Beer for cyclocross

Cyclocross season is coming and I need some homebrew for it. Why? Well if you don't know much about cyclocross, it's basically a marriage of bike racing and beer. Normally, that could be dangerous, but 'cross takes place on grassy fields and in parks, so nobody's going to get hurt. And if they do, it's not the beer's fault.

Name: TBD
Belgian Blonde Ale
Original Gravity: 1.062
Final Gravity: 1.000
ABV: 7.9%
IBU: 33

Malt Bill:
9.5# Belgian Pilsner
1# Wheat
.5# Caravienne
1# Belgian Candi Sugar

Hops:
1 oz. Northern Brewer @ 60 min
1 oz. Hallertau @ 30 min

Wyeast French Saison Yeast
Mashed @ 152 for 60 min

Blogging another blog, and the Brewer's Art Green Peppercorn Tripel

The last two days I've done the liveblog Tour de France coverage for Bicycling.com. Both times I wrote about 2500 words over 3 hours, which is pretty good for me, but pales in comparison to the usual contributor, Joe Lindsey.

Today's Tour coverage garnered 55 comments. I don't think I've ever had a post here get 5, but that's fine. This is the place for me to write about beer and cycling stuff nobody is paying me to write about. If 200 people see the page, 20 read it and 2 think about commenting but don't, that's enough of an audience for me.

To celebrate my blogging with a larger audience, I split of bottle of the Brewer's Art Green Peppercorn Tripel with a friend. This richly-flavored take on a classic Belgian style was perfect for the humid summer evening we were having. If you're ever in Maryland, look this beer up.

Brewer's Art Green Peppercorn Tripel
Brewer's Art
Tripel | 9.20% ABV



A- / 4.1
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | drink: 4.5

Picked up a bottle at State Line in Maryland and split it with a friend. Poured a hazy gold with a tall white head that left lacing. Throughout the aroma and flavor, the peppercorn is obvious, but it never dominates the beer. Instead it does a great job of adding something a little different. This beer is otherwise a very smooth and subtle triple that reminds me of La fin du Monde for the gentle spices and occasional burst of sweet bread a light fruit flavors. Definitely try this beer if you can find it.

(The picture is good enough that I feel compelled to remind any readers that it's not mine, I'm just borrowing it from shyzaboy)

Riding like a Belgian

I took a vacation day recently to spend 8 hours on my bike, or at least near it and enjoying a beer.



I went out with local mechanic extraordinaire, Taylor, and stopped for lunch at the Phoenixville Iron Hill Brewery. Before my Belgian meatballs came out, we had an order of frites with spicy mayo and a round of the house witbier. Later on, I enjoyed an even tastier tripel.

Witbier
Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant
Witbier

B+ / 3.85
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | drink: 4

I biked into town on a hot day and ordered the wit first thing. Came out in a tall pilsner sort of glass with an orange slice which I quickly removed. While the beer was very drinkable, like a good wit, the flavor felt a little fuller and lacked the small subtle spice flavors of a great wit. Instead it was a simpler sweet vanilla wheat with pepper and orange spice. Certainly not bad, but not my favorite wit.

Belgian Tripel
Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant
Tripel
A- / 4.1
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | drink: 4.5

I ordered a goblet with my meal of Belgian meatballs and though the meatballs were lackluster, this beer kicked ass. It appeared a clear gold with a short head. I suppose I really liked it because it so closely mimicked Maredsous 10 (a fav of mine). It's not the driest tripel, but there's a delicious orange and spice yeast profile with hint of pepper, vanilla, and apricot. Very tasty. Try this beer.

Real Beer Judging

To my 225 semi-regular readers (at least according to May counter statistics), I apologize for my recent lapse of posting. Shit happens.

June has been a good beer month thus far. Two weeks ago, I judged my second competition at the 2009 BUZZ OFF. I'll point out right here that any homebrew club worth its yeast has some silly beer-related acronym for a name. In this case we have the Brewers United for Zany Zymurgy - Zymurgy being the science of fermentation.

For a tangential bit of entertainment, here are a few of the best club names:

The Houston United Group of Zymurgists (THUGZ)
Wichita`s Only Real Tasty Suds (WORTS)
Diablo Order of Zymiracle Enthusiasts (DOZE)
KROC (Keg Ran Out Club)

I judged and enjoyed Belgian Specialty (doesn't fit in any normal Belgian category) and Pilsners, with a Trappist-inspired barleywine being my favorite beer. The closest thing I can liken it to is Maredsous 10, which also happens to be a favorite of mine.

Also for the second time after judging a competition, I felt awful. It was like having a hangover without ever getting drunk or even catch a buzz. Over the 6 hours of judging, I sipped a total of about four beers while trying 22 different entries. Why did I do this again?

Anyways, on the topic of Belgian Specialty beers, I recently tried Captain Lawrence's Xtra Gold tripel. The beer was a delicious blend of American and Belgian brewing practices and ingredients.

Xtra Gold Tripel
Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.
Tripel | 10.00% ABV

A- / 4.1
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | drink: 4.5

Picked up a 750 capped bottle at New Beer Distributors in the Bowery. I like it when labels tell the truth and this really does taste like an American-style tripel. It's more crisp (and fresh) with juicy citrus hops rounding out a more traditional spice and pepper malt and yeast flavor. Sometimes US brewers try to put their own American spin on a Belgian, but the beer just comes out too plain, this beer doesn't do any of that. It takes the best of both worlds making for a delicious and satisfying beer. I'll also note that fans of hoppy Belgian's should look to this beer.

Good Belgian Beer: Eerwaarde Pater

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.

Some day I might get tired of drinking Belgian beer. Maybe:

Saturday night I had dinner at Louie's in Allentown (they have some good beer) with a group that included a several runners who'd signed up for today's Lehigh Valley Half-Marathon. One guy, however, was injured but still came to town from Binghamton to pick up his race t-shirt and cheer on his girlfriend.

Now I like bad, stupid ideas. So the second I learned there was a race number up for grabs, I had to have it despite maybe running for a total of seven miles a week the last couple months. Twelve hours later I was lined up and running in support of my friend Meg (she kicked ass and ran a 1:50, I kicked far less ass and ran 1:50). Surprisingly, I felt pretty good. After eleven years of on and off competitive I guess I've built up what Bill Strickland eloquently describes as "deep legs". Today also went a lot better than my bad idea to run/walk the Marine Corps Marathon last fall, so I celebrated with the best Belgian beer I had on hand.

't Gaverhopke Den Twaalf (Bruin 12°)/ Extra
Brouwerij 't Gaverhopke
Quadrupel (Quad)

A- / 4.05
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | drink: 4.5

Picked up a single at Abe's Cold Beer for $5.25. The label read "EXTRA" and that's just the exported name. Very interesting. This doesn't just follow the typical quad lines of smooth caramel malts. Instead it starts with a mix of dry lemon with tart raspberries, then cocoa and toffee with a very mild earthy mustiness. The aroma is a little cleaner than the flavor with dry, earthy cocoa and a grape juice note. Finishes with a tart juicy feel, sort of like drinking cranberry juice, and no hint of alcohol. I'd like the flavors here to be richer, but this is still tasty and very easy to drink Belgian.

And again: The Lost Abbey's Judgment Day

While this is from California, it certainly captures the spirit of Belgium.

Judgment Day
The Lost Abbey
Quadrupel (Quad)

B+ / 4
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | drink: 4

On-tap at the Farmhouse in Emmaus, PA. Served in a wine glass it appears a very dark brown with a tan head. Quite dark for a quad, but there are faint red highlight when held up to the light. At first I get a candy plum note, but that quickly fades leaving to big dark chocolate flavors along with raisin and very mild peppermint notes. The aroma also sticks with the chocolate, but it reminds me of a creamier, fine milk chocolate. Finishes with a roasted orange bitterness from the mix of hops and malt. Thick, but reasonable for a 10.5% beer. Certainly not your average quad, but a great dessert beer.

More Good Beer: It's Belgian - Gaverhopke Singing Blonde

To combat Monday's heat, I popped open a bottle I'd recently snagged at Abe's Cold Beer while grilling some BBQ chicken. While the chicken was pretty good (probably from the Wegman's sauce, not my grilling skills), the beer was great. Apparently this beer in particular is almost untried in the U.S., but Abe's has it. Thank you Abe.

't Gaverhopke Zingende Blondine
Brouwerij 't Gaverhopke
Belgian Strong Pale Ale

A- / 4.2
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | drink: 4.5

Poured a clear gold with an aggressive head and only turned hazy because I let a little sediment in. The aroma is an interesting mix wine vinegar, cider, and scented burning candles - in the sense that it reminds me of spiced wax if that makes any sense. The flavor has bit of orange peel, lemon juice, mild pepper. The finish if fairly balanced with subtle bitterness with light sour tang. Complex and easy to drink for the 9.8% strength. Heck of a beer.

Just OK Belgian Beer: De Koninck

Not all Belgian is good. Most of it (looking at options, not gallons) certainly is, and some is just acceptable. De Koninck is one such acceptable beer. It provides a drinker with something to ponder, but it's overly flavorful, aromatic, or complex. All I might add to my review is that if you're really a fan of apple juice and lemons, this beer is for you.

De Koninck
Brouwerij De Koninck NV
Belgian Pale Ale

B / 3.65
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | drink: 4

Picked up a single at Syracuse's the Party Source. Appears a clear amber, no sediment, with a short white head. The aroma is surprisingly plain, with a just a hint of Belgian-spiced vanilla. The flavor does better, with a tart lemon undercurrent that builds as you drink. There's also a hit of apple juice, mild caramel and finishing peppery hops. The flavor is respectable, while the aroma leaves much to be desired. Worth a try for a sessionable Belgian.

Belgian Beer Reviews: Cantillon Kriek, Binchoise, and XXX (obviously Canadian)

Jesus I love (good) Belgians. I also threw in a beer that kinda sucks for balance. I do still drink the occasional crap--for science, you know.

Cantillon Kriek 100% Lambic
Brasserie Cantillon
Lambic - Fruit

B+ / 3.9
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | drink: 4

Had a bottle at the Farmhouse in Emmaus, PA. Poured a beautiful almost clear red with a short pink head. The aroma had a subtle musk with a tart cherry note that also permeated the flavor. This beer tastes like a mellow-flavored, though no less tangy, lambic with a drop of tart cherry juice in every sip. The farmhouse elements are more subdued than usual and frankly I dont think this beer is as rich and tasty as a straight up oude geuze. But I will say, this is a gorgeous looking beer.


La Binchoise Reserve Special
Brasserie La Binchoise (Malterie des Remparts)
Belgian Strong Pale Ale

A- / 4.05
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | drink: 4

Picked up a bottle for about $3 from Abe's. Poured a hazy dark amber with an off-white head. The aroma has a rich, spiced plum element to it, while the flavor has a fruity apple-caramel melt profile with a hint of dry, minerals (sort of like a German pils). Digging a little deeper I get slight cranberry and raspberry notes in the taste and smooth candi sugar caramel in the aroma. The beer is a bit sweet, and too much so for some people, but I'm a fan and would drink this again. Reminds me of a little of St. Bernardus. Tasty.


Molson XXX
Molson
American Malt Liquor

C- / 2.65
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | drink: 2.5
rDev: +2.6%

Thanks to a friend for sharing. Poured a clear gold with a slight had. This is a pretty corny beer. The DMS is all over this suck in the aroma and flavor. It certainly doesn't improve as it warms and while at first it seems to be the next best true malt liquor to Mickeys, the additional "character" here (cheap chardonnay, cooked corn). There's worse out there, but there's no real reason to drink it, save for just trying it once.