Now here's something you don't see every day. Duvel has teamed up with Fandango to release a pack with 2 big bottles of beer, a glass, a free movie rental.
I've been around the beer block a lot of years and cannot recall seeing a promo like that! I still have a 750ml bottle left from my Sam's Club pre-holidays pickup - look forward to that someday soon! My wife and i went to Redwood Curtain Brewing in Arcata (second location in Eureka) and have to say i was impressed. The taproom was spacious with 16 old school and new school brews on tap including two nitro. Got to enjoy a Belgian Pale Ale which is rarely scene in the wild anymore. Liked the brewer's use of the yeast as i got a nice mix of phenols (bubblegum and banana) and esters (apple). Hop bittering was balancing. Nicely done. Cheers! Tom
Hey Tom - this sounds like a great place. I'll be driving through Eureka in July so might try to stop by that location and see what they have. It's always nice to have a quality Belgian ale from a US brewery! Where else are you heading?
Artifact by Unseen Creatures. Brett fermented Belgian saison. Aged in wine foeder. 3.8% ABV. A few years old. Big bottle poured at fridge temp. Pours an opaque yellow with a bit of white head. The nose is orange, vanilla, spice, slight funk, leather, peaches, apricots. The taste is super smooth. Doesn't really come across as a saison, but it's really nice. Stone fruit, light spice, orange cream, and lemon. Grass comes through, along with wheat. Enjoyable and easily drinkable.
Trois Pistoles from Unibroue. A great Belgian style dark strong ale. I've been enjoying this beer for 25 years - bought my first in 2001 in Cincinnati. Got me hooked on Belgian beers!
I believe the brewery ONLY distributes La Fin du Monde to the US currently. If anyone can correct me, I'd love that, because I miss those other brews.
We used to get all of their beers here in Vermont, but I haven’t seen many recently. I was at the liquor store today and didn’t notice. I’m going to make it an objective to answer. It’s only 30 miles to the border and I always wanted to visit their brewery
My buddy Timmy brought me some goodness from aone of my favorite breweries in Bend, Or. Monkless. This one is new to me. A Belgian-style golden stout with chocolate and coffee. Mighty tasty
Stille Nacht from 2020. From De Dolle in Belgium. One of the best Belgian pale strong ales out there. 12% ABV. I never saw a 2025 drop, but normally get a few every year. Hopefully I'll see it again soon! This has aged beautifully. Sweet caramel and apricot, along with honey, a touch of banana, orange cream, and vanilla. Lovely.
Between Raindrops from Private Press. A double barrel-aged Belgian quad. 17.7% ABV. Not the strongest Belgian I've had (one from De Struise beat this), but definitely up there! Big and boozy. Brown sugar, molasses, black licorice, leather, a roasty bitterness, bourbon, raisins, spice, bourbon, tobacco, toffee. The high alcohol doesn't necessarily bring much here. I actually get some fusel alcohols - not much but a little. This is really the only negative of the beer. Looking past this, it's a monster with a lot of flavor. I only got a single bottle, but my guess is that this might get better over a few years. I definitely get the Belgian quad on this. It's back there, but definitely a bit overshadowed by the big boozy barrel aging.
Hey Tim, sorry for the late response but we are in Madera County as of yesterday thru Friday, staying in Bass Lake which is just south of Yosemite. I wish we had made another trip to Redwood Curtain but...the Redwoods parks are special and awe inspiring for those that appreciate these majestic specimens. Made a stop at Russian River again yesterday to pick up a few more beers from the Madera County stay. Between the two trips to Russian River i acquired 3 bottles of a Quad to enjoy. Mortification is definitely 25-50 basis points below Rochefort, ABT12, and Yellow Cap, but the RR brewing team did elicit some solid similarities with the slow pour/resulting look and dark fruit esters. I found the malt base a bit too caramelized which made this less sweet than the Trappists. The feel was light but not velvety smooth. Still one of the better American examples of the style. Rated 4.06. Cheers! Tom
