The End...Sort Of.

Day #721 Westvleteren 12 / Sint-Sixtusabdij van Westvleteren, Westvleteren, Belgium
Previously from this brewery:  The blonde and the 8

First, before the review allow me to announce that there are changes coming to your favorite beer blog.  No, not that one.  This one here.  Going forward, you are likely to not see a post every day, as you have for the past 721 days.  The writing staff have agreed that after nearly two years, we've lost some steam and maybe some passion, and schedules are currently making it difficult to drink, review, and write on an every day basis.  This by no means spells the end of this blog.  Quite the opposite.  There will still be reviews and commentary, but on a more manageable pace that fits in with our lifestyles.

So, to close out this phase of the blog, I'm going to pull out my last review that I had stashed from Belgium; quite possibly the rarest of the white whale beers, the Westvleteren 12.  Regardless of what source you consult (like this one, or this one, or this one), Westy 12 is likely to be the #1 ranked beer in the world, and if not, then somewhere near the top of the list.  That lofty - and let's face it - cult status stems from the fact that it is delicious (more on that soon), but also because they don't distribute their beer anywhere other than a cafe across the street from the abbey.  So, unless you have some well connected friends or a plane ticket to Belgium or the abbey has a serious financial need, you aren't having one of these.  And that makes it special. A running joke I have with some beer friends is that if you want your beer to become famous in the increasingly crowded world of craft beers, make a good beer.... and then don't sell it to anyone.  Might be some truth in that.

This may actually be the Westy 8... but go with it

So, the review.  In the glass, this quad pours a dark brown color, with a thick and lingering off white head. The aroma is an intoxicating mix of dark fruits, sweet malt, and Belgian yeast.  You could inhale this beer all day.  But even better than that would be actually drinking the beer, and when you do there are wonderful flavors of apple, raisin, and malt, with some caramel and spice in there as well.  Rich and complex, this beer definitely got even better as it warmed up a bit.  I'm probably not doing this beer justice, but trust me when I say that this is indeed an amazing, world class beer.

But is it the best ever?  I guess it all depends on your definition and what styles you prefer.  I've had more complex beers, I've had more flavorful beers, I've had more unusual beers.  All that being said, this is a very delicious beer, and the inability to get this beer easily definitely ratchets up the value.  However, I'll leave it up to you to decide if this is the best beer on earth when you drink one yourself.

As we leave this phase of the blog and move into the next phase, allow me to pause and again say thank you to you, the readers, who stopped by frequently, liked posts on Facebook, and every now and then would mention in person that you took our advice on a beer.  That means a lot.  And of course, thank you to Marci, my co-author, who had the crazy idea to launch this blog in the first place.  Been quite an adventure, and thank you for that.

Thing to Think About Today:

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Ahab vs. the White Whale

Day #463  Pliny the Younger / Russian River Brewing Company, Santa Rosa, CA
Previously from this brewery: all the Supplication, a huge sampler, another huge sampler

It's Sunday, which means yoga and errands, and hopefully some quiet time to relax before the work week begins again.  Seeing how I have some free time this afternoon, allow me to spin a yarn about a white whale I recently hunted down.

There are a number of rare beers in the craft beer kingdom that inspire fanaticism, devotion, and dogged pursuit from loyal fans.  Usually, these beers are only produced once a year (or often less frequently than that), have exceptionally limited amounts available, and quite frankly, are delicious in ways ordinary beers - even ordinary craft beers - just can't compete with.  Like the un-catchable white whale from Moby-Dick, beers like these can drive you mad in their pursuit.

One of the most famous annually available white whale beers is the mythical Pliny the Younger, from Russian River Brewing Company.  As you may recall, Russian River was the winner of my Brewery of the Year award from the 366 challenge, so you know whatever they produce is going to be liquid gold.  Released every February in extraordinarily limited quantities, Pliny the Younger is a rare near-Triple IPA.  I had been watching Twitter and Facebook for a few weeks to see if and when TJ's or Teresa's Next Door would tap their keg.  Fortune was on my side, as I received notice and was able to cut out of work immediately to race to TND in enough time to get my pour; within 75 minutes, their supply was wiped out.

In the glass, this beer is a bright, clear dark copper color.  Your nose is greeted with a blast of grapefruit and pine aromas - right off the bat you know this beer means business.  When you take a sip, there's ample citrus fruit, although you pick up grapefruit most frequently.  It's dry and bitter throughout, but the bitterness definitely roars up in the finish.  I'm sure there's some malt in there somewhere, but clearly it's cowering in fear from the hop goodness and citrus warmth.  This beer tastes incredibly fresh and "green," as if it was just sitting outside on a spring day, with a warm, pleasing breeze blowing through.

Pliny the Younger is a potent 10.5% ABV, but that alcohol is well hidden behind the amazing taste.  Perhaps it's a good thing I was only able to get one on draft.

Blurry and hard to see, just like a photo
of the equally reclusive Bigfoot!

Many bars in the Philly area had a line out the door and around the corner on the day they tapped this beer.  I can't say that I would stand in line for many things these days at my advanced age, not even beer.  Is it worth all the fuss?  Is it worth the insanity?  As I was standing in an obscenely over-crowded Teresa's Next Door at 3pm on a random Wednesday, it struck me that I was experiencing what moms must have felt back in the 80s when they were beating each other up in shopping malls to get their hands on Cabbage Patch Kids dolls.  It doesn't make much sense, all the chaos for something that probably doesn't warrant that level of insanity.  Make no mistake, this beer is wonderful and definitely in my Top 25, but will I go on the search again next year to hunt like a craft beer version of Captain Ahab, doomed to sail the world in search of a Triple IPA Moby Dick?  Time will tell.  Who knows where I'll be or what I'll be doing next February, after all.  Might be on a whaling boat for all I know.

Thing to Think About Today:
I've already shared my fondness for Moby-Dick in this space, and I've also shared what unfortunately happens to beached whales every now and again.  In the continued consideration of whales, let's wrap up with indie band Freelance Whales and their song, Generator ^ First Floor.  They remind me of a mellower Mumford & Sons with a xylophone, if you're into that sort of thing.  Check it out....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ispGw346zeQ