Country AND Western

Beer #661 Adriaen Brouwer / Brouwerij Roman, Oudenaarde, Belgium
Previously from this brewery: Another Adriaen, plus an Ename Cuvee (with a very nice picture of Flash right before he passed away) and another Ename Cuvee

You would think by now, this blog would write itself.  Nope.

Tonight's beer is one that I opened a few weeks back, mostly because I was sick of seeing it sitting on my beer shelf on the garage.  This strong dark ale from Brouwerij Roman poured with a dark mahogany color and an off white head.  The aroma is malty and bready, and there are flavors of caramel malt, plum and other dark fruits, and some warm spiciness.  Not a bad beer by any stretch, and one I'd have again, perhaps more so in the winter months.

Beer

This beer is named for Adriaen Brouwer, a famous Flemish painter born in the town of Oudenaarde. Beercycling made a quick stop in Oudenaarde to walk around the town square, a brief break on the way to Brouwerij Liefmans.  Nice place.

Thing to Think About Today:
So last night I watched the final episode of Breaking Bad, one of the two greatest shows in the history of television.  Is it better than The Wire?  Maybe not, just because I loved the way David Chase told the story of inner city Baltimore, touching on education, drug corners, local government, corruption, and blue collar workers.  He was a magician at making you realize the bad guys weren't all that bad, and the good guys weren't always that good.  Interestingly, Vince Gilligan of Breaking Bad pulled a similar trick, making you empathize for characters with huge moral flaws.  However, I will say confidently the last Breaking Bad episode (and truth be told, the entire last season) better than the last season and last episode of The Wire? By all means yes, and that's all I'll say about that, as I don't want to spoil anything.

So I leave you tonight with a country song, the one playing in last night's episode after Walter White found an old Marty Robbins tape in the glove compartment of his Volvo.  In a show where there were no throw away lines or scenes or images, this was a great way to start the last episode.... if you know the story the song El Paso tells.

I have been accused by many of not liking country music, and that's just not true.  I love old country music; Johnny Cash and Roger Miller are among the top played songs on my iPod.  Sadly, it's the new stuff that I just can't possibly relate to or appreciate.  However, a song about a guy who would rather risk everything to be with his loved one - in fact, would rather be shot dead - even if that meant just one kiss before he expired?  That's real country & western music, friends.  That's what it's all about.  The rhinestone suit is just a bonus.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fkdp0FPXnxU

"Maybe tomorrow a bullet will find me / Tonight nothing's worse than the pain in my heart"

Day 615: Gulden Draak 9000

No one really reads Friday posts and I'm utterly defeated by life lately. Now for the beer.

It's the Gulden Draak 9000. Mr. Blog Named Brew tells the story of how the 9000 came to be in a recent post so I won't rehash it.

It's brewed by the fine folks at Brouwerij Van Steenberge. It pours a deep amber color with a light tan head. It smells of biscuit dough with a light sweetness. The flavor is candi sugar, a little bit of chocolate and dark fruits. I also noted oranges.

Beer stats:
Style: Belgian strong dark ale
ABV: 10.5%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Great

Previously reviewed from Van Steenberge
His review of Gulden Draak 9000 and all the other posts linked up nice and neat here

Day 608: De Dolle Oerbier

The other beer I wrote notes on while visiting De Dolle Brouwers is the Oerbier. But before I get to the review, let's recap some of the highlights of our visit to De Dolle.

I got to see a coolship in action. What's that, you ask? It's a large shallow pan used to cool wort overnight using outside air temperature. During the cooling process, naturally occurring yeast in the air inoculates the wort. Once the wort is cooled, it moves onto the next stage of production--often barrel aging!

 

We also got to sample a year-old beer straight from the barrel. 

 Here I am enjoying it!

Several times on the Beercycling trip, Mr. Blog Named Brew mused about the terroir of beer. Terroir is a French wine concept incorporating everything that contributes to the distinctive character of a particular vineyard site. This includes its soil and subsoil, drainage, slope and elevation, microclimate, which in turn includes temperature and precipitation, exposure to the sun, wind and fog, and the like. It can also include strains of wild yeasts that come in on the grape skins and live in the wine cellars. 

But what does that mean for beer? Water, strains of yeast, varieties of hops and malts all give beer its characteristics. But what about equipment? Does equipment that is hundreds of years old change the beer? Maybe. Does a brewery's history have an impact? Absolutely. 

What about as a beer drinker? Is there terroir of beer drinking? Does time and place impact how good we think a beer is? We asked ourselves this question many times during the trip. Did the beers taste better because of where we were and who we were drinking with? I don't know. The halcyon glow of vacation likely had a positive impact on our perceptions but did it make an average beer seem that much better? Or was it possible that we didn't have a bad beer the entire time we were on vacation?

One beer that I'm pretty confident was just a darn good beer is De Dolle's Oerbier.

It poured a hazy brown with a thick cream-color head. It smelled slightly fruity and tart with an earthiness and some hop. The flavor is amazing. Lots of malt body with some dark fruit and tartness hiding out. Every few sips I could find some slightly sweet wine-like notes. I also wrote down silky with about sixteen exclamation points. I think I wanted to make a note of how silky it felt to drink.

What you can't really see in this photo is the phrase "Nat en Straf", which means wet and strong. I can attest that perfectly describes this beer. I could also claim it as my personal motto on the Beercycling trip as I ended most days soaking wet with sweat but feeling unstoppable. That's me...nat en straf.

Beer stats
Style: Strong dark ale
ABV: 9.5%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Great

Previously reviewed from De Dolle
My review of Dulle Teve, which includes me and a lot of spandex!
His and hers reviews of Arabier

Jazzy

Day #561 Brother Thelonious / North Coast Brewing Company, Fort Bragg, CA
Previously from this brewery: Scrimshaw, and more Scrimshaw

Wrapping up the weekend and my brain has nothing to say today.  Guess I used up all of my thoughts in trying to figure out Marion Barry vs. marionberry in yesterday's post.

Closing things out this weekend with a bottle of Brother Thelonious from North Coast Brewing.  This Belgian strong dark ale pours with a bright mahogany hue and a wispy white head.  Your nose finds aromas of malt and plums, and when you take a sip you get flavors of plum, apple, bread, and candi sugar.  Very interesting flavor, almost verging towards a barley wine sort of vibe.  Maybe not the best way to quench your thirst on a warm summer day, but certainly worth a try.

Jazz hands!

From their website: "North Coast Brewing Co. is proud to partner with the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz in support of Jazz education. The Brewery makes a donation to the Institute for every bottle of Brother Thelonious Belgian Style Abbey Ale sold."  See?  Buying beer is good for society!

Thing to Think About Today:
A beer that supports jazz music education obviously warrants some jazz in this space, but in an effort to continually keep you on your toes, I'm going to use a mashup of legendary jazz pianist Count Basie...... and non-jazz legend Busta Rhymes.  Trust me, it works:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4Z524p2Pbs

"Wooo hah!"

Day 474: N'Ice Chouffe, I Just Had It Stuffed

I have no idea how to pronounce the name of this beer, but in my head, it sounds like "nice chuff". And anytime I hear "nice (blank)", this movie scene pops into my head.

(Link)

Nice chuff, I just had it stuffed. Yup. Still sounds dirty.

N'Ice Chouffe is brewed by Brasserie d'Achouffe in Belgium. It is a Belgian strong dark ale brewed with spices--specifically thyme and curacao peel. It's a limited edition beer that is brewed once per year and I am pretty pleased I found it.

It reminded me of a winter warmer. It poured a reddish color and had a medium off white head. It smelled strongly of candi sugar with a hint of orange and a good pepper aroma. The flavor reminded me of crusty bread, very hearty. It had a hint of orange bitterness to it with lots of malt and dark fruits.

Beer stats

Style: Belgian strong dark ale

ABV: 10%

IBUs: Unknown

Rating: Excellent

Previously reviewed from Brasserie d'Achouffe

Mr. Blog Named Brew's musings on N'Ice Chouffe
His and hers reviews of La Chouffe

N'Ice and Smooth

Day #455 N'Ice Chouffe / Brasserie D'Achouffe, Achouffe, Belgium
Previously from this brewery: La Chouffe (and the Swedish Chef), and La Chouffe (and Chaka Demus & Pliers...?)

It's a Saturday, which of course explains why I'm up at 6am.  One day, I'll figure out how to sleep in properly.  One day.  Instead, I'm using my early start to take advantage of some quiet time to finish up a blog post I started last night, so I can spend the morning doing some form of exercise, and then spend the afternoon at work.  Gotta do what you gotta do!

Tonight's beer is N'Ice Chouffe, which isn't an adjective but instead a noun.  Please note N'Ice isn't the name of some up and coming rapper or a cough drop.  No, N'Ice is a Belgian strong dark ale from Brasserie d'Achouffe.  This beer has a dark mahogany color with an off-white head that lingers.  Big aromas of sweet, bready malt greet you, and when you take a sip you find a ton of candi sugar, bread, some underlying citrus and dark fruit, and hints of spice.  Really nice beer, definitely something I'd drink again in the future.

Awful picture? Check.

At 10% ABV, this may help take the edge off your stressful Friday nights.  But apparently not enough to make you sleep past 6am on a Saturday (your results may vary).

Thing to Think About Today:
I'll keep it simple and drop in exactly what you expect to see on a day where I'm drinking N'Ice - some Vanilla Ice.  Yo, VIP... let's kick it!  N'Ice, N'Ice baby.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rog8ou-ZepE

"Girls were hot wearing less than bikinis...."

Day 412: La Rulles Cuvee Meilleurs Voeux

I've used all my brain power today being strategic and pretending to be a leader. I have nothing left for you guys. My creativity is all tapped out. I promise to do better for the next installment.

For today's installment, let's talk Brasserie Artisanale la Rulles's Cuvee Meilleurs Voeux. A Belgian dark ale brewed in Belgium. I had this one ages ago at TJ's Restaurant. 

It pours a deep brown shade with ruby highlights around the edges where the light penetrates. It has a very thick light tan head.  It smells of malt and candy sugar--very clean and crisp. It has a thin mouthfeel. There's lots of rich malt in the flavor and a nice spiciness. I noticed some dark fruit but it didn't define the beer at all for me. The Cuvee Meilleurs Voeux is a nice Belgian strong dark ale, but there's nothing particularly outstanding about it. Would I drink it again? Sure. Will I go crazy trying to find it? No.

Beer stats 
Style: Belgian strong dark ale
ABV: 7.3%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Average
Previously reviewed from xxx
My thoughts on La Grande, a strong pale ale
A review of Estivale (Belgian pale ale)by Gary

Ocean's 9.5

Beer #329 Malus / Kane Brewing Company, Ocean Township, NJ

Busy morning filled with yoga and getting things done before the afternoon devolves into watching football and drinking beer.  Penn State takes the field at 3:30 against a Jekyll and Hyde sort of Purdue team.  I have no idea what to expect, so no predictions here.  Well, me drinking a beer is a safe prediction, if you're looking to make any bets today.

Fall is rapidly starting to turn into winter around here, just in case anyone was wondering.  Therefore, it makes sense to review Malus, a Belgian strong dark ale from Kane Brewing Company in New Jersey.  This beer was part of an elaborate beer trade/exchange with a friend and fellow beer geek a few weeks back.  It pours a dark, chocolate brown hue with a sparse off white head.  The aroma is tart, with apples, sweet malt, and yeast.  The taste has a ton of candi sugar, malt, apples, clove, and stone fruits.  Malus sports a hefty 9.5% ABV, but it doesn't taste boozy.  In my notes, I included a comment, "With malice toward none, with charity toward all."  Wait, that's actually an Abraham Lincoln quote, not one of mine.  I actually wrote, "Tastes like Belgium."  Very much liked this beer, and very much appreciate having generous beer geek friends willing to share!

Kane is able.

Kane Brewing opened their doors in the summer of 2001, and almost a week after Hurricane Sandy came ashore the brewery is still without power.  From their Facebook page, there was no significant damage at the brewery, which is good to hear.  If they need help drinking any extra beer, they should feel free to call me.

Thing to Think About Today:
With Kane Brewing as the beer of the day, is there ANY chance I'm putting anything in this space other than famous 80's rapper Big Daddy Kane?  Nope.  I'm just sad there isn't a video for Pimpin' Ain't Easy, thus making me switch to Smooth Operator for a Plan B video choice.  Enjoy your Saturday, peoples.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-E7G6yEjSQ

"Transforming on stage like a Decepticon..."

Beer 323: Kane Brewing Company Malus

In honor of the imminent arrival of Hurricane Sandy, I'm reviewing a beer that is handcrafted in Ocean, New Jersey. Kane Brewing Company's Malus is an ale brewed with local apple cider and spices. It's also a limited release.

It smells awesome...like spiced cider and a sour ale. It falls in the Belgian strong dark ale category and has an ABV of 9.5%.


From the bottle: inspired by a traditional Belgian style but redefined by locally sourced ingredients. Belgian candi sugar was replaced by local apple cider that is reduced in the brewery's kettle over several days. It's their inaugural bottling.

From what I can tell they launched in the summer 2011. If they keep making brews like this one, they'll be around for awhile.

The Malus poured a hazy, warm brown color with a tan head. The first sip is quite good. I will warn you that the higher ABV is very present. The flavor has a lot going on. It starts off sour apple. Then there's leather and spice. Then overripe fruit and bread. It finishes with just a little bit of bitterness. It also leaves a tartness at the back of my tongue. Not really dry but tangy.

It's very bubbly and champagne-like in its carbonation. This is a decidedly unusual beer, but I rate it great. Cheers!

Evolution Monday

Beer #310 Menagerie #7 / Evolution Craft Brewing Company, Salisbury, MD

I haven't had - or needed - a printer in my house in many, many years.  Which makes having to come home today, email myself something at work, drive back to the office, print it, and drive home again all the more irritating.  But it's for a good cause, and if I'm still alive tomorrow, I'll talk more about it then.  If.... if.

Tonight's beer is the Menagerie #7 from Evolution Craft Brewing.  You see a hazy dark amber color in the glass, and you find a good fruit aroma on the nose.  I would swear I picked up tart cherries, although I had been drinking before I sampled this, so don't take my word for it.  The taste is warm, with toffee, biscuit, some spice, and notes of dark fruit.  There's some tartness in there as well, and you can tell this is a potent beer - it does check in at 9% ABV, so it means business.While there's not much info on the Menagerie #7 on the brewery website, elsewhere on the web seems to indicate that this one is barrel aged with ginger.  All I know is this: this beer is very, very good!

So pretty

Evolution has been in business since 2009, when they opened up shop in an old grocery store.  Now you know.

Thing to Think About Today:
For reasons I can neither understand nor explain, this song has been stuck in my head all day.  Perhaps now it will be stuck in yours!  What does this song have to do with anything related to this beer, brewery, or anything else?  Absolutely nothing - it's just my gift to you this evening.  But you can be damn sure I just added this to iTunes, because who doesn't like listening to the Carpenters?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87XQKCXfFjQ

"Just like me, they long to be..... close to you....."

Beer 304: Evolution Menagerie #7

Mr. Blog Named Brew inquired as to what I was going to write about tonight and I thought, I'm kind of beat...it may just be a beer review. But no, it's your lucky night. I'm going to tell you how I'm being menaced by a cardboard man.

Mr. Pain in the Ass, I mean Blog Named Brew, snagged a "Stand Up Joe" a couple of weeks ago. It sat in the basement, folded up and relatively harmless. Sunday night cardboard Joe struck the first time.

Lurking in the corner of our home office, six feet of cardboard scared the crap out of me as I walked in to toss something in the trash. I muffled a scream and resisted the urge to attack. Fast-forward to 48 hours later and that goddamn cardboard jerk sneaks up on me again. This time it was Mr. Blog Named Brew who nearly got it. I'm now terrified that he's going to move Joe to somewhere better in the house -- a place that I'll pass by and not nearly have a heart attack when I think a stranger is in my house.

I may never leave the living room again.

Perhaps Stand Up Joe needs a Menagerie #7 from Evolution Craft Brewing Company to make himself a bit less creepy. Evolution is brewed in Salisbury, Maryland. Interesting note about Salisbury...I applied to go to college there. Not at the brewery...but at Salisbury University. It's basically the beach. Their mascot is a seagull. I imagine things would have turned out a lot differently had I gone there. Like beach bum college dropout differently...



But I digress. Menagerie #7 is a Belgian strong dark ale with an ABV of 9%. It poured a hazy chestnut color with a thin light tan head. It smelled strongly of Belgian candi sugar and grapes. Yes, light aromas of grapes. It drank with an almost lactic creaminess. It had a strong malt profile with hints of biscuits. There was some mild spiciness to it...maybe cloves and peppers. I also noticed a faint concord grape flavor.

This is a great beer. Cheers!

Who's the Man Now, Leroy?

Beer #273 Nostradamus / Brasserie Caracole, Falmignoul, Belgium

Well, that didn't go according to plan.  You see, that's the thing about sports - it's a zero sum game.  For every hero, there is a goat.  For every winner, a loser.  For everyone who becomes Mr. Popular in the blink of an eye, there's someone who may want to sleep with one eye open for a few nights.  There's a kid in Penn State's locker room who as of today very clearly won't go down in history.  Well, let me take that back, he'll go down in history, just not the right kind of history.  What everyone will conveniently ignore is that team sports are played by teams, and anyone who stepped on the field could have made one more play to change the game.  But they didn't, and here we are.  Losing sucks under all circumstances, and I refuse to accept it.

Today's beer is the Nostradamus, a strong dark ale from Brasserie Caracole.  In the glass, this beer has a dark chestnut color, and a huge tan head.  It looks more like a root beer float than a beer, in fact.  The aroma is filled with stone fruit, figs, and leather, and the taste has notes of cocoa, leather, figs, raisins, malt, and plums.  A big beer at 9% ABV, Nostradamus has a thin mouth feel, and would be the perfect beer for a cool, autumn evening.

Luscious

Caracole is brewed in a town near the French border, and is housed in a building dating back to the 18th century.  However, the link on their website to learn more about the history of the brewery is broken.  Sorry, Charlie.

Thing to Think About Today:
It's obvious that Penn State needs more confidence, more enthusiasm, more... (dare I say) swagger.  We were watching a re-run of How I Met Your Mother last night, and after being proven correct when people thought he was wrong, Barney dropped a great quote, "Who's the man now, Leroy?"  What most everyone in the world doesn't know, is that he was channeling one of the most confident, cocky, um.....swagger-y characters in the history of film: Sho'nuff, the Shogun of Harlem.

Sho'nuff!

Sho'nuff was the charismatic and violent villlian in The Last Dragon, a martial arts film about a clean cut young man named Leroy who must ascend to the "final level" in order to get the "glow", which is sort of like The Force from Star Wars.  In his path, is the ruthless and super cool Sho'nuff.  I'll go ahead and spoil the film for you - Leroy finally gets the glow, but it's Sho'nuff who steals the movie with his self-promoting style, mind-boggling confidence, and rather unique fashion sense.  Here's to Penn State either getting the glow or just kicking some ass along the way.  Either one works for me at this point.  I'll leave you with some classic Sho'nuff and Leroy to close out the evening:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylCvCwn9OG8

"Am I the baddest Mo Fo low down around this town?  SHO'NUFF!"

Beer 267: Three Things Including Caracole Nostradamus

I'm thinking about three things this gloomy Sunday.

1. There is a whole lot of you who read the blog and seemed genuinely interested in it. That is a pretty awesome feeling. Although best comment of the day goes to someone who doesn't read it. "I see that you write that blog. I don't read it. But I notice that you write it." I'm paraphrasing wildly but have to share because it cracked me up. I love brutal honesty.

2. Penn State football. Going into yesterday's game, there were times that I thought, of course, we're going to beat Ohio University. Who doesn't beat the Ohio University Bobcats? There were moments that I was convinced there was just too much pressure on a young team and we'd choke and spend the afternoon embarrassing ourselves.

The result was pretty overwhelmingly the latter but there were a lot of glimmers of hope. Those moments of clarity where things clicked and all was not lost. But the team couldn't string enough of those moments together and those darn Bobcats won the day. It is going to be a long season. It is going to be a roller coaster of a season. And I am going to love every moment of it.

3. Beer. Although for the past eight or so months, it's challenging to pinpoint a time when I'm not thinking about beer.

Today's beer: Caracole Nostradamus - a Belgian strong dark ale brewed in Belgium that weighs in at 9% ABV.


It poured an almost black brown color with a very thick, dense tan head. Based on the beer's smell, I knew I was going to love it. I may even have declared that I needed a spoon so I could eat the head like ice cream! It was creamy and tart sweet.

The smell was toasty bourbon with caramel and some spice. It drank with a medium mouthfeel that was lightened by the carbonation. The flavor had anise, roasted malt, caramel and molasses. As it warmed up a bit, hints of lemon and raisin came through. This is an excellent beer.

Cheers!

Contemplating a Clip On Tie.....

Beer #136 Grande Réserve / Bières de Chimay, Baileux, Belgium

For the life of me today, I can not remember how to tie a bow tie.  I don't do it often, but will be doing it this week for a black tie event.  And all of the stupid videos and helpful diagrams on the internet are not helping one bit.  I'm close, just not all the way there.  I'll keep at it, but it's not going as fast as it should.  This is cutting into my beer drinking time...

Tonight's beer is the blue label from Chimay, one of the most well known and readily available Trappist beers.  The blue label signifies their Grand Reserve, a strong dark ale.  It pours a dark mahogany color with a a persistent off-white head in the glass.  Your nose picks up aromas of plums and sweet malt, and the taste has a very clean, dry, rich malt flavor.  You get notes of stone fruits, yeast, caramel, and spice.  Very complex and delicious, this amazing brew checks in at 9% ABV.

If you find yourself in a bar with Chimay and aren't sure which variety to order, don't fret.  They're all delicious.  Brewed by the Cisterian Monks of Chimay since 1862, this beer is on the cusp of the Top 25.  Find it, drink it.

Thing to Think About Today:
If I'm thinking about rocking the tuxedo, then let's all stop and think about the man who does it best.  Bond.  James Bond.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F208Zc4pXbk

Beer 136: Chimay, Hippo, Silent Bob

Today was a good but odd day.  It started with me getting passed by a pick up truck on my morning commute.  Not all that odd until you realize there was a very large ceramic (?) hippo riding in the back of the truck.  Do you have any idea how hard it is to take a photo of a hippo in a pick up truck while hurtling down the highway?  Here’s proof…it’s the best of the ones I managed to take.

The driver had to know how crazy this looked, right?

Then I did this at work:

I want everything in my world to have neon accents.

The day closed with a Silent Bob sighting at CVS.  It was at that point I learned I don’t take photos well in a sneaky manner either.  The dude gave me the finger.  And I didn’t get a photo of that either.  Ugh.

***

Tonight I’m drinking a Chimay Grande Reserve.  It’s a Belgian strong dark ale weighing in at 9% ABV.  It poured an opaque brown in the glass with a fluffy tan head.  The smell is caramel and malt.  The taste is really well balanced.  There isn’t a particular flavor that yells, “Hey notice me! This beer tastes like raisins.”  It is very smooth. The higher ABV is evident but not overwhelming.  I definitely recommend savoring the Grande Reserve and not chugging it.  High carbonation keeps it light.  This is probably my favorite of the Chimay beers out there.

Cheers.

Tuesday: Shirts, Steak, Strong Dark Ale

Beer #101 Ename Cuvee / Brouwerij Roman, Oudenaarde, Belgium

Getting my hustle on tonight, which includes shopping for window pane plaid button down dress shirts (because that's pretty much all I wear) and hitting a steak house for dinner (shout out to my team for hooking me up at Christmas this year!).

That means you get the facts tonight.  And the fact is your beer for today is Ename Cuvee, a Belgian strong dark ale from Brouwerij Roman, which was on draft at Teresa's Next Door.  It pours a cloudy sort of amber, and has a faint malt aroma on the nose.  The taste has notes of bread and malt sweetness, with floral notes around the edges.  Not the greatest strong dark ale ever; I was expecting much more complexity and flavor from this one.  This being said, we have a bottle of another variety (Adriaen Brouwer) from this brouwerij, which we'll drink and see if it's any better.  Brouwerij of course means "brewery" to those not fluent in Dutch, like I am.  Marci also sampled this beer, check that out HERE.

Interesting fact: this brewery lives in the same hometown as Brouwerij Liefmans, which was beer #99.  Shout out to all my Oudenaarde peoples!

I had a picture of this beer, which comes in a Ename labeled glass at Teresa's, but my camera didn't save the picture.  Which seems odd.  So instead you get a picture of Flash enjoying nature in the yard.  He's not doing well this week, so hopefully some sunny weather will lift his spirits.

Chillin', chillin', mindin' my business...

Thing to Think About Today:
I have nothing to relate to the number of this post, the beer or brewery, or my evening destinations.  So, here's the song that was playing on the iPod when I drove home - Franz Ferdinand with some great summer weather and windows down driving music.  Turn it up.  Go ahead, you've earned it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaurgcMVTOs 

It's always better on holiday
So much better on holiday
That's why we only work when...
We need the money!

Beer 92: Hitachino Nest XH and Spoiled Rotten Dachshunds

Sunday Funday.  Today would best be described as a life of leisure.  It started off at Classic Diner with an awesome breakfast.  If you live in this area and haven’t been there, go there immediately -- or as soon as they open because they make awesome breakfast.  I’m sure the rest of their food is delicious -- I’m just partial to the breakfast.

Next up was provisions as I’m in charge of food for the next two days.  Hello cereal, scrambled eggs and beer for dinner.  I have a fresh manicure and pedicure and it came with a hot stone massage for my feet/legs and a back rub.  Nice.  (And no, Gary, I didn’t have to sell the Mini to pay for it!)  So what better way to continue this leisurely Sunday, than with a Belgian strong dark ale from Japan.  What now?  Belgian ale from Japan?  Let’s see how this goes…

The Hitachino Nest XH poured a murky dark brown in my tulip glass.  It’s aged in oak barrels previously used to age sake.  I like sake.  We seem to be on the right path.  The XH smells very similar to a Flanders red ale and if you’ve paid any attention to my writing, you know that is a big plus in my book.

The taste is summed up best by imagining that a Flanders red ale made babies with a brown ale.  It isn’t predominantly hop or malt forward.  I’m not getting any sake influence but there is an oak thing happening.  There is also fruit thing happening - not quite lemon - that lends a bit of tartness and some spice.  It didn’t pour with a big foamy head but it drinks with a lot of carbonation.  That’s kind of decreasing my oodles of satisfaction.  I’d like for it to be smoother.  I also think my refrigerator is entirely too cold.

At about midway through the glass, the XH is beginning to give me more wine-like characteristics.  And every once in awhile I swear I taste bleu cheese.

The XH supposedly means extra high alcohol content.   I wouldn’t quite call 8% ABV high, but what do I know.  Maybe the rules are different in Japan and I’m too lazy to research it.  Remember…I’m leisuring today.

I would drink this again if I encountered it.  I’m also a big fan of the Hitachino Nest white ale.  I haven’t had one in what feels like ages.  It is always available at Teresa’s Next Door and I’ve been keeping it in my back pocket in case I’m running low on new breweries to sample later this year.  I’m glad I gave up my review of the white ale for the XH.

From what I remember, the white ale has a lot spice - clove and ginger.  It’s also nice and citrusy.  Lots of malt and drinks easy.  It would be a great summertime beer.

And on that note, I leave you with this image of two of my spoiled rotten dachshunds.  Yes, they get to lay in their bed out on the deck.

Cheers!  It’s only going to get better this week!

p.s.  As I was getting all the links for this post, I made the Japan-earthquake connection.  Photos of the damage around the brewery are here.  And photos of the brewery are here.  Mother Nature scares the shit out of me.