Belgian Beer Appreciation Thread (2023)

Great brew regardless of season. Cheers Belgian beer enthusiasts.

 

Here's a Strong Dark I've had for a while and finally decided to open..it's really tasty..highly carbonated and a little sweet..not sugary, dark fruit and vanilla then at the end I get big hit of barrel. At 34.99 I'll think twice about getting more...if these were $9.99/12oz id buy a case. Regardless of price, really nice beer

 

Enjoying an "American" Tripel as labeled by the good folks at Iron Hill Brewery. Had this on tap while lunching at the IHB-Greenville, SC earlier this week. It's been a while since i have had a Belgian IPA so i picked up a four-pack to go.
This is pretty close to what i remember the San Diego brewer's efforts back in the 2000's. Pilsners malt base, Tripel yeast, and Northwest hops that give the grapefruit and pine finish. Nicely done, i suspect a round 2 is forthcoming soon!
Cheers!
Tom

 

@Hinda65:

You have inspired me to open my single bottle.

"Here's a Strong Dark I've had for a while and finally decided to open..it's really tasty..highly carbonated and a little sweet..not sugary, dark fruit and vanilla then at the end I get big hit of barrel. At 34.99 I'll think twice about getting more...if these were $9.99/12oz id buy a case. Regardless of price, really nice beer"

 

I rounded up some Belgian abbey ales for the Christmas season and dipped into two today while starting a big batch of blackeyed peas for the upcoming family dinner:

Chimay Red dubbel

Rochefort 8 Belgian dark strong ale

The Chimay was slightly disappointing. Not a bad beer, but for some reason both it and the little bottle of Chimay Blue I bought a couple weeks ago just didn't have that wow and pop that you expect from a good abbey ale. I didn't see bottling/best-by dates anywhere on the labels or bottles, plus you sort of expect these abbey ales to not only last forever but improve as they age, so who knows? Maybe it was me.

the Rochefort 8 is fantastic. I've been nursing it along and am only about halfway into it, and it's just about perfect ... loads and loads of dark dried fruits, licorice, raisin and all-around goodness. It's sweet but not too sweet and a 9/10 compared to the 4 or 5/10 of the Chimay Red FWIW.

Cheers!

 

Do it...Maybe a NEW Years eve bottle?

 

Gouden Carolus Christmas. Nice dark malt flavor, mildly spiced.

 

Pulled a 2014 out of the celllar as my Christmas night beer. Still fantastic!

 

Lori and I split a 2012 bottle of Stille Nacht last night. So good, sherry, orange, honey, vanilla.
Still have a bunch in the basement.

 

Best Christmas beer of 2023! STRAFFE HENDRIK XMAS BLEND. 55-60 Degrees best.

https://imgur.com/a/I6Twps0

 

Good but not as good as I remember. As it warms up a bit and I get into the glass, it is improving. Glad I bought it, but next time I round up some abbey ales, I may skip my once-beloved dubbels and reach for the quads/strong darks. I fear too much whisk[e]y sipping has junked up my palate.

Cheers!

 

The place my son and I get our beers has Beer School. February is Trappist beers and we look forward to that each year!

 

My son has a bottle he has been 'cellaring' for 2 years until he finishes his degree.

 

This one still lives up ... a perfect beer. And I'd swear it's not quite as sweet as their 8, which is a bit surprising. I'll have to an 8-10 side-by-side comparison at some point.

I'm not the best at pairing beer/wine/spirits with food, but there's something about this Rochefort 10 that is screaming to be paired with a medium-rare ribeye steak ... or even something simpler like a brisket sandwich. I rarely think in terms of "this would go great with X" but it's uncanny how the steak/beef thing is hitting me while sipping this beer.

Cheers!

 

Straffe Hendrik Xmas Blend 2022. Balanced & easy to enjoy. Tasty!

 

Cheers.

 

A classic

 

Something local. This brewery started out doing only Belgian styles, but now only produce them as seasonals. Still, I’ll take what I can get!

 

Never seen this! Sounds $$$ but good.