I attended a recent tasting at 99 Bottles that allowed me to sample four New Year’s Eve beers. Each was a corked-and-caged beer that would be a wonderful ale to welcome in the new year.
I scribbled down the following notes in my miniature composition book.
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Timmermans Oude Gueuze, a Gueuze by Timmermans Brewery.
Clear light yellow, almost champagne-like bubbly. Sour, paper, lemon nose, followed by a tart lemon tongue. Good and sour.
Timmermans Oude Gueuze, a Gueuze by Timmermans Brewery.
Clear light yellow, almost champagne-like bubbly. Sour, paper, lemon nose, followed by a tart lemon tongue. Good and sour.
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Delirium Tremens, a Belgian Strong Ale by Brouwerij Huyghe.
The same color and appearance as Timmermans. The nose is of fine paper and apple juice. The taste is a bit funky, with Seabreeze antiseptic (and perhaps the spice sage, but Seabreeze was my first impression). A trip to The Wife’s spice cabinet confirms the sage.
Delirium Tremens, a Belgian Strong Ale by Brouwerij Huyghe.
The same color and appearance as Timmermans. The nose is of fine paper and apple juice. The taste is a bit funky, with Seabreeze antiseptic (and perhaps the spice sage, but Seabreeze was my first impression). A trip to The Wife’s spice cabinet confirms the sage.
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Lozen Boer, an Abt/Quadrupel by De Proefbrouwerij.
A darker pour than the prior two, with a light brown body, but still bubbly. The nose is anise and (wallpaper) glue. The flavors are the same, with the addition of beef broth, freshly tilled soil, and sugary canned pear syrup. All in all, the most complex and my favorite of the bunch.
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Deus Brut de Flandres, a Bierè de Champagne by Brouwerij Bosteels.
A rather bubbly yellow-orange body. Clove and sage on the nose. Clove, sage, and tobacco leaf on the tongue. Not what I was expecting, and a pleasant surprise! A close second for me, right behind the Lozen Boer.
Lozen Boer, an Abt/Quadrupel by De Proefbrouwerij.
A darker pour than the prior two, with a light brown body, but still bubbly. The nose is anise and (wallpaper) glue. The flavors are the same, with the addition of beef broth, freshly tilled soil, and sugary canned pear syrup. All in all, the most complex and my favorite of the bunch.
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Deus Brut de Flandres, a Bierè de Champagne by Brouwerij Bosteels.
A rather bubbly yellow-orange body. Clove and sage on the nose. Clove, sage, and tobacco leaf on the tongue. Not what I was expecting, and a pleasant surprise! A close second for me, right behind the Lozen Boer.
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While any of the four would be pleasing to explore further in a full tasting, rather than in small quantities, I decided upon Lozen Boer as the ale to welcome 2012. I will share those notes and thoughts after the cork is popped.
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