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
Today's beer is quite appropriate as we've had and are about to have some awesome (sarcasm) winter weather.
It is the winter sour ale from Brasserie Trois Dames. It's brewed with oranges and lemon. Interestingly the brewer opts to use hops from Yakima Valley (Washington state) despite being based in Switzerland. Big ups to the Northwest USA!
It smells of lemon sourness and has a hint of funk to it. The flavor is strong orange, citrus pith and hop. There's also some woodiness in there. It poured with a very thick, craggy white head and there was tons of intricate lacing left in the glass as I made my way to the last drops of this deliciousness.
Beer stats
Style: Sour/Wild ale
ABV: 7%
IBUs: Unknown
Rating: Great
Previously reviewed from Trois Dames His and her reviews of Sainte ni Touche, a Flanders red ale
Beer #300 Sainte Ni Touche / Brasserie Trois Dames, Sainte-Croix, Switzerland
Hustle day, as I'm at a 'Science of Wine' dinner/capital campaign closing event tonight (shout out to my 1% CEO people!), then taking the midnight express to State College to be ready to tailgate tomorrow. Not to be lost in the hustle today: crossing the 300 beer mark. In case you haven't tried to drink 300 beers from 300 different breweries in 300, it's not that easy. But it sure is fun! Not done yet, but the finish line is in sight....
Tonight I'm sampling the Sainte Ni Touche, a Flanders red ale from Brasserie Trois Dames in Switzerland. In the glass, you see a honey amber color with absolutely no head. The aroma is of tart vinegar and fruit, and the taste is dry and tart, with lots of vinegar and some cherry. Very potent at 9% ABV. If you're in the market for a very sour beer, this one should be on your list. I was hoping for a touch more fruit in the taste, but it was still a very good beer.
This brewery opened for business in 2002, and is named for the three ladies in the brewer's life, his wife and two daughters. Hopefully they're done having kids, or he's going to need to rename this bad boy! It seems as though this beer was a special, one time production. Glad we caught it on tap at TJ's!
Thing to Think About Today:
In the spirit of 'three ladies', I'll go ahead and get us thinking of everyone's favorite tv trio - the gang from Three's Company. Sure, one of the trio was the wildly talented John Ritter, but he had to pretend to be gay so that he didn't get kicked out by Mr. Firley. So I guess that counts as 'three ladies', right? Anyway, I used to love this sitcom back in the day, and during college could be found glued to the tv whenever repeats of this show came on. Anyway, enjoy your Friday. I'm going to enjoy mine!
Beer # 75 Douze / Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes, Jura, Switzerland
Instead of tasting a beer from a brewery in Belgium, apparently I'll just move along and grab one from Switzerland. Hooray for other places in Europe!
This one is another brewery Marci has already added to her collection, BFM, or Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes for those so inclined to be more formal. Douze is a golden ale, and it pours with a golden orange hue and a foamy head. There aroma is a light, tart citrus scent. The taste definitely sticks with the tart citrus flavors, as there's not much malt or hops associated with this brew. Overall, this beer lacks some backbone or complexity, but it's pretty damn tasty none the less. Reminded me a teensy bit of an 1809 Berlinerweisse, a beer I haven't yet reviewed, although I'm very familiar with its work. That one's coming soon enough.
Douze is French for "twelve", so it makes sense this is their special edition 12th anniversary beer - congrats to BFM on 12 years! If you can find one of these, it's worth picking up.
Thing to Think About Today:
If we're celebrating a dozen, then let's go ahead and think about a classic film, The Dirty Dozen. This is a legenedary WWII movie about an officer who selects 12 soldiers currently serving sentences for murder a choice: "volunteer" for a top secret suicide raid behind the lines in Germany and go free if you live, or die in prison. Make no mistake, there's some serious star power in this movie - Lee Majors, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, Telly Savalas, and Donald Southerland. Heavy hitters, indeed.
What does any of this have to do with beer? I have no idea. Just remember that it's always better to down swinging than to quit fighting - even if you're crazy. We'll stick in two of my favorite scenes here - the first is the mnemonic exercise to remember the steps involved in the raid, the second is Southerland pretending to be a general while they complete their hush-hush training.
I spent a great deal of time today talking about rocket chairs, hydrogen balloon explosions, nitrogen clouds and robots making dramatic entrances. I ordered 1,500 cupcakes and 2,000 hardhats. Today was a good day.
Tonight we drink Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes Douze. It is BFM's 12th anniversary brew -- a Belgian ale brewed with hops and fancy pants salt. Fleur de sel de Guerande to be exact. It was released in 2009 and evidently can't be found anymore per every site I read. Why this was hanging out at Whole Foods in Devon a few nights ago, I do not know.
Into my tulip glass it went. It poured dark apricot color and a giant head. Perhaps that was user error. Who knows. It had good carbonation and a yeast funkiness in the nose. There was also some citrus - lemon foremost. Drinking it revealed a tart and funky flavor. There was also a spiciness that wasn't quite peppery but also not an earthy spice like clove. Very unique. It had a mild sourness and the fleur de sel was a very interesting addition. It wasn't outright salty -- more of a hint. It finished dry and at 6.5% ABV, left me wanting more.
