Vrienden

Okay, so I decided to give New Belgium's Lips of Faith series another shot to redeem itself after that bland Sahti I had (I've actually had a sour brown from them before to, and while delicious tasted like just about every other standard sour). This one is a collaboration though between the brewers at New Belgium, and the brewers from Allagash. Those who are not familiar with Allagash they make some extreme beers up in Maine. Those of you who are not familiar with Maine, it is what Conan O'Brian has stated as being, "The Deep South, of the Far North." Enough picking on Maine cause Allagash is actually an awesome brewery, and really I have nothing against Maine, I just thought that was an awesome quote. Even though I know some German I have no idea what the hell the word Vrienden means, sorry about that. What I can tell you is this ale was probably intended to be a sour based off of a belgian golden ale, or at least that is the flavor impression I am getting from this beer. For those who hate sours though don't fret, because it pretty much failed in that regard. However, it did make a wonderful ale all it's own. It is super tangy, and very light and drinkable. It has an herby sweetness to it that's really awesome, and not to be cliche but really uplifting in an ale. I've never had Hibiscus, or Endive in a beer for that matter, but the two seem to go well with this kind of ale. Even though the beer is a rather hefty 8.5% alcohol, it is still extremely drinkable. The light smooth beer, with a lot of herby tanginess is the best way to describe the taste and smell. If you get a good sniff of it though it is also rather yeasty, so I'm guessing if left be this one would bottle age for quite some time. Some people hate the taste/smell, but in this drink I think the yeastiness of the ale actually helps compliment that tangy sensation, while also letting the herbal flavors have their own distinct qualities in the ale. In any event I ended up really enjoying this ale. I'm not sure if those were the intended flavors, but even if it was a mistake, it was a wonderful one. I believe if this one had been really sour like alot of sour ales, it would have killed alot of the other great flavors to be had from the herbs, and the yeast intermingling. Although it took a collaboration with Allagash, I think New Belgium Lips of Faith finally inadvertantly stumbled upon a winner. They may want to keep that extreme brewery in Maine on speed dial for their next stab at a beer, because I think whatever it was done, a collaboration of minds most certainly helped with this entry.

St Bernardus Christmas Ale

I've been waiting to write about this one for a while, sorry school has been squelching my desire to write for fun lately. This is hand's down one of the best belgian ales I've had in some time. I loved spiced brews, I love belgian brews, and I love dark brews, so simply put this is my jizzed in my pants moment of the beer world. This beer combines all those elements that I so love about so many different ales. St Bernardus makes a wide range of ales, but this one is by far may favorite. All of their other belgian ales are pretty good as well, so please don't let this dissuade any of you from going out and trying any of those ales either. The second you pop the cork on this puppy, the CO2 releases the smell of a darker molasses type sugar balanced out by hints of nutmeg and cinnamon. I'm sure it's probably some proportion of All Spice mixed in, but to the amount of which I'm not sure. Smell, and even flavor though, you'll notice it in a heartbeat. The aroma is just so enticing and festive, I would even go so far to say this is the ale that epitomizes the holidays with it's scents and flavors. The sweetness is noticable, but the heavy carbonation actually helps balance it out quite nicely. It doesn't have the knockout sweetness present in say a barleywine, nor does it have a super belgian yeasty flavor that comes with many of the countries Tripel style ales, but for obvious reasons. The typical belgian flavor is there no doubt, but something closer to a cross between a grand cru, and a barleywine style ale. There is also a slight fruitiness in the aftertaste, shooting from the hip I'd say it's most likely a orange peel, or something to that effect as it does not have the sharpness associated with lemon or a slightly more acidic fruit. In any event this thing is both a cornucopia, and a roller coaster, delivering a heavy volume of scents and flavors, but what else would you want from a dark belgian holiday ale. Now all the American breweries always have their wonderful selection of darker, maltier ales, which are all good, but I would definitely add this belgian to the list of any holiday celebration. And I've seen it at Tacoma Boys, QFC, and 99 bottles all recently as well, so even with Christmas over I'm sure it can still be had. Oh and it was also at the Beer Junction in West Seattle as well. I don't know if it will still be in the shops as we drive closer to spring, but while available I say definitely pick one up, and if not for now, let it age a year hell actually it'll taste a little better as you let the ale bottle condition a little more. Just another reason to pick up this St Bernardus Christmas Ale.

Lucky Bastard

Most of us who drink beer by now have either seen Stone Brewings flagship beer Arrogant Bastard Ale in just about any grocery store, or in just about every bar and pub to be had. Stone loves this beer because they make about a million variations on it. For their thirteenth anniversary they have produced yet another incarnation of this classic western microbrew, the so-called Lucky Bastard. As per usual there is the usual ugly mug of some stereotypical gargoyle on the front of the label with the title of the beer. It weighs in at a healthy 8.5% alc as well, so like most of their beers this one has a nice little kick to it. The most awesome part about this beer though is the fact that stone made a huge description on the back of the beer, with all the letters in every word rearranged. It's intense, but for dyslexics like myself it is a wonderfully easy read. Actually for those not aware of this little psychological experiment, almost anyone will be able to read it based off of the functions of the human nervous system, and eyesite. Apparently Stone wants to show the public at large just how awesome the human brain is. The description on the back says that this thing is a mix of the Bastard line, that is to say Oak aged Bastard, Double Bastard, and regular Arrogant Bastard. I used a nice rastal glass so if you get a good wiff, it's the usualy citrusy smell typical of many uber-hoppy beers. Arrogant Bastard on it's own is listed as an American Strong Ale, but I'd label it more an Imperial Pale Ale. This one steps it up a notch with some wonderfully hoppy taste to it, you get the kick but it does not have the sweetness that you may get when drinking a heavy duty Imperial India Pale Ale. Alot of the hoppy-bitterness really comes through nice on this one. It also has a nicer tangy citrus aftertaste that I love much more than any of the regular Arrogant Bastard line. In a way it almost tastes like the correct proportion of tang was thrown in with this beer, but that's definitely not a bad thing. It's probably one of the best balanced heavier pale ales I've ever had. Hop heads rejoice cause this is definitely one you need to add to your list. It's fairly prevalant as well, I've seen it at many grocery stores, all specialty beer stores, and even the Mint Alehouse in Enumclaw (those who have not been, or only know Enumclaw for the horsy thing, I fully encourage you to discover this awesome pub!) I'm not usually a big Arrogant Bastard fan but this version where the company kind of dabled the proportions of several of the beers was pretty good, so for once I'll give the thumbs up to a wonderfully done Lucky Bastard.