Well life's been crazy and I haven't been writing enough, but that doesn't mean I haven't been drinking a host of excellent specialty beers, and the occasional regrettable excursion trying to find a real treasure.
A recent jaunt to my metaphysical brother from another mother's house led to these 3 finds:
Wild Dog Weizenbock Ale - Special Release
By Flying Dog Breweries - Denver, Colorado US
8.6% Alcohol by Volume, this Wild Dog Has a bite
Now....I had my doubts when the special edition bottling card suggested that the beer had a hint of banana in a Wheat Bock, and a dash of clove. I was intrigued, but apprehensive, not being a real fan of anything flavored banana, other than a banana itself (not to mention that I'm one of those nutters that likes my monkey fruit to be golden yellow with little brown spots all over it and almost smooshy). So needless to say my dark brother smelled the bottle after opening and said, "I'm not smelling any banana....."
Pours rich red/brown into the glass with little head, which disipates quickly. Strong yet sweet smell of clove once it breathes in the glass, a subtle hint of the banana if you're looking. Taste is a bit malty, with a rich yeasty under flow, yet darkly fruit on the top of the tongue. Front taste buds definitely pick out the banana once this beer warms. While it didn't hurt the beer terribly, I preferred it very chilled and smooth. Good thing is that it's complex character and blend of flavors does really good at hiding the high alcohol content. Overall this was a tasty choice, definitely not for everyone, but a great wandering selection.
Next up:
La Seigneuriale - Ale on Lees
By Unibroue - Quebec Canada
7.5% alcohol by volume, Belgium Strong Pale Ale Style
Generally I'm a fan of the Unibroue selection, never tried this one in the past and figured, what the heck... Pouts out of the glass a peachy/apricot amber with a quickly rising white head, rather obvious from the pic eh? Head breaks down slow, and yet a steady stream of carbonation can still be seen lifting from the bottom of the glass. Rich sweet fruity taste of apples and apricots, perhaps a hint of molasses or caramel. Heady to say the least rather enjoyed it, but my drinking mate did not find this one to his palates liking a bit too malty for his taste. Not my favorite from the Quebequa, but a good beer none the less....
Lastly for this blog, we tried a Belgian:
Affligem-Tripel
by Brouwerij De Smedt in Belgium
8.5% Alcohol by Volume, A classic Tripel style Belgium
This one pours golden with a decent head of tight white bubbles which actually hold there shape for a bit before breaking to a thin film around the edges. Smell is light almost citric, with a good dose of clove. Crisp and sweet, does a decent job of covering over the high alcohol content, but definitely need to be more of a post meal finisher as this was a good Tripel, but not worthy of standing on its own.
More blogs to follow later as I catch up on some oldies but goodies, and a batch of new ones yet to try this week.
Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think, or if you've had any of these and what you've thought! Cheers! (B)
