Family Brewery Huyghe Delirium Tremens Belgian Ale

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Family Brewery Huyghe Delirium Tremens Belgian Ale. I was first introduced to this beer when some friends brought it over for a BBQ in a basket full of Belgian Ales.  It instantly became a favorite of mine, but up until tonight I hadn’t reviewed it.

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a hazy blonde color with foamy white head and excellent lacing.

Aroma: Sweet malts, banana, citrus, pepper and spices.

Taste: Citrus, banana, honey, Belgian yeast, caramel and spice.  Sweet and fruity with a nice hop bite in the finish and a touch of alcohol.

Overall: Crisp and delicious, Family Brewery Huyghe Delirium Tremens Belgian Ale is smooth and easy drinking.  At 8.5% ABV this is dangerous drinking as well since you don’t really know its strength until you’ve been drinking for a while.  This is a world class Belgian Ale and a must try for those who enjoy Belgian Strong Pale Ales.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

If you haven’t already, please like the NorCal Beer Blog on Facebook (here)

Wells & Young's Brewing Company Banana Bread Beer

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Wells & Young's Brewing Company Banana Bread Beer.

From the Wells & Young's Brewing Company website: “This unique brew combines all the traditional qualities and style of a Charles Wells beer with the subtle flavour of banana.

Wells Banana Bread Beer is a popular beer in the Wells and Young’s range of ales. The beer has achieved a number of accolades including winner of "Beer of the Festival" award at CAMRA's London Drinker Festival in March 2002.

Available as a draught seasonal cask beer, Wells Banana Bread Beer can be found on the bar and, in its popular bottle format, in all leading supermarkets.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a clear golden brown color with nice off-white head and decent lacing.

Aroma: Banana, spices, grassy/floral hops, bready and toasted  malts and a slight toffee scent.

Taste: Ripe banana, bready malts, spices and a slight bitterness in the finish.  Tastes like spiced banana bread in liquid form.

Overall: Smooth and easy to drink, Wells & Young's Brewing Company Banana Bread Beer is similar to a traditional English Brown with real banana flavor and spices added.  Although this 5.2% ABV beer isn’t something I would tend to gravitate towards, I did enjoy it and would most definitely drink again if the opportunity presented itself.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

If you haven’t already, please like the NorCal Beer Blog on Facebook (here)

Deschutes Brewery Fresh Squeezed IPA

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Deschutes Brewery Fresh Squeezed IPA. The hype surrounding tonight’s beer was pretty high and it seems like lately I’ve been purchasing more and more beers made by Deschutes Brewery.  On an upcoming trip I’m looking forward to visiting the brewery in Bend, OR.

From the Deschutes Brewery website: “This mouthwateringly delicious IPA gets its flavor from a heavy helping of Citra and mosaic hops. Don't worry, no fruit was harmed in the making of this beer.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a dark orange color with a large off-white head and great lacing.

Aroma: Tropical fruits, citrus and sweet caramel.

Taste: Pineapple, peach, mango, grapefruit and orange…lots of great hop flavors balanced well with caramel and pale malts.  Slight pine hop presence, but mostly fruity hops.

Overall: A very approachable and drinkable IPA, Deschutes Brewery Fresh Squeezed IPA is a very good beer.  The nose is amazing and at 6% ABV it is pretty easy to polish off a 22.  I enjoyed trying it and would gladly drink this one again (hopefully on tap at Deschutes Brewery).

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

If you haven’t already, please like the NorCal Beer Blog on Facebook (here)

Nimbus Brewing Company Red Ale

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Nimbus Brewing Company Red Ale. Here’s another bottle I was gifted with by a friend in Arizona.

From the Nimbus Brewing Company website: “Nimbus Red Ale is a rich, medium-bodied American-style amber ale. Known for its sophisticated mouth feel and exceptional drinkability, our Red Ale is a true classic. Copper-hued and well-balanced, Nimbus Red Ale has a lightly sweet taste enhanced with the flavor of four different malt varieties and flaked barley. We brew this beer with handpicked Chinook and Cascade hops. This combination gives our Red a mild malt sweetness and a relatively dry, aromatic finish.

Never bitter, Nimbus Red is sure to please the beer lover who enjoys lighter flavors and a lower alcohol content. It's crisp, refreshing taste has made our Red a fixture at major sporting events throughout Southern Arizona.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a hazy copper color with an off-white head and nice lacing.

Aroma: Sweet caramel and toasted malts followed by citrus and floral hop notes.

Taste: Like the nose, sweet caramel malts mix with toasted malts and citrus hops. The hop presence is more evident in the taste.

Overall: Enjoyable and malt-forward, Nimbus Brewing Company Red Ale is tasty.  At 5% ABV it is certainly sessionable. I would most definitely drink one of these again if/when the opportunity presented itself.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

If you haven’t already, please like the NorCal Beer Blog on Facebook (here)

Karl Strauss Brewing Company Big Barrel Double IPA

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Karl Strauss Brewing Company Big Barrel Double IPA.

From the Karl Strauss Brewing Company website: “When we kicked-off this series of intense hoppy beers, we wanted to go big. Imported New Zealand Nelson Sauvin hops provide a vibrant tropical aroma that raises eyebrows and expectations. Aggressive amounts of Warrior and Ahtanum hops produce an assertive bitterness that stands out against a firm malt backbone. Balanced even at 90 IBUs, Big Barrel leaves a considerable first impression that serves as a prelude of things to come.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a dark orange color with a dense off-white head and nice rings of lacing.

Aroma: Sweet malts, tropical, pine and citrus hops and a touch of grainy malts.

Taste: Big hop flavors – mango, grapefruit, apricot, peach balanced nicely with sweet malts.

Overall: With so many fantastic Double IPAs available it is a tough market to want to jump into, but I completely enjoyed Karl Strauss Brewing Company Big Barrel Double IPA and particularly enjoyed the hop profile.  This 9% ABV offering is easy drinking and one I would recommend. It might not be a “go to” beer for me, but I would certainly pick it up again.  I’d like to try this one on tap.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

If you haven’t already, please like the NorCal Beer Blog on Facebook (here)

Westmalle Trappist Ale Tripel

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Westmalle Trappist Ale Tripel.

From the Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle website: “Westmalle Tripel is a clear, golden yellow Trappist beer that undergoes a secondary fermentation in the bottle (9,5% alcohol). It is a complex beer with a fruity aroma and a nice nuanced hop scent. It is soft and creamy in the mouth, with a bitter touch carried by the fruity aroma. An exceptional beer, with a great deal of finesse and elegance. And with a splendid long aftertaste.

The Westmalle Tripel is indeed called the “mother of all tripels”. This type of beer was first brewed in Westmalle abbey in 1934 when the new brewing hall came into use. The current formula has stayed practically unchanged since 1956, thus more than 50 years.

This beer is generally served in 33 cl bottles, precisely the volume of the accompanying glass goblet. The bottles are sold individually, in handy packs of six or in crates of 24 bottles. And of course this beer is served in the better horeca outlets.

Tripel is also available in 75 cl bottles. It is remarkable that the beer matures differently in these larger bottles. The fruity aroma is somewhat softer and riper, and the beer gets a light touch of vanilla.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a beautiful golden color with a fluffy white head and thin lacing.

Aroma: Sweet and biscuit malts, citrus fruits, Belgian yeast and spices, banana and slightly funky.

Taste: Banana, apricots, peaches, Belgian yeast and spices, sweet malts, Belgian candi sugar, citrus and bready malts.

Overall: Sweet, balanced and delicious, Westmalle Trappist Ale Tripel is top notch drinking.  At 9.5% ABV this beer certainly lives up to its reputation.  Get some, drink some and love it.  You will.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

If you haven’t already, please like the NorCal Beer Blog on Facebook (here)

Abbaye Notre-Dame de St. Remy Trappistes Rochefort 8

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Abbaye Notre-Dame de St. Remy Trappistes Rochefort 8.

Commercial description: “Deep brown color; the flavor is vigorous and complex, with firm body to support the strength. The aroma has elusive notes of fresh fruit, spice, leather, and figs.

Great with full-flavored dishes like pate, duck, or wild game; shows well with strong-flavored cheeses. Also wonderful alone as an aperitif. Serve in traditional Rochefort stemmed goblet.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a dark reddish brown with a large off-white head and nice lacing.

Aroma: Raisins, plums, figs, bready malts, Belgian yeast, caramel, toffee, clove, banana and alcohol.

Taste: Raisins, plums, cherries, caramel and roasted malts, spices, Belgian yeast, clove, banana and toffee.

Overall: Rich and creamy, Abbaye Notre-Dame de St. Remy Trappistes Rochefort 8 is a classic Belgian Strong Dark Ale and one I would highly recommend for those who enjoy the style.  At 9.2% ABV a bottle might be enough, but you’ll be left wanting more. 

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

If you haven’t already, please like the NorCal Beer Blog on Facebook (here)

Stone Brewing Company Ruination IPA

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Stone Brewing Company Ruination IPA.

From the Stone Brewing Company website: “So called because of its truly "ruinous" effect on your palate, this massive hop monster will change forever your preconceptions of what defines good beer. This is Stone IPA's big brother, and we mean BIG. We essentially began with our already-awesome Stone IPA, threw in an extra-large helping of malt, and added a lot more hops. And then some more. And then even more, resulting in a vibrant blast of citrusy bitterness that hits you on the first sip. Just one taste and you'll know why we call this indelicate jewel "A liquid poem to the glory of the hop!"”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a golden orange color with a white head and sticky lacing.

Aroma: Grapefruit and other citrus fruits, pine and sweet caramel malts.

Taste: Caramel malts coupled with pine, grapefruit and other citrus hops.  Biscuit/bready malts in the finish. Big, sweet and hoppy.

Overall: Superior in so many ways, Stone Brewing Company Ruination IPA is balanced, refreshing and intensely smooth.  Not a palate wrecking hop bomb. Just a damn good Double IPA. This 7.7% ABV gem is amazing.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

If you haven’t already, please like the NorCal Beer Blog on Facebook (here)

Ninkasi Brewing Company Vanilla Oatis Oatmeal Stout

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Ninkasi Brewing Company Vanilla Oatis Oatmeal Stout.

From the Ninkasi Brewing Company website: “A delicious oatmeal stout with just enough hops to balance the copious quantities of dark roasted malts, oatmeal for a creamy smooth drinkability, and whole vanilla beans for a rich complexity. To achieve this higher level of decadence, we added in whole vanilla beans to the final stage of fermentation – the same process we use to dry hop a beer.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a dark brown, nearly black color with a fluffy mocha colored head and spotty lacing.

Aroma: Huge vanilla scent, with dark chocolate, roasted malts, coffee and caramel.

Taste: Dark roasted malts, chocolate, oats, coffee and vanilla.  The vanilla isn’t as over the top as I expected it to be, but very much there.

Overall: Smooth and creamy, Ninkasi Brewing Company Vanilla Oatis Oatmeal Stout is everything I love about Stouts.  Super solid, balanced and weighing it at 7.2% ABV I plan to keep a couple of these around at all times as you never know when there will be a need for a stellar Stout.  This is just that, stellar!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

If you haven’t already, please like the NorCal Beer Blog on Facebook (here)