New Beer Weekend #51

Do Belgian’s also like it in the can?

The past few weeks I have discussed a couple of German beers (Hefeweizen beers) that I have seen for the first time in cans. Today I will discuss a new (to me) Belgian Witbier that is in a can: Blanche de Namur. I saw this brand for the first time at my local Wegmans supermarket.

The very first Witbier I ever had was Celis White circa 1998. That beer was brewed by Pierre Celis in the brewery he established in Austin, TX.

The story of the Witbier style and the Celis family (Pierre and Christine) is a long but interesting story. This is a short version of the story:

“Brewed in Belgium – Brewed in Austin

In the tradition of Belgian Brew Master Pierre Celis, this Wheat Beer is like the man – legendary. It’s his original recipe, first brewed by Pierre back in 1965. This signature Witbier sparkles with remnants of Coriander and Orange Peel that will take you back to the true taste, the first taste made famous by the one and only “Father of Witbier”

Pierre Celis 1925 – 2011”

Until very recently I have never heard of Blanche de Namur so I did a little web surfing to learn more:

“Blanche de Namur is made from barley malt, unmalted wheat, hops, and the classic witbier spices: coriander and bitter orange peel. It also has a touch of brewer's licorice. Hopping levels are fairly low to allow the spices to shine through; the yeast strain is traditional, and Blanche de Namur is bottle-conditioned. The beer is named after Princess Blanche of Namur - daughter of John, Count of Namur - who was born in the region near the brewery in 1320. Blanche captivated King Magnus IV of Sweden when he visited around 1335: she married him and was crowned the following year, becoming Queen of Sweden and Norway. In memory of her "sweetness, beauty, and delicacy," the brewery dedicated their witbier to her.”

https://www.merchantduvin.com/brew-du-bocq-blanche-de-namur.php

I found the above interesting on a number of levels. The history of the naming of this beer brand goes waaaay back. And while I was aware that other spices beyond coriander and curacao (bitter) orange peel are sometimes used to brew a Witbier (e.g., Grains of Paradise, Chamomile) but this is the first time I was aware of brewer’s licorice being used to brew a Witbier. I am anticipating an ‘interesting’ tasting today.

Served in my Heavy Seas Tulip glass:

Appearance

A hazy straw color with a white head.

Aroma

A very pleasant combination of citrus, spicy and even a tiny hint of anise.

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose with a tasty combination of citrus (lemon-like), spicy and a tiny hint of anise accompanied with a light bready malt flavor. This beer has a low/moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel

A pleasant medium/soft body with an off-dry finish.

Overall

In one word: EXCELLENT.

There is quite a bit going on in this beer and all of the flavors/qualities work very well together.

@KOP_Beer_OUtlet @rotsaruch @RobH

 

I have also just got back from vacation. Spent the week of the 4th on the beach in Crystal Beach, TX...which is an experience

Anyway, still in vacation mode as I don't have to be back at work till Monday. Yesterday when I got back to Houston, went over to Good Dog. A beer and fancy hot dog spot.

Had Holler's Foux Du Fafa, 5.7% ABV. Which they call a French Pilsner. With French Pilsner malt and Barbe Rouge hops. I don't think I have had anything with these hops before. Listed here as a Czech Pilsner.



At first pours with a chilled haze that clears up after a minute. A golden/yellow color with a two finger white head. Some lace left behind as well.
There is a fruity nose here. Peach, citrus, strawberry. This nose is all hops, which is certainly not a bad thing, and is relatively simple.
Taste wise, all the fruity flavors are here as well. Strawberry and peach are up front, which gives this a somewhat sticky sweet, juicy character. A lingering citrus, lemon bitterness and just enough cracker like malts to dry it out.
A medium body with good carbonation. Crisp up front, but smooths out wonderfully as this breaths. Beautifully clean and finishes dry. Easy enough to drink. Well made for what it is, even if its not my favorite lager Holler has done.

For me, this is much more in the India Pale Lager category than anything. Not that a "French Pilsner" made by and American craft brewery really has a good style. In whatever style, this is still really good, and my score is probably a little low. Just because I love their Czech My Phone so much, and is a spot on example of a Czech Pils, I return to that one again and again. This is just a good clean lager, with a lot of hop character, that I will have on occasion rather than my go to. And there is nothing wrong with that at all.

Overall score is 3.82 solid B+ for me.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/45647/517002/?ba=champ103#review

And here is the fancy hot dog House baked poppy seed bun, house made dill pickles, mustard, relish, peppers...mmm.


Today, I'm probably going to make it over to Saint Arnold for lunch. I don't think they have anything new, but if they do will make a review here, but certainly will post that over in the other thread. Cheers till then.

 

I really like that one as well. Perfect, classic example IMO. Use to get it all the time at The Ginger Man in Houston, but they just closed permanently after Covid

 

The in-laws are arriving next week for a visit, and my wife wanted the pool deck painted before their arrival. I bought the supplies, got ready to paint, then called a high school kid to do the actual work. I think it's a win-win situation. I'm supporting the local economy and at the same time avoiding wear and tear on my body.
My new beer for today is Star Cloud from Modern Times, a "Hazy Citra IPA" with an ABV of 6.8%.
A hazy orange color with a big fluffy white head. Plenty of lace.
Citrus aroma primarily. A little bit of tropical fruit.
Strong taste of lime. Some tangerine, some melon.
Juicy, not hoppy.
A pleasant beer.

 

Are the cans available in your area?

Cheers!

 

love it! you can also have a beer as it’s happening. Win win win. I think about this often as I cut the grass, cheapskate that I am I have not given in yet.

 

Yeah, I have picked them up a few times, but I have to go to the downtown Specs to get them, as they aren't anywhere else around. So I don't have it nearly as much as I would like.

 

I will be on the lookout to try next time I’m At wegmans beer store.

 

Best of luck. This is definitely a beer worth seeking out IMO.

Cheers!

 

Thanks for kicking off the thread @Roy_Hobbs ! I’m going to pick up some Keeping Together bottles either later tonight o over the next few days.

At 3 Sheeps, not sure how much I’ll be checking in here today, but want to get a clean sober rating before hitting heavy hitters.

3 Sheeps Pendulum



Brewery Notes: 6.5% ABV American IPA.

Appearance: Golden tan clear draft 16 oz pour into a tall plastic cup. Nominal carbonation, light head leaves generous lacing. 3.75

Aroma: Fruity aroma, mango, peaches, grapefruit. Light pine and citrus. Smells sweet, mild in strength. 3.5

Taste: Mild taste similar to the aroma. Sweet mango, papaya and melon. Light hops underneath trying to present some bitterness, but this is sweet and more on the NEIPA side than a neutral attempt to bridge the two styles. All things considered, it’s a good IPA. 3.25

Mouthfeel: Light to medium creamy body, negligible carbonation, sweet but not overly. Clean finish. 3.5

Overall: This is a decent IPA that edges sweet, gives you nice tropical fruit flavors, easy going. 3.25

See people now in the group area, so will head over.

Cheers!

 

Another week down and we’re back at the weekend. This week was miserably hot early on here but got a little better as the week ended. Got to a local lake yesterday in just about the perfect summer weather. Today I’m hoping to sit up the kiddie pool and enjoy a beer outside while I probably get sprayed by a water gun.

This weekend I’ll also probably drink through the last of my new beers from vacation a few weeks ago. This is a beer I had to drink because of the name and label, we’ll and my experiences Lawson’s other beers.

Lawson’s - Hopcelot (with proper background)



Pours almost a crystal clear gold color. Nice initial head but after that it settles to just a thin layer of white. No lacing present.

The smell at first is garlic/onion unfortunately which I usually associate with mosaic, a reason I try to avoid it. It is followed by what I’d call and really rich candied orange smell and a little bit of pineapple. The last aroma I notice is something floral like.

The taste to be honest is kind of bland or maybe even muted. There’s the same garlic and orange form the nose. This is accompanied by a subtle maltiness and even some grain taste almost. The flavors do not really meld into anything that works well, it just kind of us and that’s all.

The mouthfeel is close to medium, there’s a little bit of sweetness and medium bitterness. It definitely has a bite to it, it’s not hot but I can definitely notice alcohol which surprises me at 7%.

Overall a beer I probably will not try again. I thought I would enjoy this one cause Lawson’s makes one of my favorite ipas in chinookerd. Unfortunately this beer is much different first it’s the garlic/onion that turned me off, then the flavor lacking any real identity, but then it’s the alcohol bite. It’s why I avoid sip, I notice the same thing. Oh well you win some and lose some. At least I have a neat can to save!

Few more to come later today or Sunday!

 

Ommegang Neon Neon Rainbows DNEIPA, 8% ABV. Pours hazy orange with a 4+ finger snow white head that left foamy lacing. Nose is slight citrus, taste follows plus a bit of pine, slightly sweet, slightly bitter. Excellent mouthfeel, overall very goodish.

3.87/5 rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Due to storms in the area, I can't do the electrical work I had planned, so perfect time for a new brew!

 

Been a short while since we made it out to Adroit Theory. Hit the outlets nearby for a quick shopping trip, then some BBQ, and finally, we made it here. They have a large number of IPAs (mainly doubles and triples), fruited goses (some of them non-beer like), and a couple big dark beers.

On the lighter side, they have some pale lagers and this…

Black Metal, a 4.9% Altbier. Adroit usually makes solid beers, so I have modest but good expectations for a style I have not seen them make before. Let’s see if they disappoint me or not.

The staff member poured the brown to uburn liquid into the plastics cup with care. There wasn’t much room for head, but I’m looking at a medium sized island surrounded by a medium circle of foam.

Not the perfect vessel for getting a bunch of aromas, but in general I am getting toast and earthiness with maybe some spice. Maybe I’ll revisit the nose as the beer gets lower in the glass plastic.

Ok, the taste isn’t a surprise after the nose, as weak as that was to me in this setting. A wet brown leaf earthiness, somewhat tea-like, without much sweetness to note. It gets bitter from there, but in a slow an moderate fashion. Earthy is the word that can’t seem to escape my mind as a descriptor. The hops might be burying some dry wood (pine) into the folds of earth, and in the end a lightly herbal tea springs forth from the ground.

Now I’ve only had American versions of Altbier and the ones I know others have liked have this earthy quality. It’s something I like as well, and when I find an Altbier exhibit these notes, I assume it’s in the right vein fir the style. In the end, though, I don’t care if it is hitting the style traditionally, I like it.

As it gets to the bottom, the herbal tea aspect can be noticed when I stick my nose into the cup, completing a nearly duplicate profile as the taste. The beer is medium light but its fullness makes it seem a little more robust. Nice job, Adroit; I may be taking 4 of these home.

 

Good afternoon NBW
Technically, I drank one of these last night straight from the bottle, but this is my first time with a proper pour...

Fuller's ESB

330mL bottle BBE 01 NOV 21 poured into a stemless wine glass at fridge temp 5.9% ABV per label. The beer pours bright light amber with ruby highlights and light khaki colored head. The head recedes to a thin ring and single layer of tiny bubbles. The aroma is toasted malt and earthy hops. The taste is semisweet caramel, toasted bread, grainy & earthy notes with moderate bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with less than medium carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, very good.

Cheers all and enjoy your Saturday!

 

Deschutes Black Butte Raspberry Porter, 6.8% ABV. Pours black with 1.5 finger light brown head that left scant lacing. Nose is Raspberry, roast malt, and sugar. Taste follows, light sweetness, slightly more bitterness. Excellent mouthfeel, overall excellent.

4.08/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Having a quiet rainy day, hugely relieved that I didn't kill my wife's phone. It got "swollen battery syndrome" last weekend and the phone was completely split apart but still worked somehow. We had it turned off trying to avoid more damage, and I accidentally submerged it in water. We let it dry out a few days until her new phone arrived, and the drowned rat fired up long enough to sync it to her new phone. Whew!

 

The GF and I had a nitro pour of that at the downtown brewpub a month ago, and found it quite tasty. The raspberry was a nice addition without becoming the focus, as I recall.

 

Jever Pilsener

One of our local beer stores is making an effort to stock a good variety of German beer. There are several that I have not previously seen in cans, including Jever. I don't recall seeing it much in bottles, either. Any way, I am happy to try the cans when I get a chance.
This can had a best before date of 11/26/21 stamped on the bottom.
Once poured the beer had a perfect golden clarity and fine full white head.
There were a prominent bready malt and light grassy aromas.
Delicious citrus, bread, light grass flavors.
Crisp, lightly bitter mouthfeel, good carbonation. No off flavors or defects. Dry and disappears quickly.
4.27/5 rDev +18.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
This will be one of my favorite pilseners and I hope it remains available here.