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
If there's one thing I love in the world of beer, it a good sour beer. This one is the VanderGhinste, an oud bruin from Brouwerij Bockor. Interesting--perhaps only to me and Mr. Blog Named Brew--is that Bockor is in Bellegem in the West Flanders region of Belgium. Why is this interesting? Because we stayed in Kortrijk, which is nine kilometers north of Bellegem and we traversed that whole area on bike this summer.
So about that beer. It poured a deep brown, slightly hazy color with a thin off-white head. It smells lightly metallic, kind of like when you hold coins in your hand for too long. There's also sour cherries and vinegar. The flavor is more sweet than sour and the tartness is light and refreshing. There's lots of cherry and other dark fruits. I wrote "light plum" in my notes. So there's that.
Is this the best oud bruin I've ever had? No. And truth be told I was a bit disappointed at first. But the more time I spent with it, the more I realized that it was a solid example of the style.
One of my favorite brewery stops was De Dolle, which came at the end of what was one of my favorite days on the bike - we started in Brugges, rode to the coast to visit Oostende, then rode along their version of the boardwalk (tiles, not wood) for several glorious, sun drenched miles. Nothing like riding with the North Sea as your side view! Did have to pay attention, though, otherwise kids were going to get run over while I was staring off at the water.
I see you, North Sea.
Once we got to the brewery, we learned that Kris, the owner, wasn't really into socializing, but was however cool enough to let us wander around unsupervised. Did I mention, De Dolle Brouwers means "the crazy brewers"? Bad idea!
Free reign of the bottling line!
Let's talk about the beer here, as the beers were delicious. It poured a dark ruby color with a very typical monstrous foamy head. There's a wonderful, enjoyable tartness with flavors of green apple, bread, yeast, and some caramel malt sweetness. There are locally grown hops from Poperinge in there, but you really don't notice them. Oerbier was the first beer brewed by Kris at De Dolle, and is still fantastic 30+ years later. Just a sensational, world class beer, and perfect after a long, hot bike ride.
Wish I had that glass! Wait, I do :)
This is your incredibly odd fact for the day: Motown star Marvin Gaye once decided he needed to drop out of society and get away from it all to put his life back together. Where did he go? The Belgian beach town of Oostende; home of my seaside bicycle ride. True story.
Thing to Think About Today:
In the spirit of a crazy brewer and getting away from all the craziness in your life by going to Belgium, let's wrap up with some Marvin Gaye and Mercy, Mercy Me. Good night, all....
Day #636 Ypres / De Struise Brouwers, Oostvleteren, Belgium
Previously from this brewery: Elliot Brew
Day before the PSU home opener. Not sure if it's the fact that the season is already underway or what, but just not yet in the groove for a home opener. Hope that changes a little between now and noon tomorrow.
Back to the recaps. One of the best meals of Belgium came from 't Hommelhof in the town of Watou. The group was treated to a special dinner, where the chef paired unique beers with each course. One of the beers was a bottle of Ypres, from De Struise Brouwers. This oud bruin was paired with a gazpacho served with a piece of fried mullet. The gazpacho was simple yet delicious, which is probably how I could describe the entire meal. I will say that with a few tiny exceptions the food on the trip was outstanding. However, almost every menu I saw had the same items on; croque sandwiches, lasagna, goat cheese & bacon salads, frites, etc. Nothing wrong with that, but 't Hommelhof was the first inventive and unique - and therefore most memorable - restaurant of the trip.
And the beer? It poured a dark brown hue, and gave off aromas of tart fruit with earthy notes. The taste is a heavenly mix of tart cherries, sour apple, and an earthy, oaky taste that grounds some of the tart and sour flavors. This beer was aged in two different barrels - Bourgogne wine and Wild Turkey whiskey. This was a bottle from 2009, and the internet seems to suggest it was only brewed once. Shame, as it was magnificent. Speaking of the bottle, the artwork was very cool - it depicted a scene from World War I. Another beer from De Struise that people tried was Black Albert, which was widely regarded as one of the best beers of the trip. I only had a sip, but I would agree. We technically "visited" this brewery, which means we drove our bikes by and looked in the windows. They were closed... perhaps it was a Sunday? De Struise wasn't on my radar before this trip, but after having this beer and trying the Black Albert, I'm a committed fan.
Ypres, Ieper, Wipers. Just call this beer 'delicious'
Two items you may find interesting. As with most everywhere in Belgium, there is the Flanders spelling/pronunciation and the French spelling/pronunciation. In French, the town is known as Ypres, and in Flemish, Ieper. British forces stationed there during World War I apparently couldn't pronounce either, and instead referred to the town as "Wipers." The second odd fact for you is that this brewery was started by owners of an ostrich farm. I kid you not - an ostrich is still featured on their logo.
Thing to Think About Today:
A beer brewed to honor those who fought and died in the First World War means we close things out with Edwin Starr and his protest song, War.
Day #626 Cuvée / Brouwerij de Ranke, Wevelgem, Belgium
Previously from this brewery: another Cuvée
I haven't really discussed much other than beer lately, and that's not an accident. But I did feel like there are three things I need to share:
1. I wish all of my pants/shorts had a built in belt. This would be helpful for when I forget to put one on, obviously. Which I seem to do a lot, and that obviously causes problems.
2. Dear people who wear sunglasses inside: YOU'RE INSIDE.... you can probably take off your sunglasses. I get when you wear them in from the car and forget to take them off immediately after walking in the door. Please trust me when I say I do that too. No worries there. But unless you just had your eyes dilated, I think you can eventually take them off to conduct your daily business. The person in the grocery store wearing their sunglasses in the checkout aisle? Hmmm....
3. So apparently Miley Cyrus lost her mind. That's unfortunate, but not really unexpected when we make demigods out of marginally talented tweens and teenagers, then feed the beast by documenting their every move of every day until they sort of snap. Our society and where we place our priorities sucks, really. Get well soon, Miley. We'll always have Party in the U.S.A., won't we?
I guess the last item can be today's beer, which is a glass of the Cuvée from Brouwerij de Ranke, another brewery that we unfortunately didn't get to visit, but thankfully did get to sample. We did ride past the town this brewery is in, if that's worth anything. Anyway, in the glass this beer showed off an apricot hue, with a wispy white head. There's a perfect sour tartness, with great citrus notes and noticeable flavors of yeast and green apples. This is also a rather interesting beer, as it's a blend of 70% oud bruin beer made with Rodenbach yeast and 30% lambic from Girardin. Or, in other words, two other breweries involved in this beer. Odd? Maybe, but who cares, it's absolutely delicious.
Possibly the worst photo ever. EVER.
Thing to Think About Today: Free Miley!Okay, so I've already dropped Party in the U.S.A. on your faces, but I didn't drop the Next Episode mashup with Dre and Snoop, now did I? NOW I DID. Is this version on my iPod? Do you even need to ask?
You get a short post tonight because that's just the way it goes. Tonight's beer is a bottle of Morpheus Wild, from Alvinne, which was not a brewery we visited. I don't really remember drinking this one, but from the order it was in my email and from the chairs in the picture I think I had this one at Rose Red, a cool beer bar connected to the hotel I stayed at in Bruges. Ghent is a cooler, more interesting town, but Bruges has better beer bars. This is an unquestionable fact.
This beer is a Flemish oud bruin, and pours a dark brown color with red highlights, and a monster off white head. The bottle sort of exploded into the glass, in fact. There's a tart aroma, and when you take a sip there's a sort of effervescent quality. Along with that tartness, there's a dark fruit quality, some sourness, and definitely some chocolate coming through. Really a very nice beer, even if I don't remember actually drinking it. And that's not a function of how much everyone drank on this trip - there were plenty of beers consumed, but due to early starts and long bike rides, no one was up late being all crazy.
Wild, not crazy
Thing to Think About Today: This song popped up on the iPod today and I like it, and due to the name there's a tangential relationship to the bike trip, so here it goes. I think the first time I've dropped a hidden track in this space, and certainly one of the longer songs I've used. We close it out with Eurotrash Girl by Cracker. I did meet some strange characters while in Belgium, but I guess really nothing more strange than you'd see anywhere in the U.S.
Day #604 Oud Bruin / Brouwerij Liefmans, Oudenaarde, Belgium
Previously from this brewery: Cuvee Brut, Goudenband, and more Goudenband
It's a Monday, and that means I'm officially out of energy to write something creative and witty tonight. My apologies if you came for the witty, but I do hope you stay for the beer. The witty will be back, I promise.
Tonight I'm reviewing the Oud Bruin from Liefmans, which was poured on draft and put in front of us just minutes after getting off the bike. Showing up with light brown hue, this beer gives of aromas of oak and sour fruit. After taking a sip, you find a welcoming caramel malt up front, with plenty of tart cherry and raspberry and dark fruits following behind. Incredibly well done beer, and it absolutely hits the spot after a long bike ride.
Doesn't that look delicious?
I don't have much else to add, and a picture is worth a thousand words, so here's a thousand words about me behind the bar in their banquet room.
Who's that handsome man?
Think to Think About Today:
Oud in Flemish translates to old, or aged in English, so tonight I close things out with some Eels and their cheerful Old S***/New S***. No this isn't an actual video, but I really can't solve that problem for you. Just play and enjoy, and see you again soon...
Day #512 Petrus Aged Red / Brouwerij Bavik, Harebeke-Bavikhove, Belgium
Previously from this brewery: Another Aged Red, a Winterbier, some Aged Pale, and more Aged Pale
And so ends another weekend! This one was filled with long stretches of relaxation mixed with furious bouts of activity. Had some friends show up last night for a surprise birthday party, and met up with friends again this evening for some beers. In between, I accomplished the following:
1. Cut the grass (really, that means mowed the weeds)
2. Took a nap
3. Not much else
Hey, sometimes you don't really get much done during a weekend. It happens. However, nothing stops the beer review train, and tonight is a glass of Brouwerij Bavik's Petrus Aged Red from a recent TJ's visit. In the glass you see a clear, dark cherry color. Sort of like dark cherry Kool-Aid, if that flavor exists. The aroma is sweet, like a cherry cola, and the taste is a mix of lots of awesome flavors, even if I don't know what they are. Seriously. You get a bunch of cherry flavor, some sweetness, and a dry finish. There's a sort of medicinal quality to it, like cough syrup. You can convince me there's a Dr. Pepper vibe going on in there as well. I don't know what to make of this beer for the most part, but I know I like it. If you like Oud Bruins or just want to try something unique, this is a great beer to try.
This looks rather purple, doesn't it?
Thing to Think About Today:
This is the spot where I would have tied in the name of the beer with some music and played you Red, Red Wine by UB40, but I already used that one earlier in this blog adventure. Damn it. So, instead, I give you a song that has nothing to do with anything, other than the fact I like it and it brings a smile to my face. Relax and ease out of the weekend with some Yo La Tengo and Autumn Sweater, my friends. Enjoy your evening while you're at it....
Today was one of those days when people just really impressed me. If you share a little information--open yourself up just a little bit--you'll be amazed at how helpful others can be. That's the lesson of the day.
And in other news, I have found more and more often that I refer to myself as a shark--quickly adding, I have to keep moving or it's over.
Happy Friday, kids!
Today's beer is the Petrus Aged Red. I almost ordered two other beers ahead of this one, but thankfully Mr. Blog Named Brew had my back and pointed out that there was an oud bruin to be had when we celebrated his birthday earlier this week. He's a good egg, that one!
It poured a really pretty deep mahogany color with a wispy tan head. There's lots of macerated cherries in both the smell and taste. I also noted a bit of chocolate fudge in the nose. It teetered on the edge of syrupy but never got to the point of being cloying. The flavor, in addition to having lots of cherry notes, highlighted strawberry and a medicinal thing that honestly reminded me of Robitussin. Strange but true. It's wildly different than other Petrus offerings I've had...you know all two of them! But as they say--variety is the spice of life!
Writing tonight feels frivolous in light of what's happening in Boston. It's disheartening that something like a marathon is marred by lunacy. I can't stop thinking about how the Boston Marathon is a dream for so many people. This is stupid and senseless violence. I'm not sure if I'll ever understand it.
Keep those runners and spectators in your thoughts. I know I will.
***
Tonight's beer review is of Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck's Bacchus--a Flanders oud bruin.
It poured looking like a ruby-tinged cola with a thin pale tan head. It's smell is light sour cherry. Given its look, I was expecting more balsamic vinegar. It drank with a thinness but was surprisingly carbonated. It tasted like a tart cherry soda water with mineral notes.
Beer #348 Petrus Aged Pale Ale / Brouwerij Bavik, Harebeke-Bavikhove, Belgium Beers to go: 18
Winding down a glorious Thanksgiving Day, and hopefully your day was as good as mine. I will tell anyone who listens that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and nothing else is even close. There's no pressure of shopping or gift giving, just relaxing time spent with family, delicious food, and some football. I'm a simple man at heart, and this holiday has everything I need. In the spirit of the day, I do feel I should stop and make mention of things I'm thankful for:
1. A great family; big thanks to my brother-in-law and sister for hosting everyone today and doing a huge portion of the cooking. Somehow, me showing up with a pie and some wine while you guys cranked out a fantastic turkey and mountains of sides doesn't seem fair. Your hospitality is a huge part of why Thanksgiving is such an awesome holiday. So thank you.
2. A wonderful wife who shares hobbies with me. Particularly crazy adventures involving craft beer.
3. A great group of friends. My only wish is that I saw them more often, as it's always an adventure when we manage to get together and hang out. So get a babysitter, and call me. I'm free.
4. Bill O'Brien. It may be odd to be thankful for a guy I haven't yet met, but his leadership of the Penn State football team has been really fun to watch this year. I look forward to seeing what he does in the years to come to help restore the good name of PSU.
5. You, the reader of this blog. In a universe filled with things to distract us and occupy our time, I appreciate you stopping by to read my rambling thoughts on life and beer. Maybe you don't read every day (you should, but whatever), but the fact you spend some time here makes me feel good. Thanks!
Let's wrap up this awesome holiday with a beer: specifically, a Petrus Aged Pale from Brouwerij Bavik in Belgium. This Oud bruin shows off a beautiful clear gold hue with a thin white head. As you get close to the glass, you find an intoxicating, tart, sour apple aroma. When you take a sip, there are notes of oak, tart vinegar, apple, and some faint sweet notes. Absolutely, positively a beer that must be tried by people who appreciate a complex beer. Petrus is an all time favorite of mine, and earns a coveted spot in my Top 25 beers for the year. Hooray!
Sweet chalice for a killer beer
Brouwerij Bavik has been operating since 1894, and Google translates this gem from their website:
Today the fourth generation of this brewer sex through this website take a look behind the scenes of Bavik Brewery.
Wait, what? Um, you all see the sentence about brewer sex through this website, right? I'm not sure if I'm horrified or proud that this has been happening for four generations. Ah, those crazy Belgians!
Thing to Think About Today:
I could just drop in some Adam Sandler here singing The Thanksgiving Song, but you come here to be fascinated and think differently. Therefore, in memory of the delightful turkey I devoured today, let's spend a second being thankful for poultry. Songs about poultry, you ask? Well, that means The Trashmen singing the always unusual Surfing Bird. Happy Thanksgiving to all, and to all a good night!
I bought a pair of orange shorts today. It's summer time, and I'm very excited about this development. Pictures will eventually be available, I assure you.
Tonight, we end the very much fun Philly Beer Week with the Mestreechs Aajt, a Flanders Oud Bruin from Gulpener Bierbrouwerij in the Netherlands. Had this on tap at Whole Foods in Devon, a small but very well stocked beer bar. Yes, it's in a grocery store, which is a bit odd. But really, their thin margins means great pours at very low prices, and when it comes to people watching (which I love), there are quite a large number of people to watch in a grocery store. Check it out some time.
The beer itself poured a chestnut color, with a fluffy off-white head. The aroma wasn't very well pronounced, but you do get a sour aroma. The flavor is much more pronounced; a mix of sour, cherry, and vinegar. Very good all around, very tasty. Nice balance of sweet and sour on this beer, and I'll definitely be on the lookout for it again, even if I can't necessarily pronounce the beer. Neither could anyone there, so I don't feel too bad about it.
Yes, we drank beer and watched people carry groceries to their car. FUN!
Gulpener has been in business since 1825, in case you were wondering. And if you needed another reason to drink beer in Whole Foods: tonight, they were selling personal cherry pies, made with Rodenbach Grand Cru as part of their sour beer day. Delicious, just delicious.
Thing to Think About Today:
We currently don't have cable, so we use Netflix or Hulu or Redbox to keep on top of things. Currently working through all episodes of How I Met Your Mother. Anything with Neil Patrick Harris is worth a look, and he's outstanding in the role of Barney Stinson. Legen- (wait for it) -dary.
Philly Beer Week wrapped up for us in the 'burbs...at Whole Foods' Mile Post Tavern to be exact. Go ahead and laugh, but this tiny little, grocery store-housed pub serves up some amazing beer. Today was their "Sour Power" event and I was impressed.
The Mestreechts Aajt, a Flanders Oud Bruin is brewed by Gulpener Bierbrouwerij in the Netherlands. At 4.7%, it is quite easy to drink. In fact I had two as I people watched at the entrance to Whole Foods.
It poured a deep, dark brown with a thick tan head. It had a slight cherry scent. The flavor is best described as a creamy Oud Bruin. There's a mild balsamic vinegar flavor, tart cherries. It drinks with a full creamy mouthfeel. I learned after writing this post that lactobacillus is introduced in the blend. So that explains that.
This one is definitely different than other Oud Bruins that I've had, but I really enjoyed it. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that it's going in my top 25. Cheers!
I have precisely one minute and 37 seconds in which to post today's. Apologies in advance for typos, nonsense and general disappointment.
Tonight we drink the Liefmans Goudenband -- an oud bruin bottled in 2010. It poured a chestnut color with ruby highlights. It seemed on the flat side as I poured it and there wasn't a discernible head to speak of. There was a thin ring of beige froth around the edge of the glass that left some lacing down the glass. It smelled of mild vinegar. The taste was tart, green, and a bit roasty -- kind of reminded me of sitting next to a hickory fire. This is an unusual beer and quite tasty.
Hopefully you all celebrated St. Patrick's Day responsibly, and you're not too hungover to function on this sunny Sunday. Or, if not, hopefully you're working on some hair of the dog as a hangover cure. Regardless, the march towards 365 beers from 365 different breweries continues, and we're moving on. Survive and advance (unlike Marci's pick for tournament winner, Georgetown).
I drank today's beer outside, as we're enjoying late-spring weather here in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Listen, I get we're totally murdering our planet with trash and excessive consumption and fossil fuels and whatnot. However, if the trade-off is we get no snow during the winter and 70 degree weather in mid-March, I might get on board with this whole global warming thing. Drinking outside, one of my favorite hobbies in the world, only happens when the weather cooperates! Soon enough, I'll have beach front property and then the party will really get started.
Today's beer is a oud bruin from Brouwerij Liefmans. In the glass, it's a shade somewhere between mahogany and chestnut, with a thin light tan head after the pour. The aroma has sour, vinegar, and malt readily noticeable. With the first sip, you can pick up the tart flavor you'd expect from a beer like this, but there's a more pronounced malt flavor than I expected. Not in a bad way, however. There are earthy notes and hints of cherry and and caramelized sugars as well.
Another ancient brewery, Liefmans has roots back to 1679. The Goudenband is a mixture of aged and younger beers to maximize the flavors. If you would have told college me 15 years ago that I'd be drinking beer with an aroma of vinegar, I would have been horrified. And 15 years ago, I thought Milwaukee's Best was a pretty solid beer choice! Yet somehow, it works as a grown up.
Thing to Think About Today:
If given the choice, would you rather have 99 red balloons or 99 problems? I say: why do we have to choose? We can have BOTH!
In the spirit of our 99th beer today, let's have Jay-Z and Nena come together and share tales from Cold War Germany and the mean streets of NYC. Or something like that. Just listen, trust me. It works.
Things I learned today:
1. When you spend your entire day adding things to your to-do list, you never get around to crossing any items off.
2. I'm headed to Oklahoma next week. OKLAHOMA. Again.
3. If you're starving and craving sushi, you probably shouldn't sit at the counter with a front row seat for all of the sushi being made.
Today's highlight was without a doubt the aforementioned sushi bender at Bluefin. If I die from mercury poisoning in the next week
or so, you'll know why. You've already been told Bluefin is the best sushi in the Philly area, so I won't bother to remind you.
With that, it's on to the beer - Madamin by LoverBeer, an Italian brewery. A cloudy burgundy brown color in the glass, this beer has a mild aroma and an oak taste, which makes sense due to being aged in oak barrels. It's tart, with cherry and grape flavors, and ends with a sour finish. Not the worst beer in the world by any stretch of the imagination, but if you're in the market for a sour or a wild ale or a Flanders oud bruin, there are better options out there. I'd love to tell you more about the brewery, but my browser can't translate the webpage. So... yeah. Mi dispiace. That's "I'm sorry" for the non-paisanos out there.
Hooray for crappy pictures!
Thing to Think About Today:
Enough about Italy for the moment. Considering the amount of sushi I consumed this evening, I feel this is a more appropriate thing for us to think about. Ladies and gentlemen, The Vapors:
Tonight's beer is Petrus Aged Pale, a Flanders Oud Bruin from Brouwerij Bavik in Belgium. This is an exceptional beer. So exceptional that I knew it was going in my top 25 the moment we started this blog.
The photo is courtesy of my Blackberry -- a la it is craptastic. Sorry. Petrus pours a super bubbly golden color. It has a small white head that disappears quickly. The smell is indicative of the sourness that is to come with a hint of funk and barnyard. The taste is upfront -- tart and sour. It rounds out to a searingly dry finish. Flavors include lemon, green apple. I don't notice any strong hop or malt flavor -- the sourness overpowers them in a very good way.
This is a beer that I wish to sip for hours from a never-ending supply. I've drank it during the summer and thought it is perfect. I've had it during the fall and considered it appropriate. I had it in February in the dead of winter and loved it. I wish I had another one right now.
***
As I typed the title for this post, I realized that we've surpassed the 75 day mark. We are 20% of the way through this challenge. Wow. Another realization is that with the extra beers I've accidentally reviewed, I'll have had 370 beers during the 366 day challenge. I imagine at the rate I'm going accidentally drinking the same brewery twice, I'm going to hit 400 easily.
On that note, I bid you cheers for a happy weekend!
Oud bruin. Flemish brown ale. Sour beer, if you must. Or as I like to call it...sweet Jesus, it's heaven in my glass.
I love sour beer. As in love it like a fat kid loves cake. My holy grail is Blue Sunday Sour, but I'm not writing about that one tonight because I cannot find it. Anywhere. And I look everywhere. That makes me kind of sad but not too sad that I can't find joy in this glass of Rodenbach Grand Cru.
Rich dark brown in the glass and vinegar in the nose. It hits your tongue with an oh-my-god-what-is-happening moment and that's when it sinks in...you've tasted nirvana. It starts with cherry, then comes the tartness that pinches your tongue and it finishes dry. So dry that it's almost asking you to politely take another sip.
It makes me want to write in hyperbole, it's that good. But with 350+ beers to go, I'll show some restraint...at least for now.
