Bernardus, Sixtus, Boondock

Beer #164 St. Bernardus Tripel / Brouwerij St. Bernardus, Watou, Belgium

Today was a bit of a blur, as I managed to do a great job of adding things to my to-do list, but a very suspect job of crossing anything off.  Plus, I ate far too many Twizzlers for my own good during a four hour afternoon meeting.  Stupid Twizzlers.

Enough whining, more talking about beer.  Tonight's choice is the Tripel from Saint Bernardus, which pours a hazy apricot in the glass with a persistent thin head.  The aroma is light, with fruit and malt up front.  The taste is quite good, with notes of banana, clove, malt, candi sugar sweetness, and a subtle, tiny bit of bitterness on the finish.  Very, very well done.  Exactly what you would want or expect from a Belgian tripel.  I highly, highly recommend this beer, and will give it a home in the Top 25!

Nice!

If you're a frequent reader or beer geek, you're likely familiar with the Trappist breweries, world renowned monks who brew beer within their abbeys.  Despite the name, this brewery does not qualify as Trappist. However, they're as close to Trappist as anyone else is going to come, as they were under contract for sixty years to brew for Sint Sixtus, a Trappist brewery who produces one of the most sought after beers in the world, Westvleteren.  It's only sold in Belgium at the brewery, so don't expect it to be on the shelf at your grocery store any time soon.  However, it's rumored that the recipes used at Saint Bernadus are the same as those used at Saint Sixtus, so.......

Thing to Think About Today:
With St. Bernardus brewing sensational beer, possibly based on the recipes of St. Sixtus, we're dealing with a lot of Saints here.  So, let's add to the list and close with one of the more enjoyable and more violent films I've seen lately, Boondock Saints.  Two brothers make it their mission to rid the city of Boston of evil, even if that means breaking the law themselves.  Many, many, many rounds of ammunition end up being spent in the process.  Check it (and the sequel) out if you're in the mood for a great movie this weekend.  Pair with a great beer for double the fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydXojYfCF3I