What Beers Did You Drink Today? Or Yesterday? (Part 2)

[Vooon]

I had the brilliant Christmas special N'Ice Chouffe the other day, from Brasserie d’Achouffe, Belgium.

[ChrisTaylor]

Just ordered one each of the Westvleteren range. Hope I don't open a soaking box to find expensive shards of glass.

[ChrisTaylor]

A very very very good example of a Belgian blonde. Soft and smooth mouthfeel, altho' the finish is pretty subdued. Only a hint of that 'metallic' note Blondes tend to have. Only a hint, too, of carbonation. The whole package is somehow subtle without seeming watery and insipid. This is very much a yes. Worth the expense of the import. Shipping was fast, too. I kind of expected them to piss fart around a whole lot, but Belgium > Australia took a week-ish. Which is only marginally longer than how long it takes for an order from a large, Australian online store to arrive. Not that any local stores stock the Westvel range.

[ChrisTaylor]

The other two Westvleterens.

The 8. Same smooth mouthfeel, altho' this one feels a little more carbonated than the blonde. V. fine bubbles, tho'--more Veuve than Coke. Again, subtle and restrained and everything else. More yeasty/bready notes, tho'. Another yes.

Westvleteren's flagship brew. Like its brothers (sisters? cousins? ships and cyclones are women, but what about beers? are they asexual like old Soviet countries?) it's all underdone, subtle, restrained, altho' this being a darker beer it is obviously *less* underdone, subtle, restrained. It's very good. Is it the best beer in the world, as hailed by basically every 'best beers in the world' list ever printed or uploaded? Well. I don't know. I mean, 'best ever' is a pretty subjective thing and, just as price makes foie gras/caviar/et al more exciting, the difficulty in acquiring Westvleteren beers probably adds to the appeal. That and the label-less bottle and the fact the monks only brew just enough to keep the monastry running. And, too, the way it's one of the few truly true honest-to-God (pun intended) Trappist beers left. So. I don't know. But it is pretty fucking good. And so are the others. They're different beasts, sure, but I wouldn't rate the 12 any higher or lower than the 8 or the blonde.

[BrentKulman]

The other two Westvleterens.

Westvleteren's flagship brew. Like its brothers (sisters? cousins? ships and cyclones are women, but what about beers? are they asexual like old Soviet countries?) it's all underdone, subtle, restrained, altho' this being a darker beer it is obviously *less* underdone, subtle, restrained. It's very good. Is it the best beer in the world, as hailed by basically every 'best beers in the world' list ever printed or uploaded? Well. I don't know. I mean, 'best ever' is a pretty subjective thing and, just as price makes foie gras/caviar/et al more exciting, the difficulty in acquiring Westvleteren beers probably adds to the appeal. That and the label-less bottle and the fact the monks only brew just enough to keep the monastry running. And, too, the way it's one of the few truly true honest-to-God (pun intended) Trappist beers left. So. I don't know. But it is pretty fucking good. And so are the others. They're different beasts, sure, but I wouldn't rate the 12 any higher or lower than the 8 or the blonde.

I had the 12 a few years ago and found it a bit too sweet and boozy for my palate. A very nice beer, no doubt, and worth trying once. But when you get over the hype due to the difficulty of obtaining the Westvleteren, I think I much prefer the Rochefort 10, which is far easier to obtain.

[ChrisTaylor]

Looking back and all, not that I tried them side by side, but the 8 might just be that little bit superior to the 12. A little bit. It's a close call, though. I've heard good things about the Rochefort 10. It's also far, far, far cheaper than the Westvleteren. Any others you'd recommend?

[BrentKulman]

Here are a few recommendations for you in this genre:

Brasserie Des Rocs Triple Impériale

Corsendonk Christmas Ale

Maredsous 8 - Brune

St. Bernardus Abt 12.

[rod rock]

Yesterday not, but in saturday was some friend-gathering at my place. We decide to have good amount of "Staropramen" beer. They call it Prague's Jewel. Very nice, its my favorite!

[ChrisTaylor]

Hoegaarden's Grand Cru. A bit boring, really. It's okay. Maybe even on the above average side of okay. But it's just lacking something that makes it good. It's a step up from the standard Hoe, tho'. And probably the pick of what I picked up on my last run to the bottle-o--including the surprisingly forgettable Black Sheep Ale.

[kaszeta]

Had a long weekend in Austin, and managed to knock off quite a few new-to-me-beers, mostly from Austin

1. Jester King Beer Geek Rodeo (which was excellent)

2. High Esteem (IPA), Elba (Wheat), and Rebellious Dockhand (Raspberry) from Black Star Beer Co-Op

3. Austin Amber Ale

4. Lone Pine Hefe

[rlibkind]

Bell's Oarsman. At 4% the ultimate session beer.

[FrogPrincesse]

And I've been drinking a lot of Goose Island Sofie, both at home, with orange slices, and happily, on tap at most of my favorite bars. It's my go-to summer beer. Estrella Damm Inedit (brewed by Ferran Adria) is similar - brewed to be light, with citrus and spices.

I tried the Estrella Damm Inedit at a Tapas restaurant last night, and really liked it. It's light and on the subtle side, with a lot of spice.

We also had an Alhambra Negra, a dark lager from Spain that was creamy and rich, almost like a stout.

Edited June 15, 2012 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[haresfur]

I took a slab of Costco's Kirkland beer to Beer Club at work (Friday have a beer after work) because it was something I knew no one had had before. Attendance has been fairly low so it lasted through 3 weeks. That meant I got to try all but the wheat beer. I wasn't super impressed by the amber but it was good enough. The pale ale was pretty hoppy and I quite liked the IPA. Overall good value for not too much more than a slab of Victoria Bitter (VB = blech). For non-Australians: it cost $50 but Sierra Nevada will run you $75. Too bad a Costco run takes most of a day for me.

[LindaK]

Enjoying a Magic Hat # 9 from Burlington, VT as I post this. Fruity and crisp, my "house" beer.

[ChrisTaylor]

Coopers is and has for a long time been the best of the mass market Australian brews. For sure. In all its variants. The new one, the 'celebration ale', is very good. Such a shame that overseas (judging by BeerAdvocate reviews and eGullet posts and etc) that Australian beer means either Fosters or shitty made-for-export-only 'craft' beers such as Barons.

[Boilerfood]

3 Floyd's Apocalypse Cow

Ayinger Celebrator

Cave Creek Chili Beer

Shiner Bock

All over the place in terms of styles, and quality.

[LindaK]

For a friend's July 4 bbq, I brought two new beers from local brewery Pretty Things.

American Darling--a full flavored lager. Loved this.

Meadowlark IPA--very hoppy but well balanced. Generally I'm not an IPA girl, but this was really good.

[haresfur]

Coopers is and has for a long time been the best of the mass market Australian brews. For sure. In all its variants. The new one, the 'celebration ale', is very good. Such a shame that overseas (judging by BeerAdvocate reviews and eGullet posts and etc) that Australian beer means either Fosters or shitty made-for-export-only 'craft' beers such as Barons.

Our beer-club beer at work this week was Coopers 62 Pilsner. I'm not a big Pilsner fan or mass market beer fan, but this was pretty decent (or maybe I just really needed a beer). I agree that Coopers is the best mass market brewery here. And you don't get a bottle design with less wank factor.

[ChrisTaylor]

Haven't had the Pilsner. The Sparkling Ale is the pick of the regulars that I've had. The two seasonals I've had--last year's Vintage and this year's Celebration Ale--are both good. If you're still coming down tomorrow I have a few in the fridge.

[rod rock]

My friend is cafe bar owner and he is making light beer, i don't know the recipe and that beer is so good! I was drinking it yesterday afternoon, so pleasant on this hot weather!

[haresfur]

I agree with Chris. The Cooper's Celebration is very good. It has the thinness of a real British bitter that I haven't seen in many craft beers. The hops taste more American to me, though.

[Kameron Ray]

It's all about my lovely russian river Pliney the Elder! went well with my beef wellington yesterday!

[Kameron Ray]

I agree with Chris. The Cooper's Celebration is very good. It has the thinness of a real British bitter that I haven't seen in many craft beers. The hops taste more American to me, though.

I'll have to try that!

[ChrisTaylor]

Been drinking a bit of standard Coopers Sparkling lately. For a cheap beer it's exceptional. In fact, even when money is no object, it's exceptional.

[DanM]

Narragansett lager was served with dinner. This is what a simple lager should be... forget what bud, coors, and miller want you to believe. I want a lagering fridge just so I can brew a beer like this one.

Tonight I might open a bottle of a chipotle stout I made about a month ago. Hopefully, the chipotle will not overtake the beer.

Dan