Creative Studying

Day #648 Grimbergen Dubbel / Brouwerij Alken-Maes, Alken, Belgium
Previously from this brewery: a Hapkin that I forgot about, Grimbergen Blonde, and another Grimbergen Blonde

Nearing the end of the list of beers drank in Belgium.  I know you're probably sick of reading about it, but I may never get back to Belgium in my life, so I'm unloading them all.

Today's offering was a bottle of Grimberen Dubbel from Brouwerij Alken-Maes.  Had this one at a lunch in Brugges, and in the glass it poured a mahogany color with virtually no head.  There's a malt sweetness with some nice stone fruit (say, plums?) flavor and bready notes.  Pretty mellow compared to what I drank on the rest of the trip, and definitely didn't have the same oomph that other beers had.  Not bad by any stretch of the imagination, just not terribly complex or unusual.

Good glass, for what it's worth

One of the really awesome things about Belgium is that virtually every single restaurant has outdoor seating. Who doesn't like to sit outside, enjoy some sunshine, do some people watching, and drink some beer? While this beer didn't blow me away, it gets tons of bonus points for being consumed at an outdoor table, overlooking a canal.  I greatly miss having the option to sit outside in every single restaurant- step up your game, Philly suburbs!

Thing to Think About Today:
I have a four and a half hour exam coming up Friday morning to certify me as a Six Sigma Black Belt.  I'm absurdly under-prepared and really freaking out about it, considering I finished the class back in January and have retained very little since then.  So, I could spend the evening studying... or... I could spend the evening developing elaborate cheating schemes!  Say for example, like this awesome scene from Spies Like Us, where Chevy Chase and Dan Akroyd go above and beyond to pass their civil service test.  Enjoy your evening; I'm getting started working on my fake cast and eye patch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gk5R9GmIsAs

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..."

Political Correctness!

Beer #261 Grimbergen Blonde / Brouwerij Alken-Maes, Alken, Belgium

Today, it began in earnest: tailgate planning!  During the week of a PSU home game, it's a Monday tradition to kick around some emails with our core tailgate squad to discuss menu, weather, signature drinks, beer needs, and whatever else needs to be planned out.  We leave nothing to chance out there - redundancies abound as we double down on key items to make sure the tailgate doesn't come to a screeching halt.  It's my favorite part of game week, with the exception of actually rolling into State College to get the party started.  Good Monday, indeed, and the week should continue getting better.

To celebrate, tonight's beer is the Grimbergen from Brouwerij Alken-Maes.  In the glass, you get a hazy gold color with a thin, lingering head.  The aroma is light and sweet, with some notes of grain.  The taste is really quite good, with flavors of candi sugar, malt, honey, a bit of spice, and grain.  It's easy drinking, but flavorful. Nice find, and I'd certainly order another one.

Got through half the beer before I remembered to snap a pic

Alken-Maes came about from the merger of two Belgian breweries in 1988, although the brand Grimbergen actually seems to come from another brewery, Union, that Maes purchased along the way.  The entire conglomerate is now owned by a joint partnership of Heineken and Carslburg.  Welcome, corporate overlords!

Thing to Think About Today:

From yesterday's classic look at college in the 80's, we'll switch gears and take a look at college in the 90's, courtesy of a little film called PCU.  In this epic tale, a high school senior comes to a campus where political correctness has run amok, and he finds himself spending his time with the residents of The Pit, a former fraternity house now occupied by a band of misfits, led by the always awesome Jeremy Piven.

Along the way, said bright eyed high school kid manages to irritate nearly every student group on campus, which causes some small problems and threatens his safety.  Along the way, Piven, a young Jon Favreau, and rest of the stoners, drunks, and geeks at The Pit stand to lose their house to a group of snobbish elitists (read: Beta brothers) who used to call the house their home.... unless Piven and his crew can throw a legendary party to bring the campus together again.  For people who didn't go to college in the 90's, yes - this is how people used to dress.  Boots, flannel, ripped things, thermal shirts.  It was a sad time for fashion. But, don't let that stop you from realizing this is a great movie about college!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2Fp61jJcIs

"Hey hey, ho ho, this penis party has got to GO!"

Beer 255: Three for Threesday...I mean Tuesday

I'm inadvertently celebrating a Two fer Tuesday Three for Threesday...I mean Tuesday. Sadly the beer beers I had planned to review turned out to be too directly related to the Grimbergen Pale Ale -- and Leipziger Gose that I reviewed a mere 11 beers ago and months ago.  Rats, I say! Rats!

The beer originally planned for today was the Mort Subite Kriek Lambic.  This was one of the beverages enjoyed at SourFest at Devil's Den on Saturday.  While decidedly not sour, this lambic was sweet and tart. Depending on who you asked at our table, the tartness varied greatly. Also interesting is that the fact that I tasted more strawberry in the flavor than cherry.  It poured a pretty rosy brown color with a barely pink but sticky head. It was tasty but I can't imagine drinking more than one.

The Mort Subite Kriek was followed by the Bayerischer Bahnhof Leipziger -- a Baltic porter with Brettanomyces.  Of the porters, Baltic porters are my favorite. I love beers with Brettanomyces. The description of this one sounded oddly like Jolly Pumpkin's Madrugada Obscura. Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

It's brewed in Germany at Gasthaus & Gosebrauerei Bayerischer Bahnhof. It appeared to be a very dark brown, almost black in the glass with a thick craggy head.  It smelled like dark fruit. No earthy funk in the nose.  The flavor was roasted and slightly smoky. At first the tartness wasn't there for me but as it sat I noticed more tartness coming out along with some strong hops.

Pardon the profanity laced interruption. MOTHERFUCKER. I ALREADY DRANK THIS GODDAMNED BREWERY IN FEBRUARY. How does my beer addled brain not pick up on any recollection of that bizarre, impossible to pronounce name??? I EVEN MADE FUN OF IT BACK IN FEBRUARY.  SHIT. Damn. Poop. Hell.

I may actually cry.

Seriously.

Seriously this is the last review I'm writing tonight. If I find out that I already reviewed Fordham Brewing, you will never know. NEVER.  Fordham is brewed in Dover, Delaware but claims heritage dating to 1703 in Annapolis, Maryland.  It appears that the brewery was founded way back in 1703, operated for years and was shuttered for a number of years until an enterprising group of brewers reopened it in 1995.  The Helles Lager poured a golden straw color with no head.  It had medium carbonation. It smelled of sweet caramel malt and grains. The taste is very malt dominant but clean and crisp. It has a nice hopped finish with a taste of biscuits every now and again. It's quite easy to drink.

Cheers.

Beer 244: Boundless Generosity and Grimbergen Pale Ale

I spent the morning in a meeting on a 250 acre estate planning an event to celebrate the close of our capital campaign, which is happening thanks in large part to the owners of said estate. Tomorrow I'm spending the evening at a fundraiser at the beach in Avalon. Sometimes my job is very, very taxing (said with the greatest amount of sarcasm). What's even more amazing than these homes is their owners' generosity. It is truly humbling to work at the museum that is the beneficiary.
Even more amazing is that I was sent home from today's meeting with this bounty...


This pile o' veggies is what's left after I gave some to a colleague! Sometimes generosity really knows no boundary.
Before I get back to surveying my vegetable kingdom, let's talk about a beer...the Grimbergen Belgian pale ale to be exact. Brewed by Brouwerij Alken-Maes, it poured a hazy golden caramel color with an off white head.


The head was thick and as it burst, it left big holes where bubbles once were. The smell is biscuit but overall very mild. The taste is candy sugar with strong toasty malts. It has a sharpness at first, which then rounds out to a nice fullness. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Cheers!