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Showing posts with label Belgian Pale Ale. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Belgian Pale Ale. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Ommegang BPA Tasting - Monk's Pub



What: Ommegang BPA - fantastic belgian pale ale, very similar to OMG Beer's own Icarus Belgian Pale Ale



When: June 16th, 5-7 PM



Where: Monk's Pub, at the Lake and Wells intersection, Chicago

Friday, August 27, 2010

New Glarus Brewing Company Stone Soup

Before I even get to writing about this fantastic brewery in Wisconsin, I have to review one of the two or three or maybe it was even four surprising finds. I've had New Glarus before, thanks to friends who love OMG Beer! (thanks Molly of Filmsnack, and Daniel Brad). That said, I'd never tried their Stone Soup, an Abbey Ale brewed with German and English hops, Belgian yeast, and Wisconsin barley.

Brewery/Name: New Glarus Brewing Company
Style: Belgian Pale Ale (Abbey Ale...)
Brewed In: New Glarus, Wisconsin
Origin: USA
ABV: 5.3
Serving Glass: Pint
OMG Beer Rating: 8.0

Appearance: orange cloudy body, one white fluffy head that faded to a light white ring, very strong lacing like a tightly knit web

Aroma: a fruitiness like peaches, sweet licorice, and then some clove and ginger spices

Taste: Crisp isn't a taste, it's a feeling, but a crisp wave of sweet bread, then the fruit and spice combo. The fruit is more subtle than in the aroma, with the spices coming more to the front with the dry finish. Definitely more ginger, maybe white pepper. As it warmed, a hop grassiness pleasantly slid in before the spicy dry finish.

Mouthfeel: Not quite light, which you might expect from the crispness and the color. Nothing too cloying about the sweetness, but the carbonation leaves it on your tongue a little, letting those spices dance until the next sip. Wouldn't call it bitter, but I can see the anti-bitter crowd not loving the spice aftertaste.

Drinkability: I'd love this with a nice summery sandwich, something with a tangyness, maybe arugula and a lemon mayo, or pear and a sweeter meat (slices of pear, ham, argula, tomato, how's that sound?). Might try that soon. I don't know that I'd drink more than one or two without food, to steal from Jason Alstrom's Beer Advocate review. The aftertaste wants something to go with it.

The New Glarus page for Stone Soup says:
"Who is qualified to judge one's contribution? Is it the pure Wisconsin barley malt or shall credit be given to traditional German and English hops? Maybe it is the Belgian Monastic yeast or the Brewer's tender care?"

Credit has to go to Dan Carey, for using the core beer ingredients (yeast, barley, hops) and producing something delicious and complex. I'd wager most beer geeks would attribute a lot of the final result to the yeast pulling such remarkable flavors from the malt, while twisting the hop contributions into such interesting spice components.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Chicago Beer News - Goose Island Fleur

Goose Island's Fleur joins the yearly Belgian Style Ales series. Brewed with kombucha tea and hibiscus flowers, this rose pale ale is a sweet, tart, and refreshingly fruity beer perfect for summer. Check back here or at the Goose Island website for a release date, but should be available in the summer.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Chicago Beer News - Goose Island Demolition returns

Last released in 2007, Goose Island Demolition, a belgian style golden ale, made a brief return this year, and in February, will be back on the streets for good, as an all-year offering in 650 ml bottles. The beer has gotten a slight facelift, with a slightly higher alcohol content (7.2% over 6.7%) and the use of chinook and saaz hops, instead of styrian goldings and saaz. This should deliver a beer with a bit more of a bitter kick, while the saaz hops grassy, slightly citrus notes round out a hearty maltiness. Demolition received a silver medal in the belgian and french style ale category at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival.