Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
From Draft Magazine…
“Exciting news about a new release coming from 21st Amendment this fall.
The brewery will launch its Signature Series line of limited releases with Monksblood, a “dark Belgian with a ton of West Coast hops that’s port-infused with an oak finish and vanilla notes.” The brew, which checks in at 8.5% ABV and will totally alter how you think of beer in cans, required a trip to Belgium to perfect.”
Belgian is obviously the style of 2009. From The Bruery in Orange County to Ommegang in New York, it is where the cutting edge of brewing is happening.
Now I hear through the grapevine about two new offerings from Chicago’s Goose Island. Juliet which is a Belgian Sour and Sofie which is a farmhouse ale. They are now on my ever expanding list of beers I really need to taste.
If you have sampled them and have an opinion you would like to vent then comment below. I would enjoy seeing what people think.
Now that I have fully recovered from the awesome amount of Belgian beers (25 on tap, 117 total) Here are some photos and commentary….
As you can see, a beautiful day in Carslbad, California.
The first beer of the day! Craftsman’s La Luz. Great way to start. Light but with a punch of flavor. Really excellent beer for a sunny day.
The second beer was # 16 on the list. The infamous Lost Abbey, Cuvee de Tomme. A super sour beer that is still way drinkable. My first sip was way sour but it mellows and is just excellent. Top beer of the day for me.
I was back at the taps for beers 3 and 4. A Dubbel and a Quad. The Dubbel from Hollister in Santa Barbara was good. Strong taste. Made with raisin puree. The even stronger quad was the Russian River Mortification. 11% alcohol and really good. Both are excellent choices.
I was four for four. Then I chose the only boring beer I had. The Pizza Port Faceplant from the San Clemente location. Not bad but the description said coriander and orange zest. Didn’t taste it. The alcohol must have obliterated the spicing.
Onto beers 6 and 7. I left the draft list and for my last two beers chose European beers. First was Baladin’s Al-Ikser. Very complex. A sipping beer not a “guzzling” beer for sure. Had a great smell and almost too many flavors maybe due to the fact it was made with whiskey yeast. The final beer was Boon’s Marriage Parfait. A vintage gueze. The 2nd best beer of the day. Sour but delicate. Easy to drink which is saying something for gueze. This was the 2003 vintage.
So Cuvee de Tomme, Marriage Parfait and La Luz are the top 3 but there were so many I didn’t try. Among them the Saison de Lente from the Bruery, Cascade Sour Fruit Ale, Nogne Saison and Ommegang’s Chocolate Indulgence. There is always next year.
These guys do some seriously great Belgian beer. I have had their Bam Bier and La Roja. Very good. Subtle too, which is good for a Belgian beer. They have many great special beers too. Newly out is one called Firefly. According to Beer Advocate they are the 8th best brewery in America.
This beer has so many different aspects. It is light, wheaty, cidery and delicious. It is the first Belgian beer that really knocked my socks off. Very refreshing.
This is a big Belgian beer from the always good Green Flash Brewery. Very good when your bones are chilled and the rain is coming down.