Beer Thread

[May Contain Nuts]

26 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Gouden Carolus Cuvee Van De Keiser in a Rochefort glass?

Glassphemy.

(actually, great choice of beer, great glass).

It was either the Rochefort glass or the standard old boring Chimay glass, an easy choice in the circumstances.

If there wasn't limited shelf & storage space I'd have a much larger range, although I seem to have misplaced my Gulden Draak dragon's egg glass and Barbar frosted tankard somewhere so I might have to order two glasses as a replacement....

 

Edited May 10, 2020 by Coconut

[Eddie]

10 minutes ago, Coconut said:

It was either the Rochefort glass or the standard old boring Chimay glass, an easy choice in the circumstances.

If there wasn't limited shelf & storage space I'd have a much larger range, although I seem to have misplaced my Gulden Draak dragon's egg glass and Barbar frosted tankard somewhere so I might have to order two glasses as a replacement....

 

I don't have a Barbar glass - however, when I was in Don Quichotte in Bruges many years ago, I ordered a Barbar Bok and was told "Special offer today - it comes with a free hat" and the barman presented me with a straw trilby.

My latest glasses are the Bush 'cracked look' - which tends to be my 'go to' chalice, and the La Corne horn and cradle - which I haven't used yet. Strangely enough, I don't own a Duvel glass any more. I was my first Belgian glass many years ago, and a couple of years ago it broke. Although I regularly drink Duvel (especially when it's on offer at Tesco), I've never really thought about replacing it.

[froggg]

Shame one of Dorset’s best restaurants had to go tits up for me to get hold of this nectar.

[Inverurie Ram]

On 9 May 2020 at 23:10, Coconut said:

I still don't understand why Derbyshire brewery Thornbridge don't appear to have a single pub in Derbyshire, but poo loads in Sheffield and now (apparently) one in Birmingham. It does actually put me off them a little bit!

Anyway, currently sipping a Buxton/Omnipollo Yellow Belly Sundae (their peanut butter & biscuit imperial stout, this time aged in bourbon barrels, at 12%). I say sipping, but I have no self control and it's only taken me about 20 minutes to drink it.

There Sheffield Wednesday Ale puts me off even more...............

https://shop.thornbridgebrewery.co.uk/products/the-wednesday

 

Edited May 12, 2020 by Inverurie Ram

[May Contain Nuts]

Nice DIPA from Denmark's Dry & Bitter ?

[Eddie]

Sat in the back garden this afternoon, and the Memsahib and I sucked down a 75 cl bottle of Straffe Hendrik Quadrupel. I then followed it with an exquisite glass of Innis & Gunn Original.

Both utterly delicious.

[May Contain Nuts]

6 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Sat in the back garden this afternoon, and the Memsahib and I sucked down a 75 cl bottle of Straffe Hendrik Quadrupel. I then followed it with an exquisite glass of Innis & Gunn Original.

Both utterly delicious.

First 'flavoured' beer I ever had was Wells Banana Bread Beer, first time I knew that there were delicious, interesting or barrel aged beers, and other good ones above 7%,, was Innis & Gunn original, although back then I think it might actually have been properly barrell aged and not just aged on top of fake, flavoured 'barrel chips'

Anyway, I don't care that much about its authenticity, I just know that it is responsible for my going down the glorious beery path I've been on for the past 8-10 years.

Edited May 16, 2020 by Coconut

[Eddie]

2 minutes ago, Coconut said:

First 'flavoured' beer I ever had was Wells Banana Bread Beer, first time I knew that there were.delicious, interesting and barrel aged beers,.or node ones above 7% was Innis & Gunn original, although back then I think it might actually have been properly barrell aged and not just aged in top of fake, flavoured 'barrel chips'

Anyway, I don't care that much about its authenticity, I just know that it is responsible for my going down the glorious beery path I've been on for the past 8-10 years.

It's 4 bottles for £6 at Tesco at the moment. I think I'll get a few next week, plus their 'Blood Red Sky' which is also delicious.

[uttoxram75]

Four pints of Final Furlong bitter 4.5% with a caramel finish (apparently). Brewed 10 minutes walk from my house at the Uttoxeter Brewing Company.

You have to take your own receptacle and they'll fill it straight from the cask for £2.50 a pint, all done with social distancing arrangements and card payment or pay on line and collect.

[uttoxram75]

Its not bad actually.

[May Contain Nuts]

18 minutes ago, Eddie said:

It's 4 bottles for £6 at Tesco at the moment. I think I'll get a few next week, plus their 'Blood Red Sky' which is also delicious.

Oh believe me I had plenty of bottles of that back when it was just known as 'Rum Cask Oak Aged Beer'. Tesco (& Sainsburys) used to sell 660ml bottles of both I think, £3 (£2.50 on offer) seemed quite a lot for a single beer back then, little did I know the wonders and expense that would come.

Sainsbury's always used to have one special version per year in their Christmas range, I always stocked up on a few each year. They were ahead of the game, although they have been left behind in modern times in the 'craft' world.

Edited May 16, 2020 by Coconut

[Gone]

Not beer, but I’m a maverick. Happy Saturday ??

[Kinder]

After reading you guys (mostly Eddie!) waxing lyrical over Belgian beers, I want to dip my toe in and see if they’re for me. Could anyone recommend me a few to get started and where’s best to order from?  I’m normally into darker beers / stout but I’ll try anything. Cheers in advance.

[Eddie]

9 hours ago, Kinder said:

After reading you guys (mostly Eddie!) waxing lyrical over Belgian beers, I want to dip my toe in and see if they’re for me. Could anyone recommend me a few to get started and where’s best to order from?  I’m normally into darker beers / stout but I’ll try anything. Cheers in advance.

OK, try Tesco first. They have the following:

Leffe blond and Leffe brune, both what I consider to be 'entry-level' Belgian beers. InBev own the company, so they are somewhat mass-produced, but don't let anyone tell you that they are rubbish - they're not, and I always have a bottle of Leffe brune in the house (for cooking). The cost is usually around a fiver for 4 bottles (33 cl) or £3 for a 75 cl bottle. It's strange, but Belgian beers always seem to taste better in larger bottles (possibly because you relish a glass while looking forward to another). Both beers are around 6.5% ABV.

St Feuillien Saison is a light, dry-hopped summer-style beer, which is currently on offer at 4 bottles for £6. I like it, and drink it regularly. I think the offer runs for a few months. It's 6.5% ABV.

Westmalle Dubbel is a dark beer (all Dubbels are dark, most Tripels are light) which I think would be right up your street. It's a genuine Trappist beer, brewed within the Westmalle monastery, and it is truly world-class. It's around 7.5% and is a personal favourite.

Duvel (meaning 'Devil') is quite readily available now. A very blond beer which generates a huge head - it's 8% and costs £2 a bottle.

Then there is Duvel Tripel Hop. They use 2 of the same hops they use in the normal Duvel, but each year they change the third hop. You will probably find this has 'Citra' on the label - I think the other one doing the rounds at the moment is Cashmere. Again 8% - this one is £2-50 a bottle.

Another blond they do is Delirium Tremens (look for a grey bottle with pink elephants on it) - I like it more than Duvel, but it is a little sweet for some. Again, around 8% and £2-50 a bottle.

St Louis Gueuze is £3-50 a bottle, and it is a Lambic beer. Very much an acquired taste because it is quite sour according to my missus, but I love it. Lambic beers don't have yeasts added - they spontaneously ferment using the natural atmospheric yeasts (a bit like cider uses the yeast in apple skins). I love the style, but it is an acquired taste. Some think it's a bit 'funky'.

Bacchus Kriek is an excellent fruit beer. Not strong - around 5%, but it's delicious. Again, £2-50 a bottle, this doesn't have a label on it. The bottle is wrapped in paper. It starts life as a Lambic gueuze, and then a huge amount of cherries are added to the fermentation vessel during the secondary fermentation.

Where to buy other than Tesco?

For a swift turnaround, Beers Of Europe is a good place to start. They have a reasonable range (3 or 4 hundred Belgians, or they did in the 'beforetimes', and they turn orders around pretty quickly (usually within a week). Free delivery on orders over £60. The best place, but at the moment they are quite slow because of the huge demand, is Belgiuminabox, based in Antwerp. The postal charge is around 10 Euros, and for that you can get something like 30 kilos. That works out to over 40 bottles, but spare a thought for the poor old DPD driver who has to carry that. My typical order will set me back around £100 for around 40 bottles, but the quality of the beers is a cut above what you would get in Tesco.

Prost.

[Kinder]

45 minutes ago, Eddie said:

OK, try Tesco first. They have the following:

Leffe blond and Leffe brune, both what I consider to be 'entry-level' Belgian beers. InBev own the company, so they are somewhat mass-produced, but don't let anyone tell you that they are rubbish - they're not, and I always have a bottle of Leffe brune in the house (for cooking). The cost is usually around a fiver for 4 bottles (33 cl) or £3 for a 75 cl bottle. It's strange, but Belgian beers always seem to taste better in larger bottles (possibly because you relish a glass while looking forward to another). Both beers are around 6.5% ABV.

St Feuillien Saison is a light, dry-hopped summer-style beer, which is currently on offer at 4 bottles for £6. I like it, and drink it regularly. I think the offer runs for a few months. It's 6.5% ABV.

Westmalle Dubbel is a dark beer (all Dubbels are dark, most Tripels are light) which I think would be right up your street. It's a genuine Trappist beer, brewed within the Westmalle monastery, and it is truly world-class. It's around 7.5% and is a personal favourite.

Duvel (meaning 'Devil') is quite readily available now. A very blond beer which generates a huge head - it's 8% and costs £2 a bottle.

Then there is Duvel Tripel Hop. They use 2 of the same hops they use in the normal Duvel, but each year they change the third hop. You will probably find this has 'Citra' on the label - I think the other one doing the rounds at the moment is Cashmere. Again 8% - this one is £2-50 a bottle.

Another blond they do is Delirium Tremens (look for a grey bottle with pink elephants on it) - I like it more than Duvel, but it is a little sweet for some. Again, around 8% and £2-50 a bottle.

St Louis Gueuze is £3-50 a bottle, and it is a Lambic beer. Very much an acquired taste because it is quite sour according to my missus, but I love it. Lambic beers don't have yeasts added - they spontaneously ferment using the natural atmospheric yeasts (a bit like cider uses the yeast in apple skins). I love the style, but it is an acquired taste. Some think it's a bit 'funky'.

Bacchus Kriek is an excellent fruit beer. Not strong - around 5%, but it's delicious. Again, £2-50 a bottle, this doesn't have a label on it. The bottle is wrapped in paper. It starts life as a Lambic gueuze, and then a huge amount of cherries are added to the fermentation vessel during the secondary fermentation.

Where to buy other than Tesco?

For a swift turnaround, Beers Of Europe is a good place to start. They have a reasonable range (3 or 4 hundred Belgians, or they did in the 'beforetimes', and they turn orders around pretty quickly (usually within a week). Free delivery on orders over £60. The best place, but at the moment they are quite slow because of the huge demand, is Belgiuminabox, based in Antwerp. The postal charge is around 10 Euros, and for that you can get something like 30 kilos. That works out to over 40 bottles, but spare a thought for the poor old DPD driver who has to carry that. My typical order will set me back around £100 for around 40 bottles, but the quality of the beers is a cut above what you would get in Tesco.

Prost.

Amazing, thanks Eddie.  I’ll get a selection and report back.  I like the sound of Trappist beers so will get a few of those, plus some of the others you’ve recommended.  Much appreciated thanks.  ? 

[EtoileSportiveDeDerby]

5 minutes ago, Kinder said:

Amazing, thanks Eddie.  I’ll get a selection and report back.  I like the sound of Trappist beers so will get a few of those, plus some of the others you’ve recommended.  Much appreciated thanks.  ? 

Eddie is the man, clearly...but all I would like to add is that the difference  I find between Belgian beer and some of the stronger stuff you get here is that they actually taste nice but not necessarily strong. The net result is that once you 've had a few you can get get p!ssed before you know it.

Enjoy, they do have wonderful beers!

[Eddie]

15 minutes ago, EtoileSportiveDeDerby said:

Eddie is the man, clearly...but all I would like to add is that the difference  I find between Belgian beer and some of the stronger stuff you get here is that they actually taste nice but not necessarily strong. The net result is that once you 've had a few you can get get p!ssed before you know it.

Enjoy, they do have wonderful beers!

If it's strength you want, then Samichlaus is worth looking at. Very expensive, but exquisite. I have a couple on order which I have never had before, one of which is Schwarzes, a black lager tipping the scales at 14%. Austrian, of course.

My favourite English beer is, without a doubt, Tynt Meadow, brewed at Mount St Bernard monastery, near Coalville, so it's our only Trappist beer. Not strong (7.5%), but a huge flavour bomb. It's an English-style dark/brown ale (think Robinsons Old Tom), but I think they use a Belgian yeast which gives it a wonderfully complex aroma and flavour.

Tynt Meadow first saw the light of day about 2 years ago, and really it wasn't that great. I think they had yeast problems, and the beer just didn't really cut it. Six months later, I tried another one, and the difference was substantial. I put that down to bottle-aging and the beer maturing over time, so I started buying the odd box from the monastery. It just seemed to get better and better, and now I think it's world class. Even the young bottles are delicious.

[Gritstone Ram]

On 09/05/2020 at 23:10, Coconut said:

I still don't understand why Derbyshire brewery Thornbridge don't appear to have a single pub in Derbyshire, but poo loads in Sheffield and now (apparently) one in Birmingham. It does actually put me off them a little bit!

Anyway, currently sipping a Buxton/Omnipollo Yellow Belly Sundae (their peanut butter & biscuit imperial stout, this time aged in bourbon barrels, at 12%). I say sipping, but I have no self control and it's only taken me about 20 minutes to drink it.

There are some in Derbyshire there is one in Bakewell called the Juniper and one near Monsall Head called the Pack Horse.

However they are a newish brewery so they don’t have lots of pubs. Also pubs in the Peak District are a lot more pricey than Sheffield which is the closest city.

Edited May 20, 2020 by Van Gritters

[Eddie]

1 hour ago, Van Gritters said:

There are some in Derbyshire there is one in Bakewell called the Juniper and one near Monsall Head called the Pack Horse.

However they are a newish brewery so they don’t have lots of pubs. Also pubs in the Peak District are a lot more pricey than Sheffield which is the closest city.

Their "Days of Creation" sour raspberry ale is a firm favourite here. Not quite a Framboise, but very quaffable. Quite strong for a fruit beer too.

[Gritstone Ram]

7 hours ago, Eddie said:

Their "Days of Creation" sour raspberry ale is a firm favourite here. Not quite a Framboise, but very quaffable. Quite strong for a fruit beer too.

I’ll have a look for that one. Cheers.