Belgian Beer Appreciation Thread (2023)

I was gifted a Chouffe set with a nice matching glass for Christmas from my wife's family, and McChouffe is the first one I decided to crack open.

I have to say, it's quite good and reminded me why I enjoy Belgian beers so much with a lot of fruity esters to match the nutty and toffee flavors.

This is my first of the set of 4 to open, and unfortunately it does have a touch of a metallic taste. Hoping that's not the case for the other 3. My palate does seem particularly sensitive to metallic off-flavors for whatever reason.



Looking nice in the glass which I was pretty impressed with.

Cheers to Belgian beers!

 

Good call -- I had wondered this as well at the time of posting, but I had to dig the bottle of the recycle to verify: Best By 12/2022, so 1 month out of code. I'm not sure what standard shelf life Chouffe gives these, but obviously it wasn't in its best state when I consumed it. I also wouldn't be surprised if it lived a good portion of its life stored in room temperature or warmer conditions (in Texas no less).

Ah well, hopefully the other 3 hold up a bit better since they all have the same date code.

At least it was free (gifted) beer!

 

Having a sensitive palate can be a blessing and a curse. I am very sensitive of diacetyl in beer and while some folks seem to 'appreciate' some diacetyl I dislike the buttery flavor that diacetyl yields to my palate.

The stereotypical reason for a metallic flavor in beer is exposure to some metals (it could be metal ions in the brewing water for example, ferrous ions) during brewing. I am not aware that aging (i.e., oxidation) would create these off-flavors.

Cheers!

 

Found a big bottle of St. Bernardus Christmas beer a couple of weeks ago. Drank it Christmas Eve, it was fantastic. I went back to the store and bought the 4 bottles they had left. I'd like to save a couple for next year. Does this beer age reasonably well?

 

That beer is a Quad and those sorts of beer cellar very well.

I typically cellar my homebrewed Quads for up to 5 years so one year of cellaring for St. Bernardus Christmas is a 'drop in the bucket'.

Cheers!

 

Perfect, thanks for the expertise.

 

Even though I'm not a big sour beer drinker, I am a fan of Flanders Red/Oud Bruins with their more nuanced tartness and complex flavor.

Drinking a bottle of 2020 Duchesse De Bourgogne from the cellar, about 6 months past the best-before date.

 

drank a couple belgies tonight.

definitely liked the st bernardus more. i know they’re completely different beers but just saying.

cheers!!

 

i had not had a duvel in years, was great to revisit!

 

As noted in the OP, Ommegang (Cooperstown, NY) is one of the American breweries that is well known for brewing traditional Belgian style beers (at least until recently)

Three Philosophers (Quadruple blended with Kriek) is one of their classic beers, but this is a variation they released that was also brewed with Cacao Nibs. Mild dark chocolate flavor that is roasty but is dry, not sweet. Not really getting any of the cherry. For me it's a bit over carbonated, very fizzy carbonation.

 

OMG! Duvel from a Karmeliet glass!!!

 

is this bad form?

i was very undecided on which glass to use since i don’t own a proper tulip. next duvel i might try my SP stemmed bulb glass..

 

I am pretty sure that @AZgman was (half) kidding with you.

Some 'purists' will state that certain brands should only be consumed in glasses which have that same branding on the glass.

Keep drinkin' from your Karmeliet glass. I will do the same:



Cheers!

 

Not at all!

It's a bad form, when people drink Belgian-style beers, Imperial Stouts and Barleywines from a bottle/can, and claim it's a proper glassware.

I guess it makes them seem more edgy/extreme.

 

Had a bottle of my annual rye saison last night. Dope. Rye earthy/spicy/bready comes through, great fruitiness from the yeast and hops, Brett has developed nicely, but I think I'm going to just start using Brett C by itself, instead of the blend of Brett C and Brett B that I've been using the past couple years.