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Belgian

the last one

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The season is officially over, but there’s still beer to be had.  I thought I would seek out a nice stout just because, but Cierzo’s Oogie Boogie Christmas Ale seemed like too much of a coincidence to ignore.  Right by the door!  They must want to clear some space for the spring stock.

Very toasty looking, and well-developed head. It has a powerful aroma, sort of fumey, like a higher alcohol drink. It’s heavy feeling too, with a touch of sweetness like Belgian Christmas beers, also an earthy, grainy floor to rest on. With the texture of eggnog and banana scent starting to be noticeable, it’s very much a seasonal beer. It’s an oddly damp day and the warmth of the beer is welcome, even if it’s a nostalgic taste by this time. The sweetness wears off and leaves you with a bready, toasted beverage, begging for a fire to be drunk in front of.

Supplier: Labirratorium

Price: €4.95

T(welve)-10

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On the tenth day of Beermas I went and bought for me
10 lords a-robbing?
Nine night owls hooting
Nine night owls hooting
Eight maids not for cleaning
Seven avian vampire teasers
Six plans a-hatching
Five collaborations
Four miles of nowhere
Three tropical tree eggs
Two staring wings
And an icy raven looking needy

Oh, the things I’m willing to do for the season!  Drink a Belgian beer?  Well, alright, it does have somebody lordly on the label, so it goes with the song.  I’m also tickled that it says “Robijnrood” on one side, which I misread repeatedly as “Robinhood”.  Shows where my sympathies lie, I guess.  What it really is is a red ale, ruby red is the promise, from Brouwerij Haacht.  Charles Quint is no stranger to Belgian beers, but he also has his place in the Spanish beer world.

It does have some ruddiness to it in the glass, sort of a rusty brown color overall. Very light beige head sits firmly on top. It certainly smells Belgian, although not as sour or tangy as some. For the most part the aroma is sweet, although there’s just a touch of sour apple. In the mouth it is plainly a Belgian beer, malty, slightly sour, a real mouthful. It doesn’t have an unpleasant aftertaste, and the flavor is balanced and well under control before the swallow. It’s not a bad sipping, talking beer, with enough body to make snacks welcome but unnecessary.

wrapping up

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With anticipation, the door opens on slot 24…and it’s a strong dark Belgian.  Well, at least it’s dark.  This collaboration between Guineu and Juguetes Perdidos might be fitting, in fact, for the holiday, since some Belgian beers do have a certain level of winter-appropriate spice.  I’m cautiously hopeful about Pajaro Viudo.  If it turns out to be a disappointment, I can say that I did have a chocolate stout earlier today (Thank you, Ossegg).

There’s a strong whiff of banana, and the beer looks thick and almost oily coming out. The head is tightly bubbled and deflates slowly. The flavor starts with bitter and Belgian level of sour, but not quite in the aftertaste you get an odd almost fishy sort of taste. Well, not fishy exactly, more like seaweed. It’s like a miso was added to the beer at some point. Going with the look, there’s a very full sensation that goes along with the liquid; it is smooth, but there’s a good amount of weight in it. The taste seems to contain itself, not expanding or deepening, leaving the drinker in a mood to sip and sip some more. It’s not that it’s lacking in taste, but it doesn’t have the extravagant explosion that I’ve come to expect from craft beers. Still, it’s probably good to back off from the excesses a little bit from time to time, and with Beermas starting tomorrow I don’t need to dull my sense of taste just yet!

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