[quote]SteelyD wrote:
Delaware isn’t really know as much of a destination for anything[/quote]
I had Clown Shoes Clementine recently at The Lower Depths in Boston, haven’t seen it anywhere else, but definitely a great beer for summer.
I’m also a big fan of trying out every Brew Pub I can because they rarely seem to disappoint.
I used to be a beer snob, but now in my later years I just stick to Coors Light. I can drink it all day and not feel bloated.
[quote]PimpBot5000 wrote:
[quote]tom63 wrote:
Best beer I ever had was the rare Trappist sle, Wesvelerteren, sp. It was do much better it was ridiculous .
[/quote]
Where did you have that? At the monastery cafe or at a beer bar?
The monks supposedly forbid resale but it pops up in odd places. There used to be a Japanese website where you could order a bottle for 1100Ã?Â¥ (roughly 10-11 bucks), delivered right to your house within two days. It has since shut down, but I ordered a few of them…[/quote]
Still the #1 spot on “Best of BA”
http://beeradvocate.com/top_beers
You’re right about Westy forbidding resale…unlike some of the other trappist monasteries that import, like Rochefort or Chimay or Orval.
There are ways to get it online…but it’s expressly forbidden by the monastery.
[quote]JPCleary wrote:
[quote]PimpBot5000 wrote:
[quote]tom63 wrote:
Best beer I ever had was the rare Trappist sle, Wesvelerteren, sp. It was do much better it was ridiculous .
[/quote]
Where did you have that? At the monastery cafe or at a beer bar?
The monks supposedly forbid resale but it pops up in odd places. There used to be a Japanese website where you could order a bottle for 1100Ã??Ã?Â¥ (roughly 10-11 bucks), delivered right to your house within two days. It has since shut down, but I ordered a few of them…[/quote]
Still the #1 spot on “Best of BA”
http://beeradvocate.com/top_beers
You’re right about Westy forbidding resale…unlike some of the other trappist monasteries that import, like Rochefort or Chimay or Orval.
There are ways to get it online…but it’s expressly forbidden by the monastery.
[/quote]
I’ve always liked Leffe Blonde Ale.
How do you think that ranks amongst the ‘abbey’ beers (none of which I’ve ever had)?
I like stuff from Flying Dog and Stone Brewery, but lately I’ve been slumming it with Bud Light Lime. Sam Adams Octoberfest should be out soon so that’ll be the brew of choice for awhile.
[quote]pushmepullme wrote:
[quote]Eli B wrote:
steel reserve.
Many a good drinker has fallen prey to steel reserve.[/quote]
First time I attempted this shit I puked halfway through the can. It was my first drink of the day and I wasn’t hungover. [/quote]
mmmm tastes like metal.
[quote]schultzie wrote:
Beer.[/quote]
I’ll see your beer and raise you one whiskey. Whiskey and a beer. Thats living.
[quote]SteelyD wrote:
[quote]JPCleary wrote:
[quote]PimpBot5000 wrote:
[quote]tom63 wrote:
Best beer I ever had was the rare Trappist sle, Wesvelerteren, sp. It was do much better it was ridiculous .
[/quote]
Where did you have that? At the monastery cafe or at a beer bar?
The monks supposedly forbid resale but it pops up in odd places. There used to be a Japanese website where you could order a bottle for 1100Ã???Ã??Ã?Â¥ (roughly 10-11 bucks), delivered right to your house within two days. It has since shut down, but I ordered a few of them…[/quote]
Still the #1 spot on “Best of BA”
http://beeradvocate.com/top_beers
You’re right about Westy forbidding resale…unlike some of the other trappist monasteries that import, like Rochefort or Chimay or Orval.
There are ways to get it online…but it’s expressly forbidden by the monastery.
[/quote]
I’ve always liked Leffe Blonde Ale.
How do you think that ranks amongst the ‘abbey’ beers (none of which I’ve ever had)?
[/quote]
It’s not bad at all for the style. But I think when most people are thinking of abbey ales they are thinking of dubbels, tripels, quads…etc.
The Leffe Blonde is a Belgian Pale Ale.
Here is Buckeyenation’s review of this beer on BA. He has over 4300 formal beer reviews on BA, so he is some what of an authority…or at least has an experienced palate. Either way, his reviews are thorough and very well written.
B / 3.7
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | drink: 3.5
Sparkling orange-amber when backlit with bright golden sunshine. I was greeted with the usual voluminous Belgian head on the pour… in this case a thickly creamy crown of pale beige that looks fantastic. It’s both bubbly and rocky as it melts, leaving a great deal of intricate lace in the process. Whatever else Leffe Blonde has in store, it looks great.
The nose is less impressive. Clove is prominent and there isn’t a whole lot else to back it up. Underpowered and unidimensional is difficult to overcome. Having said that, it’s pleasant enough to be considered above average for the style.
Tough call on the flavor. I’ll have to live with this one for a while. Funny thing… when I was a beer novice, I didn’t like much of anything from Belgium. Now that I’ve learned to appreciate the complexities of the yeast, I like just about every beer from that country that I’ve been exposed to. That’s the way it works I guess.
Leffe Blonde falls short. The biggest reason is that it’s so hotly clove-like that none of the other ingredients have a chance to make a positive impression. Did the brewer add ground clove to the brew kettle? If not, he used the mega-cloviest yeast strain on the planet. All trace of subtlety and nuance is lost in the storm of spice.
Hops are especially prominent as well. Not so much in terms of flavor (although how would one know?), but in bitterness. Bitter fights sweet, rather than cooperating with it. It isn’t exactly a chore to drink, but I’ve had enough clove to last me for a few weeks. Need a clove demonstrator for a tasting? Leffe Blonde is your beer.
I like the mouthfeel just fine. Its light silkiness and energetic carbonation is just what I look for in a Belgian pale ale. I have no choice but to dock it a half-point though, since it tends to coarsen as it warms, feeling just as unpolished as the flavor profile in the end.
In spite of my love for (almost) all things Belgian, Leffe Blonde is a bit of a disappointment. Largely because it uses a clove hammer of a yeast strain when a finely honed yeast chisel would have worked better. It’s a testament to my affection for the style that I still found something to like in this less than stellar version.
Serving type: bottle
Reviewed on: 09-05-2006 13:46:59
[quote]JPCleary wrote:
[quote]SteelyD wrote:
[quote]JPCleary wrote:
[quote]PimpBot5000 wrote:
[quote]tom63 wrote:
Best beer I ever had was the rare Trappist sle, Wesvelerteren, sp. It was do much better it was ridiculous .
[/quote]
Where did you have that? At the monastery cafe or at a beer bar?
The monks supposedly forbid resale but it pops up in odd places. There used to be a Japanese website where you could order a bottle for 1100Ã???Ã???Ã??Ã?Â¥ (roughly 10-11 bucks), delivered right to your house within two days. It has since shut down, but I ordered a few of them…[/quote]
Still the #1 spot on “Best of BA”
http://beeradvocate.com/top_beers
You’re right about Westy forbidding resale…unlike some of the other trappist monasteries that import, like Rochefort or Chimay or Orval.
There are ways to get it online…but it’s expressly forbidden by the monastery.
[/quote]
I’ve always liked Leffe Blonde Ale.
How do you think that ranks amongst the ‘abbey’ beers (none of which I’ve ever had)?
[/quote]
It’s not bad at all for the style. But I think when most people are thinking of abbey ales they are thinking of dubbels, tripels, quads…etc.
The Leffe Blonde is a Belgian Pale Ale.
Here is Buckeyenation’s review of this beer on BA. :
…
“Hoppy”
“Clovy”
[/quote]
I have to admit, that’s actually what does it for me! lol!
I love “clovy” and I love my beers ultra-super-mega-hoppy (See Fuggles IPA). I’m a sucker for IPA.
Speaking of abbey ales…Sierra Nevada announced today that they will be doing collaborative beers with trappist monks.
Sierra Nevada joins with Trappist Monks to brew Authentic Abbey Ales
Chico, CA (08/06/2010) - Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. announced a partnership with the Trappist-Cistercian Abbey of New Clairvaux to create the only authentic Trappist-style Abbey ales in America.
For nearly 1000 years, monks have been brewing ales behind monastery walls. Their closely guarded traditions and techniques produced styles of beer unlike anything else in the world. These unique Trappist-style Abbey ales are known for their uncompromising quality and compelling flavor.
In 2011, Sierra Nevada and the Trappist-Cistercian Abbey of New Clairvaux are working to bring this centuries-old tradition to America with Ovila-the nation’s only authentic Trappist-style Abbey Ale.
This series of three Belgian -style Abbey ales is made in accordance with the centuries-old tradition of the monks. Each beer will be only be available for a limited time and will rotate through the seasons. The first beer in the series, scheduled for release in March, will be a Belgian-style Dubbel brewed with authentic Trappist yeast. The second beer in the series, scheduled for release in July, will be a Saison, the traditional Belgian-style farmhouse ale made in honor of the Monk’s dedication to labor in the fields surrounding their abbey. The third will be released in time for the holidays. It will be a Trappist-style Quadrupel rich with dark fruit flavors and the unique wine-like characters of these strong Abbey ales.
Proceeds from this project will benefit the monks of the Abbey of New Clairvaux in their efforts to rebuild an architectural marvel-a 12th century, early-gothic Cistercian chapter house-on their grounds in Vina, California a few miles north of Sierra Nevada’s home in Chico. The medieval chapterhouse-Santa Maria de Ovila-was begun in 1190, near the village of Trillo, Spain. Cistercian monks lived, prayed, and worked there for nearly 800 years. In 1931, California newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst purchased the abbey and shipped it to Northern California. Hearst’s plans were never realized, and the stones fell into disrepair. In 1994, the Trappist-Cistercian monks of the Abbey of New Clairvaux, gained possession of the ruins, and began the painstaking stone-by-stone reconstruction of the historic abbey.
Located in Vina, California, the Abbey of New Clairvaux is a Cistercian Abbey of Strict Observance (Trappist). The abbey was founded in 1955 on 590 acres of Leland Stanford’s famed Vina Ranch. The monks follow the Rule of St. Benedict-Ora est Labora (Prayer and Work) and spend their days in prayer, meditation, and tending to the labor of the working farm located at the abbey.
Founded in 1980, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is one of America’s first microbreweries and remains highly regarded for using only whole-cone hops and ingredients of the finest quality. Sierra Nevada has set the standard for artisan brewers worldwide as a winner of numerous awards for their line of beers and ales including the flagship Pale Ale, Torpedo, Porter, Stout, Kellerweis, four seasonal beers, Estate Ale, Harvest Ale series and a host of draft-only specialties.
[quote]SteelyD wrote:
It’s not bad at all for the style. But I think when most people are thinking of abbey ales they are thinking of dubbels, tripels, quads…etc.
The Leffe Blonde is a Belgian Pale Ale.
Here is Buckeyenation’s review of this beer on BA. :
…
“Hoppy”
“Clovy”
I have to admit, that’s actually what does it for me! lol!
I love “clovy” and I love my beers ultra-super-mega-hoppy (See Fuggles IPA). I’m a sucker for IPA.
[/quote]
That’s interesting that you bring up that particular IPA when describing yourself as a hop head…because it is an English IPA brewed with Fuggles hops…an English hop variety. Most hop heads bring up the big west coast IPA’s like Ruination, Pliny or Sculpin. We don’t get Sly Fox in SC…but if I’m ever offered their Fuggles IPA in a trade, I’ll give it a shot.
Renee and I are definitely both hop heads. Actually the most recent batch of Sculpin was just released. I don’t know if you all get Ballast Point in Maine…but if you do, check it out. A big, juicy, citrusy hop bomb fo dat ass.
Buckyeye’s review…
A+ / 4.55
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | drink: 5
Sunkist orange with banana peel borders. The good-sized crown is the color of pineapple mousse, is at least as creamy and is twice as sticky. Foam bridges leave a gorgeous array of picture-perfect lace when they eventually rupture. The haziness imparted by yeast or hop flecks would have turned an already attractive beer into a gorgeous one. The label fish… not so gorgeous.
Ballast Point has devised a hop bill that leads to an IPA nose that is right up my lupulin lovin’ alley. It’s klieg light bright and is as explosively tropical fruity as they come. This may be the most mangolicious beer that I’ve ever smelled… short of one that actually contains mangos. Sweet orange and zesty lemon help out as well. Wow! Wow! Wow!
Sculpin tastes almost as good as it smells. The hops that were used must be some of my favorites or the beer wouldn’t be this lip-smackingly delicious. I’ll say Simcoe, Amarillo and… Cascade. There’s no other way to get this much mango, tangerine and peach. Let’s also add pink grapefruit to the orange and lemon of the nose. Talk about a bittersweet fruit salad in a glass! Pardon all the exclamation points, but this is an outstanding IPA!
The characteristics that shoot it into the stratosphere are a relatively skinny (for an IPA) malt backbone and the fact that nothing darker than pale malt is present. A few crumbles of sugar cookie are enough, because my palate wants to focus on the fresh green hop cones. This is quite possibly a 5.0 beer (for taste) immediately after bottling.
Greedy bastard that I am, I wish it was even more ridiculously hoppy. It doesn’t destroy the palate, it just roughs it up a little. However, it’s hard to argue with the final product. At this point, I’m reduced to nitpicking a beer that has no real faults.
The mouthfeel seemed a fraction too light in the upper half of the bottle. Thankfully, it firms up with warming and is now perfectly calibrated for rapid consumption (if one so wishes). In the end, it’s lightly silky and luxurious without being overly sticky. Keeping style in mind, the score is a no-brainer.
Prior to popping the cap, I had doubts about whether Sculpin was the fifth best India pale ale in America. I still don’t think it is, but it’s in the top fifteen for damn sure. Ballast Point has never knocked my socks off… until now. If you love hops, hope and pray that this limited release will be brewed again.
Serving type: bottle
Reviewed on: 05-30-2008 15:14:25
[quote]JPCleary wrote:
That’s interesting that you bring up that particular IPA when describing yourself as a hop head…because it is an English IPA brewed with Fuggles hops…an English hop variety. Most hop heads bring up the big west coast IPA’s like Ruination, Pliny or Sculpin. We don’t get Sly Fox in SC…but if I’m ever offered their Fuggles IPA in a trade, I’ll give it a shot.
[/quote]
That probably has more to do with availability than anything.
I was introduced to ‘hoppiness’ in grad school in New Mexico by my office mate who now owns two brew pubs (see previous post). I was drinking a lot of Sierra Nevada P/A, New Belgium beers (Fat Tire).
Speaking of New Belgium beers, if you like hops, then the new Ranger IPA is pretty damn hoppy. I’m fortunate that my company’s corp office is in Fort Collins, CO, home of New Belgium and some other excellent micros. Always good beer on the CO trips… 
I don’t know where they fall on the absolute worldwide hops scale, but hoppy compared to other styles.
[quote]WestCoast7 wrote:
PBR.[/quote]
Like. Old school, as in the movie “Gran Torino.”
Sweetwater Brewing is here in ATL. Not bad. I’ve, um, heard that the tours are great.
[quote]SteelyD wrote:
[quote]JPCleary wrote:
That’s interesting that you bring up that particular IPA when describing yourself as a hop head…because it is an English IPA brewed with Fuggles hops…an English hop variety. Most hop heads bring up the big west coast IPA’s like Ruination, Pliny or Sculpin. We don’t get Sly Fox in SC…but if I’m ever offered their Fuggles IPA in a trade, I’ll give it a shot.
[/quote]
That probably has more to do with availability than anything.
I was introduced to ‘hoppiness’ in grad school in New Mexico by my office mate who now owns two brew pubs (see previous post). I was drinking a lot of Sierra Nevada P/A, New Belgium beers (Fat Tire).
Speaking of New Belgium beers, if you like hops, then the new Ranger IPA is pretty damn hoppy. I’m fortunate that my company’s corp office is in Fort Collins, CO, home of New Belgium and some other excellent micros. Always good beer on the CO trips…
I don’t know where they fall on the absolute worldwide hops scale, but hoppy compared to other styles. ;)[/quote]
Definitely not on the scale of something like Sculpin, but still a damn tasty IPA.
I’ve never been a big New Belgium fan, but was surprised by how much I liked the Ranger. I’m always looking for a solid IPA, sub 7% ABV, for less than $10 a sixer. They even recently showed up on the shelf at my local Wal-Mart.
Steely, you mentioned DogFish Head earlier. Here’s a shot of the Red and White Renee and I are enjoying right now. It’s a big, Belgian style wit brewed with coriander & orange peel with pinot noir juice concentrate added, with 11% of the batch aged in pinot noir barrels and 89% aged on oak barrel staves.
I think I like this better than the Black and Blue we drank the other night…further back in this thread…
[quote]BennyHayes wrote:
Sweetwater Brewing is here in ATL. Not bad. I’ve, um, heard that the tours are great.[/quote]
Sweetwater has some great (read suggestive) beer names…
Dank Tank
Donkey Punch
Happy Ending
Sour Puss
Creeper
Ron Burgundy
Wet Dream
Dirty South
Jack Ass
Road Trip
Hummer
Here ya go, Steely. Just popped the cork on this one…a local beer for you.
Allagash Four is brewed with four malts, four hops, four sugars and four Belgian yeast strains. It makes for an incredibly complex flavor…
Another Buckeye review…
A / 4.35
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | drink: 4.5
rDev: +5.7%
Pristine reddish orange after the initial pour, moderately murky tawny after the second pour and muddy caramel after the final pour. While it isn’t worthy of being compared to the heads on the world’s best Belgians, the orange-tinted ecru crown qualifies as eye candy. No more than a smattering of lace decorates the glass; not surprising given the ABV.
The nose is classically quadrupel-like. Thanks to the four Belgian yeast strains, I would have said that Four hailed from that country if I didn’t know better. The nose calls to mind English toffee, brown sugar, dates and dried fruit. Amazingly enough, almost no alcohol is evident.
Four contains four malts, four hops, four sugars, four Belgian yeast strains and is fermented four times. Whether because of that or in spite of that, this is a wonderfully complex ale that is one of the most gentle, drinkable quads you’ll ever run across. I’m sure that an estimated two years in the bottle has contributed to its easygoing nature.
The four sugars include date sugar, light candi sugar, dark candi sugar and light golden molasses. Dates are a prominent member of the flavor profile, but then I taste dates in all sorts of styles, from quads to old ales to BSDAs. The rest of the flavor profile mirrors the nose, with the addition of buttered dark rum, cherry pipe tobacco and sweetened orange peel. This is dee-licious beer!
I poured two glasses at once because I had a feeling that the first glass would get shorted on all of the good stuff that always falls to the bottom in a beer stored upright. In addition to being murkier, the second glass is also bolder and more complex. It’s also being drained much faster than the first glass.
The mouthfeel is the only minor disappointment… that ceases to be a disappointment as this fine ale approaches room temperature. To be perfect, it would either have to be full-bodied and heavily silky smooth or as lush and as perfectly carbonated as Belgium’s finest. It’s neither, but it’s still a pleasure to roll around the mouth.
Four may not be the stunningly beautiful beer that most of Allagash’s lineup is, but it’s damn close. It’s also a wonderful version of a style that I love more each time I drink it. Even though these Allagash 750s can be expensive, I won’t hesitate to grab another bottle the next time I see it. Highly recommended.
Serving type: bottle
Reviewed on: 08-05-2007 22:03:21
[quote]JPCleary wrote:
Steely, you mentioned DogFish Head earlier. Here’s a shot of the Red and White Renee and I are enjoying right now. It’s a big, Belgian style wit brewed with coriander & orange peel with pinot noir juice concentrate added, with 11% of the batch aged in pinot noir barrels and 89% aged on oak barrel staves.
I think I like this better than the Black and Blue we drank the other night…further back in this thread…[/quote]
I’m envious so many Americans have such great access to beers like that. In Canada you can only get the DFH 60 mins, and even that is hard to find!
