Belgian Strong Beers

Back in the 15^th century, the Monks around Europe thought ”beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy”, who then turns water into beer.  Err, that’s mostly right, only it’s the yeast which turns water into beer. Not only does the yeast ferment the brew into alcohol, the by-products of which can impart a huge amount of flavour as exemplified by the Belgian strong ales.

Chimay is the leading brewer of the 8 genuine Trappist Monk Brewers in Belgium and brews the ‘Triple’ 8%.  This brew produces a prodigious foamy white head over a liquid the colour of the label. Its creamy effervescence imparts a spicy heat of nutmegs and pears, with a yeasty bitterness balanced with nutty malts. Swirl the bottle before pouring to get more flavoursome bits floating in your beer other than your liver.

The Chimay ‘Blue’ is same as the Triple only way darker and another level deeper in intriguing complexity. Notes of stewed plums, raisins and cloves complement rich warming caramel malts. With 9% it’s a beer to be sipped savoured and satiated.

Another of these living brews is 2013 world ale winner ‘Gulden Draak’ from Van Steenberge. Fruity on the tongue with strong malt toffee sweetness balanced with hoppy whiskey like bitterness and full body barrel aged woodiness.  Don’t serve chilled as you won’t appreciate its myriad of flavours.  This guy is a head wobbler, either from the 10.5% alcohol or from just shear enjoyment.

One of the few remaining historic Belgium beers is the ‘Kwak’. Beautiful deep bright amber colour with a creamy tan head and a spicy malt aroma. Tastes like caramel rum sauce over bananas with a background yeastiness to keep it mildly bitter. You can feel the liquid trundling all the way down from the 8.4% kicking in. A real Christmas kwacker!

Finally, from the small French town of Vieux Lille is a beer ‘Vieux Lille Triple Blonde’, that’s sure to arouse all an 8.5% triple blonde can arouse.

There is no strong beer, just weak men.

Denis hoppy-hoppy joy-joy Cooper

 

Champion Brewer’s Secret Ingredient

The NZ Beer Guild 2014 Brewer of the year, Martin Townshend, has an uncanny ability to hit the spot. This feral, I mean fella, (he is from Upper Moutere you know!) has won more brewing awards than the All Blacks first five selection.  Could his success be from the fresh access to that green leafy herb with heads that are so popular around that region (I’m talking hops, not weed!)? Or is it from the life blood of beer, water?

Something that is unique to Moutere besides Townshend, is that the water used to produce the beer is drawn through an aquifer. Similar to the low mineral Czech water that produces the famous Pilsners and the rich mineral Burton-on-Trent water that produces the famous Abbey ales, the Moutere aquifer produces the award winning Townshend thirst quenchers.

Here’s some sessionable summer sizzlers suitable for chillaxing.

JCIPA, 5.5%; A sharp, crisp lagerish tasting IPA, whose character has satisfying thirst quenching qualities rather than outlandish hop flavours. In fact it’s quite laid back on hops for an IPA so consequently unveils a subtle sweet malt finish. This easy drinking brew would be a great introduction to any IPA hopaphobics willing to digress from their lager love.

Aotearoa Pale Ale, 5%; Gotta love sticking your beak into the beer glass and inhaling magnificent wafts of tropical hops whilst quaffing this brew.  Tastes of passionfruit hops, from start to finish, then a long dry cloud of peachy aftertaste. Packs the most bang for buck flavour of any sessionable ale.

Tie Break Summer Ale, 5.2%; my first taste of this was of instant relief that this brew wasn’t one of those namby pamby, soapy lemon tasting with a flowery herb note ‘summer brew’. Instead this surprisingly tasted of tart passionfruits and earthy grassy hops with a sharp almost hot lingering bitterness that keeps you pining for more. Loosen off your tie, take a break and enjoy this pearller.

With water making up 90% of beer which is more than PowerAde, I know which I prefer to rehydrate with?

Denis ‘fins up’ Cooper

Hedgehoged

 

What’s a craft brewer’s biggest problem that’s usually out of their control? Their carefully crafted concoction being lightstruck or colloquially known in America as being skunked. This is a term used when the hops in beer is exposed to light causing a reaction that produces a pungent off-flavour resembling that of the defence spray deployed by an angry skunk.

However in the absence of any skunks in NZ, I’ve consequently not had the pleasure to partake, so would compare this awful off-flavour to a hedgehog that has been run over several times then mashed with rotten potatoes.

I’m a beer can fan, they’re light weight, easier to cool, no breakage and more stable in your car’s cup holder. Probably best reason of all, there is no chance of those flavourful bittering hops getting hedgehoged.

Here’s four guaranteed no hedgehoged beer cans from Garage Project

Hāpi Daze 4.8% Pacific Pale Ale: Hāpi is Maori for hops and this brew reeks of it, with big citrusy perfumes. This is one of those brews where the huge aroma follows through with huge taste. Persuasive notes of bananary grapefruit, apricots and toffee malts and all this for 4.8%!  A sensational flavourful sessionable.

Garagista 5.8% IPA: Crack the can and instantly get smacked with wafts of hops. Another big aroma arousal here.  Good ‘ol’ kiwi hops dominate with notes of grape skins and piney hop vines, all with a controlled bitterness. An easy going IPA, session suitable or for those who just want to chillax.

Texas Tea 6.2%: Anything from Texas will look like oil and this brew is no exception. Labelled as brown ale, it ain’t.  It’s black and it’s got the swag.  Yep, this brew is hot, so hot you’ll need a cooling beer chaser.

Tournesol 6.5% Spice Saison: A summer seasonal, but spring is just as good. This sunflower is one spritzy brew. Fulla flavour, hints of cloves, nutmegs and lemons which seems a bit ‘green party’ but they work to give a very refreshing imbibe. 

So, go get your guaranteed fresh beer choices at FreshChoice.

 Denis ‘beer with me’ Cooper

Fuller Flavour

 

Back in the craftless day when I was a hairy lager lout happily humming along to the dial-up tune, when pursuing the beer buzz, I blindingly assumed that beer was, well, beer, cold fizzy stuff that only deserved respect the next morning. Back then, quality NZ beer was an oxymoron.  The only choices were barely bittered lagers and ales with flavour as rare as a quiet builder. Meanwhile, the Poms were quietly sipping away on ‘tongue tingling hop’ or ‘malt in the mouth’ inspired beers, with flavour that would make their cheeks flush and talk with a stiff upper lip.

Nek minnit, Muldoon got dethroned, tariffs came off imports and Fuller’s became one of the first English beers to tempt the lager league. I cut my teeth on Fuller’s ESB all those beers ago, which awoke some dormant monsters inside my mouth called taste-buds.

Here’s four sippulant Fuller’s to try:

Fuller’s ESB 5.9%.  Many craft brewers have been inspired by Fuller’s extra special bitter and as such has become a recognised beer style. This liquid legend is the pinnacle of the fuller’s range, winning many awards. Its “marmalade on buttered toast flavour” is Fuller’s signature taste and flows through all the Fuller’s range with varying authority.

Fuller’s London Pride 4.7% is UK’s most popular beer hence malty award winning. Here the marmalade on toast is more orangey, and bitter hops in harmony with malts. Its complexity allows it to be an all season session beer that has refreshing warmth.

Fuller’s Golden Pride 8.5%, an uber strong ale with a fruit mince aroma. Tastes of bitter peppery marmalades and belly-warming toffee ports. It’s a liquid Christmas cake for any occasion.

Fuller’s 1845 6.3%, another strong ale first brewed in 1995 for Fuller’s 150^th anniversary. It’s rich, malty, and spicy with hints of nutmegs and a dry fruity finish that is exceptionally satisfying. It tastes boozier than 6% so it’s safe to have a naughty nother.

If Fuller’s have been brewing fuller flavoured beers for 350 years, maybe NZs’ beer barons could step it up?

Denis ‘outa hair’ Cooper

Aged All Black

200 years ago, aged porter was the most hip among the London beer drinkers. Some porters could spend up to two years quietly maturing in massive 3,250,000 litre oak vats, acquiring all kinds of interesting flavours before being blended with younger beer at the alehouse.

Anywho, long story short, one vat couldn’t take the strain and exploded with the resulting tsunami drowning eight people.  Death by porter, way to go. True story, unlike the brewer who fell into a porter vat where he eventually drowned. It was a slow death as he had to get out to go to the toilet three times.

Present day Porters have morphed into a milder version of stout, with less of the charry characters and more flavour diversity by varying the dominance of hops or malts. This porterfection allows them to be enjoyed before, during and after meals.  Porters will also taste better at room temp (as long as the room is between 8 – 12) and an indulgent quantity will bring warmth that will keep you toasty all winter.

One suggested aperitif is the Fuller’s ‘London Porter’ 5.4%, with its signature Fuller’s Ale flavour and hints of coffee, bread and porty flavours.  It’s got plenty of afterglow that keeps you salivating for more.

Perfect during the meal, Emerson’s ‘London Porter’ 5%, starts aggressively but finishes delicately. The coffee with slight char to balance the sweet malts would complement any meaty stew or roast. The warmer, the mellower it gets, letting chocolate and ginger ale flavours glow for a plush porter.

For dessert, Renaissance ‘Elemental Porter’ 6% with creamy cherry chocolate vanilla and wood undertones with not one dominating but equally contribute to a balanced but mental flavour.

Ballast Point ‘Victory at Sea Imperial Porter’ 10% is the essence of porter.  Rich syrupy robust malts with strong attitudes of coffee, vanilla and chocolate.   Layers of different flavours as the bottle empties and its temperature increases.  A very decadent nightcap and maybe another death by porter?

So, get out of your wet gumboots and into a warm porter.

Denis ale be back Cooper

Inhopsicating

I’ve always maintained that when I’ve got a beer itch my preferred lollyshop is FreshChoice Nelson and it now appears I’m not alone with this hoppinion as now confirmed by SOBA that the best off license in the Nelson region is FreshChoice Nelson! (SOBA awards 2013).

 

I’m often in aforementioned shop perving at their multitude of refreshing choices deciding which one to cure my hopaholic itch. What is it about hops that makes beer, beer? Could it be that because this herbaceous climbing plant is a close relative to the cannabis plant, and I’ve actually got some deeper underlying craving than previously thought? Nah, not me, I don’t have a drinking problem,,, unless of course the beers run out!

 

The best craft beers for big hops are arguably the yanks who developed the citrus and piney hop varieties and then pushed the limits of IBU’s. IBU’s are code for international bittering units and sometimes listed on the label. The higher the number, the more your tongue curls and the more that hairs will grow on your chest, on the inside!

 

One flamboyant example of massive IBU beer is ‘Hop Juice’ from Left Coast Brewing on the left coast of America. This beer has a massive 82 IBU’s, close to the theoretical 100 limit of bitterness. It tastes like freshly squeezed hop flowers with the classical American piney citrus hop aromas and taste sensations, and a catahopic bitterness that will shrivel your tongue faster than a cold shower.

 

Now here’s the thing with IBU’s, ‘Trestles’ also a Left Coaster, has 92 IBU’s but doesn’t taste as bitter as ‘Hop Juice’ but instead is soothed with a counterbalanced lingering caramellow malt yet still retains shiploads of piney citrusy hop flavors.

 

Then again, ‘Asylum’, their Belgium Style Tripel Ale, comes in at a paltry 27 IBU’s, gets its flavor not from hops but from yeast where they impart notes of any fruit colored orange including pumpkin and when the 11.8abv evaporates off your tongue tastes rambunctiously refreshing. 

 

Hopfully the reader is now an IBUer, (Informed Beer User)

 

Denis ‘hoppy daze’ Cooper

 

Sessionators

Scheez, we’re seriously spoiled with spectator sport choices at the mo, what with rugby, soccer, cricket, and the soon to start Comm games. This is session season time, and a session beer is all about enjoying a coupla-three flavourful beers, whilst watching a whole game without losing the noodles. These days it only takes me just one beer before I’m shipfaced and that’s usually my 9th.  On victory you deserve beer, in defeat you need it (the English will know what I’m on about!).
An impressive Brewster of session beers is Schipper’s who craft a small smorgasbord of schmooze boozes most suitable for a beer binge.

The first of Schipper’s selection is ‘Herr X Vienna Lager’ 4.8%abv.  Us oldies will know Herr X is the B-Side of Ultravox's Vienna. It’s refreshing, easy drinking, with slight cherry and sour notes. Looks and body more of an ale but has a huge lager crispness. 

The next amuse booze is ‘Scallywag Rich Amber Ale’ 5%abv.  Smooth on the tongue, medium bodied with earthy hops and toffee malts that finish in a bitter peak that keeps your tongue wagging.

The ‘Golden Gezzer Classic Ale’ 4.6%abv has a sturdy foamy white head with gulp laces over a darkish amber coloured liquid. Freshly clipped lawn aromas and fruity hop flavours, finishing with caramel malts. How can this old feller have so much flavour with so little alcohol?

‘Mistress Pilsner’ 5%abv. This baby has got peppery hops that make for one big sharp tongue tingler.  Sharper than the coattails on a cunning wannabe politician! Pays to keep drinking to cool the taste-buds.  The mistress is also excellent for a quickie after work!

The high flyer of the Schipper’s school is the Chinook IPA but at 7.3% is no all-day IPA.  Smoooth, almost chewable full body, piny, dried mango taste. A thick bolus of bitterness, perfect as an end of session sipper.

So, be a ‘Scallywag’ and take a ride on the ‘Golden Geezer’ with the ‘Mistress’ to Vienna but be back in time before ‘Herr X’ gives you a ‘Chinook’.

Denis ‘big head, thin bodied’ Cooper