I’ve only had one other beer from De Proef and that was the Flemish Primitive Wild Ale (Surly Bird) and I really liked it, so I’m eager to see if this one is just as well made.  This was a collaboration brew created with Sly Fox Brewing for Philly Beer Week.

The website, proefbrouwerij.com, doesn’t reveal any info regarding this beer, so I checked on ratebeer.com and found this.

Broederlijke Liefde (Brotherly Love) is a slightly higher gravity interpretation of the saison style. It is fermented with two yeasts – a classic saison yeast as well as brettanomyces from an original gravity of 1066 (16.5 plato). These yeasts yield a dry and slightly spicy ale with a strong hint of farmhouse character that will continue to develop with age. The use of Target and Styrian Golding hops at 37 IBUs add floral aromatics and a balancing bitterness.

Alrighty.  Let’s pour.

This beer came in a 25.4 oz. bottle and it had an ABV of 8.0%.

It poured a very hazy, orange color with a greatly sized white, soft, fluffy and soapy crown.  The retention time was magnificent and it also left behind some choice, patchy lacing as it finally did settle back into the liquid.

The nose presented a Brettanomyces “bug” type of character.  A lot of good barnyard funk.  Very yeasty with undertones of lemongrass and sweet orange peel.  Hints of coriander and pepper type spices too.  A favorable and welcomed earthy waft started to show itself after it warmed.  A very nice smelling brew in my opinion.

The flavor let loose with more of the Bretty funk.  It seemed to be of a suitable medium strength.  The lemongrass and orange citrus held true while a yeasty and white bread savor added some “roundness”.  The spicy pepper “bite” was a touch more intense and the earthiness only complimented and didn’t dominant in any way.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied.  Dry, crisp, kind of spritzy and bitey.  The carbonation were a bit more on the livelier side and a very minor amount of warmth was felt from the combination of the pepper and the alcohol. A superb amount of flavor was left covering the palate after each sip as well.

I tell ya.  I thought this was a very, very, very nice beer.  I wish I would have picked up another bottle.  I love the Brettanomyces aspects.  The harmony and balance were exceptional as no one profile outshone the other.  The drinkability was outstanding as well, so in that regard this beverage would pair super well with the Spring and Summer season.  I’d definitely recommend giving the De Proef Broederlijke Liefde a try if you can obtain a bottle.  If you like the funky Saison style I have no doubt that you would love this one.

Thanks for reading and commenting everyone.  I really appreciate it.

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  4.3 out of 5

Grade:  A

This was a lot of fun. Most everyone really enjoyed these beers and there were some clear winners. Our taste order was from left to right in the photo.

First up was Full Sail’s new limited release Berliner Weiss. People LOVED this beer and was one of the most liked of the night. Professor Fritz Briem 1809 Berliner Weiss was after, but wasn’t as well liked as the Full Sail, though I enjoyed it more.

The only red of the night was Rodenbach. This was the most liked beer of the night. This beer blew everyone away.

Three Oud Bruins were up after, starting with the Monk’s Cafe Flemish Sour Ale and the Petrus Aged Pale, both good beers, but relatively forgettable in comparison. The Liefmans Goudenband that we had after was one of my favorites. One of the most refreshing beers I’ve ever had. It was nearly a perfect beer in my opinion.

I believe I switched the order and opened the Supplication after. This was another of the biggest hits of the night, and truly one of the World’s greatest beverages.

The only Lambic of the night was the Timmermans Oude Gueuze. I glossed over the Lambics as we will have a tasting dedicated to them in the future. I was very excited about this beer and was hoping it would be a giant stink bomb. It wasn’t as funky as I was expecting. Definitely some funk on the nose, but the palate was light, lemony, and extremely refreshing. Another great beer.

New Belgium’s Lips of Faith Brett Beer was next, but really didn’t need to be in this tasting as it wasn’t sour at all. It did showcase the Brett which was nice and it was actually pretty well liked.

Flanders Fred is a collaboration between Hair of the Dog and De Proefbrouwerij. Basically, it’s a blend of Fred and a Lambic. Quite good, but was one of the biggest beers of the night.

The Bruery’s Tart of Darkness was up next. A sour stout and it was amazing. There wasn’t anything terribly stout-like about it other than the color. Very light mouthfeel and again, another refreshing beer. It was also the most sour out of any of the beers, which was interesting. This one will pucker you up.

Finishing up the tasting was Silver City’s Le Fat. It’s a sour Belgian Scotch ale aged in oak. You heard me. Wasn’t terribly sour, and at 10% it wasn’t refreshing in the least. Some liked this. I thought it was okay.

That’s a $150 worth of beer that we went through, but it turned out to be a perfect amount with the crowd we had at this Beer Club. It was a lot of fun to host and I think it was a lot of fun for everyone else, too. Dubbels next month!

A – Poured out a hazy, orange color with some bits of sediment with a two-finger, off-white head of foam. It left minimal lacing.

S -Fruity and yeasty with some strong wheat notes.

T -Yeasty and spicy with a good wheat backbone. There was a subtle orange zestiness.

M – It was crisp, sharp and smooth. It was medium bodied with a dry finish and an alcohol warmth.

O – Very nice, lacks the ultimate refreshing feeling of a witbeer to my liking.

Serving type: bottle

A: Pours a light amber brown with some haze.

S: Plenty of sour cherries on the front with a bit of vinegar, some lactic notes, and a hint of malt sweetness as well.

T: A ton acidity and some vinegar. Good cherry notes along with a bit of sweetness that goes well with the sourness. Not too much oak, but a decent dryness with some tannins

M: The body is medium with a very lively carbonation and a dry finish.

D: A nice example of the style, not the best from them but not bad either. Was looking for something more sour but maybe it would age into that. Would buy again

Serving type: bottle

De Proef Reinaert Flemish Wild Ale

Name: Reinaert Flemish Wild Ale

Style:  Belgian Strong Pale Ale

Brewery:  De Proefbrouwerij (bvba Andelot)  website

Country: Belgium

Region:   Lochristi-Hijifte

ABV: 9.0% abv

How served:  750ml caged and corked bottle poured into a Maredsous glass.     

My Overall Opinion:  Very Good. 

I paired this beer with:   Pasta with a sausage based tomato sauce.  Nice Match.

Tasted on:  Friday July 22, 2011  

Notes:  This beer pours a semi clear gold with a 1 finger white head which dissipated slowly leaving a thin and small lacing on my glass.    

The nose was rock candy sweet, fruity and musty.   

The taste was like the nose and started off rock candy sweet and a little bit fruity,  then mid way through I picked up some spices and a touch of bitterness to balance off the initial sweetness.  Near the finish there was a very mild musty and wet grass flavor with no hint of the 9.0% abv and a dry finish.

This beer had a medium body with an active  carbonation level.       

The drinkability was good and this was a refreshing brew. As long as you don’t let the name Flemish Wild Ale deceive you into expecting a very funky or sour brew you will not be disappointed and will really enjoy this beer.  Worthy of finding a bottle to try it.

On the Label:  Brewmaster’s Collection Special Reserve.  The Legendary Cunning Fox.  Bottle Conditioned.   Triple Fermented using two yeast strains.   Saccharomyces + Brettanomyces

From their website:    Nothing there!

One good contender was ‘t Arendsnest (by the same people as The Beer Temple), however the one that really caught my eye from Tim Skelton’s book Around Amsterdam In 80 Beers was In De Wildeman. Mr Skelton says, “The ‘Wild Man’ is one of the world’s great beer bars and you should not leave Amsterdam without visiting it“. On my last evening I had a two hour window around dinnertime, so I decided to take the tram into town and follow instructions.

I found the bar relatively easily after wandering down a few busy sidestreets on a sunny Saturday evening, passing lots of people eating cones of chips and mayonnaise. When I get there it looked busy, with lots of people sitting outside and a large window opening into a small room that also looked packed. Fortunately when I went into the main bar it was only pleasantly busy and I was able to stand at the bar.

The interior, previously a distillery, met all my expectations: the walls cluttered with beer ephemera and a black and white tiled floor, in fact it’s probably quite appealing to tourists in that kind of aged “brown cafe” style. However where it differs from other brown cafes is in the remarkable selection of beer. There were 17 beers and 1 cider (Strongbow!) on tap. They had the solitary handpump I saw in my three days in Amsterdam, hosting Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted. I noted that the pumpclips on the back bar evidenced previous beers not only from Dark Star, Hopback and Gadds, but even Saltaire Brewery.

There are apparently 200 bottled beers available. A copy of the beer menu wasn’t immediately to hand, but the tap selection was so good I didn’t bother asking. I decided to start with the only Brouwerij de Molen beer on tap, Lentehop. This was a great, fresh and bitter IPA that was perfect for a first drink on a summer evening.

I finished it relatively quickly and moved on to Flying Dog In De Wildeman 25th Anniversary Farmhouse IPA which, as the name suggests, was brewed by the US craft brewer especially for this bar’s silver jubilee this year. I didn’t have a clue what to expect of a “Farmhouse IPA”, but found it slightly herby and more subtle in its hoppiness and aroma than the very punchy De Molen beer, but a very nice beer nonetheless, with a pleasant building fruity bitterness.

It tasted to me a bit like a very hoppy IPA that had mellowed in its old age, like a slightly aged bottle of Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA I’d had recently. Reading about it now, I can see why it seemed so different: it’s an unfiltered IPA made with Citra hops and a Saison yeast. I’d love to try it again knowing that, but I’ll probably never get the chance.

At this point, having had two strong beers and knowing my time was limited, I decided to have something other than an IPA. I’d already had four IPAs on this trip (two Dutch, one Danish, one American) and it occurred to me that it wasn’t exactly the most native style to the Benelux countries.

I decided to try Wildeman’s beer of the month, a De Proefbrouwerij Vicardin Tripel Gueuze (sp?), apparently a blend of two beers (um, a tripel and a gueuze). It had a really nice tart sourness and was a good final beer to enjoy as I looked around the bar which had quietened down a bit as people went home or out for dinner.

I reflected, whilst standing there, that I really, really liked this place. Great beer, friendly and helpful staff, a beautiful building and a fantastic atmosphere. I can see why it’s such an institution and I would entirely agree with Tim Skelton’s analysis: In De Wildeman is one of the world’s great beer bars. I would add, from my still-limited experience, that Amsterdam is almost certainly one of the world’s great beer cities.

Bakgrundsinformation

500ml flaska, 5,9% alkohol. Ursprungsland: Danmark. Bryggeri: De Proefbrouwerij. Produktnummer på systembolaget: 1312. Ölet är bryggt av danska skuggbryggeriet Mikkeller i De Proefs lokaler i belgien.

Provningstillfället

Fredag eftermiddag. Vädret ute ger oss knappt minusgrader, kraftig vind och ymnigt snöfall. Har suttit mer eller mindre inspärrad på hytta i över två dygn. Dagarna fylls med böcker,  kortspel och framtidsplaner. Trots att det inte blivit mycket av med den tänkta skidåkningen är både jag och Jenny rätt nöjda ändå.

Utseende

Vätskan är mörkt brunröd och oklar. Skummet är ljusbrunt och lägger sig flera centimeter tjockt. Det sjunker sakta och lämnar en del rester på glaset.

Doft

En ganska kraftig doft, dominerad av beska kommer mot mig. Den är komplex, med toner av frukt, apelsin, kola och kaffe. En hel del rostade toner men också friska citrustoner. Brödsirap, russin och rågbröd finns också att hitta. En liten aning av tjärtabletter och soja tycker jag mig kunna ana.

Smak

Smaken är stor, med en viss övervikt åt beskan, men även en stor dos sötma. Russin, lite portvin och brödsirap, men även citrustoner och en hel del trätoner och lite lägereld. En liten aning av syrlighet och soja hittar jag också. Eftersmaken är ganska lång och går mot mer av råstade toner, med ett litet syrligt stick. Kroppen är ganska stor.

Helhetsintryck

Ett komplext och välbalanserat öl, med mycket och stora smaker. Det som jag inte riktigt uppskattar är det lilla syrliga insticket i eftersmaken.

Slutbedömning

Helt klart ett gott öl, som har mycket att erbjuda. Det gör sig bra både på egen hand och i sällskap av tilltugg. Dock saknar det lite lenhet och är något för motsträvigt för att helt falla mig i smaken. Men, ändock, en favorit som kommer drickas fler gånger.

Betyg

8

 Day 3 Monday October 25th            (Sailing from Bruges to Ghent)

Our Barge, The Iris

 This morning we had the pleasure of a relaxed breakfast while being able to enjoy the scenery as the barge sailed slowly from Bruges to Ghent through the canal.   We played a few rounds Beer Cap Bingo for some cool prizes.

View during the Morning Sail to Ghent

Rainbow seen during the Morning Sail to Ghent

After another gourmet lunch on the barge we met up with a much smaller canal boat for an informative tour of the historic city of Ghent from the water. 

View of the Ghent waterway from the canal boat

View of the Ghent waterway from the canal boat

After the canal boat tour we all decided to fortify ourselves with a beer before we headed over to see the “torture” devices at the Gravensteen Castle (now a torture museum). 

Café ‘t Galgenhuis

We headed to the smallest bar in Ghent, Café ‘t Galgenhuis, which is an old “hangman’s”  or gallows house turned into a bar. 

 Here we tried 4 different beers from the same brewery Brouwerij Haacht NV.:

Haacht Wit Bier (Excelsior)- a Witbier of 4.8% abv,

Tongerlo Bruin- a 6.0% abv Belgian Dark Ale and    

 

Charles Quint Blond

 

Charles Quint Bruin

both the Charles Quint (aka Keizer Karel) Blond and Bruin.  The Blond is a Belgian Strong Pale Ale at 8.5% abv and the Bruin was a Belgian Strong Dark Ale of 9.0% abv.  

Charles Quint Blond and Bruin tasting at Café ‘t Galgenhuis

inside Café ‘t Galgenhuis

Gravensteen Castle

Gravensteen Castle Knight

Thumb screws from the Gravensteen Castle

After our visit through the Gravensteen Castle and seeing all the medieval torture devices we could stand, it was time to calm our tortured nerves with another beer. 

 Our closest stop was ‘t Waterhuis aan de Bierkant.  This canal side gem has a beer list of over 150 beers. 

‘t Waterhuis aan de Bierkant

We shared:

Reinaert Grand Cru

Reinaert Grand Cru -a Belgian Strong Dark Ale at 9.5% abv by De Proefbrouwerij,

Buffalo Belgian Bitter

What a huge fluffy head on this Buffalo Belgian Bitter

Buffalo Belgian Bitter- a Belgian IPA of 8.5% abv brewed by Brouwerij Van den Bossche,

Gouden Carolus Noël

Gouden Carolus Noël, a 10.5% abv Belgian Strong Dark Ale from Brouwerij Het Anker,

Rochefort 10

Rochefort 10, a Quadrupel with an abv of 11.30% brewed at the Brasserie de Rochefort  and the House Beer Mammelokker, a 6.0% Bruin.

inside ‘t Waterhuis aan de Bierkant

After our visit to the Waterhuis we walked next door to sample some of the 200 types of jenever at ’t Dreupelkot.  

 

't Dreupelkot ad and Pol behind the bar

  

 

Pol at ‘t Dreupelkot pouring some jenever

 At ‘t Dreupelkot we were greeted by Pol, a Santa Claus looking character.  We tried the vanilla, the chocolate, the banana and various mixtures of these before we convinced the new jenever junkies in our group to leave the bar!

 After our jenever experience, we took a short walk to De Dulle Griet.

Dulle Griet "Mad Meg" the Red Cannon in Ghent

After we all saw the cannon we went to the “other” Dulle Griet.  

 

De Dulle Griet

Dulle Griet has over 250 different bottle beers on their menu.  Their specialty is their famous “The Max”, which is Kwak from Brouwerij Bosteels poured into a Kwak Yard Glass.   As you may know, these glasses are not cheap, so in order to deter sticky fingered visitors from making them into souvenirs, patrons ordering “The Max” must take off one of their shoes as collateral.  The shoes is then put into a basket and hoisted to the ceiling by a pulley system.  When the glass is returned, so is the shoe! This bar can get crowded, so as a courtesy to your fellow imbibers, if you plan to have a Kwak, wear your odor eaters, please! 

"The Max" at De Dulle Griet

While in Dulle Griet we tried:

St. Bernardus Abt 12, Prior 8 and Rodenbach Grand Cru

St. Bernardus Abt 12- a 10.5% abv  Quadrupel brewed by Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV.

St Bernardus Prior 8- a Dubbel at 8.0 abv by Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV.

St Bernardus Witbier- 5.5% abv Witbier also from Brouwerij St. Bernardus NV.

Bob's 1st ever "tart" beer as he tastes Rodenbach Grand Cru

Rodenbach Grand Cru- a Flanders Red Ale at 6.00% abv from Brouwerij Rodenbach NV 

Bush De Noël

Bush De Noël- a 12.0% abv Belgian Strong Dark Ale from Brasserie Dubuisson Frères

Geuze Boon a Gueuze- of 6.0% abv from Brouwerij Boon

Gouden Carolus Classic a Belgian Strong Dark Ale -of 8.5%abv Brouwerij Het Anker.

Janet has the Delirium Tremens and is seeing Pink Elephants

Delirium Tremens a 8.5% abv Belgian Strong Pale Ale- brewed at Brouwerij Huyghe.

cheers at De Dulle Griet

Afterward we stopped by a nearby bottle shop where a few of us to the opportunity to do a little beer hunting & gathered up few bottle to bring back to the barge as well as back home.

Dinner tonight on the barge was spectacular, we had salmon…

Dinner is served

and we shared a few beers and a few laughs as we reminisced about the day’s adventures.

 Next up is Day 4. We will visit 3 breweries then meet our Barge, the Iris, in Bassrode where we will spend the night before heading to Antwerp and Brussels.

 

 Link for Summary of Day 1

Link for Summary of Day 2

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I took a trip over to France late last week, was planning to go before Christmas but due to the crazy snow I thought best not get stuck on the Eurostar  for umpteen hours so rescheduled. Really good friend of mine lives about 30 mins drive from Lille into Belgium, quite an eccentric chap and bit of a lord of the manor type. we took a drive around his estate before lunch taking in the views of his 100 acres of land, he regularly organises hunts in this fields (not my cup of tea) but recently he has set aside a large amount of land where he is now growing Barley for beer.

As far as the eye could see were these fields, you could see the Barley just coming up and should be ready to cut by June when it will be turned into Belgium’s most popular export beer.  After a great meal at L’Enoteca in Ramecroix and a few bottles of the excellent Coste delle Plaie a wine from F1 driver Jarno Trulli‘s Vineyard it was time to head back to Lille.

I’d heard a lot about this shop L’Abbaye des Saveurs a specialist beer retailer, based in the Old Town of Lille which is beautiful and i was advised it is in a building which was a 18th century villa. It’s run by Antony and Stéphane two guys both very knowledgeable about beer, we’d called them beer geeks.They helped me with my selection as so much in this shop was new to me, I’m not very familiar with beers from the North East of France and they seemed to stock them all.

Lille is probably the beer capital of France Stéphane advises me and enlightened me with more facts that there are more new breweries in the last 2 years in the North East of France then in any other region. I suppose it’s got to do with the North East being closer to the UK and the current boom of micro breweries we are having, well thats my option anyway.

First few bottles I picked up where La Blonde d’Esquelbecq a 6.5% a very Belgian influence blond beer and Etoile du Nord 5.5% a very hoppy beer right down my street and very IIPA. Both French and both very tasty, if this is what is going to come out of this region then I’m excited.

Next up i picked up a few bottles of a black bier  Black Albert 13% ABV an Imperial stout, quite thick and poured a dark brown creamy head. It had velvety mouth feel and yes its was an intense brew. My other selections was bottles of  Mocha Bomb Struise Black Damnation II 12% ABV. Also a Imperial Stout poured a deep black got a huge nose of roast coffee and dark chocolate, again It had a velvety mouth feel and even better picked up NO alcohol as if had non. WOW what a great couple of beers brewed by De Struise Brouwers Belgium.

Sticking with the Black beers I picked up a couple of Lancelot XI.I 11.1% ABV i was told this beer is brewed on the 1st of Nov and is a beer to bring in the Celtic new year. No surprise the 11.1 % ABV (11th month of the year, 1st day). What great marketing I thought but the guys in the shop were dead serious it is brewed that way…who am I to disagree!  A French beer poured very dark brown again with a creamy beige head. Strong licorice caramel aroma, with some roasted coffee. Some hints of berries smooth and full-bodied. A delicious beer that is only brewed once a year, on the night before 1 November…yep Halloween GULP!

Finally a beer i had heard about but never managed to find it, Agent Provocateur 6.5% ABV no not a beer by Joseph Corre but by Craig Allan a Scotsman worked in a few Scottish micro breweries over a period of time until he packed his bag to the shores of France to do his trade. A Belgian IPA by De Proefbrouwerij (How many beers does this brewery make) Pours a lovely golden colour with a lasting head, Good fruitiness on the nose with hops. dry with a well-balanced bitterness and picked up loads of fruits like grape fruits, lemons even mango. It’s a very nice beer unfortunately they had only 4 in the shop, will have to look out for more.

My ratings:

La Blonde d’Esquelbecq 6.5% – 5/10

Etoile du Nord 5.5% – 6/10

Black Albert 13% – 8/10

Mocha Bomb Struise Black Damnation II 12% ABV – 7/10

Lancelot XI.I 11.1% ABV – 7/10

Agent Provocateur 6.5% ABV – 6/10

L’Abbaye des Saveurs is a great little find and a great pit stop either on your way to Paris or even to Belgium to stock up on your French beers.

L’Abbaye des Saveurs est le specialiste a Lille des bières artisanales. 13 Rue Vieux Murs 59000 Lille, France
03 28 07 70 06

De Proef & Terrapin Monstre Rouge

Name: Monstre Rouge

Style: Imperial Flanders Red Ale

Brewery: De Proef Brouwerij (bvba Andelot). & Terrapin Beer Co. “Brewmaster’s Collaboration”.

Country:  USA & Belgium

Region:  Brewed at  De Proef &Terrapin Monstre RougeBrouwerij in Lochristi, Belgium.

ABV: 8.5% Abv

How served: 750 ml corked and caged bottle poured into a Rodenbach Grand Cru tulip.            

My Overall Opinion:  Good.

I paired this beer with: Fish Stew. 

Tasted on:  Monday October 4th, 2010   

Note:  This beer poured an opaque reddish brown with a 3 finger a light brown head which left a thin lacing in the glass.    The nose was oaky and sweet with some mild piney hops.  The taste was not what I would consider to be that of a Flanders Red, let alone an Imperial Flanders Red. The taste was caramel sweet & rye bread up front then finished with a citrusy and piney hop bitterness. I was unable to detect any of the tartness you would usually get with a Flemish Red like Rodenbach Grand Cru or Vichtenaar. It tasted good, but not at all to the style. The mouthfeel was of a medium body, smooth and with a nice level of carbonation for the style.  The drinkability was pleasant with a nice level of warmth from the 8.5% abv.

On the Label:  Pushing the envelope and creating new beer styles is what Terrapin Beer Company is all about.  When our Brewmaster Brian “Spike” Buckowski found that he would get the opportunity to help create the next “Brewmaster’s Collaboration” with Dirk Naudts from De Proef Brouwerij, all gloves and brewing boots were off!

To stay true to Terrapin Tradition, Spike and Dirk have outdone themselves by creating an Imperial Flanders Red Ale Called “Monstre Rouge.”  Brewed at De Proef Brouwerij in Lochristi Belgium, these two creative masterminds of malts and hops have come up with an offbeat style that combines new age American and old world Belgium brewing techniques.

Monstre Rouge is loosely based off Terrapin’s “Big Hoppy Monster” recipe with a little of Spike’s favorite ingredient (Rye Malt) thrown in for good measure.  Fermented with one of Dirk’s coveted yeast stains (Brettanomyces) and aged on toasted American oak, this beer is tart, sour, sweet, hoppy and woody all wrapped in a beautiful red color.  Brewed with a copious amount of crystal malts ranging in color from 20-75  lovibond as well as Munich and Rye, the Monstre Rouge is not your ordinary Flanders Red.  American hops impart hints of citrus and pine complementing the complex malt and yeast flavors.

We hope you enjoy our creation of water, malt, yeast and hops.

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After 19 beers & 24 glasses

Here are almost all the bottles and all of the glassware 6 people went through on the evening.  Having all those beers made cleaning the glasses a little easier.

 The Aperitif Beers:   

Cigar City Jai Alai

Beer #1:  Jai Alai

Brewery: Cigar City Brewing.  Tampa, Florida

Style: I.P.A.

ABV: 7.5% 

21st Amendment Hell of High Watermelon Wheat Beer

Beer #2:  Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Beer

Brewery: 21^st Amendment Brewery.   San Francisco, California

Style: American Wheat/Fruit                                

ABV: 4.9% 

Rodenbach Vin de Céréale

Beer #3: Vin de Céréale.  2004 bottle #7392

 Brewery: Brouwerij Rodenbach N.V.  Roeselare Belgium (Brouwerij Palm NV)

Style: Flanders Red Ale

ABV: 10.0% 

Goose Island Sofie 2009

Beer #4:  Sofie

Brewery: Goose Island.  Chicago, Illinois

Style: Saison / Farmhouse Ale

ABV: 6.5% 

Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast

Beer #5:  Beer Geek Breakfast

Brewery: Mikkeller. København, Denmark (Brewed at Nøgne Ø, Grimstad, Norway)

Style: Oatmeal Stout w/ Coffee

ABV: 7.5%  

Kern River Just Outstanding IPA

Beer #6:  Just Outstanding IPA

Brewery: Kern River Brewing Company.  Kernville, California

Style: I.P.A.

ABV: 6.8%  

Pisgah Baptista

Beer #7:  Pisgah Baptista

Brewery: Pisgah Brewing Co.  Black Mountain, North Carolina

Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale

ABV: 11.5%

 Dinner drinks:

Beers #8 & #9 were paired with grilled Filet Mignon, grilled asparagus and corn on the cob.

Ølfabrikken Abbey Ale Special Reserve

Beer #8:  Abbey Ale Special Reserve

Brewery: Ølfabrikken   Roskilde, Denmark

Style: Dubbel

ABV: 8.5% 

AleSmith 2009 Decadence

Beer #9:  Decadence 2009 Anniversary Ale

Brewery: AleSmith Brewing Company.  San Diego, California

Style: Dunkel Weizenbock

ABV: 9.0%

 Pre Dessert Beers: 

Good Karma Tripel version 5, 6 and 9

Vertical Tasting of Good Karma Tripel Version #5, #6 & #9

(IMHO Version #6 was the better of the three. It is an outstanding example of the classic Belgian Tripel)

 Beer #10:  Tripel #5 (made with Westmalle yeast) 

Brewery: Good Karma Brewing.  Boca Raton, Florida

Style: Tripel

ABV: 9.0 %  

Beer #11:  Tripel #6 (made with LaChouffe yeast,  sold as Ardennes yeast)

Brewery: Good Karma Brewing.  Boca Raton, Florida

Style: Tripel

ABV: 9.0 %  

Beer #12:  Tripel #9   (made with Uniboue yeast)

Brewery: Good Karma Brewing.  Boca Raton, Florida

Style: Tripel

ABV: 9.0 %  

 The Dessert Beers, Part 1:

Beer #13 & #14 are paired with chocolate cover strawberries

Southern Tier Crème Brûleé Stout

Beer #13: Crème Brûleé Stout

Brewery: Southern Tier Brewing Company.  Lakewood, New York

Style: Imperial Stout

ABV: 9.2% 

Consecration in the glass with Supplication, Crème Brûleé, Older Viscosity & Beer Geek Brunch Weasel

Beer #14:  Older Viscosity

Brewery: Port Brewing Company / Pizza Port.  San Marcos, California 

Style: Imperial Stout

ABV: 12.10%

 The Palate Cleanser:  

Beer #15:  Supplication

Brewery: Russian River Brewing Company.  Santa Rosa, California

Style:  American Wild Ale

ABV: 7.0%

The Dessert Beers, Part 2:

Beer #16 was paired with a chocolate lava cake.

 Beer #16:  Beer Geek Brunch Weasel

Brewery:  Mikkeller. København, Denmark (Brewed at Nøgne Ø, Grimstad, Norway)

Style: Imperial Oatmeal Stout w/ Vietnamese ca phe chon coffee

ABV: 10.9%

 The Digestif Beers: 

De Dolle Stille Nacht

Beer #17:  Stille Nacht

Brewery: De Dolle Brouwers.  Esen, Belgium

Style: Belgium Strong Dark Ale

ABV: 12.0%

Beer #18: Consecration

Brewery: Russian River Brewing Company.  Santa Rosa, California

Style:  American Wild Ale

ABV: 10.0%

De Proefbrouwerij Boerinneken

 Beer #19:  Boerinneken

Brewery: De Proefbrouwerij (bvba Andelot).  Lochristi-Hijfte, Belgium

Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale

ABV: 9.5%

 My Favorite Brew of the Day:

Vin de Céréale. 

 My Least Favorite Brew of the Day:

Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Ale

For my final beer at the Raleigh Times gastropub I decided to try something special. My first choice was Unibroue La Terrible, but they were out so after some menu searching, I decided on this beer even though I knew nothing of it.

The beer has a huge aroma of cherries, however, when cold the beer has only a light cherry open which drops off rather quickly and finishes a bit tart. When opened, Zoetzuur is highly carbonated, with small hard bubbles reminding me of champagne. As it warms, the cherry flavor intensifies but the finish remains rooted in sour, creating a sweet and sour sensation. It has been a while since my last Flemish Sour so I am hard-pressed to give a good comparison. If you are a fan of sour ales or gueze this if a good beer to try, though it is far more fruity and sweet than most guezes. At the time I was drinking it, I was looking for something a little more cherry- or fruit- centric, and felt a little betrayed by its intense fruit aroma that I did not feel was reflected in its flavor. For that reason I would like to try it again, now knowing what to expect and see if I enjoy it more. I found Zoetzuur in a big 750ml bottle (aka wine bottle) offering plenty for you and friends- I managed four, full (tulip) glasses out of the bottle.

Dominiek Geers and Vera Praet of Dranken Geers, tasting 8 different Mikkeler Single Hops

Prior to creating De Proefbrouwerij, Dirk was the Brewmaster at Roman Brewery. He also directed the brewing studies program at the prestigious St. Lieven University in Gent, Belgium.

Zoetzuur translates to sweet and sour, which could not be a more appropriate name for this ale.

Zoetzuur is fermented with a combination of the cultured yeast Saccharomyces and the “semi-wild” yeast Brettanomyces. Brettanomyces (aka “Brett”)  is the enemy of most winemakers as well as the classic type of “semi-wild” yeast used in Belgium.

Zoetzuur was originally created exclusively for the Michael Jackson Rare Beer Club. SBS Imports is the current importer for Zoetzuur and several other beers from De Proef, including the Brewmaster’s Collection series and Brewmaster’s Collaboration series.  You can get further info at www.sbs-imports.com.

I’ve had the opportunity to drink Zoetzuur twice – once in November and once in early March. Unfortunately, both times were at the same wine bar and I have not been able to find it retail. Both times I shared this crazy sweet and sour ale with friends that were not familiar with Flemish sour ales. Everyone who tasted it agreed that it is a fantastic, unique and delicious beer.

And, without any further ado … allow me to present:

THE BEER WENCH’S TASTING NOTES: De Proefbrouwerij ZOETZUUR

Style: Flemish Wild Ale

Brewery: De Proefbrouwerij

Region: Lochristi, Belgium

Official Specs:

Malt: 2-Row Munich, Pilsner, and Cara malt
IBU’s: 21
Hops: Tomahawk, East Kent Goldings
Flavoring: Sweet-and-Sour Black Cherry Juice (aka Kriek juice)
Yeast: Mixed Fermentation of Saccharomyces & Brettanomyces. Lactobacillus is naturally produced, fermenting the sugars in the juice.
Original Gravity: 1072 (18 Plato)
Alcohol Volume: 8.5% ABV

Pairings: Cheese, Poultry, Seafood

Color: Super cloudy with heavy sediment. Dark brown amber color with off-white head.

Carbonation: Moderate. Thick foamy head. Pretty decent lacing.

Aroma: Sour dough, sour fruits – apple & cherry, soy sauce, oak, orange peel … apple cider vinegar. There are also hints of a “barnyard funk.”

Mouthfeel: Light to moderate body.

Flavor: Fermented apple cider. Sour cherries. Very tangy. Hints of oak and sweet malt. Slight vinegar taste - which is not necessarily a bad thing.  

Finish: Relatively high ABV is undetectable. Finish is short, yet super smooth and crisp!

Comments: The Wench says “I absolutely love it. This beer is uber tasty…  super drinkable and very dangerous! Zoetzuur is one saucy ale!”

I would definitely recommend this beer to anyone and everyone – even if sours are not your thing, it is definitely worth a try.

Cheers!