Fort Lapin 10

Fort Lapin 10 with branded glass. Copyright 2017 by Andrew Dunn.

Spring break is here in East Tennessee, which has mercifully allowed me some time to actually work on this blog.

In discussing a future honeymoon to Belgium some friends plan to take this summer, I thought about some of the great beers we sampled on our own trip. What amazes me still is the wide variety available.

Dark sweet brews, bright sour lambics, tasty hop bombs. Any beer lover can find something appealing.

As I have mentioned, I tend to skew to the dark side (of beer). Quads or Belgian strong darks are specifically my favorites. So while I cast a wide net in Belgium, I was always looking for the big ones.

Fort Lapin is a small brewery run in Bruges, Belgium, which is where I sampled the brewery’s quad, Fort Lapin 10.

Smell: The nose is malty and yeasty, but it’s not a strong smell.

Fort Lapin poured into branded glass. Copyright 2017 by Andrew Dunn.

Sight: The beer pours dark brown with a big lacy beige head.

Taste: Fort Lapin 10 has a heavy roasted malt flavor. The character is much more similar to a porter or stout rather than a quad. There are some herbal notes as well.

Alcohol: Well, the alcohol is 10 percent as the name would suggest. But the taste isn’t too heavy on the booze.

Overall: I’m less wild about quads that are roasty like this one. I can’t say I would get it again.

Bottom line: You can find a Fort Lapin for a few euros.

Beer Review: St. Bernardus Abt 12 Oak Aged

St. Bernardus Abt 12 Oak Aged with a branded goblet. Copyright 2015 by Andrew Dunn.

Today’s a big day around here at the Belgian Beer Bureau. It’s my birthday!

I celebrated in my usual manner. I had a fantastic burger at my favorite local restaurant, Mid City Grill, a BYOB restaurant, and took along a new Belgian beer to sample.

Given that it is my birthday, I tried a special one tonight. I have already written about my love for St. Bernardus Abt 12, which is brewed in Watou, Belgium. But I hadn’t tried the Oak Aged Abt 12 until tonight.

I even broke out my vintage St. Bernardus goblet for the occasion. I bought it for $1 at a local thrift store. Happy birthday to me, indeed.

Smell: Red wine is the first thing that hits you. Then it mellows into a typical Belgian, yeasty, dark beer smell.

St. Bernardus Abt 12 Oak Aged poured into a branded goblet. Copyright 2015 by Andrew Dunn.

Sight: St. Bernardus Abt 12 Oak Aged pours a dark chocolate hued with red mahogany. It is topped with a full oak-stained frothy head.

Taste: Spicy and sweet with only a faint red wine quality. This beer does  seem drier than the regular Abt 12. If there is any oaky or vinous sour tinge, it is indistinguishable.

Alcohol: This is a heavyweight, punching in at 11 percent. Sip slow and among friends.

Overall: I love Abt 12, and I love Oak Aged Abt 12 just as much. But to be honest, it didn’t blow me away. I was expecting more. I was expecting this monumental shift, this complete divergence from the regular Abt 12. I was expecting a full-bodied, Burgundy wine, sour beer, funky explosion. And it just didn’t deliver. It tastes a lot like Abt 12. That’s not a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination. But it wasn’t ground-breaking either. So overall, I still love it. And yet, it still let me down.

Bottom line: OK, this bottle of beer is stupid, STUPID expensive. My 750 ml bottle, a present from my mom, came from a local shop for about $28. That was cheap. Most have it for $30 and more. INSANITY! There is no way this beer is worth that. Look, Abt 12 is already a pricey beer. This Oak Aged Abt 12 just off-the-chain expensive. There is no way you can justify that price to me. It tastes exactly like regular Abt 12, which is about half that price. All I can say is that this beer is 100 percent NOT worth the price on the bottle. I love it, but regular Abt 12 tastes exactly the same.

Beer Review: Chimay Blue/Grande Reserve

Chimay Blue with glass. Copyright 2015 by Andrew Dunn.

I’m enjoying a week off before starting a quick summer maymester. So last night, my wife and I took in the new Avengers movie, which as a comic book fanatic I enjoyed, and grabbed some pizza and beer.

Our local Mellow Mushroom has an awesome beer list. That list includes all three Chimay varieties: red, white, and blue. Just like Captain America!

Anywho, Chimay is a Trappist beer brewed by the monks of the Scourmont Abbey in Chimay, Belgium. The colors represent different beer styles and their corresponding labels and caps. Red for the double, white* for the triple, and blue for the quad.

Well, you know which one I opted for. Chimay Blue, also known as the Grande Reserve, was originally brewed as a Christmas beer. You will know it by its blue label.

Smell: Yeasty, bready, and boozy. It’s a strong nose.

Sight: It pours much like a German dark or English brown ale. Cola-like with a

Chimay Blue poured into a glass. Copyright 2015 by Andrew Dunn.

nice beige head.

Taste:  This is a rather spicy beer. There’s a nice balance between malty sweetness and hoppy bitterness. There’s a bit of dried fruit, fig or raisin. But it isn’t as sweet as most quads.

Alcohol: Chimay Blue is 9% alcohol and is the heftiest of the three Chimay varieties. It is hefty as well. Some of that “spice” I referred to is the alcohol.

Overall: Chimay Blue is a solid quad or Belgian strong dark. If you are put off by the sweetness of some quads, then give this one a try. I can usually find Chimay in upscale restaurants, so it is my go-to beer. I also use it to introduce people to Trappist ales.

Bottom line: I paid $9 at the Johnson City Mellow Mushroom. I can’t find the beer for less than $6 or $7 in the bottle shops. So this is a fair price, especially for a restaurant. And it is well worth the price of admission. If you want to try out the Trappist way of beer. Try this one.

*I should point out that the Chimay White is not actually a white beer or witbier, but is instead a triple. And it used to have more of a gold label. But there is already a Chimay Gold, which is a low-alcohol beer brewed for the monks and not widely available. Anyway, most people in the United States know Chimay by its colors. But you might be better off ordering a Chimay Triple by name. Just a weird, cross-cultural thing.

Beer Review: Straffe Hendrik Quadrupel

Straffe Hendrik Quadrupel and O.G. Copyright 2015 by Andrew Dunn.

To reward myself for a day’s worth of grading today, I cracked open a Straffe Hendrik Quadrupel. This is a beer brewed by Da Halve Maan Brewery in Bruges, Belgium.

The brand, which is one of two owned by De Halve Maan, also comes in a tripel variety. But you guys know how I feel about quads.

Smell: It has a light prune aroma. It’s not an unappealing scent. Just an earthy, dried fruit smell.

Sight: This quad pours chocolatey brown with a nice hazelnut head.

Straffe Hendrik Quadrupel poured into O.G. Copyright 2015 by Andrew Dunn.

Taste: This beer has a strong boozy burn to it, like a fiery whiskey. I think it would benefit from aging. There is also a sweet malty flavor. It has a bit of that roasted malt flavor you get from a porter or a stout. That makes it stand out a bit.

Alcohol: Straffe Hendrik’s quad waddles in at 11.2 percent. That’s high by any measure. As I mentioned, the alcohol is pronounced. So this won’t be a beer you will be chugging at the beach.

Overall: I do like the toasty malt flavor. While I don’t mind the burn, some may be turned off by it. I really do think I’d like to try it again with some age on it. All in all, though, it is a good beer and worth a taste.

Bottom line: This beer runs about $5. While that seems a high price to pay, it compares quite well with other more expensive quads. So it is worth buying if you are looking for a cheaper quad option.

 

Beer Review: Gulden Draak 9000

Gulden Draak 9000 poured into a chalice. Copyright 2015 by Andrew Dunn.

One of my favorite places to pretend I’m in Belgium is in Greenville, South Carolina. There’s a great little pub there called The Trappe Door. That’s where I first tried Gulden Draak 9000, a quadruple brewed by the Van Steenberge Brewery in Ertvelde, Belgium.

I know Gulden Draak 9000 sounds like some kind of cyborg or sports car. But there’s an interesting story to the funny name.

The city of Ghent, Belgium, has a golden dragon (or gulden draak in Dutch) at the top of its belfry, which just so happens to be the tallest in the country. So the beer takes its name from that reptilian guardian.

And what about the 9000? Well, that’s the postal code for the city. Beverly Hills, 90210. Gulden Draak, 9000. It helps distinguish the quadruple from the Belgian dark, which is just called Gulden Draak.

Smell: Bourbon and raisin bread.

Sight: This beer is the lightest color quad I’ve ever poured. It is really just amber, not the near black you usually see with a quad. It has an off white head with sudsy legs.

Taste: There is sweet caramel with notes of raisins. There’s a nice fire in the throat. It’s a little less complex compared to others, but it is still very nice.

Alcohol: The dragon tips the scale at 10.7 percent. It is a fiery beverage. Expect a bit of burn.

Overall: I like 9000. It’s an approachable quad. It’s not too cloyingly sweet. And it isn’t one that is going to overwhelm the drinker new to the style.

Bottom line: I bought mine at a bar. But you can pick up a bottle for between $4 and $6. So it is cheaper than, but not as good as Rochefort 10 or St. Bernardus 12.

 

Beer Review: Rochefort 10 (My Favorite, For Now)

Rochefort 10 with a branded vintage goblet. Copyright 2015 by Andrew Dunn.

It’s Easter Sunday, and my wife and I have prepared a holiday feast. I baked a beautiful ham with Hawaiian pepper jelly, a gift from my island friend. We also made potato salad, green beans, rolls, and macaroni and cheese.

Of course, special holidays call for special beers. I don’t do feasts without my favorite beer, Rochefort 10. This is the flagship beer from the Rochefort Brewery near the Belgian town of the same name.

All three Rochefort beers are products of  the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Saint-Rémy, a Trappist monastery. Trappists are charged by the Rule of St. Benedict to live by the work of their own hands. And this beer is simply a divine work of art.

Rochefort 10 is an abbey quadruple or Belgian abt. The monks use water from a well within their monastery to make the beer. To be an authentic Trappist product, as Rochefort is, the beer must be made by the brothers themselves.

How do I know it is my favorite? Easy, I conducted a blind taste test, which I referred to in a previous post.

I pitted the Rochefort 10 against Chimay Blue, St. Bernardus Abt 12, and the legendary Westvleteren 12. Rochefort 10 won out in both rounds. Westvletern 12 was a close second.

So why do I say it is my favorite for now? Well, I am really fond of Achel’s Extra Bruin. So I’ll be doing another taste test, which I will naturally report on here.

Anyway, it seems apropos to review my favorite monk-made beer on Easter Sunday. Plus, it pairs well with good food and warm family meals.

By the way, I’m using a vintage Rochefort crystal goblet for today’s review. It is one of my favorite beer glasses as it feels loved and used. The newer Rochefort goblets are rimmed in gold and look fancier.

Smell: It’s a wonderful bouquet of red wine, rum cake, and raisin bread.

Rochefort 10 poured into a branded vintage goblet. Copyright 2015 by Andrew Dunn.

Sight: It pours an antique wood brown and is completely opaque. It has a small lacy ivory head. The brew is peppered with heavy dark sediment.

Taste: Heavenly. Rochefort 10 has a complex flavor. You taste dark spiced rum and molasses. Then there is a bourbon flavor and burn in the mouth and throat. But it finishes with a red wine dryness, like a fine burgundy. The spiciness intensifies as you drink and as the beer warms.

Alcohol: Rochefort 10 tips the scale at a hefty 11.3 percent. This is not a chugging beer. In fact, that would be down right sacrilegious. Sip this beer. Nurse this beer. Respect the work, the labor, the love that went into it. And when you finish it, mourn its loss.

Overall: This beer is truly blessed. I  proselytize on its behalf.  I sing its praises to any that will hear. I implore you, try it. You too will become a convert. Except my wife. She hates it. Then again, she likes IPAs.

Bottom line: Brace yourself. I bought my bottle for $7.25 at a bottle shop in Asheville, North Carolina. I know. But seriously, that’s actually cheap. I’ve seen it go for higher than $8 a bottle. And no, it’s not a 750 ml bottle. We are talking about just a regular old beer bottle. I am sorry. Yet this is the price we pay for perfection. Accept no false idols.

Beer Review: St. Bernardus Abt 12

St. Bernardus Abt 12 with branded crystal goblet. Copyright 2015 by Andrew Dunn.

As I have written previously, quads or abts (Belgian strong dark beers) are my favorites. So I didn’t want to jump in and just do all of my favorites up front. But the time is finally here. I’m reviewing St. Bernardus’s Abt 12. And yes, it is one of my favorites.

I first became interested in St. Bernardus’s Abt 12 when I started reading about Westvleteren 12, which is often cited as the best beer in the world. The former is supposedly a clone of the latter. I have tasted both. And while the Westy is genuinely superior, they are similar in taste. Both were part of  a blind taste test I conducted a few years ago, which I will discuss in an upcoming post.

St. Bernardus Brewery is located in Watou, Belgium. My next review will feature a beer from the Van Eecke Brewery, also in Watou. This is a small village with a lot of beer history. It’s roughly 20 miles from Westvleteren, which is home to the monastery that brews the beer of the same name, and 20 miles from Poperinge, which features a museum dedicated to hops. This is essentially beer central for Belgium. So to have a great beer from here shouldn’t be surprising.

I procured my specimen (actually four of them) from a store in North Carolina. For reasons beyond me, my area of Tennessee does not have St. Bernardus beer. This is tragic, but I digress. Each bottle will set you back $4.99. I know, pricey. I will get to that.

St. Bernardus Abt 12 poured into branded crystal goblet. Copyright 2015 by Andrew Dunn.

Smell: The initial whiff is boozy on the nose. You can really smell the alcohol. But there is a sweetness to it. There are also red wine and floral notes.

Sight: The beer is a deep, dark, murky brown. There’s a small manila head and nice lacing as you gently swirl the beer.

Taste: The taste is caramel with a fiery tinge. It eases into a soft bitterness on the back of the tongue. There is great complexity here.

Alcohol: At 10 percent, this beer is loaded. But it doesn’t ruin the flavor so much as enhances it, which is what I truly love about quads.

Overall: This is a fantastic beer. I’m obviously a fan. But this is a beer that pairs well with food, both savory and sweet. Sip slow and enjoy.

Bottom line: At $4.99 a bottle (375 ml/12.6 oz), I get this might not be one you want to stock your beer fridge with.But you should.It really is worth it. If you are lucky, you might find it cheaper in your state. And when compared to other quads in price and quality, this is a recommended investment.