I'm typically a pretty intentional drinker. When I'm trying a new beer, I like to know what it is and whether it's worth a damn, because, well, there's a lot of shitty beer in this world. Recently my favorite bottle shop, Abe's Cold Beer, filled a few shelves with new-to-the-US Belgian imports. Incidentally since most of the beer geek websites I use are US-based there was little to no info on the new brews. For posterity's sake, however, I swallowed hard a picked a few bottles that seemed to come from reputable brewers. So far so good...
Eerwaarde Pater
Brouwerij Het Alternatief
Belgian Strong Dark Ale
B+ / 4
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | drink: 4.5
Picked up a single at Abe's Cold Beer for $5. Poured a clear brown with little head and no retention. This is certainly a unique beer and is sort of a hybrid of an American brown ale and dark strong Belgian. I'm sure that wasn't the brewer's intention, but the malts come out very clean and crisp with roast caramel, not at all hidden by yeast-driven flavors like fruit and spice. The oak aging (at least according to the label) adds a mildly acid sour tang that's an not-so-natural, but interesting pairing with the robust dark malt flavor. The aroma is a smoother, inviting caramel and chocolate candy smell. And in the sour aftertaste there's a hint of farmhouse funk. This beer would likely be greatly improved with a year or two of cellaring to let the wild critters grow and develop, you know, if you're into that sort of thing. Overall, a different take on the style and very drinkable. Try this beer.
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