The 2-4 Beers of Christmas Day 1: Préaris Quadrocinno

Beer # 392 Préaris Quadrocinno

Brewery: Vligende Paard Préaris Brouwers


Type: Contract Brewery    Est.:  2011

Location: Oedelem, Belgium

Beer Style: Flavoured Quadrupel

ABV: 9.5%      IBU: 

Format: Brown Glass Bottle  Size: 330 ml

Cost: $3.75 CAD     Purchased At: LCBO

 N/A

    @prearis

Our initial offering for your holiday stocking this year is a coffee flavoured Quad from Belgium. Préaris started out as homebrewers until they decided to submit a beer to the prestigious Brouwland Beer Competition in 2011. Their entry took the grand prize so they decided to try and make a go of a brewery. They took their recipes to De Proef Brouwerij which is a brewery designed to brew small-batch beers for third parties. They continue to brew under contract to this day despite having expanded they portfolio greatly. Perhaps one day they will find the investment to open their own building.

Onto to tonight's brew

Pours a dark chocolate brown with a light brown head made up of small bubbles. aroma is dense. Lots of sweet malt fresh brewed espresso rich chocolate and new leather. Alcohol is evident right away and warms the chest as it goes down. chocolate and espresso dominate the attack. a good sweetness rounds out the bitterness and leaves the lips a bit sticky. hints of burnt sugar caramel and touches of baking spice make this a very warming and Christmassy brew. aeration brings out a deeper spice more alcohol and more leather

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order:  5/6 PASS
Experience: 5/6 PASS
Christmas Cheer 5/6 PASS


Final Thoughts:

This is a great beer to start off the 2-4 Beers of Christmas. It embodies what I am looking for. Deep, dark, complex flavours. Warming, delicious a nice beer to sit and savour over the holidays. Try one you will like it.


CJT

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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas Day 6: St. Feuillien Brune

Beer # 305 St. Feuillien Brunne

Brewery: Brasserie St. Feuillien S.A.

Type: Independent Brewery     Est.: 1873

Location: Le Roeulx, Belgium

Beer Style: Dubbel

ABV: 8.5%      IBU: ?

Format: Crown Capped Brown Glass Bottle  Size: 330 ml

Cost: $3.70 CAD     Purchased At: LCBO

Twitter: @st_feuillien (French)


Off to Belgium tonight for this high alcohol Abbey Dubbel from St. Feuillien in Roeulx. Belgiam beers seems to be synonymous with Christmas especially here in the LCBO in Ontario. It's usually then when you see all the gift packs of abbey beers, and short squat little stubby-esque bottles appear. I guess it's a combination of the dark malty flavours and the higher alcohol contents. Maybe it's the rarity/gift appeal. Not quite sure, but they are here again and worthy of being included in the # 2-4 Beers of Christmas.

St. Feuillien is a fairly modern and progressive brewery that was opened in 1873, and has remained in one family for five generations. Tonight's beer, their dubbel, was awarded a silver medal at the Brussels Beer Challenge in 2012.

Onto our beer...

Pours a cloudy dark chestnut with an off-tan head made up of small and mediums sized bubbles.Aroma is spicy and rich in malts predominately wheat. First sip is licorice, molasses , some clove, mace, and nutmeg. Some sweetness, with a turbinado sugar taste. Mouthfeel is slightly thick with a light syrup consistency. Rich malts  make this beer drink like a old world style bread, crusty and dark. The finish is spicy and earthy hops, and a gentle warmth from the 8.5 % ABV. Aeration makes the alcohol pop  with warm notes of brandy and dried fruit. Lips are left very sticky. Heavy raisin on the long lingering finish.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order:  5/6  PASS
Experience: 5/6 PASS
Christmas Cheer: 5/6 PASS

Final Thoughts:

A nice, rich, heavy dubbel. And when I say heavy, I mean... heavy. I felt like a nap after drinking this beer. However, when one speaks of beer being liquid bread; this is probably the beer they were thinking about. I actually at one point wondered how I could slather some butter on it. It's a tasty beer, full of rich flavours and worthy of some rumination. Check one out when you can.



Cheers

CJT

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Beer # 285 Mongozo Premium Pilsner Gluten Free

Beer # 285 Mongozo Gluten Free

Mongozo BV

Melle Belguim
Independent
Gluten Free Pilsner 
5.0 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 330 ml.
$3.15 (Canadian) At LCBO 

Twitter: N/A

Lurr, Ruler of the Planet Omicron Persei 8
doesn't like this beer either

So I like to try and give a chance to gluten free beers even though I don't like them, and think they are just a marketing stunt trying to wedge open an unnecessary niche. But, this beer... Wow, this beer both confuses and infuriates me; Just like my friend Lurr of the Planet Omicron Persei 8. It starts life as a lager... with gluten, then they do something to it... (no doubt unspeakably horrible) and suddenly it has no gluten left. But actually... it may, as it comes with a WARNING, that this product MAY CONTAIN GLUTEN. To distract you from this fact, the product is certified Fair Trade, and Organic. Now to deepen the confusion this beer has won multiple gold medals at the world beer stage. Which either tells you there is no competition at the world stage for this crap; or these beers really ARE THAT BAD... I'll leave that distinction to you. But if it were me and I was Celiac and it came down to drinking this beer or gluten filled beer; I would take the regular beer every time. My stomach would not like it, but my taste buds would not believe I hated them.

As always, I am not a doctor... I just play one in chat rooms. If you suspect you have Celiac's disease PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, consult an Immunologist who has experience with the disease. Have your family physician recommend one, or go through one of the Celiac Websites:

Canada:  www.celiac.ca

USA:      www.celiac.org

UK         www.coeliac.org.uk

Remember Celiac's is an autoimmune disease akin to Lupus. It is not a weight loss programme, or a "cleansing diet." The concept of "gluten sensitivity" has been scientifically proven false. Please use with caution.

Onto the "beer" (if we can call it that...)

Pours a brassy gold colour with a flat skiff of a head made up of odd sized bubbles. The nose is wet dog and chemical. light hints of grain and citrus. First sip is flat and watery like soda that has been left open. Light grain, some bread, and touches of citrus. Hints of pepper on the end of the tongue. Overwhelming taste of soda water, touches of minerals. Aeration brings out some green hops.

 Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 0/6 FAIL
Re-Order:  0/6  FAIL
Experience: 0/6 FAIL



Final Thoughts:


I cannot describe how much I hated this agglomeration of ingredients that made up something resembling an alcoholic beverage. This was pure trash in a bottle designed to separate the gullible from their money. This "beer" makes me long for something with more flavour... like Coor's Light.

I need a shower and to scrub my tongue off. I give this "beer" the un-coveted #DrainAward. Avoid this, like you would your crazy ex, wielding a chainsaw.

  
Cheers

CJT

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Cuvée des Jacobins Rouge Flemish Sour Beer

#274 Cuvée des Jacobins Rouge

Brouwerij Omer Vander Ghinste NV

Bellegem, Belguim

Independent
Flanders Red Sour Ale 5.5 % ABV 
Brown Glass Bottle 330 ml.
IBU: 8
$3.95 (Canadian) At LCBO

Twitter: @OmerVDG

My first Flemish Red for the blog, and I am quite excited. Sour beers seem to be hot right now and quite frankly I am a big fan. Lots of local breweries have been playing with brettanomyces, generally cultured instead of wild inoculation. This beer tonight is open top wild fermented (like a lambic) so the the brettanomyces is naturally occurring. The brewery in Bellegem is a fifth generation family run business that started in 1892. Their first beer was Ouden Trippel, which they still produce under the name Vander Ghinste Oud Bruin. They also produce a kriek, a gueze, a framboise, and a Bock in addition to our beer tonight.

Onto our tasting...

Pours a reddish chestnut colour with a short off-tan head made of tiny bubbles. Aroma is a beautiful sour red cherry with bright red fruits in the background. Hints of brettanomyces, touches of cinnamon, and clove. First sip is WOW! sour! Tart cherry, cranberry with some underlying sweetness. A touch of spice cinnamon clove mostly from the cask ageing.Aeration brings out a woody note with some oak and vanillas

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 6/6  EXCEPTIONAL
Re-Order:  6/6  EXCEPTIONAL
Experience: 5/6 PASS

Final Thoughts:

Super sour but bright and fruity, this is a great beer. If you are a sour fan like me you will enjoy this. If you are on the fence about sour beers... work your way up to this one, because this packs a face puckering punch.

On a sour note.. Sawdust City Brewing Company in Gravenhurst Ontario, is hosting its inaugural Funk Fest on July 2 2016. 17 local breweries will be demonstrating their sour beers, and yours truly will be there to report on it. Stay tuned for my post on that.

Cheers

CJT

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Cuvee van de Kaiser - Blauw (2014) Het Anker

# 219 Gouden Carolus Cuvee van de Kaiser (2014) - Blauw

Het Anker

Mechelen Belguim 
Independent

Imperial Dark Ale 11.0% ABV 
Brown Glass Bottle 750 ml

$8.90 (Canadian) At LCBO.

Het Anker (or The Anchor) is a brewery we have visited before. We did the Hopsinjoor quite some time ago. This beer, The Grand Cuvee of the King is brewed to be released every February 24th in celebration of the birthday of Charles Quint. Charles was born in 1500 in Ghent Belgium and went on to become Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.  The beer is a variation of the Gouden Carolus Classic, with deeper and richer flavours.

All Hail the King...

Pours a rich chocolate brown with an off-tan head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is licorice, molasses, baking spices, and dark rye bread. First sip is rich dark malt with plenty of sugars. Caramel, bread, nutmeg. mouthfeel is creamy, very full bodied. There is a lingering of sugar syrup on the finish. Aeration accentuates the toasty bready notes, and intensifies the spice aromas, as well as a woody, oak barrel flavour. Finish is long lingering and sweet.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 

Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order:  5/6 PASS
Experience:  5/6 PASS



Final Thoughts:

Deep dark and rich, this is a lovely Belgian dark. Have this with some food or a friend as the 11% ABV can hit you like a hammer. 

P.S. I have just been trying out www.julyu.com It's a new social media platform for those who enjoy fine alcoholic beverages, like you dear reader. Come and hang out with some like minded individuals. Sign up now and be sure to friend me!

Cheers

CJT


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The 2-4 Beers of Christmas: Day 21: Game of Thrones Valar Morghulis

Beer # 185 Game of Thrones Valar Morghulis

Brewery Ommegang

Cooperstown, New York, United States of America
Owned in Part by the Duvel Moortgat Brewery of Belgium
Belgian Dubbel 8.0 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 750 ml.
$9.95 (Canadian) At the LCBO


Twitter: @BreweryOmmegang


Okay, I admit it. I'm a nerd... and I should be watching Game of Thrones... but sadly I have not caught the bug... yet. Perhaps this beer will change my mind. If you have been living under a rock... on Mars... with your eyes closed... and fingers in your ears... going "Lalalalalalalalalalalalalalalala." You may have missed the phenomenon that is George R. R. (I'm jealous of J.R.R. Tolkien) Martin's Game of Thrones. The sexy book series that has taken HBO by storm (No... not True Blood... That's the OTHER sexy book series that has taken HBO by storm). From what I have gathered it is about a fictional quasi-medieval kingdom in Britain that is ruled by sex fiends and murderers... I'm just paraphrasing here. So I WAS very interested when I discovered this bottle in the LCBO of a limited Game of Thrones series from Brewery Ommegang. Now I had heard of Ommegang before and I have followed them on Twitter. But I had not delved deep into the mysteries of the brewery yet. The brewery was opened in the States by a family that shares in ownership of the great Duvel Moortgagat Brewery. Now Duvel is widely recognised as one of the finer commercial Belgian producers, and I was interested in seeing if that experience had transferred to their American brothers.

So, as I sit on my Iron Throne... I declare... That the Tasting is coming...


Pours a cloudy chestnut brown with a light tan head made of small bubbles. Nose is wheaty, nutty, licorice and sweet molasses. First sip is molasses and cloves. Toasted wheat, caramelised bananas and allspice. Finish is very earthy and mushroomy. Aeration gives us caramel and baking spices.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 4/6 PASS
Re-Order:  4/6 PASS
Experience:  4/6 PASS
Christmas Spirit 4/6 PASS


Final Thoughts:

Very simple, and straightforward. This IS a Belgian dubbel. The flavour profile is right on, and it is an excellent drink. Is it the best dubbel?... no. Is it a great dubbel?... possibly. But for a Belgian styled dubbel brewed in America... this is bang on. If you can get your hands on this bottle (it was the VERY last one in the store I bought it from) or any of the other Game of Thrones series... please do try them.

Cheers And Beery Christmas


CJT


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Beer # 100 Piraat (Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day)

Piraat (Pirate)

Brouwerij Van Steenberge

Ertvelde, Evergem, Belguim
Independant
Srong Belgium Blonde 10.5 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 330 ml.
$3.33 (Canadian) At LCBO ($19.95 for the 6 bottle Belgian Gift Pack)
Twitter: Not Found

Ok I know... Talk Like a Pirate Day was last week. And yes, I meant to do this beer on that day... And Yes I was busy again... But we can pretend it still is? Sure we can... We are all friends here. Yarrr... On be wid der tastin'.

Brewery Van Steenberge has it's origins in 1784 as the Brewery Peer. Passed down through several Generations The current owner, Jeff Versele, is the 4x Great Grand Nephew of founder Jean Baptise De Bruin (Yes that translates to "John Baptist the Bear" Talk about an awesome wrestling name.) The brewery is the last operational one in the "Meetjesland" which is the coastal area of East Flanders in Belguim. The name literally translates to "Land of old Ladies. I could tell you why, but i can't do any better than Wikipedia:

There are many legends surrounding the origin of the name. The most known is the one of Emperor Charles V (Charles V) who was known for his sexual appetite. The story goes that when he traveled through the region people hid their daughters and their attractive young women, making emperor Charles think this region was full of old women (meetjes). Source.

'nuff said. Onto the booty...


Golden in colour with just a hint of cloudiness. Large fluffy white head made up of medium sized bubbles. Nose is sweet grainy, fruity, some banana and citrus. First sip is deep, rich, and rum-like. Quite malty and sweet... slightly sticky on the lips. However, very light tasting and effervescent, due to a small secondary fermentation in the bottle. Aeration brings out warm spicy notes and a huge shot of alcohol. Finish is mildly bitter, but refreshing.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Re-Order:  5/6 PASS
Experience:  6/6 EXCEPTIONAL

Final Thoughts:

A delightful beer. the only sticking point is the high alcohol... It actually makes one drowsy drinking it. So try this one with food. It is a well rounded and excellently balanced beer.


Cheers

CJT


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Beer # 96 Nostradamus

Nostradamus 

Brasserie Caracole scrl

Flamignoul, Belgium
Independent
Strong Belgium Brunne (Brown Ale) 9.0 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 330 ml.
$3.40 (Canadian) At LCBO 


As today is the so called "Mayan Apocalypse"I decided to slip in two beers with the end of the world theme. The first one is named after the French apothecary and seer Michel de Nostredame. Born co-incidentally on this date December 21 1503 (we think, it's disputed it may be the 14th) Nostradamus (Latin spelling) was a biblical and historical scholar in his spare time. He became famous for writing the book "Les Propheties de M. Michel Nostramvs" or as it is better know "The Prophecies." In his book he wrote short ambiguous poems called quatrains that supposedly foretold the future by examining the past.


There were three volumes in total. and about 1000 quatrains. Of these only 942 survive, published in an omnibus collection after his death. The quatrains are divided up into series of 100 poems that make up a "century." Nostradamus scholars have intently studied these poems for a clue to the future. Often using the vague nature of the poems to explain events that have already happened. One quatrain supposedly predicted the rise of Hitler, and Europe at war. One predicted the fall of the Twin Towers in New York., several go on to predict coming wars and potentially the end of the world, the return of Christ, and the battle of Armageddon. The key one has to remember is Nostradamus was also heavily into astrology. in the 1500's Astrology was still considered a science. And, as with today, Astrological predictions are conveniently vague to allow for broad interpretations. If you take your horoscope and read it at the end of the day instead of the beginning  often your mind will bend the words of the horoscope to fit the events that have already happened, leaving you with that whoa! did that just happen? feeling. However if you read your horoscope at the beginning of the day, chances are you will draw other conclusions and allow your mind to miss the events of the day without any connection, because you have already decided what will happen. It is similar with Nostradamus' predictions, looking back we can connect the vague dots in our mind now that we know what happened, but as a prediction tool it is completely useless.

La Brasserie Caracole is located in the province of Namur. The logo for the brewery is the snail, or a man wearing a metal helmet in the shape of a snail. The spiral shelled snail (Caracole) is the symbol of Namur and hence the name of the brewery.

Onto tonight's beer:

A slightly hazy light chestnut brown with a large fluffy light tan head made up of small bubbles. Head is very long lasting, leaving a slightly broken lacing on the glass. Aroma is very wheaty with mild banana, fresh fruit, and some clove. First sip is an incredibly light and bright fruity beer,with a tongue tingling effervescence. The high alcohol content is deceptive at first until you breath out and the alcohol heat warms your mouth.The finish is fresh grains floral hops, and a tinge of sour... not by any means unpleasant. Aeration gives us a rich caramel maltiness, oak notes, some vanilla and a hint of barrel aged whiskey.


Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 

Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Re-Order:  6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Experience:  6/6 EXCEPTIONAL

Final Thoughts:


The best brown ale I have ever had, and certainly one of the best Belgium beers I have ever had. Definitely a great way to toast the end of the world.

Cheers

CJT


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