Forgetfulness, Pressure, and Rememberance

Beer #619 Hapkin / Brouwerij Alken-Maes, Mechelen, Belgium
Previously from this brewery: Grimbergen Blonde and more Grimbergen Blonde

I'm once again at a point where I'm not even sure what day it is - I sincerely thought today was Monday. Good for me, weekend is one day closer.  Bad for me, I really didn't know today was Tuesday.

Speaking of not knowing or remembering, I really don't even remember ordering today's beer, a bottle of Hapkin from Brouwerij Alken-Maes.  Perhaps this was at the hotel in Diksmuide?  The menu in the picture seems to suggest that, anyway.  At some point, some of the things in my life do start running together. You know, days of the week.... beers I drank a month ago. Regardless, this one poured a clear blonde color with a thick, white head.  There's a hoppy aroma, and when you take a sip you get a mellow, floral hop flavor. This one drinks dry, with a mild bitterness on the finish.  It's fairly potent at 8.5% ABV, but I didn't notice a strong alcohol taste.  I ordered it randomly, just to try something new, and it was a decent although apparently not memorable beer.  They're also sort of owned by Heineken, but I didn't know that when I ordered it.

There you have it.

If I had this in Diksmuide, I'll add in two things: One, the drinking age is 16 in Belgium.  A few of us went out on a Saturday night to the local watering hole, and it was really awkward hanging out with kids who were putting back drinks at the bar.  Face it, 16 year olds drinking in a bar only happens in Belgium... well, and Hazleton, PA.  But it was still odd.  Also, this town was basically flattened during the First World War, and has been entirely rebuilt since then.  In a country with thousand year old buildings, it was odd to see everything so (relatively) modern.  The picture below is of a peace memorial that was built after the first World War.  The Germans, in a textbook definition of irony, destroyed the peace monument during the Second World War.  Thankfully, no problems since then.  Although it does seem to be a rallying point for those in northern Belgium who would prefer a separation from the southern half of Belgium, thus creating an independent Flanders state.

Peace

Thing to Think About Today:
Without further ado or explanation, I give you Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie.  Just because.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a01QQZyl-_I

"These are the days it never rains but pours..."