I treated myself good tonight. Delerium Tremens. Came in 11.2 oz bottle. Weird looking bottle.


Served in my Duvel tulip glass (exactly like the Gulden Draak one pictured above). Pours a golden straw color, a bit on the orange side. Huge foamy head. LOTS of yeast in the pour. Flakes all over the place. Woops. Awesome lacing.

Awesome smell from this beer. Similar to La Fin Du Monde. Citrusy, spicey (I think I picked up on some cinnamon), and some other fruits. I want to say apple, pear, grapefruit, and maybe even some orange.

Great flavor. Crisp and clean. Good level of carbonation. Sweet fruity flavor, balanced with the yeasty finish and spicey bite. This beer is really a knockout. I'm not sure if I've handed out five hearts before, but here it is. . Lovers of La Fin Du Monde and similar ales have to give this a taste. This may very well be my favorite beer.

Nice. I'll pick this one up the next time I'm out. I tried the Delerium Nocturne (or something similar to that name) early in my Belgian beer explorations, and I didn't really like it at the time. I think part of it was that I didn't know what I was getting myself into, but I avoided other Delerium beers because of it. However, I trippels, so there's no way I'm passing this one up.

Delirium Tremens was probably the reason I got into craft beer in the first place. I went to a bar with a couple of my friends back at school, and they had a bottle of Delirium for $12. The guy there said it was supposed to be like the best beer in the world. Taking the bartender's word for it, we split the bottle three ways. For that one shining moment, it was the best beer I had ever tasted. I hadn't had anything like it before. You couldn't taste the alcohol at all and it was just so damn tasty. Too bad I don't remember the taste any more. A month or two later I bought a bottle of my own and I wasn't as impressed. I may have to get another one some time and put down a final verdict.

Deliruim Tremens is a very good beer. Their Delirium Noel is probably my favorite Christmas brew just for the label alone. There's nothing like Santa Claus being pulled across the sky in his sleigh by pink elephants to put you in the holiday spirit.

I might do a couple reviews tonight. First off, I'll continue the canned beer quest with the Heinnieweisse Weissbier from Butternuts Beer and Ale. I was underwhelmed w/ the first Butternuts can I had, and I'm inherently nervous of all American Hefeweizens. This one is at least spelled the German way, so perhaps there's hope? I paid $1.59 for a 12 oz can, so I'm not out much worst case.



The beer pours quite light, even by Weissbier standards, and it's totally clear. I think I'll be missing my yeasty flavor. The head starts small, and it soon dissipates to nothing.



Taking a whiff, I'm not impressed, but there's hope. It's lacking the usual clove and banana scents, but there's a little bit of citrus and hops. The flavor is still pretty lacking, though. The citrus and hops are not pronounced, and the malt is pretty thin. There's a little peach flavor in there, too. I miss the carbonation, too -- this beer is pretty flat. I'm going to give it . A reasonable head could have given it another half heart. It's nothing special, so don't bother w/ this one.

I have a week off now, so I started it off by stopping at BevMo. I picked up a 22 oz'er of Racer 5 IPA, a 750 mL of Delerium Tremens, an 11.2 oz bubble neck bottle of Pirat (trippel from the same brewery as Duvel), and St Bernardus Abt 12.

I'm drinking the IPA now. Poured the whole thing in a big mug. It was my beverage of choice with 2 tacos: 1 carnitas and 1 chicken. IPAs + Mexican food might be my favorite beer food combo. My mexican place has great salsa, and it lingers in your mouth forever, giving the beer an extra kick.

I won't judge the beer because the food certainly affects the flavor, but I think Racer 5 is my favorite IPA. Bridgeport I'd probably pick up more often, because it comes in a convenient 6 pack, but this stuff is really good. The finish is incredible. Pick up a bottle and try some yourself.

wow, what a lot of beer. i love the stuff and about 2 years ago started brewing my own at home. at first it was just to save money but i soon got into the many different styles and eventually joined a british beer club. i live in the uk so all the american brews are near impossible for me to get but on reading through the threads i noticed that there aren't many reviews of british ales. so, when i try something new i'll post. to kick things of from me, i'll just mention 2 of my favoutites. caledonian brewery's deuchars IPA i really like and was the champion beer of britain a few years back. not a very high og for an IPA but nice and bitter with a good amount of aroma hops. the other is theakstons brewery's old peculiar. a very easy to drink dark ale, not to bitter and a little bit sweet, my wifes favourite non belgiun beer.

Honestly, I don't review much UK beer because most styles of UK beer are well-imitated by US brewers, and they're generally cheaper. If you post some reviews of your favorites, I'd like to know which ones to be sure to try and compare to their US counterparts.

yeah, from what i have read the US craft brewers and beer drinkers in general are more interested in variety than the brits. over here there has been a resurgence of craft brewing in recent years but the dominant style is english bitters. many young people have started getting interested in beers outside of the usual mass produced quasi-lagers which has seen a rise in the number of golden ales on the market, an easy to switch to style of beer. i do seek out the traditional old styles here but many aren't true to style (incorrect O.G.s mostly). still, the bitters are mostly very good... i have a Bishops Finger from the sheppard neame brewery (oldest british brewery) to drink later today. will try get a pic and review in then....

ok... 2 british beers. bishops finger from shepherd neame and burton bitter from marstons.

bishops finger is great, malty, bitter and strong. what i like most about it is the bitterness. description on side of bottle says "rich fruit notes of gentle roasted malts.. with dry lingering finish." this is spot on. my only gripe is that its not bottle conditioned. would recommend this one.

burton bitter is poor, and lacked any punch. the side note says "exceptionally clean tasting beer, combining malty, biscuity flavours with a delicate hop character and finish". to me it was just thin and weak. maybe drinkable in a long session where the beer is secondry and having a good time first.

i took pictures but have no idea how to load them. this is the first forum i've ever joined and am a bit of a dunce with computers generally. i'll figure it out as i go along though...

bishops finger- good, worth trying
burton bitter- average session beer, would give it a miss

I've been in Spain for the last three months. If anyone is interested in any of the beers available here let me know and I can do some reviews. Some pretty widely available beers here are heineken, amstel, san miguel, cruzcampo, estrella damm, modelo negro, desperado, coronita (corona), cerveza (puke), skol, and im sure a few others that Im forgetting. For the most part there isnt a great selection though. Forewarning most of the beer over here tastes like [censored].

Tonight's review is Don de Dieu, and the review is from a mac, so no pictures. Wookie reviewed it earlier, saying,

"Alright, I've got another Unibroue review tonight. This time, it's the Don De Dieu. This beer pours a light gold color with a moderate head. It packs a solid 9% ABV. It smells slightly fruity, and slightly spicy. Taking a sip, it comes through very mild, but I'm reminded of the LFDM. It's quite sweet, a little fruity, and noticibly less spice than the other Unibroue beers I've had. It doesn't have the same sharpness to the flavor that some of the other beers had. The sweetness and some of the fruit lingers, but it's not as rich as some of the others I've enjoyed. Consequently, I think this might be a great one for MaxxDaddy to look up, since he seems to go for the milder beers. I'm going to award this beer . Like the Maudite, it's still a good beer, but it doesn't live up to the high standards of the other Unibroue beers."

So, on to my review.

First, I had no idea what style this beer was. It didn't say on the package that I could see, so I was left guessing. Given the complexity of their other beers, no idea if I could come close to nailing the style apart from some broad ranges.

It pours a nice golden color with vigourous head. I've got a tulip glass that is a bit above .3L to the rim, and I had to wait for the head to subside before pouring the whole bottle. On first smell, it smells... well, I can't really put my finger on it. Its definitely got some fruit, and it seems familiar, but other than that I can't quite pin it down. After the first sip or two, it hits me: this reminds me a lot of a sauvignon blanc that a friend described to me at a wine tasting. I'm not a big wine guy at all but that was my first, gut impression, and while I don't think I really pick up any of the green pepper flavor that's often found there, there is a definite sharpness or snap that I think is what made me think of it. I also pick up a good bit of apple and some peach. There's not much hop bitterness, flavor, or aroma that I can taste, but that's not too surprising given the style.

According to the web site, this is a triple wheat with 9%ABV, a style I'm not sure I'd ever really heard of. Generally, the only beers referred to as triples are belgians, so I guess this is a belgian where a good chunk of the grain bill has been replaced by wheat. In retrospect, I'd really like to try a bottle of this side-by-side with the La Fin du Monde so I could nail down the difference their grain bill makes.

But in the end, I really like this beer. Their slogan is "Drink Less, Not More" and the Don de Dieu lives up to it like their other beers on both taste and price ($11 for 4). Its not at all a beer for sitting in the bleachers at Wrigley, because of its high alcohol and complex flavor, but I'd love to see how it stands up to meals a sauvignon would typically be paired with.

***

After writing this review and then rereading Wookie's, I'm struck by how we both picked up on the fruit, both were reminded of the La Fin du Monde, and how we differed on the "sharpness." When I thought about sharpness wrt this beer, it was more along the lines of the snap a raw green pepper has, a sauvignon blanc, etc. I don't know what, specifically, Wookie was referring to, but I think it'd be great if he picked up another 4pack and gave it a go to see how or if his perceptions have changed.

Hint, hint.

Man, you guys are making sure I have quite a list next time I go shopping, eh? I can see doing a side by side.

I've got a couple reviews tonight, but I'm not going to bother w/ pics.

First up is the Anderson Valley ESB. I had it a few days ago, but I didn't review it. I paid $2.25 for a 12 oz bottle. It packs an unexpectedly high 6.8% ABV. The beer, though, wasn't all that good. It poured fairly light, and it was light on the head. The flavor was lightly malty, but the hoppiness was lighter than I expected. While the alcohol content was higher, the flavor wasn't that much better than Red Hook's ESB, IMHO. The AV Amber was a gem, but I wouldn't bother with the ESB. I give it and a half .

Second is the beer I had tonight, Victory's Hop Whallop. I paid $2.55 for a 12 oz bottle of this 8.5% beer. Not bad. I guess this is their double IPA offering. The beer pours a similar gold color. The head is light, but that's probably partially due to a mild pour. The carbonation was pretty good. The scent didn't have much to it, though. I expected more from the hops. The flavor, wow. Man, is this beer ever bitter. And that's really it. This beer is an extremely dry bitterness, without anything else to accompany it. There are none of the usual floral or citrusy flavors, and there's little maltiness or sweetness that comes through all the bitterness. I can't say I like this beer one bit. I'm going to give it and a half . Even people who really, really love hoppy, bitter beer shouldn't bother with this one. There are more flavorful offerings.

Also waiting to hear back from Scottie on how his Mr. Beer turned out. I got one coworker brewing and he bought a dedicated ferm fridge/kegerator within two months, I'd love to get someone else on the hook.

If there's anything unique or special in that list, I'd love to hear about it. If you're swimming in Bud imitators, you have my condolences. When you're back in the US (?), you may miss Spain greatly, but at least you will be able to enjoy a proper pint once again.

I'll look and see if I can find something that I havent tried already. Everything Ive tried tastes like piss but I haven't found anything better yet And yes im definitely looking forward to some good beer when I return

I hear there's some good beer a couple hundred miles east of Spain.

When I lived in Germany I scooted over to Madrid for about a week and also found it to be beer-poor.

yeah unfortunately I dont think I'm gonna be able to make it to Germany I am however going to Cairo, Egypt! Not sure how the beer scene will be there lol Paris and Rome are also on the list, but id imagine they are more wines like spain is.

So tonight I got to sample some new beers I have never seen before. I had them at an Irish bar called Maxmax here in Valencia Spain. Nice place, decent prices and I got to watch the Football match between Chelsea and Liverpool. Def no complaints there.

So the first beer I had was 1906 Reserva Especial

It was not bad at all. It weighed in at 6.5% abv. I payed 3 euros for the 12oz bottle. It poured a nice honey redish color. Not bad at all. The head was quite small though and disappeared wuite quickly not leaving around much trace of it. It had a decent smell of hops and berries. Did not taste much fruit though at all. Had a taste of malt and some caramel. Def not a bad beer for the price and the alcohol. I would prob drink it again when I go back there.

The second beer I tasted was this.



It pours a nice ruby color and weighs in a 7% more or less abv. It has a somewhat sweet smell but kind of smells like your average light macro brew. The head is off white and stays not long at all before it is gone. It has kind of a malty taste that ends up a little bitter. This is def not a bad beer by any means and something that I would sample again.

I tried one last beer, it was this


It poured a nice redish brown color. Not much head to it and it dissipated fairly quickly. It weighed in at a hefty 8% abv and I paid 3 euro for the 12oz bottle. Def not bad at all for a bar. I was pleasantly surprised. It smelled of some fruity scents but a little kind of metaly. The taste wasnt bad at all, very bitter with a slight taste of metal, but that was prob the strong alcohol coming through. Overall this is a very drinkable beer and def one that I will prob get again tomorrow night when I go! It has a good high alcohol content and is fairly cheap and is def good going down. I would recommend this the most out of the three

Yesterday I finally did a side-by-side tasting I've been meaning to do for a while, which was the two imperial stouts form Weyerbacher: Old Heathen, and the barrel-aged version, Heresy. Both are 8.2% ABV, the Old Heathen came in a 12 oz bottle that cost $2.50, while Heresy was a 22 ouncer at $5.50.

First, the Old Heathen. It poured black with voluminous tan head. On first whiff I caught more dark fruit aromas than anything else. About 15-20 minutes later, the chocolate and coffee aromas became dominant. Upon tasting at first, again this brew was dominated by fruitiness, which I found rather odd. Later on the chocolate and coffee notes appeared, but not as much as I would’ve liked. At least the finish had the impy flavors I was looking for, but I think it was too little too late for this one. Mouthfeel wasn’t all that thick. I suppose I could give Weyerbacher credit for doing something a little different, but I really wanted some impiness from an imperial stout. A low .

And how did Heresy stack up? Well, not that well. Poured black with a tiny ring of tan bubbles on top. Aroma of vanilla, bourbon, wood. Sadly, that was it...it was all barrel and no stout. After about 15-20 minutes sitting in the snifter, I could faintly smell some roasted malts. The taste was more of the same. Lots of bourbon and vanilla, but again, where’s the stout? Once again, later on I was able to tease out some impy tastes in there, particularly in the finish. Had a moderate body and not much carbonation. It seemed this beer was completely overwhelmed by the barrel, and ended up being one-dimensional. I think I enjoyed the Old Heathen slightly more than this, but that’s not saying much. I could see this being quite a bit better if the barrel was less evident. 2.75 .

I know Wookie isn't much of a Weyerbacher fan, and based on these two, can't say I am either. I've heard their Double Simcoe IPA is supposed to be great though, so maybe I'll give that a go some time.

Huh, I could have sworn I reviewed the Old Heathen in here somewhere, but I guess I'm mistaken. I am 90% sure I've had it, but if that's true, I'm not sure why my review wouldn't be in here. Maybe I was as unimpressed as you were. Maybe I was just drunk and forgot. Oh well. I probably won't add my own take on it given your review.

And for the record, I did like the Weyerbacher Insanity (four hearts), but the Quad wasn't all that great (unreviewed, but I mentioned it in here).

Man...there are way too many posts in this thread. I can't keep track any more.

Show all and ctrl-F are my friends

I just got my tickets to Beer on the Pier this weekend in Chicago. 4 hours of beer sampling from a ton of different vendors. I'll try to jot down some thoughts on any of the good ones I find, if I manage to stay sober enough make coherent thoughts.

Last night, friends and I were at a bar that has a fairly impressive bottle collection. We were drinking tap beers for the most part, but decided to try out two bottles. First, the Chimay Red.

Mr. Wookie's review on this beer is pretty similar to my feelings about it. I was disappointed. Good, but not spectacular. It didn't have the body that I expect in a dubbel...my friend said it tasted "watered down." The flavor itself was good, with the usual fruity and spicy undertones, like banana and what I tasted as just a hint of pepper. It goes down smooth, but for the price, I'd rather have a New Belgium Abbey. Maybe this is the result of my conditioning to prefer American beers that have more pronounced flavors and a higher alcohol content. Next time, I'll try the Chimay Blue.

Second bottle of the night was the St. Peter's English Ale. (Did a search in this thread, found no mention of this beer). I am a pioneer!



Just the bottle piqued my curiosity. If you can't tell in the picture, it's oval shaped, like a flask....and it reminded us of old-time medicine bottles. Unfortunately, they didn't let us keep it. It's a balanced traditional English Ale, starts off malty with some honey undertones, then finishes with a hop flavor and a little bit of what my gf described as "lemon peel." The main complaint we had was that it wasn't complex at all. Malt, then hops. Toward the end, it got more and more bitter...it reminded me of the Arrogant Bastard grapefruit taste I had earlier in the evening, but not nearly as intense. I'd give it and a half . Maybe worth a try, but not something I'd stock regularly.

We all preferred the St. Peter's to the Chimay Red. But I preferred the local Tractor Brewing Co. Red Ale to both, especially at happy hour prices of $2.75 a pint. The Tractor Brewing Co. Red Ale is a very solid brew, pours with a nice foamy head, and is a little more light-bodied than most reds I've had. Very crisp and drinkable. Has some caramel and roasted malt flavor to it. .

ScottieK