Mug Warrior

Well the six-pack is finished and I feel like I took a trip around the world and back. Overall, the beers were delicious, but some were definitely better than others were. Now I am no expert on beer nor can I yet explain the textures and subtle tastes each beer exudes in detail, but I will do my best.

The Westmalle and Duvel were the lightest of the six with the Westmalle containing a little more flavor than the Duvel.  Though the Duvel gets very high ratings on Beer Advocate, it was my least favorite of the group. It was very crisp and light, but compared to the others, it lacked character.

The Maredsous 10 and Watou were darker than the Westmalle and Duvel and had a bit more flavor. The Maredsous 10 had a slight hoppy taste along with some light spices, but nothing that stood out. The Watou was very crisp and tickled my tongue with a carbonated nutty almond taste.

Now I don’t know if it is because I am just used to an American style of exaggerated hops, but my two favorite beers were definitely the Victory Old Horizontal and Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barley wine. They both contained deep character and flavor explosions. The Bigfoot was no doubt tough for my palette to adjust to at first, but after a couple of sips, it quickly became a favorite of mine.

The Tripels and Barley Wines are very strong beers, but some of them are deceivingly smooth and light in taste. I may next try to find some beers aged in an Oak barrel and do a review on them. If you have any beers that you would like me to taste and review, leave a comment below.

As some of you may know from my personal blog, I am fermenting wine for the first time. I love the subtle complexities in wine and different approaches wineries take while fermenting and ageing. A Cabernet from winery x, may taste very different from winery y. Beers are the same way, but probably with 10 times the different character and complexities. The type of hops, barley, and yeast really defines the flavor of a beer along with the different methods in brewing. I love them both wine and beer equally, but since this is a beer site, I will talk about some beers that rival wine in both complexity and character and also in alcohol by volume.

While on my way home from work the other day, I decided to stop by one of the greatest beer stores ever and pick up a selection of Tripel Ales and Barley Wines.

Tripel Ales get their name due the addition of triple the amount of malt used during brewing process. Tripels came to life in the early 1930’s when the Trappist Monks in Belgium produced them. Today, Tripels are a popular style within the craft beer circles.

Due to the amount of malt used during brewing, Tripels average an alcohol by volume of around 8.5-9%. This creates a strong stomach warming beer with outstanding character. Traditionally Tripels are bright gold in color, but many new age crafters are producing amber and darker colors.

Barleywines are similar to Tripels, but were created in England in the early 1900’s. Barleywines often are darker and more bitter than Tripels. But in this day and age, the difference between the two are often blurred. Barley wines can reach up to 12% ABV. That is three times the alcohol than what is in Miller or Coors Lite. American Barley Wines usually contain a boatload of hops to produce an extreme bitterness, while English Barley Wines are usually more rounded in flavor between the hops and barley.

My mixed six-pack contained these six brews:

1. Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale by Sierra Nevada
2. Old Horizontal by Victory Brewing Company
3. Westmalle Trappist Tripel by Brouwerij Westmalle
4. Watou Tripel by Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV
5. Maredsous 10 by Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat NV
6. Duvel by Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat NV

I bought some of the beers on merit and some on instinct, but I never had any of these beers before and I can’t wait to enjoy them.

I will write about my experiences with these strong ales over the weekend or early next week. This will give me something to do while my wine finish up its second stage in fermenting.

I read an article at msnbc yesterday about how the big brewers (Coors, Anheuser, Miller) have started creating small batch, micro style brews as seasonals. I think that’s pretty cool, and as a man who has been known to indulge his trashier side with a Bud (and who has also used Bud in lieu of water to clean glasses while tasting), I would be willing to give the Micro Macro’s a shot. It seems like they are only marketed to the midwestern market right now, but if anyone knows anyways I can get my hands on some it would be much appreciated.

Also I didn’t know Coors made Blue Moon, I suppose you learn something you really should have already known, everyday.

I had the pleasure of living mere blocks from Iron Hill Brewery in Media. Trish loves their Shrimp and Crab Cakes and the Pan Seared Shrimp and Sea Scallops is pretty amazing itself. As is important for any good brewpub, they’ve got some really good beers. The Rasberry Wheat (though I prefer my wheats unfiltered) is light and delicious. It goes great with the seafood dishes at Iron Hill. Top off the meal with a Pig Iron Porter and a Double Chocolate Hill cake. I’m getting fatter just thinking about it.

2006 has been a big years for Iron Hill. It’s their 10th anniversary. To celebrate they are releasing an anniversary beer, a Belgian-style Trappist Ale at 10+% ABV. Not only does this beer sound delicious, but its gonna be bottled and sold for your carry out pleasure. They recently opened their sixth location in Pheonixville and they won two awards at The Great American Beer Fest. One for the Russian Imperial Stout in Media and Bourbon Ivan in West Chester. They also recieved Philadelphia Magazine’s Best Brewpub 2006 this year.

I’m a big fan and you will be too. Go, eat, and join the Mug Club - then you too will drink from a 24oz beer mug.

Victory Brewing Company is by far my favorite microbrew. With the exception of their HopDevil (I don’t like it hoppy), I have loved nearly all of their beers. Their brewpub is pretty good too. The jalapeño-crab poppers are amazing.

The thing I’ve noticed about their beers however is the names. They are varied and creative. I had originally thought they were just silly names, but I have come to think that they are more than that. Each beer I have tried from Voctory seems to have a unique effect on me. The Golden Monkey (by far my favorite of all beers) tends to make me a bit goofy and stumbly. On occasion I have wondered if this was the inspiration for the Drunken Monkey fighting style. What brought me to this conclusion however is when I tried the Old Horizontal. An awesome beer, as I was drinking it I couldn’t fight the urge to lay down. I tried not to, I wasn’t tired, I just wanted to lay down. Then there was the St. Boisterous. Most who know me would agree that I need little help getting rowdy, but when I was drinking this delight, I was louder and more exuberant that normal.

Bottom line, the names aren’t just fun, they’re descriptive of the mood that your night is going to take when you drink them. I think I’m going to go pick up a case of their Dr. Decibals Brown Ale. Better warn the neighbors.