The Official Beer Thread

[b1os]

Liefmans Goudenband. Really really interesting. It has it all -- fruity, sour, bitter, tart, dry finish... pretty damn nice. Big fan of Liefmans so far. Will restock.

And I've just opened St. Bernardus Abt 12. I already liked Prior 8 a lot. The Abt 12 is one of those "liquorice" type of beers. But very well integrated, not as bland and extreme as others. The liquorice just prevails in the aftertaste (which is long). But there's more going on than in the other "liquorice-foward" beers I've had. Well integrated 10%.
So, can't anyone comment on the liquorice taste? Is it the malt?

 

[indesertum]

you mean like the anise type flavors? usually belgian yeast. i taste it in triples and quads a lot. the american ones i've had i feel usually over do it, but pretty much all the monk beers have it well balanced and actually is tasty

 

[b1os]



usually over do it

Even more extreme?

Yeah, I think anise and liquorice are close enough. I'm no big fan of it, but I've enjoyed a couple Belgian beers so far that don't have a prominent liquorice/anise taste. The Liefmans Goudenband for example had it very tamed. And the Prior 8 too. As did Chimay blue. And the tripel St Feullien. I feel like it's a bit random Maybe, once I'm through my 24 bottles of different Belgian beers, I can be more precise, but until then I'm just tasting all over the place and hoping that the beer doesn't have too much of it. Maybe it'll grow on me though. It's by no means bad -- the Belgians really know how to brew beer imo (I don't like most German beer, fwiw) --, the liquorice/anise notes just aren't to my taste at the moment.

 

[b1os]

Has anyone had the vintage Chimay Grande Réserve? I'll get the 2012 (I think it's the 2012) next time I'm at my local beer store (which has a pretty good selection, like 100 Belgian beers, and is "just" 3km away). It's about 1.5 times as much as the regular Chimay blue Grande Réserve. Can't find much info about it though...

 

[indesertum]

maybe you're just hyper sensitive to anise flavors. i thought the belgian ones i've had (i've had chimay blue many times) were pretty well balanced. wow never seen vintage chimay. i didnt even know they did that. probably made for aging, but try some and tell us about it

 

[b1os]

Well, like I said, I didn't have any problem with Chimay blue. And I don't have a problem with pastis, ouzo or absinthe either. It's really just an extreme "liquorice" flavor.
I'll get some vintage Chimay. Maybe even tomorrow, now that I haven't found much about it on the WWW.

 

[b1os]

So, Gouden Carolous classic has a tamed "liquorice" flavor, too. Gets a little more prominent as the beer warms up, overall less than St.B Abt 12. I like it. With most of the beers that have this liquorice flavor, someone on ratebeer or beeradvocat speaks of "roasted malt flavor". I think that may be what it is.

 

[indesertum]

iunno. roasted malt flavor and liquorice are totally different flavors.

 

[b1os]

Hm. It totally reminds me of liquorice. But if I think about it and exaggerate the flavor profile of malt beer a ton, the taste would be close, I think. Oh well, whatever, I guess I better stop spamming the thread with my liquorice problem if nobody else wants to chime in.

 

[smallbatchbrew]



Has anyone had the vintage Chimay Grande Réserve? I'll get the 2012 (I think it's the 2012) next time I'm at my local beer store (which has a pretty good selection, like 100 Belgian beers, and is "just" 3km away). It's about 1.5 times as much as the regular Chimay blue Grande Réserve. Can't find much info about it though...

Same as regular Chimay blue, they just vintage date the 750ml & larger sizes.

I'd highly recommend cellaring a few bottles. After 4-5 years it's absolutely phenomenal!

 

[smallbatchbrew]



Liefmans Goudenband. Really really interesting. It has it all -- fruity, sour, bitter, tart, dry finish... pretty damn nice. Big fan of Liefmans so far. Will restock.
And I've just opened St. Bernardus Abt 12. I already liked Prior 8 a lot. The Abt 12 is one of those "liquorice" type of beers. But very well integrated, not as bland and extreme as others. The liquorice just prevails in the aftertaste (which is long). But there's more going on than in the other "liquorice-foward" beers I've had. Well integrated 10%.
So, can't anyone comment on the liquorice taste? Is it the malt?

The anise/licorice flavor is a product of the Belgian yeast. Belgian yeast throws off a ton of fruity/spicy esters, which are a signature of Belgian beer in general. Usually if you see an American beer with "Belgian-style" in the name, it means they're using a Belgian yeast instead of an American or British yeast, which are cleaner in flavor.

If you like Goudenband, try Rodenbach Grand Cru. That stuff will blow your mind.

 

[indesertum]

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/09/01/ale-chief-white-house-beer-recipe

white house beer recipe for a brown ale and a porter made from honey grown on the grounds

 

[iSleipnir]

One of my all time favorite beers is the Ninkasi's double IPA. It's from a local brewery that's been expanding really rapidly of late. I like better than Dogfish Head's IPA, and even Pliny the Elder.

 

[indesertum]

Brux is disgusting. Do not buy. It's like a ****** triple or even a quad with a hammer of Brett funk. No sour at all. Low carbonation. Very unpleasant. There are some nice aromas of lemon and white citrus fruits. It's pretty bad tho. It has this odd medicinal taste in the finish that is very off putting.

I was hoping AMA was being overly critical but yeah... Waste of 17 dollars

 

[b1os]



I'm about to finally have brux.

Brux is disgusting.

I've had a Oude Geuze Boon, La Chouffe (dark), that Rodenbach Grand Cru and two other ones I don't recall lately. Enjoyed them all.