religion sucketh

The beginning of fall signals one thing for many breweries – time to release an Octoberfest beer! Now, seeing as how fall began over a month ago, I am a bit late, but in my defense, the weather just started cooling off here in north Louisiana. Less than a week ago we had a high of 88 degrees, so things are just now starting to cool off. Anyways, the folks over at the Schirf Brewing Company (Wasatch Beers) in Utah have taken the Octoberfest theme and jumped in head first with their Pumpkin Ale. I went to a Halloween party Saturday night and took along a few beers from work to enjoy. One of those was Wasatch Pumpkin Ale. The beer itself pours a cloudy amber, with very little head and a strong aroma of pumpkin and spice – it’s very similar to a cooled pumpkin pie. The taste, however, is very different from what I expected. I’ve had several Octoberfest and/or Marzen style beers, but this was different. It actually tasted as if someone took the ingredients for pumpkin bread, put them together, forgot to bake, but instead let it all ferment. I’m still not sure how to react – it was good, but not in a way that makes me want to buy a whole six pack. Kind of like egg nog – it’s great during November and December, but I don’t want a whole lot of it, nor do I want it year round; it’s good in doses. And that’s how I would best describe Wasatch Pumpkin Ale – it’s good, but not something I want to drink everyday.

My last review featured the Huyghe Family Brewery’s Delirium Tremens; today is all about it’s darker brother, Delirium Nocturnum. Much like Delirium Tremens, the packaging of Delirium Nocturnum is highly distinctive, featuring a powder-coated bottle and a bright label which has a pink elephant on it. The beer itself pours a deep reddish-amber hue with a thick head that lasts for several minutes. Also like Delirium Tremens, Delirium Nocturnum is a Belgian strong ale. This comes through most in the nose, as there is a strong smell of yeast coming from the beer. I don’t know if this is a bottle conditioned beer, but with this strong of a yeast smell, it wouldn’t shock me. Thanks to the roasted malt the taste is rather smooth, with a strong nutty flavor and hints of coffee bean, while the hops are revealed in the finish, making it very crisp and light. Most shocking of all, at no time is there any indication in the taste or smell that this is a beer with 9% alcohol content. It isn’t often I can call a dark beer “refreshing”, but Delirium Nocturnum is just that. I can see this brew pairing well with any meal, or even as just a session beer.

Tonight’s beer is the very intriguing Delirium Tremens from the Huyghe Family Brewery in Belgium, which, outside of the three Chimay beers, is the most recognizable Belgian beer available in the United States. While the reputation of this brew is the reason I chose it for our store, it’s distinctive packaging has garnered a good deal of attention from curious customers and employees alike. Delirium Tremens is a blonde triple (AKA Belgian strong ale), and is named for a violent sickness induced by withdrawal from alcohol abuse. That fact aside, this is a beer which has garnered several medals and awards worldwide, even being declared the best beer in the world at the 1998 World Beer Championships in Chicago. When poured it produces a thick head which lasts for several minutes and has a very light aroma of yeast and sweet malt. The beer itself is a pale yellow, similar in appearance to a typical American pale lager. The initial taste is nutty and reminiscent of candy, but as the beer warms the hops are revealed, as is the alcohol, although neither are overwhelming or unpleasant in taste. Unlike many beers I’ve tried, this one becomes more drinkable the longer it sits in the glass. So far I’m 4 for 4 on my choices (actually better if I include the beers on the wall I chose due to previously trying and enjoying). I can only hope the Delirium Nocturnum is just as good.

Next up in my quest to taste all the beers from our Beer of the World section at work is Fuller’s Vintage Ale. This is an English Strong Ale that comes in at 8.5% alcohol, and like many other beers in this section is bottle conditioned. It pours a golden amber with a head that lasts about five minutes. The smell is light and sweet, with hints of malt and fruit – maybe fried apples? Initially the taste is bright and sweet with a warming, liquor finish, but the longer it sits in the glass the more it balances out. This isn’t as smooth as Struise Pannepot, but I definitely recommend it. Smooth enough to enjoy, yet bitter enough to remind you this is beer, not fizzy, yellow water.

P.S. - Here’s a teaser of what’s to come in future reviews:

Brewed by De Struise Brouwers in Belgium, Pannepot is a fine example of a Belgian strong ale. It’s no wonder that it received a RateBeer.com score of 100 and made their list of the world’s top 50 beers. It’s name is derived from the fishing boats of early 1900′s De Panne and is brewed in honor of the unique dark ale those fishermen drank. Pannepot pours a very dark amber and once settled is nearly black with a frothy head that dissipates after a few minutes. While it looks more like a stout or porter, Pannepot is most definitely an ale in smell and taste. The nose is rather light, with hints of roasted malt and spices, and for such a dark beer it tastes exceptionally smooth and is very easy drinking, with notes of coriander, coffee and chocolate. It does not feel heavy or oily at all, nor is there any hint of alcohol, which is surprising for a beer that is 10% alcohol. This will definitely be a regular for me, and has the makings of a session beer, even with the 10% alcohol rating. I only hope other Belgian strong ales are close to being this good, as there are a few on the new beer wall at work.

It’s been awhile since I last reviewed a beer, so I thought it was time to get things back on track. A few months ago, my boss tapped me to oversee the selection process for a new Beer of the World section in our store. Needless to say, I was stoked. The plan is to have a mix of 54 different beers (craft and import), and allow customers to buy singles, six packs or make their own six packs. Originally, I was only going to be responsible for choosing half the beers, but I ended up choosing all 54 (from a list of 600). So yesterday, all the beer arrived at the store. We’re still in the process of adding each beer to the P.O.S. system and pricing them, but I was able to purchase one that got into the system – Bommen & Granaten from Brouwerij de Molen in the Netherlands. This is a barley wine that has been cask-aged for 1 month prior to bottling and then continues to age in the bottle, thanks to containing champagne yeast. The bottle presentation is what first drew me to the De Molen line, as their bottles and labels resemble nineteenth century apothecary bottles. Also, the name is just cool – it translates to “Bombs & Grenades”. Once opened, the nose is very sweet, with hints of raisin, apple and citrus, and a slight sourness (most likely due to the fact that it is still fermenting and has a high alcohol content for a beer – 15.2%). The beer pours a dark brown, with caramel and amber hues and no head whatsoever. The taste is very sweet and malty, with no sign of hops or bitterness to be found, even though the beer has an EBU of 53.9. As I am typing this, I’ve been sipping on this beer for an hour and am still only halfway through! I’ve had some big beers in the past (Arrogant Bastard Ale and Skullsplitter come to mind), but this is one big, intense beer! And that’s a good thing. This is definitely not a session beer, but this would serve as a great dessert or after dinner drink, especially if paired with a good cigar or pipe. Bommen & Granaten would also make a good beer to perhaps change the perceptions of those who think beer is only fizzy yellow stuff that comes in suitcases.