De Troch Winter Gueuze

De Troch Winter Gueuze with glass. Copyright 2016 by Andrew Dunn.

Today has been one of the coldest days of the year here in the mountains of Tennessee. For the first time, it really feels like winter has arrived.

No worries though. The Belgian Beer Bureau is off to Florida Saturday to soak up some sun, some suds, and some Disney magic. The weather’s so hot there now that we’ll be wearing shorts.

But until then, this tundra-like Thirsty Thursday has me thinking about winter beers. Yes, there are Christmas beers aplenty. But there are also winter porters, winter lagers, and even winter saisons.

Winter beers are often sweeter, spicier, fuller, maltier, and boozier. Those are all of my favorite combinations.

De Troch Winter Gueuze piqued my interest though. A winter gueuze? Gueuzes have always seemed to me to be more of a spring/summer kind of beer, given their light citrusy zing.

Brouwerij De Troch, located in Wambeek, Belgium, also brews the Chapeau line of fruit beers. I have never actually seen Chapeau. So I learned something researching this company.

But what of this winter gueuze? Well, it is in fact a gueuze flavored with raisins and winter spices, according to Wetten Importers.

Smell: De Troch Winter Gueuze smells like berries and wine. Fruity for sure.

De Troch Winter Gueuze poured into glass. Copyright 2016 by Andrew Dunn.

Sight: This is an odd pour, a hazy but bright orange. I was not expecting that. There’s a nice fluffy white head.

Taste: Grape soda. Seriously. It tastes just like grape soda. De Troch Winter Gueuze is a wild taste for sure.

Alcohol: At 5.5 percent, this beer is more like a hard grape soda. But not too hard.

Overall: I dug this beer. It is weird, and it really doesn’t make much sense. But I like it. To be sure, my appreciation was likely enhanced by the fact that I was eating barbecue. I think this winter gueuze pairs well with such. Also, I grew up in Alabama, home to Grapico grape soda. So there is likely some nostalgia there.

Bottom line: Here’s the sweetest part, I scored my bottle on major sale at $2. De Troch Winter Gueuze typically sells for $8, which is pretty steep. However, if you are looking for something off-color for your winter whiteout, give it a try.

Beer Review: Corsendonk Christmas Ale

Corsendonk Christmas Ale and branded tulip glass. Copyright 2015 by Andrew Dunn

Winter is finally waning here in Tennessee. The snow has melted and given way to chilly rain. So the time has come for my wife and I to polish off our now dwindled hoard of cold weather brews. We finished off our last bottle of Highland’s Cold Mountain Winter Ale last week.

But we aren’t alone in this spring cleaning effort. A lot of your local bottle shops are marking down winter beer for a quick sale. And I lucked on one recently, Corsendonk Christmas Ale. I had this one before some time ago, but I didn’t remember much about it.

I paid $7.99 for a 750 ml bottle here in Johnson City. That’s $2 off the regular price.

Smell: The aroma after popping the champagne style cork was a nice yeasty, bready smell with a bit of wine.

Corsendonk Christmas Ale poured into branded tulip glass. Copyright 2015 by Andrew Dunn

Sight: The pour was a deep mahogany with a thick cappuccino head.

Taste: It had a nice brown ale taste with a dash of sweetness and a pinch of bitter. There is, however, an oddly metallic taste that puts it off just a bit.

Alcohol: The alcohol clocked in at a strong 8.1 percent, but it wasn’t too heavy.

Overall: It is very drinkable. I wouldn’t put it at the top of the heap, but it is good.

Bottom Line: At $7.99 (on sale) for almost two beers in the bottle, it’s not a bad price on a premium beer. Some cheaper alternatives I can recommend would be New Belgium’s Abbey or Lagunitas’ Brown Shugga.