365 different beers from 365 different breweries in 365 days with random musings on beer, food, music, sports, dogs and anything else interesting along the way
That is theNorth CoastPranqster, a Belgian style golden ale. It pours a nice, bright gold color with very little to no head. It smells of bread dough but not much else. (Not sure if that's the beer's fault. I'm suffering some major allergies right now.) The flavor is grassy with a fizzy, yeasty tang. It has a big, round mouthfeel. There's also a good amount of pepper with hints of lemon. I wish there was another one waiting for me in the fridge tonight.
When I bought this bottle of beer in March 2012, I had no idea that in about a year's time I would actually find myself in the little town of Oudnaarde in Belgium, where this beer is brewed. You really never know what life will bring you!
This is the Adriaen Brouwer from Brouwerij Roman. It poured a dark brown, sort of mahogany color with a loose tan head. It has a sweet and malty aroma. The flavor was surprisingly sweet...lots of dark fruit reminiscent of plums and maybe figs. Some caramel. And it was very bubbly in the glass. Not sure if that was due to its age or not.
Beer stats
Style: Belgian golden ale
ABV: 8.5%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Good
Previously reviewed from Roman His and hers reviews of Ename Cuvee
Day #587 / Russian River Brewing Company, Santa Rosa, CA
Previously from this brewery: All sorts of Russian River goodness from my favorite brewery on earth
Can you believe Friday is here already? I am seriously glad that I have a Saturday and Sunday in front of me to relax, unwind, and get back to a normal groove. I'm jumping right into a beer review, because seriously: it's a Friday, and you're too busy having fun to read this. Not too much fun, though. There's a whole weekend ahead of you!
Tonight is a bottle of Damnation from Russian River, another bottle that was in a birthday gift from a friend. This golden ale pours with a clear, bright gold and thin head. There are tons of bready aromas of yeast, with an almost nutty quality as well. The taste has more of a biscuit quality, with fruity notes of apple and some faint banana in there as well. There's an earthy vibe, too. This beer is fantastic - definitely not their best work ever, but considering that their best work is absolutely the best beers in the world, even their more "average" work is still pretty damn good.
Damn, yo.
Thing to Think About Today:
Damnation sounds a bit more depressing than I care to think about (even if I don't believe in the afterlife versions of heaven and hell that everyone seems to cling to), but I can appreciate the word 'damn.' Who doesn't love a well placed yet mild curse word? Let's go back to 1992 and let Sophie B. Hawkins close things out with her always awesome and sex mix-ready Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover. Enjoy your night, friends....
Great day today, and not just because it was Friday. Today, we went shopping for toys, clothes, books, and other fun presents for the three kids my co-workers and I "adopted" through the Sponsor a Child holiday gift program at work. If you're ever having a bad day, do something nice for someone else. You'll feel better immediately. Trust me on this one, please. Despite having an otherwise great day, I did have a strange moment this afternoon. Went to the grocery store and on the way in, I felt someone staring at me. Not unusual, I'm incredibly handsome, so people are always looking at me to see what's up. But this time, it felt.... different.
I'M LOOKING AT YOU....
Right, that explains things. There was a giant black dog hanging out the sunroof of a Volvo, giving me the eyeball. When you're as good looking as I am, everyone wants some, I guess.
Enough silliness, as tonight's review is Duvel, a fantastic Belgian Golden Ale from Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat. This beer shows off a pale straw color, with a white dissipating head. The aroma is a great mix of yeast, spice, bread, and citrus, and the flavor is a wonderful concoction of green apple, spice, biscuit, yeast, and fruit. Great dry, spicy finish. One of the better beers I've run across this year, and quite frankly, I've run across quite a few. Fun fact: this beer was originally known as 'Victory Ale' to commemorate the end of World War I, but was renamed 'Duvel' after a loyal drinker called the beer "a real devil", possibly due to the sneaky high 8.5% ABV. Tastes so good, you don't even notice the high alcohol. Marci's take on this beer can be found here, and I'm going ahead and putting this beer on the coveted Top 25 list.
Devilishly good
This brewery traces its roots back to 1871, and was family owned and operated until 1999, at which time it went public (note to self: buy some shares). At the start of the 20th century, this brewery was one of about 4,000 in Belgium. That may not mean much to you, until you learn that Belgium is roughly the size of the state of Maryland. MARYLAND. Damn, that's a lot of breweries! Did you know that Duvel Moortgat was an original investor in Brewery Ommegang, and has since taken complete control of that operation? Look, I usually complain about mergers and takeovers in the craft beer space, as I think it dilutes the product and takes away some of the regional significance of certain beers. However, if mergers crank out beers such as this one and the great things Ommegang produces? Merge and acquire away, my friends. Merge and acquire away.
Thing to Think About Today:
Tonight we have a beer name that translates to Devil in English, so you're expecting something Hell, Satan, or underworld related to wrap this post up today. I am nothing if not a slave to your wishes, as I'm wrapping up with Sympathy for the Devil. And if we're doing it, we're doing it right and going back to a 1969 Hyde Park show. And while we're on the subject - a very happy 50th Anniversary to Mick and Keith and the boys! Yeah, the sound quality of this video isn't exactly up to modern standards, but just sit back and soak in the World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band" at the zenith of their power.
Today I was part of something pretty amazing. I can’t say more than that because I don’t want to jinx a good thing. But I finally feel like all this hard work may finally pay off.
***
To celebrate I opened a big bottle of Weyerbacher’s Belgian-style golden ale -- Merry Monks. It poured a cloudy apricot color. It had a full white head and was very active in the glass. The scent is sweet and full of an undetermined fruit smell. The taste was predominantly alcohol, which I found disappointing. There was also a creamy doughiness to it and cloves. It drank with a full mouthfeel - sort of creamy (have fun with that one!) - but finished dry.
While this was a perfectly fine beer to drink, I think I prefer some of Weyerbacher’s other offerings: Verboten, Blanche and the Winter Warmer. I’m also very intrigued by the Rapture - a sour red ale aged in pinot noir barrels.
