Day 633: Fantome Printemps

Throughout the entire vacation in Belgium, Mr. Blog Named Brew was on the lookout for any offerings from Fantome. Fantome is a one-man operation in Soy, Belgium that specializes in saison style beers. Much to our surprise, it is easier to get Fantome beer in the States than it is in Belgium. Go figure! 

So mere days after arriving home this summer, I hit up Teresa's Next Door (an excellent Belgian beer bar in Wayne, Pennsylvania) and bought up one of each of whatever Fantome bottles they had in stock. 

This was the first bottle I broke into--Fantome Printemps saison. It's a Belgian ale brewed with spices and from what I could gather the recipe changes with the seasons each year. Unfortunately for me, I couldn't discern what year I had. 

It poured a hazy, medium golden color with a sticky white head. It smells spicy...lots of black pepper. The flavor is smoky and kind of bacony. Sadly this beer doesn't do it for me. As it warmed up the smokiness turned into more of a wood ash flavor and really overpowered any nuanced saison flavors. 

Beer stats

Style: Saison

ABV: 8% 

IBUs: Unknown

Rating: Average

Previously reviewed from Fantome 

Mr. Blog Named Brew's review of a saison that drives a great deal of traffic to our site thanks to King Boo!

My review of the same saison

Day 632: Perennial and Half Acre Make a Beer Baby

I'm just going to borrow what's already been written about this collaboration between Perennial Brewing and Half Acre Brewing from the Beer Street Journal (obviously correcting for typos because typos! Seriously?): One of St. Louis, Missouri’s newest breweries Perennial is collaborating with Half Acre Beer Company (Chicago). The beer is dubbed Plan B and is the first collaboration by Perennial. Plan B is a sour mash Belgian dark ale brewed with black currants. Currants are perennial berries with a sweet taste.

I found my Plan B at TJ's--my go to beer bar. It poured a deep, dark brown color ale with a tan head. It smells like wet wood and light smoke. The flavor is mild with just a hint of sour. The currants were very understated and I'm not sure I would have noticed them if I didn't already know they were in there.

Beer stats
Style: Belgian dark ale
ABV: 8%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Good

Previously reviewed from Half Acre
My review of Daisy Cutter with a warning on the dangers of string cheese
Mr. Blog's review of Daisy Cutter and some excellent breakfast recommendations in Chicago (mine has a far greater entertainment value!)

Previously reviewed from Perennial
First one!

Agriculture and Old School Rap; Perfect Together

Day #631  Keikoppenbier / Brouwerij De Plukker, Poperinge, Belgium
Previously from this brewery: Keikoppen

Back home after a  road trip to New Jersey to watch football yesterday.  Not a perfect day by any stretch of the imagination, but it did include a PSU win, which is always welcome.

I mentioned yesterday that part of the Beercycling tour took us through the region of Belgium famous for growing hops, and right in the middle of this was Brouwerij De Plukker, notable for being the first organic brewery as well as for growing their own hops on the farms next door.  We had a chance to meet the owners, Joris and Kris, who were nice enough to take time out of their day to give a Masters class in hop farming and brewing, share some of their beers, and let us wander around and take pictures.  In case you didn't know (and I didn't):
1. Hops grow on vines that are staked and supported by wires, and the vines grow at least 20 feet high or so
2. There are male and female versions of the plant
3. Having male versions of the plant in your hop field can get you in hot water, as only unpollinated plants have lupulin, the oil that helps preserve and flavor beer (or something like that)
4. Hops enjoy the same soil qualities as potatoes; hence, you often see them in places like Belgium and the Pacific Northwest
5. Hop cones smell DELICIOUS
6. De Plukker uses no pesticides on their farm, instead relying on natural methods to control pests

Grow up delicious!

Enough about agriculture, you're here for the beer.  We sampled a glass of Keikoppenbier, a blonde ale with a huge head and a dark gold hue.  There are light aromas of citrus and pine, and the taste pleasantly reminded me of an American Pale Ale in hoppiness and flavor.  It was dry and earthy, with a touch of bitterness on the finish.  Very enjoyable beer, and I greatly enjoyed meeting the brewers/farmers and hearing their story.

so pretty.....

Per the owner, the name of this beer is derived from a nickname of someone who lives in Poperinge, and describes someone who is stubborn and hard headed.

Thing to Think About Today:
All that learning about hops today means more hops are still needed.  If I need more hops, then I'm taking you back in time to 1993 to let Naughty By Nature drop some Hip Hop Hooray on us all.  Hooray for hops!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qA2_-eQ26tY

"cause I'm naughty by nature, not 'cause I hate ya"

Hops on Pops

Day #630 Poperings Hommelbier / Brouwerij Van Eecke, Watou, Belgium
Previously from this brewery: Het Kappitel Watou Blond and another Watou Blond

Today marks the first day of the 2013 Penn State football season.  It doesn't feel like the first day.  Maybe it's me; maybe I haven't prepped and planned the way I usually do.  Maybe it's the fact the first game isn't in Beaver Stadium.  However, at 3:30pm today they kick off, so I better get myself ready for football... and fast.

Keeping the wheels turning on the glut of reviews from the trip to Belgium, and today's offering is a glass of Poperings Hommel Bier, a Belgian IPA from Brouwerij van Eecke.  In the glass you get a very bright and clear gold color, with a traditional monster white head.  Compared to other Belgian beers, this one is quite hoppy, both in aroma and taste, with mellow citrus flavors.  Whereas American hoppy beers give you pine aromas and flavors, this one has more of an herbal taste.  Earthy and green and tasty with a touch of malt sweetness, this beer is rather refreshing and enjoyable.  I'm not sure anyone is flying to Belgium to drink Hommelbier, but maybe they should.

This beer is brewed in Watou, a small town near the French border.  You'll hear more about Watou as I continue to go through beers.  This area is famous for growing hops, one of the main ingredients in beer. Therefore, a very important place from a geographic sense in the Belgian beer culture.  In fact, this beer is brewed using only locally grown hops. Outside of the beer world, this area is more famously known for being the nexus of trench warfare during the First World War.

Hi there, sexy.

Hops, in the local dialect, are known as 'hommel', and Poperinge is the name of the region where the hops are famously grown, hence the name of this beer.  If you wanted to learn more about hops than you ever thought possible... stay tuned.

Thing to Think About Today:
A few of my friends and I have recently been discussing a below the radar rap group from the early 90s, 3rd Bass. These guys are sort of like the Beastie Boys Light, although unlike the fun loving Beasties they spend considerable time rapping about the legitimacy of the rap game and societal issues facing African Americans. This is notable, as the two main members of the group were white.

Why am I discussing this?  In the spirit of Poperings and hops, I present some hip-hop in Pop Goes the Weasel, a song that tore Vanilla Ice to shreds for his pop star aspirations.  Plus, I love the hook they stole from Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer, so that + making fun of Vanilla Ice = awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzXI_ApY4dY

P.S.  GO PENN STATE!

Happy Easter (in August)!

Day #629 Boskeun / De Dolle Brouwers, Esen, Belgium
Previously from this brewery: an Arabier and another Arabier (plus great writing on social equality) from the original challenge, an Oerbier and a Dulle Teve "aka, Mad Bitch" from the Beercycling trip

Today marks a huge holiday: Football Eve, the day before the first Penn State football game.  Please celebrate accordingly.

But before football, we get back to the Belgian trip.  One of the best breweries visited during the journey was De Dolle Brouwers, although I'm actually going to drop in a review from a beer I had in a bar rather than as part of the behind the scenes tour of the brewery.  More on De Dolle soon enough, friends.  Today's beer is the Boskeun, which is a seasonal Easter beer.  It poured a dark gold color with a fluffy head, and has that distinctive Belgiun yeast aroma.  There are flavors of green apple, bread, berry, and a touch of honey sweetness. Like most every great Belgian I drank, this one has a wonderfully done balance of malt and hops, which lets those delicious flavors I mentioned shine through.  I bought this because (1) I didn't get to sample this one at the brewery, (2) you don't see many Easter beers, and (3) everything else I had from De Dolle was fantastic.  I chose well.

More rabbits?

The name translates from Flemish to "Rabbit of the Woods" in English.  This is the nickname of the brewer's brother, and stems back from when they were kids.  Fun and cute label, but this beer means serious business - behind the smooth taste is a potent 10% ABV.  Happy Easter, indeed.

Thing to Think About Today:
Is it just me or have we been talking about rabbits quite a bit lately?  Regardless, another rabbit related beer means I think we should think about Frightened Rabbit, the wonderful Scottish band I'm still pissed I haven't seen live (although maybe that will change!).  We close out a Friday with a live performance of Modern Leper.  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTMG_TK9sug

"You should sit with me and we'll start again / And you can tell me all about what you did today"

Hangin' Around

Day #628 Le Corne du Bois des Pendus Tripel  / Brasserie d'Ebly, Ebly, Belgium
Previously from this brewery: n/a; this beer is the first out the limo!

Football is starting this weekend; first fantasy football draft happens tonight.  Probably not a good sign that I've done no prep, no homework, no reading, no planning.... no anything.  I'll fix that.  Add that to my list of things to fix.  We're going to get this right.

Tonight's beer is Le Corne Tripel from Brasserie d'Ebly, which I had in a restaurant in Brugge.  Basically, I ordered this beer because it came in the most unusual glass I saw in all of Belgium - a horn shaped glass held in a carriage stand.  The horn is a throwback to the ancient days where bull's horns were used as drinking vessels, and quite frankly, it makes sense because you need to stand out a bit in a crowded Belgian beer world.  Mission accomplished there.  The beer itself was worth the random purchase - a dark gold color with a big fluffy white head, with aromas of bread and yeast, and flavors that balanced malt and mild Belgian hops.  Sometimes random beer purchases work out just fine.

Not my photo.  

My photo from Cambrinus:

My photo. Less exciting.

According to Google translate, the name of this beer means "Horn of Wood Hanging."  This is due to an ancient legend about a seventeenth century brewer named Cornelius, who along with everyone else from the village near Luxembourg, was hung by a band of marauders.  That sucks.  He apparently buried his beer recipe to keep it secret, and his spirit is said to still haunt the woods.  He's represented on the bottle and glass with the noose still hung around his neck.  A bit morbid, but hey, that's just me.

Thing to Think About Today:
In the spirit of a brewer hung by marauders, I give you the Rolling Stones and Hang Fire.  Have a good evening, dear friends....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xbtlW16Gts

Day 627: Dogfish Head Chicory Stout

I can't encounter the word chicory without thinking about the time Gary got hickory smoked at a winery outside Nashville. Who could resist views like this, a couple of bottles of wine and a block of cheese? Definitely not us!

If you lean closely, you can still smell the hickory.

Hickory, chicory, here's my segue...

Let's talk Dogfish Head Chicory Stout. It's brewed with roasted chicory and organic Mexican coffee. The label tell me that it's "Goodness beneath a bone white head." It is a very, very deep, dark brown...nearly black color with a tan head. It smells of sweet chocolate and wood and rich coffee beans. The flavor reminds me of cold coffee. There are hints of cola, a touch of wood. It drinks with a thin mouthfeel.

As it warmed a bit and I got closer to the bottom of my glass, it's characteristics changed slightly. First some burnt coffee flavors were becoming more dominant. After a few more sips, the chocolate flavor took over. This is a complex beer that will keep you thinking about exactly what you're drinking.

Beer stats
Style: Stout
ABV: 5.2%
IBUs: 21
Rating: Great

Previously reviewed from Dogfish Head
Mr. Blog Named Brew's review of the 60 Minute IPA
My review of Raison d'Etre

Party in the Put Some Damn Pants On

Day #626 Cuvée / Brouwerij de Ranke, Wevelgem, Belgium
Previously from this brewery: another Cuvée

I haven't really discussed much other than beer lately, and that's not an accident.  But I did feel like there are three things I need to share:
1. I wish all of my pants/shorts had a built in belt.  This would be helpful for when I forget to put one on, obviously.  Which I seem to do a lot, and that obviously causes problems.
2. Dear people who wear sunglasses inside: YOU'RE INSIDE.... you can probably take off your sunglasses.  I get when you wear them in from the car and forget to take them off immediately after walking in the door. Please trust me when I say I do that too.  No worries there.  But unless you just had your eyes dilated, I think you can eventually take them off to conduct your daily business.  The person in the grocery store wearing their sunglasses in the checkout aisle?  Hmmm....
3. So apparently Miley Cyrus lost her mind.  That's unfortunate, but not really unexpected when we make demigods out of marginally talented tweens and teenagers, then feed the beast by documenting their every move of every day until they sort of snap.  Our society and where we place our priorities sucks, really.  Get well soon, Miley.  We'll always have Party in the U.S.A., won't we?

I guess the last item can be today's beer, which is a glass of the Cuvée from Brouwerij de Ranke, another brewery that we unfortunately didn't get to visit, but thankfully did get to sample.  We did ride past the town this brewery is in, if that's worth anything.  Anyway, in the glass this beer showed off an apricot hue, with a wispy white head.  There's a perfect sour tartness, with great citrus notes and noticeable flavors of yeast and green apples.  This is also a rather interesting beer, as it's a blend of 70% oud bruin beer made with Rodenbach yeast and 30% lambic from Girardin.  Or, in other words, two other breweries involved in this beer.  Odd?  Maybe, but who cares, it's absolutely delicious.

Possibly the worst photo ever.  EVER.

Thing to Think About Today:
Free Miley!  Okay, so I've already dropped Party in the U.S.A. on your faces, but I didn't drop the Next Episode mashup with Dre and Snoop, now did I?  NOW I DID.  Is this version on my iPod?  Do you even need to ask?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0vH-CeRMsE

Day 625: Brewer's Art Petroleuse

After writing non-stop about Belgian beers for a couple of weeks and then hitting the West Coast for a beer or two, it's time to show some love to an East Coast beer. And it's easy to love the beers from The Brewer's Art and that's not just because Brewer's Art was where we hatched this hare-brained scheme to blog about beer.

Tonight's beer is La Petroleuse, a biere de garde. Interesting little tidbit about La Petroleuse. Proceeds from sales benefit women's entrepreneurship in Baltimore. So drinking this beer is really doing a good deed!

La Petroleuse pours an oaky brown color ale with an off-white head. It smells like fresh bread and lightly of black pepper. The flavor is redolent of biscuits, hops with undertones of butter. As it warmed up, I started getting a little bit of caramel.

Beer stats
Style: Biere de garde
ABV: 7%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Great

Previously reviewed from The Brewer's Art
Mr. Blog Named Brew's thoughts on Petroleuse, La Canard, Green Peppercorn Tripel
His very first blog post ever!
And my first post...because you never know what life has in store for you. And, yes, I did just quote myself. I'm that guy.

Basement Fires

Day #624 Vuur & Vlam / Brouwerij De Molen, Bodegraven, Netherlands
Previously from this brewery: Engels, London Porter

So after reviewing the first two beers from Sint-Sixtus, you're expecting the legedary Westvleteren 12 here today, right?  Nope.  Going to make you wait for that one.  My blog and I can do whatever I want.

Instead, I'll give you the only non-Belgian beer I drank during the Beercycling trip: a bottle of Vuur & Vlam, an IPA from Dutch brewer Brouwerij De Molen.  I found this bottle on the impressive tap list at Le Trappiste, a cool basement (catacombs?) bar in Brugge.  This beer poured a dark gold color with a fluffy white head.  At least I think it did - not great lighting in the catacombs.  There are aromas of tangerine, and when you drink it you find pine and grapefruit, with good amounts of bitterness throughout.  Very tasty, and easily the hoppiest beer I drank on the trip.  If you close your eyes, this tastes exactly like an American IPA; one that I really enjoyed.

Henk, one of our tour guides, is from the Netherlands and actually grows hops on his farm which he sells to De Molen.  He let us know that this beer name translates to English as "Fire & Flames," although if Henk knew why, I'm not sure I wrote that down.  They have a number of "something & something" named beers, in fact, if you check out their website. Guess they have a fondness for the ampersand?

Darkness not good for photos

I mentioned that Le Trappiste is in an old basement - the bar is in a building that (allegedly) dates back to the 13th century.  They had an impressive draft and bottle list, including a beer from Flying Dog in Maryland. One of the very, very few American beers I saw on any of the beer menus I looked at.  As if this all wasn't good enough, the sound system was blaring a Queen album.  Not just one song - an entire album.  It's like they knew I was coming!

Life in the catacombs

Thing to Think About Today:
Follow me a bit: IPAs are known for their strong hops.  Hops grow on vines.  This beer is named Fire and Flames.  Therefore, I make a stretch connection and give you Death Cab for Cutie and their extraordinarily mellow Grapevine Fires, a song with a permanent home in my quiet mix for when I want to just zone out.

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