Review: Saint Arnold Divine Reserve #13

Alright, time for a quick review that's not part of the "Feature Beer Friday!" series, the Saint Arnold Divine Reserve #13, which officially releases TODAY, March 18th.  Due to distributor and/or retailer miscommunication some of this was released in Baton Rouge a week or so ago, and I was able to get my hands on a 6-pack.

Lately Saint Arnold has done a great job turning their Divine Reserve series into full release or seasonal beers, as the Pumpkinator and Endeavour both started off as a Divine Reserve recipe.  Last year's release, the #12, was an old ale, and I enjoyed it but really need to revisit a few that I have aging to see how it aged and developed.  It was definitely one that was meant to be cellared for a while.  

This year's release is a Belgian Quad, coming in strong at 11% abv with ample amounts of Belgian candi sugar to boost the alcohol and give it a rich dark color.  The dark fruit flavors that are characteristic of the style come through extremely well, and the strong alcohol content is barely present.  There are also no metallic off flavors that I find in a lot of poorly done Belgian ales, which allows the malt backbone and yeasty esters to come through and flourish.  Another fine well-crafted offering from Saint Arnold, and one that should age extremely well.

So... this officially hits shelves today, go get some if you can, and don't be afraid to try one now and save the rest for a later date. 

Westveletern XII Is Coming On 12/12/12

It's been a long while in the making, but the much anticipated release of the Westy XII is finally near.  It is slated to hit the shelves on this Wednesday, 12/12/12. I've heard conflicting information about the retail price, with the sets being anywhere from $90 to $125, but I do know that the big places in town like Calandro's and Whole Foods will be carrying it.  I also know that a few bars, including Cove, will be selling the individual bottles for consumption. 

I've had a couple of opportunities to try the Westvleteren XII over the last few years and I must say it does not disappoint.  It has lofty expectations for a beer that is in the debate for the best in the world, but I thought that it really followed through on the expectations.  Of course "best in the world" is subject to debate for eternity, but I think it's safe to say this one is in the discussion.  It's typically only available in Belgium at the monastery, so take advantage of this chance to try some stateside without resorting to the black market! 

Could It Be? Westvleteren 12 in the Unites States?

Apparently unbeknownst to most people outside of Belgium, Westveletern had a crazy one-day large-scale release of Westvleteren 12 gift packs.  They released 98,000 "boxes" as they called them in an effort to raise money to restore parts of their abbey.  The one-day release apparently rivaled large release parties in the USA like Dark Lord Day and the Pliny the Younger release, except it was at a chain of stores across Belgium instead of just in one location!

Here is the full BeerNews.org writeup about it.

What's of most importance to us, though, is the last tidbit... where this article is translated as saying, "Almost all revenue, 2.3 million will be devoted to the renovation. A similar formula should also be born abroad in 2012. Some 70,000 boxes should be sent beyond our borders."  Whoa... 70,000 gift packs of Westvleteren 12 leaving Belgium?  You have to assume that at least part of that will be coming to the United States, so keep tuned and keep on the lookout for this next year.  I'm sure it'll be a crazy event, I know I'll grab as much as I can even if it's $30 or so per pack, or whatever 25 Euros is exchanging to these days... probably more.  I paid $20 per bottle just to try it so a 6 bottle and 2 glass pack, hell yeah.  

Here's hoping this is true, I'd love to have a few of these in the fridge waiting for me when I get home.

Mission Accomplished - 365 with Westvleteren 12!

Alright, as I'm sure anyone who follows this blog knows I set out at the beginning of the year to drink 365 new beers (to me) in 2011.  As I started closing in and it became apparent that I was going to reach this goal I started thinking about what I should finish with.  Naturally I wanted to finish with one of the best beers available so I took a look at BeerAdvocate's top 100 list and #1 is still the Westvleteren 12.  Number two, Pliny the Younger, is only available on tap at the Russian River brewpub so I guess that's out.  Number three... eh, screw it, I'm going for number 1!

After a quick look at e-bay I saw that prices on the Westvleteren mixed 6-packs were about $120 with free shipping.  That looked like a good deal so I pulled the trigger and after the arrived invited some friends over to partake in three of the best beers in the world.  Wesvleteren beers come from the Westvleteren Brewery (or Brouweirj Westvleteren) which was founded in 1838 at the St. Sixtus abbey in Belgium.  Of course Westvleteren is one of the seven Trappist breweries that exist as non-profits to fund the Abbey and it's philanthropic causes.  I know buying them second-hand like this does nothing to help their cause... but still, not much other choice if I want to try this one soon.

So, armed with a set of Trappist glassware thanks to Blake of Brasseurs A La Maison we started out with the Westvleteren Blonde Ale.  This one comes in an unmarked bottle (as they all do) with green labeled caps.  It's a Belgian Pale Ale, and as you can see on the caps, clocks in at 5.8% abv.  (Get ready for some "beer porn" in this post...)

Alright, now we're talking... this one pours a hazy golden yellow with a small amount of head and decent lacing.

The smell definitely has a little bit of a Belgian characteristic funk to it. Very earthy and grassy with some slight hop tones and spice. The taste has some good citric notes to it that compliment the earthy body very well. Other spices come through in a smaller way as well as a pretty heavy hop bitterness at the end.

A very nice mouthfeel might even be the standout characteristic of this beer. The body and carbonation are perfect for the style and it's a real pleasure to drink. This beer wasn't the best I've ever tried, but we had the 8 and 12 waiting so it's a great first taste of Westvleteren.

Trappist Westvleteren Blonde:
My Rating: A-
BeerAdvocate: A-


Up next, the Westvleteren 8, an 8% abv Belgian Dubbel that I was really excited to try.  This is their blue capped beer and I poured my taste into a Rochefort goblet.  It's a murky brown color with a finger or so of head that dissipated pretty quickly. The color is exactly what you'd want from the style.

The nose is great, caramel and dark fruits with a sweet inviting tone to them. Very little hops and no alcohol presence at all. The yeast funk present from the blonde ale is still here but the sweeter notes push it to the background.

The taste is a great carry-over from the aroma, rich and sweet with contrarian sour notes that balance perfectly. There is still a noticeable funk from the yeast strains and a slight hop flavor but they are both minimized by the excellent taste up front.

Just like the Blonde, this one is a real treat to drink, the carbonation and body are spot on and the alcohol is barely there. A fantastic dubbel, one of the best I've ever drank. If I lived in Belgium I'd have these in the fridge non-stop.

Trappist Westvleteren 8:
My Rating: A+
BeerAdvocate: A

Up next, the culmination of the Westvleteren line and of my 365 in 2011 quest... the Westy 12.  This one is a Belgian Quad in style, 10.2% alcohol and considered to be the best beer in the world... will it live up to the hype?

It's a cloudy brown color very similar to the 8, with a finger or so of off-white head. The aroma is heavenly, a blend of toffee, dark fruits, rich caramel, spices, a little floral hops, and just a slight tinge of alcohol. It's inviting, warm, and top notch.

The taste is more of the same, rich with flavors, each bursting through but none overpowering. It's like everything you would want in a good quad is there, toffee, dark fruit, floral hops, esters, a slight yeast funk, brewing spices... it's all there but nothing in so much quantity that it takes away from the rest.

A pure joy to drink, there's a reason this beer is considered by many to be the #1 beer in the world. I was worried it wouldn't live up to all the hype, but it absolutely did, and everyone else tasting it felt the same way.

Trappist Westvleteren 12:
My Rating: A+
BeerAdvocate: A+

And with that, 365 beers down.  I'm thrilled with the way the Westvleteren beer tasting turned out to end it.  I was legitimately concerned that they wouldn't live up to the hype but they absolutely did.  I would highly recommend finding some (I know it's not legit, but unless you're going to Belgium sometime soon trading or e-bay is the only way) and sharing with a few friends.  You can also check out Jay's post about the Westvleteren beers, complete with video, over at Bite and Booze.

Review: Boulevard The Sixth Glass Quad

Time for another review of a Boulevard Brewing (@boulevard_beer) Smokestack Series beer... I promise it'll be my last for a while as I'm sure you're sick of reading about beers you can't get in Baton Rouge.  That might be one of my biggest problems with this blog is that I've been doing a LOT of beer drinking in Houston and beer shopping in Houston, so BR Beer Scene is getting a little hazy.  I promise that I'll try to get better about this and hit up Calandro's and other local places to see what's new.

So far I've loved the Smokestack Series... I've covered the Double-Wide IPA, Long Strange Tripel, Chocolate Ale, Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale, Two Jokers Double-Wit, and the Seeyoulator Doppelbock and none received less than an A score from me.  I'm getting more and more picky so that's a pretty impressive track record. This Sixth Glass Quad has a lot to live up to, and quads are one of my favorite styles.

I poured the brew from a 750 ml bottle into a Chimay goblet. It's a hazy deep amber-red color with a small head and good lacing.  Definitely a good looking beer!

It has an alcoholic bubblegum smell to it. Pretty good but the other flavors don't come through as well. The more I stick my nose in it there is a little caramel in there but it's still pretty weak on the nose. 

The taste is better, sweet fruit flavors with a little hop spice. It's very bubbly with a strong alcohol flavor.

My Rating: B

BeerAdvocate: A-

What we have here is a pretty good beer but not my favorite of the Smokestack series.  This one had a lot to live up to and it fell a little short.  I'll swear by some of the other beers in this series but for quads you can probably find better and cheaper sticking to some of the Belgians.

Review: St. Bernardus Witbier & Abt 12

File this one under:

Beer!

Alright, so as you may remember from a few posts back I picked up a two of each of these selections from the Belgian brewery St. Bernardus, which technically isn't a "Trappist brewery" because the brewing isn't done within the walls of a monestary, but nonetheless produces some of the world's finest Belgian ales.  On the last trip to Calandro's I picked up two of my favorites, the Witbier, and the Abt 12.

Starting with the St. Bernardus Witbier...

I poured it from a small 11.2 oz. bottle into a Castlemaine XXXX glass, stolen from a pub in Galway, Ireland after I wiped out their last keg of the XXXX Gold Lager beer.  While that's a different story it's important to note that despite this being a Belgian ale I didn't pour it into a typical goblet.  Witbiers (often referred to as white ales) are best out of a pint glass or other similar drinking vessel.  This particular witbier had a murky gold color, with a nice creamy white head. There was a lot of lacing as the head dissipated. 

The aroma is just what you would want in a Witbier... a strong smell of wheat, with hints of various fruits and spices. The taste follows that up very nicely, a hint of lemon, some banana, with some definite spice. Delicious. 

This one feels great in the mouth, and is one of the more drinkable beers I've had in a while. All in all, a superb and refreshing witbier.  It's no surprise that beeradvocate rates this one cumulatively as the best witbier available!  If you're looking to branch out into different beers this would be a fantastic starting point.

Now for the Abt 12... darker, bolder, and just as good!

 

Unlike the Witbier, this one is a Quad and deserves a goblet to release the aroma and flavors as the beer reacts with the oxygen.  The beer pours a tootsie-roll brown, with a one-finger creamy head. It took a while to dissipate and left a little lacing. Some creamy residue on the surface of the beer as well. 

The aroma is malty, a little sweet, hints of spice, and VERY inviting. I can't wait to dive in. The taste is more of the same, very well balanced with a smack of clove and other spice at the beginning and then a malty sweet taste as the beer goes down. This is the best St. Bernardus offering I've had yet... phenomenal.  No surprise again that beeradvocate users rank this one as the third best quad in existence, behind the Westvletern 12 (which you have to go to Belgium to find!) and the Rochefort 10.  Again, stateside, this one is going to be hard to beat.

So there you have it... two of the best beers in the world, that you can find on a shelf just down the street.  They aren't cheap, but totally worth it.

Witbier:

Taste: A

Value: A

Abt 12:

Taste: A+

Value A

And now I'm off to Lafayette for a tasting of some Parish Brewing beers... yum!

Review: Koningshoeven Quadrupel Trappist Ale

File this one under:

Beer!

I picked up a 4-pack of these from Macello's on that beer run a week or so back... I've had it before and enjoyed it so it was time for another round.  I poured the beer from an 11.2 oz. bottle into a Chimay goblet, any Belgian style goblet/tulip glass will work for Belgian ales.  It has a ruby red color to it with a thin off-white head that leaves some creamy residue on the surface of the beer.

The smell is just what you want in a Belgian quad... floral hops, spice, coriander, some definite fruit smells like apple and berries. Very well blended together.

The taste bring all those smells together... nothing overpowers the other flavors, or the strong 10% abv. The fruit probably comes out the most, with the brewing spices blended in. Mild hop profile but still there in small amounts. Just delicious, one of my all-time favorites.

There is definite carbonation, and the beer is lighter than dark stout or something along those lines but it still has a great mouthfeel to it. Easy to swish around a bit to pull out all the flavors, no bad aftertaste at all.

If it wasn't at 10% abv, I could drink these all night long!  It might have earned a spot in my top 10, fantastic beer.

Taste: A+

Value: B  ($13.99 for a 4-pack)

And... three random thoughts: Peterson's interception yesterday would have been good in the NFL, no clue what that replay official was thinking... there was still no guarantee that we would drive the field and score to take the lead, but after the FG and all the extra time off the clock we were pretty much dead.  I also hate that  'running into the kicker' rule... I can understand a defender should be able to dive into a kicker's plant-leg or just crush him after the kick is off, but just running into his kicking foot... that was weak.