Monthly Archives: October 2010
#153 – Tripel de Garre
Size: on cask ABV: 11.5 % We started our Saturday evening on the tiles in a highly recommended bar, wedged into a tiny alley, just a stones throw from the main square in Bruges. The Staminee de Garre in fact … Continue reading →
Filed under 8, Abbey Tripel, Van Steenberge
Tagged as beer, Belgian, Bruges, Brugse Zot, celery salt, cheese, de Garre, goblet, Staminee, Tripel, Van Steenberge
#152 – Belle-Vue Kriek Extra
Size: 250 ml ABV: 4.3 % There are a whole host of fruit beers on the market that label themselves rather gratuitously. One that had already begun to confuse me was the way that Belle-Vue had two different types of … Continue reading →
Filed under 5, Belle-Vue (InBev), Lambic - Fruit
Tagged as Becks, beer, Belgian, Belle-Vue, Bruges, cherry, Extra, Fier, Kriek, Lambic, Stella Artois
#151 – Straffe Hendrik
Size: 330 ml ABV: 9 % The Straffe Hendrik hasn’t always had things it’s own way. Life certainly hasn’t always been kind, and the fact that the beer is still alive and tastes so damn good is one of the … Continue reading →
#150 – Urthel Hop-It
Size: 330 ml ABV: 9.5 % The Urthel Hop-It was born around 2005 when Hildegard van Ostaden (#101) returned inspired from a beer festival in the USA which was devoted to high quality super-hopped beers. In fact in many quarters … Continue reading →
Filed under 8, Belgian Strong Ale, de Koningshoeven
Tagged as alpha acid, beer, Belgian, Bitter, Bitterness, Brugs Beertje, Garetz, Hildegard, hop, Hop-It, Hopus, IBU, International, Koningshoeven, Rager, Tinseth, Unit, Urthel, Van Ostaden, XX Bitter
#149 – Westmalle Tripel
Size: 330 ml ABV: 9.5 % Just as Westmalle symbolises the ultimate Dubbel (#16), then look no further than Westmalle for the archetypal Tripel. I often get asked by new recruits who I drag to London’s best pubs for a … Continue reading →
Filed under 9, Abbey Beer, Abbey Tripel, Trappist Beer, Westmalle
Tagged as beer, Belgian, Drie Linden, Dubbel, gravity, Hendrik, Superbier, Three Lindens, Trappist, Tripel, Verlinden, Westmalle, Witkap Pater
#148 – Ezel Bruin
Size: 250 ml ABV: 6.5 % The logo of the Ezel beers is one of a donkey holding a frothy glass of beer – hardly surprising when you consider that Ezel is Flemish for donkey. Like everything though with Belgian … Continue reading →
#147 – Boon Kriek
Size: 250 ml ABV: 4 % It seems a long time ago now that I was first drinking the Boon Oude Gueuze (#89) where we first met Frank Boon. I said then I would continue his story, and it’s definitely … Continue reading →
#146 – Vichtenaar
Size: 250 ml ABV: 5.1 % The claim to fame often laid at the feet of the Flemish oud-bruin Vichtenaar, is that it is the family favourite. This isn’t just any old family either, when you consider that since 1817, … Continue reading →
#145 – Gulden Draak
Size: 330 ml ABV: 10.5 % If you visit Ghent you will almost certainly have to look up at some point at the majestic Belfry in the main square. You shouldn’t need a telescopic lens on your camera to spot … Continue reading →
Filed under 5, Belgian Strong Ale, Dragon, Van Steenberge
Tagged as beer, belfry, Belgian, Beverhoutsveld, Biervliet, Bruges, Brugse Zot, Constantinople, Crusades, Draak, dragon, Ghent, Gulden, Hagia Sofia, Kastaar, Sigrid Magnusson, St Donaas, Van Steenberge, vintage
#144 – Artevelde
Size: 250 ml ABV: 5.7 % As I opened this impressive looking beer on a quiet night indoors I didn’t give a great deal of thought to who it was named after. Once though I had unfortunately drunk … Continue reading →
Filed under 4, Belgian Ale, Huyghe
Tagged as Artevelde, beer, Belgian, Bruges, Captain General, Count of Flanders, Ghent, Hundred Years War, Huyghe, Jacob van Artevelde, Louis, Sexy Rubbel Lager, Three Member Alliance, Ypres
#143 – St Paul Special
Size: 330 ml ABV: 5.5 % St. Paul has done rather well for himself in the modern world, honoured by London’s stand-out Cathedral, and the biggest city in Minnesota, USA. He would probably be most impressed however to have had … Continue reading →
#142 – Pere Noel
Size: 330 ml ABV: 7 % The political situation in Belgium is often centred around the cultural and regional differences between French and Flemish speaking areas. No more abstract an example of the dichotomy exists perhaps than in the celebration … Continue reading →
Filed under 8, Belgian Ale, Christmas Beer, De Ranke
Tagged as beer, Belgian, Christmas, De Ranke, Father Christmas, Gui, Mistletoe, Noel, Pere Noel, St Nicholas, sticks
#141 – Silly La Divine
Size: 330 ml ABV: 9.5 % This beer has been going for quite a while, and is one of the flagship beers from the Silly brewery. It has survived a number of label changes, ending up with a … Continue reading →
Filed under 9, Belgian Strong Ale, Silly
Tagged as Aegir, beer, Belgian, Chapel, Dionysus, floordrobe, God, La Divine, liberator, Mbana Mwana Waresa, Ninkasi, Osiris, Radegast, Ragutiene, Raugupatis, Silly, Sumeria, Tezcatzontecatl, Yasigi, Zeus
#140 – Bavik Pony Stout
Size: 250 ml ABV: 5.2 % Bavik is a famous old Belgian brewery; and one that is proud of its traditional history. I am almost certain that the labelling of their sweet milk stout comes with a glowing … Continue reading →
Filed under 5, Bavik, Brewers, Horse, Sweet Stout
Tagged as Bavik, beer, Belgian, horse, James Watt, Percheron, Pony, Stout, Sweet Stout, Winston Churchill
#139 – Moinette Blonde
Size: 330 ml ABV: 8.5 % There could be a handful of reasons why Dupont chose to name their popular beer Moinette Blonde. I’m happy to run through a number of hypotheses and let you play detective (#75). 1. Well … Continue reading →
#138 – Saxo
Size: 330 ml ABV: 7.5 % Caracole lovingly adorn their beer labels with incarnations of snails. The reason for the snail on the label of this beer being mocked up with a saxophone is because Adolphe Sax, the inventor of … Continue reading →
#137 – Tongerlo Dubbel Bruin
Size: 330 ml ABV: 6 % This is the second dabbling I have had with the beers of Tongerlo, my first stop being the Tongerlo Tripel Blonde (#30) which gave me a chance to introduce the Abbey which so elegantly … Continue reading →
Filed under 7, Abbey Beer, Abbey Dubbel, Haacht
Tagged as Abbey, Augustine, beer, Belgian, blond, Bruin, Canon Regular, Cistercian, Dubbel, Grimbergen, monk, Norbertine, Premontre, St Norbert, Tongerlo, Trappist, Tripel, Xanten
#136 – Cuvee li Crochon Brune
Size: 250 ml ABV: 8.7 % This beer took me back in time, to reclining by the sumptuous Lake D’Iseo in northern Italy and polishing off the rather uninspiring Cuvee li Crochon Blonde (#58). It was time to offer one … Continue reading →
#135 – Hapkin
Size: 330 ml ABV: 8.5 % Hapkin may now be brewed by giant Alken-Maes, but it hasn’t always been this way. The Brouwerij Louwaege was formed in 1877 and lasted five generations until its premature closure in 2002. The 7500 … Continue reading →
Filed under 8, Alken-Maes, Belgian Strong Ale
Tagged as Abbey, Alken Maes, axe, Baldwin, beer, Belgian, Boudewijn, Count, Flanders, Hapkin, Kortemark, Lord, Louwaege, Robin Hood, Ter Duinen Cistercienzerplaters
