Scheerse Tripel

Posted on May 14, 2011 by Joep

The second beer I tried at Bierfestival Groningen was the Scheerse Tripel brewed by Mommeriete. Mommeriete is a small brewery, founded by Gert en Carina Kelder in 2004. Mommeriete truly lives up to the American term of being a microbrewery as I’ve yet to come across their beers anywhere other than festivals, craft beer cafés or de Bierkoning. My first Mommeriete beer was their Bo(c)k beer at the Pint Bokbierfestival back in 2009. And as I absolutely love Belgian style beers, I just had to try the Scheerse Tripel.

The bartender at the Mommeriete stand poured in the golden, amber colored triple into the small tasting glass. The triple has a thick, white head and smells quite spicy. The spicy smell comes through in the tasting, but is balanced out by the sweetness and creamy taste of the beer. The sweetness lingers through in the aftertaste.

At 9.5% alcohol, the Scheerse Tripel isn’t a beer for every day. The high alcohol volume is clearly noticeable, and results in the full, creamy taste of the beer. Overall the Scheerse Tripel is a very good triple, possibly even better than several Belgian triple style beers. For me, the Scheerse Triple ranks 8.5 out of 10.

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Vuur & Vlam

Posted on May 14, 2011 by Joep

Vuur & Vlam from Brouwerij de Molen was the first beer I tried at the Bierfestival Groningen. Holding the reputation at several, mainly American, craft beer websites as being one of the best breweries in The Netherlands, it was a pleasant surprise that this brewery had a stand at the festival.

With Vuur & Vlam, Brouwerij de Molen created an IPA with 6.2 % alcohol. The bartender at the stand filled the small glass provided by the festival with the amber-colored beer. Due to the large white head, pouring the beer took a little longer than filling a glass of normal beer, as the bartender left the head to disappear before further filling up the glass.

Vuur & Vlam

A glass of Vuur & Vlam smells like an IPA regularly does: like citrus and hops. This corresponds with the taste. The Vuur & Vlam tastes a bit bitter, although a slight hint of caramel diminishes the bitterness. The fruity hoppy flavors accompany the bitter tone perfectly. The hops provide citrus, peach and also a bit of a spicy coriander flavor. The 6.2% alcohol is not that heavy, leaving the Vuur & Vlam to be a refreshing, quite dangerous, beer to drink in the summer sun.

Overall I rate this beer with 7 out of 10

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Bierfestival Groningen

Posted on May 14, 2011 by Joep

Due to a busy month, there haven’t been a lot of updates on the blog. So today I finally wrote the post about the Bierfestival (Beer Festival) Groningen I visited on the 16th of April.

Banner Bierfestival Groningen
The Bierfestival Groningen was the first edition in what I hope to be a long tradition of beer festivals in Groningen. Held at the oldest church in Groningen, the Martinikerk, provided a site with great scenery to try a few beers. So when a friend of mine invited me, I happily took the 3.5 hour train ride to Groningen.
About 25 breweries attracted an estimated 1500 visitors. The beers, location and ambiance provided an excellent setting to taste craft beers. I can definitely recommend anyone who is in Groningen on the 13th and 14th of April 2012 to visit the next edition of the festival.
The upcoming posts describe a few beers I’ve tasted. The reviews will be accompanied by photographs found through Google, as I forgot to bring my camera… Happy reading!

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Rodenbach Vintage 2008

Posted on March 19, 2011 by Joep

As i mentioned in previous posts, I’m a fan of the show Tournée Générale. In the last episode, Jean Blaute and Ray Cokes opened a bottle of Rodenbach Vintage 2007. Absolutely loving it, I’m sure Palm Breweries is happy with the extra sales it gives them. As always, such publicity works with me. So while I was at “In de Wildeman” yesterday, it took no convincing to try the 2008 version currently on draught.

The Rodenbach Vintage is ruby red in color, with a decent head of foam. The smell is quite tart, reminding me of wine, apples and the Rodenbach Grand Cru. Having no experience on what to expect from the beer, other than that it supposedly was good; the smell came as a bit of a surprise: I didn’t expect a tart beer. After this surprise it hit me, other Rodenbach beers are quite tart as well, so I could’ve known the Vintage would be tart as well.

Sorry for the quality of the picture, but I didn’t have my camera with me.

Rodenbach Vintage 2008

Rodenbach Vintage 2008

 

The head of the vintage tastes quite light, not as creamy as the heads of the beers I normally drink. The tart flavor shines through in the taste of the foam. The beer itself tastes as expected after smelling it: tart. The beer tastes a bit of cherries and grapes, accompanied with a hint of sweetness.

The Vintage has been ripening in oak barrels. This comes through in the finish. The finish is quite dry and reminds a bit of port or wine. The wine-like flavor stays in the aftertaste.

Overall, the Rodenbach Vintage 2008 reminds me a lot of the Rodenbach Grand Cru. However, the reminiscence of wine makes this a tastier beer than the Grand Cru. Overall I rate it 6.5 out of 10. This does not mean it’s a bad beer; I’m just not a fan of really sour beers.

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Tournée Générale Tripel Hop

Posted on February 26, 2011 by Joep

Ever since the first series I’ve been a fan of the TV show Tournée Générale. In Tournée Générale, Jean Blaute and former MTV presenter Ray Cokes travel through Belgium. The show is meant as homage to the rich Belgian beer-culture by visiting and providing information on many Belgian breweries and beers. The second season currently airs every Wednesday on the Belgian network “één” at 9.30 pm. In my opinion the show is a must see for every Belgian-beer enthusiast.

In every season of Tournée Générale, Jean Blaute and Ray Cokes try to take the experience gained throughout the series in brewing their own beer. The beer from the first series was simply called “Tournée Générale” and was brewed at Duvel Moortgat. The second season saw the rise of the Tournée Générale Tripel Hop. This time, the beer was brewed at Palm Breweries.

The Tripel Hop follows the recent trend of incorporating American brewing styles into beers. The American style hopping (e.g. adding hops after the cooking process) is seen in many Belgian beers at the moment, started by the Chouffe Houblon and Duvel Tripel Hop.

When I recently visited Antwerp, my plan was to bring a few beers back home with me. So when I encountered the Tripel Hop at the Delhaize, I had to buy it.

Tournée Générale Tripel Hop

Tournée Générale Tripel Hop

The Tripel Hop pours a golden color with a large, bubbly head of foam that quickly reduces in size. As is to be expected by the name, the Tripel Hop smells hoppy.

The tasting of the beer revealed the same: a hoppy, yet fruity taste. On the bottle it is stated that the Tripel Hop should reveal its banana like aromas. Initially, the fruity taste reminds of citrus. As this citrus note fades, the aftertaste reveals a sort of chemical, but not unpleasant reminder of banana.

At 7.5% alcohol, the Tripel Hop manages to stay quite light. The alcohol doesn’t come through in the flavor, making it quite easy to drink. This series of Tournée Générale tries to get women into drinking more (craft) beer. Perhaps this is why the alcohol taste is not present. In my opinion the beer would’ve been better if the alcohol was slightly more present, as is the case in the Duvel Tripel Hop.

Overall the Tournée Générale Tripel Hop is a nice beer, but not that special. Having previously tried the Duvel Tripel Hop (and really liking it), the Tournée Générale Tripel Hop did not live up to my expectations. To rate it: 7.5 out of 10

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Struise Mikkeller

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Joep

In Antwerp, Kulminator offered the opportunity to try the Struise Mikkeller. The “Struise Brouwers” is a brewery brewing some of the best beers in the world, e.g. Pannepot. The Mikkeller brewery is also ranked as one of the best breweries in the world. Not having heard of Mikkeller before, I ordered the beer purely on the reputation of the Struise Brouwers. Categorized as an Double India Pale Ale (Double IPA), Struise Mikkeller is an American style beer.The information on the bottle provided the following information on the beer:

RateBeer Special Release:Behold the second of RateBeer.com’s Worldwide Masters Series! This request edition ale is the crafted alchemy of a party of some of Europe’s finest brewers, Mikkel Bjergsø and Kristian Keller of Mikkeller (Copenhagen, Denmark) and Urbain Coutteau, Carlo Grootaert, Phil Driessens, and Peter Braem of De Struise Brouwers (Woesten-Vleteren, Belgium).Both breweries have attracted considerable international attention for their artful interpretations of traditional ale styles enlived by a rich sense of invention. And both are also very highly esteemed by the RateBeer.com international community of beer tasters. We hope you enjoy this unique little treasure.

- Joe Tucker, RateBeer.com

Struise Mikkeller has a slightly dark amber color. It has a large head of foam that stays for quite some time. Smelling the beer provides hops and spices.

The taste closely resembles the smell: extremely hoppy. I later learned that Struise Mikkeller is said to be the hoppiest beer brewed in Belgium, and they might be right. The hops give a bitter flavor to the beer. This bitterness isn’t unpleasant as it is balanced nicely out by the sweetness, definitely one of the best bitter beers I’ve tried in a while. The bitterness stays in the aftertaste, again not unpleasant.

Bitterness isn’t the only flavor provided by the hops. The selection of hops in the Struise Mikkeller further provide some citrus notes and a certain spiciness.

At 9% alcohol, Struisse Mikkeller has a high alcohol content. This high alcohol content shows in the flavor, as the Flemish would say: the beer is “straf”. Combined with the hoppy bitterness, this isn’t a beer suitable for a night out. However, it is a perfect beer to be enjoyed in a bar in Antwerp.

Overall I rank the Struise Mikkeller 8 out of 10.

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Pannepot Grand Reserva (2005 Vintage)

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Joep

When presented the opportunity to try one of ratebeer.com’s best rated beers, I jumped to the chance. Beers from “De Struise Brouwers” in general score quite high on beer rankings. Having tried the regular Pannepot at Gollem in Amsterdam (before I started blogging), the Grand Reserva definitely needed tasting. At Kulminator in Antwerp I was given the selection between two different years for the Pannepot Grand Reserva. I chose the 2005 version in a 33cl bottle.

Like the regular Pannepot, the Grand Reserva is a quadruple style beer with an alcohol content of 10%. It has a dark brown color and a high, but quickly fading, head when poured. The smell of the Grand Reserva is spicy; spicier than I remember from the original Pannepot.

The flavors of the Pannepot Grand Reserva are best described as sweet, spicy and tart with hints of cherries, grapes and the distinct flavor given by oak barrels. The sweetness is normal with quadruple style beers, but the tartness is something I’ve never experienced in quadruple style beers before. The sweetness quickly fades into this, almost wine like, tart and bitterness. This tart flavor is something I can’t remember in the regular Pannepot.

The 10% alcohol in the Pannepot Grand Reserva is clearly noticed. This is a beer definitely not suited to quench your thirst as the alcohol hits you.

Due to the tartness in the Grand Reserva, I like the regular Pannepot better. However if you’re into bitter beers, this is one to enjoy. Overall I give it 7.5 out of 10.

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La Trappe Quadrupel Oak Aged

Posted on February 20, 2011 by Joep

In celebration of my mother’s 50th birthday, my family and I went to Antwerp (the photos will be added to the main site asap). Like me, my family likes to taste and experience craft beer (we even arrange beer tasting sessions, but more on that in future posts). On beforehand this weekend promised to be an exciting weekend full of new and delicious Belgian craft beer.

As it just so happens, a few weeks ago, the website Ratebeer.com awarded Kulminator in Antwerp as the best beer bar in the world. So you can guess where I wanted to enjoy a few beers ;)

Kulminator is run by an elderly couple. The interior is kind of messy and feels like someone’s living room rather than a bar. This creates a really relaxed atmosphere. Add to this the incredible selection of beers (the list is as thick as a book) and I can see why this is awarded as the best bars in the world. It certainly ranks among the best bars I’ve ever been to. Unfortunately I do not have pictures from the bar. However, these can be easily found by image searching for “Kulminator Antwerp” on Google.

One of the beers available on draft was the La Trappe Quadrupel Oak Aged. Unlike the regular La Trappe, the Oak Aged variants are matured in different oak barrels. This maturing generates a distinct flavor to the Quadrupel, depending on the type of barrel. Untill now, La Trappe brewed 4 batches of the Oak Aged Quadrupel. Unfortunately I do not know which batch I tried, but I guess it was the second batch. Read on to find out why I think it was this batch.

The first thing I noticed is that the Quadrupel Oak Aged I tasted has a far larger head than the original Quadrupel. It also appears to have a lighter color than the original. However, this could be due to the lighting in the bar. The smell of the Oak Aged is sweet and fruity. I did not notice the smell of spices found in the original Quadrupel.

As for the taste: wow! Like the original, the Oak Aged tastes sweet. However, the bitterness and fruitiness are more balanced in this version. The taste of vanilla was clearly present. It also reminded me of port. A further improvement is the presence of the alcohol. In the Oak Aged variant, the alcohol comes through more than in the original. This provides for a more complex and, in my opinion, better flavor.

The aftertaste of the Oak Aged stays for a long time and is less sweet than the original. The vanilla and fruit stay; an aftertaste I really enjoyed.

On the website of La Trappe, the different batches of the Oak Aged Quadrupel are listed. The second batch consists of the types of oak which most closely resemble the port and vanilla flavors I tasted. Therefore I think this is the batch I’ve tasted. If anyone knows which batch was served on the 19th of February 2011, please let me know if I was right.

Overall, I rate this beer 9/10. It is the second best beer I’ve ever tasted and will definitely order it again in the future. If I will be given the chance due to its exclusivity that is.

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La Trappe Quadrupel

Posted on February 20, 2011 by Joep

After tasting the Amarillo from Brouwerij de Molen it was time to clear my palate with some water and taste a different beer. The La Trappe Quadrupel is one of my favorites and I’ve tasted it many times. This is the first (and only) time it appears on the blog.

First some information about the Quadrupel. The Quadrupel is brewed by brewery De Koningshoeve. De Koningshoeve is a Trappist abbey in the Netherlands. It is the only Trappist brewery outside of Belgium. All of the beers brewed by De Koningshoeve, under the La Trappe brand, qualify as Trappist style beers. A Trappist beer is categorized by 3 rules:

1.       The beer is brewed within the walls of a Trappist abbey, by the monks themselves or under their supervision.
2.       The brewery must be controlled by the monastery and have a business culture compatible with the monastic project.
3.       The purpose of the brewery is not to make a profit. The income takes care of the livelihood of the monks and the upkeep of the abbey site. What is left over is used for charitable purposes, social work and people in need.

This makes the Trappist beers somewhat special. Some of them are quite exclusive as they are not produced on a scale sufficient to cope with the demand.

The La Trappe website characterizes the Quadrupel as:

A unique Trappist beer that is even put to rest sorted by year in the cellars of the abbey for further fermentation. The strongest beer of La Trappe with a beautiful amber colour. The warm taste is full and well-balanced. A little bit sweet and pleasantly bitter.

The La Trappe Quadrupel is a slightly dark, amber colored beer. It doesn’t produce a lot of foam when poured into its distinct glass, as is common with quadruple style beers.

The Quadrupel smells sweet and spicy. This corresponds with the taste. The taste is rich and sweet, reminding me of caramel. The spiciness in the flavor reminds of coriander and a bit of cloves. Apart from the sweetness and the spiciness, the Quadrupel also hints to a fruity flavor. The bitterness from the description is present, but only for a little while. The sweetness stays for far longer.

The Quadrupel has 10% alcohol. Surprisingly, this does not show in the taste. The alcohol doesn’t “hit” you, as beers with high alcohol content in general do. This makes the beer quite easy to drink.  At the same time this makes the beer tricky, as it’s easy to drink too much.

The rich, sweet and spicy taste make the Quadrupel a perfect beer for cold winters. In my opinion it is too sweet and strong for summer. Overall I give this beer 8 out of 10.

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Amarillo – Brouwerij de Molen

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Joep

This is my first blogpost about one of my hobbies: trying and tasting craft beer. Blogging about my experiences with the beers I’ve tried suits various purposes. For me, it reminds me of why exactly I liked a certain type of beer. Normally people only remember if they like a beer or not, they tend to forget the reasons and flavors why they like this beer (at least that’s my personal experience). The other reason is to provide you, as reader, the opportunity to make a better decision whether or not to try a specific beer.

The first beer I’m going to blog about is Amarillo from Brouwerij de Molen. Two weeks ago I first tried the Amarillo during a nice, relaxing Saturday night with a few friends. The website of Brouwerij De Molen describes Amarilllo as:

This beer got its name from the American hop used in the brewing process. Amarillo is a powerful hop in aroma, flavor and bitterness. But of course we used other hops as well creating a beautiful combination. Not a beer to drink as a session beer (in Dutch: ‘doordrinkertje’) but one to enjoy.

From this description I was eager to try it.

Amarillo

Amarillo by Brouwerij de Molen

As soon as I opened the bottle the mentioned (hop)aromas filled my nose. Pouring the beer revealed an amber colored IPA with a normal amount of foam. Not like other reviews I’ve read, which say that it has quite a lot of foam. This is most likely due to the glass and pouring technique. The snifter I drank the beer in fully revealed the aromas. A pleasant smell if I say so myself.

The name of the beer is carefully chosen. The beer is quite “hoppy”, accompanied by citrus notes and a spicy aftertaste. The hop-bitterness is present at the start, but fades away into a slightly sweet aftertaste with the spices. The beer is strong in alcohol (9.2%) and it shows. The alcohol immediately hits and stays on the palate quite some time. All in all, the description given by the brewery matches the beer, although I do not really agree with the bitterness. In my memory, the slightly sweet aftertaste stays longer than the bitter flavors of the beer.

Overall I would give this beer 7.5 out of 10. If it wasn’t for the exclusiveness (and related price), I would definitely drink it again.

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