BEERS #2 - Beyond the Pale

[BlodwynPig]

Its possibly one of the foulest Belgian beers - rank. Sorry.

[Cuellar]

Yeah, I like La Chouffe. It's a decent, reliable, standard beer if caught out at a bar and you need some time to consider your next beer.

I sort of hate like fuck the branding though. I know that's the whole point of it, but it looks like a fucking CAMRA real ale pump label from the bad old days.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

I think I've mentioned it before, but the Rodenbach Grand Cru is one of the few Flemish red sours available near me and it's really really good stuff.

Yes it's dreamworld stuff for me, hits so many flavours I'm a fan of.

BlodwynPig is always around to confirm how much he hates it and I know the style is love/hate.

Now a blend of Lindemans Cassis with something like Rodenbach sounds good. A forest fruits oaky sour. Nice.

[Abnormal Palm]

I didn't especially like the Cassis by the itself so I'll actually keep the other one for a lil blend with Da Rodney Crew. Worf a gamble.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

This isn't intended to be observational humour. I really, really hate when your coaster sticks to the bottom of the glass. That is in all honesty the biggest buzzkill. You see, that wasn't funny, not even a bit.

Right now I've got it going, fraid to say. I'm looking at the culprit bland piece of John Lewis shit right now. Love to get my revenge on it, wang it outside. Just alienate it from society, kerbstomp the fucking cunt. Gone.

It's my fault though. I didn't make fair effort to dry the underside of the pint glass. I should be kerbstomping myself.

[Ferris]

Yes it's dreamworld stuff for me, hits so many flavours I'm a fan of.

BlodwynPig is always around to confirm how much he hates it and I know the style is love/hate.

Now a blend of Lindemans Cassis with something like Rodenbach sounds good. A forest fruits oaky sour. Nice.

To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of the style but that's a quality example. Getting oaky notes in a Flemish sour is ridiculously impressive and it works to mellow the sourness.

[Abnormal Palm]

I ordered some of that Schlenkerla Marzen. The stuff that tastes like like burnt bacon. Might be arriving today with Da Rodney Crew and some other goodies. Got a few more Barnardo Wit, gonna try La Trappe Witte and some Straffe Hendrik Tripel and Quads. I'm gonna drink myself to death.

[BlodwynPig]

Rodney Crew?
Barnardo Wit?

Weren't they in the Austrian remake of Carry on Camping?

[Abnormal Palm]

Hahaha

[Cuntbeaks]

I think I've mentioned it before, but the Rodenbach Grand Cru is one of the few Flemish red sours available near me and it's really really good stuff.

If you like that then try the Rodenbach Alexander, its next level stuff.

[Ferris]

If you like that then try the Rodenbach Alexander, its next level stuff.

I have the grand total of 2 Flemish sours available in the LCBO due to our archaic licensing laws, chances of it being in there are next to nothing but will take a look today or tomorrow. It means local beer has to diversify and improve to fill a lot of niches which is nice, but that you are pretty limited by what you can get imported from Europe like it's a fucking frontier town in 1872.

To be fair, the trappist section is quite good, they just ain't my joint.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

If you like that then try the Rodenbach Alexander, its next level stuff.

I've only had the Charactere Rouge of their fancy range, which was quite delicate. What's Alexander got going for it?

[Cuntbeaks]

I've only had the Charactere Rouge of their fancy range, which was quite delicate. What's Alexander got going for it?

It's more rounded than the Grand Cru, more fruitiness than sourness, wonderfully balanced.

[BlodwynPig]

You don't know what you're talking about. You don't know sours until you've tasted the vinegary elixir that is Duchesse Du Moge: Sulfour

[Abnormal Palm]

Been pounding Schneider Weisse OG like the fridge is fit to burst with the lil cunts because it is. fuck thats nice

[BlodwynPig]

In honour of the Mafia game, I will be drinking

De Dochter van de Korenaar

"Crime Passionnel - Internationally styled wheat IPA, criminally fine..."

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Just been reading here - the names of this fuggin looney stuff -

De Dochter Van De Korenaar
Gulden Draak 4000
Satan Gold
N'ice Chouffe

Whadda fuggin disgrace

[BlodwynPig]

Just been reading here - the names of this fuggin looney stuff -

De Dochter Van De Korenaar
Gulden Draak 4000
Satan Gold
N'ice Chouffe

Whadda fuggin disgrace

I had Gulden Draak 4000 in the last batch, not worth the name
Satan is rubbish too
N'ice Chouffe is commercial crap

De Dochter is amazing

[Cuellar]

Having a Le Fort Tripel straight after a Tripel D'Anvers from the Belgium in a Box batch.

I'm a Tripel D'Anvers fanboy, but I must admit to finding the Le Fort BETTER.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Been a couple of years since I had a Le Fort and I reckon I was rat arsed. I like the brewery it's from too. But no. No. NO.

[Abnormal Palm]

Ran out of beers now. I got an order coming but might not be til tomorrow or even Tuesday. I'm thinking of texting the bottle-o and asking him to open up just for his main man, AP. I want some Dalgona Stout and Whoreson's Kriek.

[Abnormal Palm]

feel like pure shit just want

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Have you seen the Samichlaus those lads brew?

Makes that one look like a Bud Light.

[BlodwynPig]

Vanderghinste, Flanders Sour Ale

FUCKS all over your working class supermarket Rodenbachs.

[Calistan]

^ Had one of those last night. Don't judge a beer by its label - fantastic beer.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

I like Vanderghinste. Took a few goes of ordering in Belgium to get the pronunciation right. Say vonder as quick as possible then the emphasis slams on the aspirated HEEEENSTER.

Vichtenaar edges VdG for flavour, that's my little one-upmanship here.

[BlodwynPig]

I like Vanderghinste. Took a few goes of ordering in Belgium to get the pronunciation right. Say vonder as quick as possible then the emphasis slams on the aspirated HEEEENSTER.

Vichtenaar edges VdG for flavour, that's my little one-upmanship here.

Can only work with the material I've got

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

New review

Krug-Brau - Urstoff - (Kellerbier, 5.4%) - *** and a half



Unlike the rest of this shipment I have drunk another beer by this brewery before, the wonderfully named Mauerscheisser, while on a jolly in Forchheim near Bamberg. It was a hot day and that beer even stays with me now, as it was one of those beautiful right-place-right-time moments. Also some German pensioners who I was sharing the table with outside were giggling at the label. Served in a steinkrug, bright lightly floral and just begging to be demolished, it took no more than 15 minutes even when I was telling myself to slow down.

This one seems to approach the style from a different angle. 5.4% is pretty strong given the rigid absence of variety in strength of the beer in this shipment (all the rest are between 4.8-5.1%).

The colour of it is more traditional lager coloured. Straw/gold with an unfiltered very slight haze. The beer has taken me a few tries to really get. You can certainly appreciably tell it's a stronger beer, with the glazed honeyness in booze backed up by floral bitterness. There's a slight pastorally element too. The aroma is of haybails and tilled fields which remains throughout.

This one is the nearest to Helles lager I have tried so far. Less carbonation, more straw-like breadiness and floral hops. If you took an Augustiner deep into the countryside and quaffed it on a hot day in the farmland, basically. Bavaria in a glass, as trite as that may be.

[Abnormal Palm]

Sounds like a good un, great review. I'm sold.

I've had half of a Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen and while I didn't mind it initially, it gradually made me feel quite nauseated. It's basically the beer version of Lapsang Souchong and that's one of the only tea varieties I can't stomach. I can take a bit of smoke and peat in Scotch but I certainly don't crave it. I heard you need to really have a few to get past the smoke. I've got one more but I'm likely to give it away.

In better news, I've had my first La Trappe Witte and it's good stuff. It's not quite Barnardo tier for me, not especially deep or complex, but extremely pleasant. Like a very soft sherbet, a little pineapple, a touch of floral honey. If someone brought you a surprise pint of the stuff you would be very pleased. Deserves better surroundings than a dreary grey lockdown Monday evening.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

That's one of my favourite Wits, nice rounded flavour, not too bleachy or too citric or too grossly herbal. Nice thick texture. Slightly overlooked. If someone's budget is tight but they still want to try a Belgian beer in a bar I'd point them towards that.

As for the Rauchbier, that's one of the ultimate acquired tastes. I might have got lucky as first time around as I had a bad cold coming on. It was snowing outside and that power-punched through it. I got talking to a guy who was back in his home town of Bamberg for Christmas and New Year and he reckoned it takes 3 until you get used to it, and I think he meant 3 in one sitting. I was enjoying it by the end of the first one, left having got through 4 and had a nice chat with his family.

.com/category/bamberg/]Schlenkerla is one of, if not the best brewery tap/brewery pubs in existence. Trad Germany but authentic, not kitsch. There's a ceramic heater, an 'ausschenk' and a tidy little pub room alongside the bierhalle across the corridor. You just want to bed in all day, and the only thing coming out of the taps (holzfass too, from a wooden barrell) is the Schlenkerla Marzen - everyone's having it.