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Belgian beer

peepers

  • por

On the eleventh day of Beermas I went and got for me
A scene ripe for peeping
Ten space lords leaping
A third of nine dancers carefree
Eight spice rack maidens
A taste of one of seven seas
Six alarms a-ringing
A high-powered ring of fire
Four silent moths
Three frisky parrots
A bottle but not two cans
And more than half a liter of perry

Yeah, OK, peep not pipe, but it’s close. Also, the guy probably has some pipe he could show us if he was in the right mood. De Verboden Vrucht comes from (shudder) InBev, but it’s down to the wire for Beermas and I have to find something that fits. It’s something that comes more from InBev’s Belgian roots and while it doesn’t brandish the Hoegaarden label, that’s the origin. Somehow I imagine music came after the eyes of humanity were opened. Living in a pre-life paradise doesn’t seem like it would lend itself to instrument creation.

It’s a warm nutty brown beer, this one, with a fluffy off-white cap. The aroma is quite vegetal, fresh carrots, canned peas. Canned corn usually isn’t a good sign, but that’s not quite what I’m getting. The taste is gingerbread at first, although there’s a little bit of metallic aftertaste. It’s a little tangy, but without the extra hanging around that so many Belgian beers have, it is a much cleaner and silkier feel. A little bit of apple starts to make an appearance after a good few minutes on the table, which is fitting. It does have a certain seasonal essence to it, a touch of Christmas spice. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a truly forbidden fruit, but it feels like it came off a tree of pleasure. Eleventh day down!

winter woolly

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The big day has arrived, and in spite of my own control over the situation, I did not keep a special stout for the last day. I guess I’m feeling comfortable with pulling bottles and cans out of the fridge as they come. And anyway, this is a special Christmas beer, so you can’t say it’s not fitting. Winterbinkske makes me think there’s a lot going on in that bottle, the whole experience of the end of the year in one cold drink. It also makes me think there’s going to be a lot of herbs and spices. The brewery Kerkom sounds like they have quite an interest in doing things a little differently from everybody else, but still top quality.

It is an extra dark Belgian beer, with extra fluffy head, and a surprisingly low amount of aroma. It’s toasty and charcoaly, but only hints. The taste is much bigger, with a good mix of licorice, plum and apple. It feels heavy, with a smooth body that does not go by unnoticed. A kind of woodiness grows with time, giving even more power and roughness to the beer, although the flavor doesn’t change much. It has a touch of something foresty and wild, but it’s much more delicate than you might expect from most craft beers. It gives you a handmade sensation, but from a very skilled maker. Not a stout, but good enough for Christmas, no question.

Supplier: La Mundial
Price: €4

no milk this year then?

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Closing in on the end and I let one more unblack beer into the line-up. It is officially a Christmas beer, though, so still legal! It is in fact an “Xceptional Xmas Beer” according to the label, and Santa certainly seems to be ready to enjoy the season with his new tree…oh wait, that’s a hop flower. So Tiny Claus or Giant Hop or getting ready to celebrate the season. I’m not sure if the name, Père Noël, means the beer is from Santa or for Santa. Could well be both, I guess. The brewery De Ranke is a relatively recent addition to Belgium’s beer landscape, but by all accounts it is a worthy follower of tradition as well as handling a good amount of innovation.

It has a look very much like other Belgian Christmas beers, light colored but not transparent. Quite a well-formed head too. The aroma does not offer much in the way of hops, being more of a lager type of scent – grain, meadow, maybe a little honey. The hops make their appearance in the first sip, with a deep and smooth bitterness. Some of the malt still finds its way to the top, but it’s swimming through a sea of Hallertau. There’s a similarity to some classic IPAs in the taste but to lagers in the feel. It’s clean and easy to drink but still weighty. There’s a good amount of alcohol, but not excessive when compared to some other seasonal beers, or some of the stouts I deliberately sought out. Maybe the fluffiness of the head gives it a connection to snow, but somehow there’s a feeling of winteriness and fireside coziness that makes you think there might be footsteps on the roof any minute. Well, it’s probably your upstairs neighbor, but if you’re in a good enough mood it doesn’t really matter.

Supplier: La Mundial
Price: €3.60

an exception

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While there are Christmas beers happily floating around by now, there aren’t actually that many. It’s almost the same as official Oktoberfest beers. I guess it’s time to bend my Calenbeer rules and make an exception to my black beer standard, but with a Belgian beer that you could possibly sneak in with it’s seasonal brethren. Westmalle, a classic of the widely available Belgian exports, shows off its stuff with a Trappist Triple, in a uniquely collared bottle. Although the label is fairly simple, the fact of being Belgian lends a certain festive flair to the beer, so it should be welcome in the ranks.

The triple is supposed to be light, but it seems surprisingly so to me, one of those lemony straw colored beers. The head would make a pilsner proud, at least for a few minutes. The aroma is at once sharp and citric and mellow and bready. It feels like a tangy Belgian aroma more than anything. The taste starts out with a full round bitter, melting into a wheaty tang at the back of the tongue, and sweeping down the throat pithy bitter again. It’s almost medicinal, with a hearty bitterness that gives you the sensation that it’s good for you. Sometimes sweeter notes peek through, slightly lemon candy and slightly clover juice.

Supplier: Hop Hop Hurrah
Price: €3.75

happy surprise

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Another step into the lighter side with a specifically Christmas beer. Belgian, of course. And more than 8%, so that’s one for the Christmas party. I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure of Bocq before, although I might have just forgotten, since I don’t go for Belgian beers as a general habit. I have definitely not tried Gauloise, even if I have had some other bit of brewing from them.

Dark ruddy brown liquid and barely beige fluffy head, festive looking and smelling. It has a very bright and cidery aroma, with hints of lemon and melon. The look makes me expect cinnamon or ginger, but I can’t pick it out. The taste is almost shockingly alcoholy, even knowing the strength of the beer ahead of time. It has a sort of liquid metal feel to it, slippery and moveable, but with a noticeable heft. Although there is a bit of a tang upfront, there isn’t the typical Belgian aftertaste, which I appreciate. I expected a little more of a warming effect, either from the strength or from the psychological idea of a Christmas beer, but it turns out to be a light touch, just a joy for the palate without burying you. As a final secret gift, there is cinnamon if you let the beer warm up a little more. As seasonal beers go, it’s a triumph!

Supplier: Labirratorium
Price: €2.85

oh, what dreams await

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Well, here we are on St. Nicholas Day, or Our Lady of the Holy Constitution as it might be thought of in my country of residence. Seems appropriate to get something more seasonal on such a date. Of course, I could have dug out another chocolate stout, and even left it in a shoe on the windowsill overnight. Somehow that didn’t seem quite as fitting as a known Belgian name – Delirium Christmas. As famous as Delirium is, I have never in fact tasted it. Not the tremens, not the Christmas beer, nothin’! I guess there was always something I felt more comfortable with. Well, in spite of my commitment to dark December stout, I feel like I should accept a few Christmas themed beers, and damn if that elephant isn’t festive.

This one was a little over excited, fizzing all over as soon as the cap came off. Still enough for a nice glass, though. The aroma is sour, appley, slightly woody. After settling a little there’s more bread than wood. It’s a rich coppery brown, so distinctly lighter than my last few days, but it certainly smells weightier. The flavor is delicate but definitely oaky. I was expecting more of a tang from it, being a Belgian beer and all, but it really doesn’t leave much behind. It’s heavy as you sip, but once the swallow starts it drifts off without a fuss. I’m almost disappointed, having expected a real heavyweight, but it’s undeniably cozy. Towards the end of the glass, it has started to roughen up, not letting you drink mindlessly, which is certainly better in the long run. One can go down alright, but trying for more could be a dangerous decision. You could end up feeling like you got run over by an elephant.

Supplier: La Buena Cerveza
Price: €4.15

all for me

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Let’s get a little more into the kind of beers I expect in my Advent calendar – stouts, dammit! Now, this is a Belgian stout, with the medieval name of Troubadour, but it fits right in. As much as I’m going to lean into darkness, Christmas beers can be admitted, and who makes Christmas beers? Most famously? The name of the brewery makes me think it would be a secret pastry stout, or at least a much sweeter stout than normal. But maybe The Musketeers are just about collaboration and solidarity.

Head is extra-fluffy coffee ice cream, and not prone to melting off fast. It’s not terribly strong in aroma, but there is a tiny bit of pleasant toastiness and dark chocolate. It feels creamy and luxurious, spreading hints of licorice as well as the expected coffee over the tongue. It leaves a tiny taste of char at the back of the tongue, otherwise sweeping down the throat easily and without the typical Belgian beer tang. I was afraid it would develop at first, but it’s another pretty standard stout, maybe a little bit thicker and smoother than Bidassoa’s. It gives you a slightly wooly feeling, being a strong and atmospheric beer, and maybe just a little nod to the well-known seasonal beers of its country.

Supplier: Lambeer
Price: €3.70

go bananas

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With practically summer temperatures upon us, doesn’t it sound good to have a fruity beer? Not one of those high citrus IPAs, or a sour and mouth punching lambic, but something a little less common. Who expects a banana beer? Although Spanish, it is from Yakka, it’s a Belgian triple style, which is really the most logical path to that kind of additive. It is kind of heavy – we are talking triple after all – at a hefty 10%. It is indeed a Platanazo. Hopefully, it won’t be too much for globally warmed spring.

Extra foamy, a little bit more yellow than I was expecting, and with definite banana aroma. It’s pretty strong in the flavor too, although there’s a good mix of bitter and even sour alongside the banana bread. It’s not as smooth a feel as I thought it might be, it’s a crispier “crumb” on the bread part. At first it feels somewhat heavy in the mouth, but the flavor comes through gradually and lightens the mood quite a bit. It even makes me think that this is what a banana soda should be like, one of those “natural” ones. Citrus sodas, or just carbonated drinks, that promote themselves like that aren’t especially sweet. The sour reminds me that it is a Belgian style, with that little twang of aftertaste that I never quite get used to. Still, it’s a nice variation, and a good one to link the beer to its producer’s homeland.

Supplier: Hop Hop Hurra
Price: €3.55

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