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The Beer Thread

Posted: 20 Jun 2006, 11:02
by Jeff
Beer pairs with most foods far better than wine, there I said it.

For summer deployment:

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Saison Dupont


From: Brasserie Dupont sprl in Belgium
Style: Saison

overall: 4.2
appearance: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | mouthfeel: 4.5 | drinkability: 4.5


750 ml green bottle with no freshness date. The cork popped off like a bottle of good champagne, thankfully it was not a gusher.

A- Massive off-white head, very active carbonation ... pale golden cloudy color. This is good as the beer should never pour clear.

S- Very ripe pear, earthy cellar and a solid herbal backbone round out the nose.

T- Big herbal phenolic action upfront, dry grain and a mild tartness. A handful of malt character comes through with a clean grainy note. Touch of fruitiness, musty chalky yeast, herbal phenols and dry grain in the finish.

M- Incredibly smooth with a deep yet soft crispness.

Need a beer to clean the palate if not cut through some of the most flavorful cuisines ... this is the beer to do it.

[ serving type: bottle ]

Posted: 20 Jun 2006, 11:59
by dean moriarty
Is this sold locally in MA Jeff?

Posted: 20 Jun 2006, 13:19
by Jeff
Yes. Also Ommegang makes a beer called Hennepin in the same style that's very good as well.

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Posted: 20 Jun 2006, 13:23
by Hoor-paar-Kraat
I like Mauudite and Le Trappe, most of all.

Posted: 20 Jun 2006, 13:47
by Jeff
Maudite is great shit, like most of Unibroue's beer... who makes Le Trappe?

Posted: 20 Jun 2006, 14:32
by Hoor-paar-Kraat
I think it's from Amsterdam. I don't know nearly as much about beer as I do wine.

Posted: 20 Jun 2006, 15:01
by Jeff
The only thing I know about wine is that I usually get a hangover about halfway though my second glass... I actually vomited on my first glass once... I've pretty much been into beer since then.

Posted: 20 Jun 2006, 15:16
by Hoor-paar-Kraat
Crappy. I can't drink too much beer because the carbonation makes me feel instantly full.

Posted: 20 Jun 2006, 15:27
by Jeff
I suspect I'll work my way back up to it eventually. I'm starting to drink a lot of beers that have similar alcohol content.

Drink a nice hoppy IPA... and then make sure to burp. The hops taste even better coming back up (no joke).

Posted: 20 Jun 2006, 15:33
by Hoor-paar-Kraat
I like the thicker beers lick the porters, triple bocks and stouts

Posted: 20 Jun 2006, 15:48
by Jeff
I love a lot of those types of beers, especially stouts, but I live in a place with actual seasons... summer requires some lighter stuff, which is what I'm posting now...

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If you can find some that's not skunked it's great. Gotta have that authentic german yeast strain that's been sitting around this brewery since about 1300 or so...

Posted: 20 Jun 2006, 15:51
by Hoor-paar-Kraat
Alot of wineries, and even a few bakeries, from what I've been told, do just that. Many have been using the same strain of yeast for hundreds of years.

I think that's great.

Posted: 20 Jun 2006, 16:05
by Jeff
Yeah, they do... and yes, it is... different yeast strains can totally change the characteristics of beer/wine/bread/...

What's even a little cooler than that is the use of wild yeasts... Lamic beers are the best example of this I know:
Lambics are spontaneous fermented wheat beers, meaning that the brewer does not add yeast to the beer directly, but rather they let nature take its course with the beer. The process of introducing free-floating wild yeast and bacteria creates a most unique beer that is bubbly, tart and dry. A traditional lambic is brewed with both malted and raw unmalted grains. The hops used are generally aged/stale, and not too bitter so as to not disturb the delicate flavour of the beer. After the mash and boil, the wort (unfermented beer) is traditionally pumped up to a cooling vessel, usually at the top of the brewery, where it is exposed to the open air. Once cooled to the appropriate temperature, the beer is then drawn in to wooded barrels and fermentation takes place.

At first glance a typical lambic brewery might look real filthy - with cobwebs and dust everywhere - yet this is the natural environment where the spiders take care of the nasty insects (who want the sweet brew) and where the wild airborne yeast and bacteria invade the beer. To dust off a barrel, or disturb a spider's web, is something the brewer does not consider - hell, this might disrupt the circle of lambic brewing and perhaps change the beer for the worse!
Of course you can only make authentic Lambic in a certain region of Belgium, much like Champagne or Bourbon, because that's the only place the right bugs live.

Posted: 20 Jun 2006, 22:19
by judasmuppet
Ancient yeast also makes the best ginger-bread snaps/cookies/etc.

Posted: 21 Jun 2006, 21:07
by Jeff
The old standbys deserve mention as well:

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Posted: 21 Jun 2006, 21:22
by judasmuppet
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Posted: 21 Jun 2006, 21:40
by Jeff
The best Pils I've had:

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also pretty good:

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I can't remember if I've tried Urquell...

Posted: 21 Jun 2006, 21:53
by judasmuppet
Also good:
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Posted: 21 Jun 2006, 21:55
by Roark
Trumer is farking awesome(ly expensive).

My fave "common"/domestic brews:

Redback Wheat Beer
Carlton Pure Blonde
Coopers Double Stout

Sorry, I don't have access to Google Image. :oops:

Posted: 21 Jun 2006, 22:00
by judasmuppet
Yeah, Pure Blonde is pretty good actually.
I haven't sampled the Cooper's Double Stout, but their Heritage Ale is pretty tasty.

Posted: 21 Jun 2006, 22:02
by Jeff
I haven't had but would love to try:

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Posted: 21 Jun 2006, 22:16
by judasmuppet
Simple, but yum.

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Posted: 21 Jun 2006, 23:15
by Mobiesque
Abbotsford Invalid Stout
Coopers Pale Ale (red?)
Mountain Goat
Piss

"I drink for the thirst to come"

Posted: 22 Jun 2006, 01:19
by Busta
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Posted: 22 Jun 2006, 01:31
by judasmuppet
Is Beez Neez actually the proverbial?