Japalgium, or Belgipan. Either One.

Day #639 Tokyo / Brouwerij Saint Bernardus, Watou, Belgium
Previously from this brewery: Tripel and more Tripel

Today was an unmitigated f'ing disaster.  I won't go into it here, but let's say the best thing about today is that it will eventually end, and I probably won't be dead.  Beyond that... not a great day.

Beer won't fix it, but I need to write about something on this stupid blog, so here goes.  Today's offering is a glass of Tokyo, a St. Bernardus beer that was launched to commemorate them opening a true Belgian beer bar in (wait for it....) Tokyo.  The Beercycling tour took us to this brewery on our next to last day, after spending the night before in a gorgeous bed & breakfast right next door.  Conveniently, it used to be owned by the brewery owner, who interestingly originally started his business by making cheese, not beer. While there were many great parts, the best part of the B&B was the honor bar stocked with every tasty St. Bernardus beer.

A smile; clearly not a photo from today!!

As part of the tour, we got to sample beers from their tasting room, so I made a beeline for a bottle of this new beer.  It poured a hazy gold color with a thin head - a relative rarity in Belgium.  There are really nice flavors of bread and grain, along with a spicy quality of coriander and pepper.  Good citrus flavors coming through, but definitely not overpowering.  In my notes I wrote, "very summery", as it was very light and refreshing, with a great flavor profile.  Great find!

I like how the monk donned a more appropriate robe

This might be available in limited quantities in America, but I've never seen it, so kudos to me for finding a rare beer to sample.  Yay, me.  Also, kudos to Beercycling for being their first tour of the day, at the beer friendly hour of 10am.

Thing to Think About Today:
Going to relax, perhaps with beer, perhaps with bourbon, perhaps with both.  Reaching into my collection of quiet music to unwind and remind myself that everything will be fine.  I'm going deep into the mix for some Sea Wolf and Middle Distance Runner.  It's not really a song about running, but I like it anyway when I want to slow things down.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YHB4sycC-U

"So won't you run to me tonight?"