives up to the hype. Perfectly balanced, and loaded with great flavor complexity, this is the pinnacle of Belgian beer. Buy two and stash one for aging, as a beer of this style and complexity will only improve as the years go by. One matter of note, with many of the complex flavors being quite soft, the Chimay Blue is particularly sensitive to the temperature it is served at. Anything more than a slight chill (45-50F) will kill off some of the softer notes. Give it ample time to warm up a bit if you had this in the fridge.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Unibroue Maudite
Brewery: Unibroue
Location: Chambly, Quebec
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Brewery Website
Rating: A
It was a slow week on the site last week, so I'm making it up to you this week by starting off with reviews of a pair of top-notch beers. First up is Maudite from Unibroue. Unibroue is renowned for their extraordinarily complex, Belgian-style ales aged "on lees" in the bottle. And Maudite is arguably the cream of the crop from Unibroue.
The Maudite is deep, ruddy amber in color. It pours with a light tan, bubbly head that fades rather fast. The nose is complex with toasted notes, raisins, orange peel and rye bread. It also has aromas reminiscent of a Belgian White ale as well as dry white wine.
On the palate, the Maudite has notes of raisins and toasted rye bread. There are flavors of orange, port wine and a very faint buttery note. Flavors of berry preserves and mineral water are perceptible in the background. The Maudite has a warming wininess. There is a touch of residual sugar remaining as well as a faint, lambic-like acidity. The finish has flavors of off-dry wine with herbal and lambic-fruit undertones. The Unibroue Maudite has a clingy, drying mouthfeel and a fairly heavy body.
Unibroue really nails it on this one. The Maudite has great complexity with nothing out of balance. If you like Belgian-style ales (that includes fans of Belgian Whites) and you haven't tried Maudite yet, then you owe it to yourself to try this ASAP.
Location: Chambly, Quebec
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Brewery Website
Rating: A
It was a slow week on the site last week, so I'm making it up to you this week by starting off with reviews of a pair of top-notch beers. First up is Maudite from Unibroue. Unibroue is renowned for their extraordinarily complex, Belgian-style ales aged "on lees" in the bottle. And Maudite is arguably the cream of the crop from Unibroue.
The Maudite is deep, ruddy amber in color. It pours with a light tan, bubbly head that fades rather fast. The nose is complex with toasted notes, raisins, orange peel and rye bread. It also has aromas reminiscent of a Belgian White ale as well as dry white wine.
On the palate, the Maudite has notes of raisins and toasted rye bread. There are flavors of orange, port wine and a very faint buttery note. Flavors of berry preserves and mineral water are perceptible in the background. The Maudite has a warming wininess. There is a touch of residual sugar remaining as well as a faint, lambic-like acidity. The finish has flavors of off-dry wine with herbal and lambic-fruit undertones. The Unibroue Maudite has a clingy, drying mouthfeel and a fairly heavy body.
Unibroue really nails it on this one. The Maudite has great complexity with nothing out of balance. If you like Belgian-style ales (that includes fans of Belgian Whites) and you haven't tried Maudite yet, then you owe it to yourself to try this ASAP.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Unibroue Trois Pistoles
Brewery: Unibroue
Location: Chambly, Quebec
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Brewery Website
Rating: B+
Unibroue is a renowned Canadian brewery that is well-known for their distinctive beers. Almost all of their beers are aged "on lees". This means the yeast and solids remaining from the brewing process remain in the bottle and lead to a second fermentation that provides natural carbonation. This generally leads to more complexity and good aging potential (and provides an excellent source of B-vitamins as well!).
The Trois Pistoles is dark cola-brown in color with a significant amount of haze. There is a thick, fizzy head that is off-white in color. The nose has fruit, wine and a faint butteriness. There is a rich scent that is almost meaty in aroma.
On the palate, the Trois Pistoles is reminiscent of a very dry wine. It is as if someone took a malty beer and removed all of the sweetness from it. There is a faint bitter bite and a hint of acidity. Notes of woodiness and mustiness are present. There is a touch of butteriness reminiscent of some Belgian White Ales. There is a rich, coating mouthfeel and a heavy body.
The Trois Pistoles is a very rich beer that would be well suited to accompany a hearty beef stew. My only issue is the flavor is personally just not my cup of tea. In particular, the butteriness seems a bit out of place. Regardless of my personal tastes, the amount of dryness really leads to the Trois Pistoles being a unique, complex beer.
Location: Chambly, Quebec
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Brewery Website
Rating: B+
Unibroue is a renowned Canadian brewery that is well-known for their distinctive beers. Almost all of their beers are aged "on lees". This means the yeast and solids remaining from the brewing process remain in the bottle and lead to a second fermentation that provides natural carbonation. This generally leads to more complexity and good aging potential (and provides an excellent source of B-vitamins as well!).
The Trois Pistoles is dark cola-brown in color with a significant amount of haze. There is a thick, fizzy head that is off-white in color. The nose has fruit, wine and a faint butteriness. There is a rich scent that is almost meaty in aroma.
On the palate, the Trois Pistoles is reminiscent of a very dry wine. It is as if someone took a malty beer and removed all of the sweetness from it. There is a faint bitter bite and a hint of acidity. Notes of woodiness and mustiness are present. There is a touch of butteriness reminiscent of some Belgian White Ales. There is a rich, coating mouthfeel and a heavy body.
The Trois Pistoles is a very rich beer that would be well suited to accompany a hearty beef stew. My only issue is the flavor is personally just not my cup of tea. In particular, the butteriness seems a bit out of place. Regardless of my personal tastes, the amount of dryness really leads to the Trois Pistoles being a unique, complex beer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)