TLDR Beer Club

[MrWookie]

kc,

I reviewed that beer earlier, and I gave it a paltry 2 hearts. I think I was a little hard on it, though. I had high expectations for an expensive, strong beer from a brewery that is easily one of the best brewers of Belgian-style beer in the New World, and I was pretty disappointed in getting a beer that was pretty "ordinary." Have you tried Unibroue's La Fin Du Monde? Another beer to try out if you like this one is Ommegang's Hennepin.

[kidcolin]

wook,

This was my first Unibroue experience. I've been wanting to try them for a while (based on the reviews in this thread), but I just hadn't been in the mood for a "fancy" beer. So maybe that's why I wasn't as hard on it. I thought it was pretty good, but agree with you that it was sort of ordinary, and not worth the price.

[milesdyson]

I also tried the 15 recently. I bought it and La Fin Du Monde at the same time. The only other Unibroue beer I've had before these two was Don De Dieu. Of the three, none of them stood out to me. I would give all of them 3 to 3.5 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]s.

[MrWookie]

Tonight, I have more beer from Allagash. This is now the fourth beer from them I've reviewed. The first, the Musette, was an oak aged beer that was good, but pretty pricey and didn't blow me away like I'd been hoping. I adore their white, and I was underwhelmed by the dubbel. Tonight's beer is their Curieux, which means "curious," apparently. This is another oak aged beer. I believe it began it's life as a tripel before hitting the oak. This beer weighs in at a mighty 11% ABV. I paid $13.95 for a 750 mL bottle: also hefty, but I couldn't help myself.



The beer pours a nice cloudy gold with much less head than I was expecting. The head mostly dissipated not long into it.



The beer doesn't smell as strongly as I expected. It's fairly mild. I would expect more fruit and sweetness in the aroma, but it smells mostly of the malt with a little bit of wood. Tasting this beer, though, is a completely different story. It's not as sweet as, say, the La Fin Du Monde, but I was blown away by the depth of flavor. Malt, apple, pear, orange, peach, wood, mild hops, vanilla, and something a little herbal in the finish, all in about that order. It just keeps going, and it lingers for a good long while. It's not as fruity as the LFDM, but I don't think I want it to be. Dialing the fruity sweetness back just a hair made room for more. I'm going to award this beer the elusive [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. I am extremely impressed. I wouldn't give this beer to the casual drinker and expect them to be quite as impressed as I am. I'd give them something a little cheaper to start, to get them warmed up to the style. If you have a taste for good Belgian tripels, this beer should not be passed over. It is the best tripel I've had.

Should I be sad that I tried this bottle before the regular, unoaked tripel I have waiting to be reviewed? Maybe. Am I sad that I now feel compelled to spend too much money on the two oak aged beers from Allagash that I have not yet tried? Only a little. Depending on them, Allagash may even pass up Dogfish Head as my favorite US brewery (although I can't get 3 Floyds or AleSmith where I am, and they deserve nominations, too, so I hear).

Edit: I forgot to add that I would never guess that this was 11% beer. You could tell me it was 7% and I'd believe you. And then I'd have a third bottle, pass out cold, and then wake up in the morning hung over horribly, but still happy I was drinking this.

[The X-Factor]

Nice work Wookie. I am very impressed. Just out of curiosity, is that a Saints glass you have there or what kind is it?

[MrWookie]

No, it's actually a goblet for some sort of Belgian beer I've never tried. I'll have to see if I can dig it up.

[kidcolin]

Wook,

further evidence that Maine is one of the best states there is. I've been wanting to try their offerings, but I keep coming up with reasons not to.

I'll try their white based on your support, but for the tripel, I'll take your advice and try some cheaper offerings, as I'm not well versed in the variety. Suggestions?

[MrWookie]

Well, the Unibroue La Fin Du Monde is not exactly "cheap," but it's not as balla as this one is, either. If you love it and the Allagash White, spring for this one, and set aside an evening for intoxicated bliss. If not, there are still ways to spend $14 on other beer that will leave you in intoxicated bliss.

[MaxxDaddy]

Tonight I'll get back on the stout track, but this one won't be from Bell's. I'm very excited to try my first offering from the famed Three Floyds Brewery: Black Sun Stout.



According to Ratebeer, this is a dry stout, which is the in the same category as the most famous stout of them all: Guinness. Black Sun Stout is 5.25% ABV and cost $9 for a 22 oz. bottle. This one pours black like any other stout, but unlike Guinness, it retains the tan head that all other stouts have. There's a fair bit of lacing around the glass. The aroma is full of coffee, chocolate, and piney hops. Interestingly, ratebeer says that hops shouldn't be evident at all in this style. I guess that's why "It's not normal" is displayed across the label. The taste echoes the aroma, displaying bitter chocolate and coffee up front, and hop bitterness in the back. It finishes with a mix of coffee and hop bitterness. The hoppiness is much more restrained than in Yeti and the coffee bitterness is more restrained than in Middle Ages Dragonslayer. Despite it being against convention, I really like the use of extra hops here, though you may have to be in a certain mood to actually want that sort of hoppiness in your stout. Mouthfeel is pretty good, between watery and thick. To be honest, the beer isn't as complex as the label makes it out to be, saying that cherries and dark fruits should be in the flavor as well. Despite the relative lack of complexity, this was a very tasty brew. Definitely something I'd drink all night, if given the chance. [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

[MrWookie]

3 Floyds and AleSmith I think are the two breweries I'm the most sad about not having access to. I'd love to be able to get Dechutes and New Belgium, too, but 3F and AS are monsters that I haven't had the privilege of sampling from.