A Zombie at the Beach

Fun Picture by Charles

Mission No. 2...success

Wow, I am really beginning to enjoy beer.  My picks for the challenge were all amazing and I kind of knew that going in. I chose the Westmalle Dubbel, Westmalle Tripel, and Allagash Four Ale to sample the differences in flavor between a dubbel, tripel and a quad.

The Dubbel is just the perfect loyal reliable contender that I knew it would it be as it amazes you both in the initial taste and after effect.   The first time I tried it I was tasting beers every other night by just drinking half of the bottle; I did not stop by just drinking half the bottle with the dubbel.  

The tripel doesn't settle as nicely as the dubbel, but its flavor is a home run.  It has a lot of carbonation, a little bit clearer appearance, and a little more of a kick.

And finally the Quad had the most amazing flavor out the three delivering a taste I had never had before, but now absolutely desire to have again.  With its warm 10% alcohol rating it manages to not overwhelm you while transferring a healthy dose of delicious amber successfully to its new resting place....my belly.  Grabbing the Allagash at $16 a bottle (priced at $20) I was a little nervous not knowing if it would live up to the price; I was pleasantly rewarded for my purchase.

If other quads are as rich in flavor and balanced in alcohol punch I think I might have a new favorite.  In short, the quad won the contest in fullness and flavor and desirability.  Since I didn't take the minute to write the review when I had tasted these amazing contenders I won't finish with the normal bullet point statistics.  All you have to know is that Allagash is truly an amazing beer along with the greatness that is Westmalle and is now on my sweet 16 hall of fame.

Success was indeed reached through this new mission as I found a new friend...Allagash.

Broma Theon

-Charles

Orval Trappist Ale

With the words 'trappist' and 'Belgium' on the bottle I was sold immediately.  The initial taste is not the splendor that Westmalle is, but the more you drink it the better the aftertaste intermingles with the taste buds and provides a pleasant surprise.

Brew Details: Orval brewed byBrasserie D' Orval, Belgium
Serving Conditions: Served directly from the uncalibrated fridge into my 'Duvel' tulip glass.
Appearance: A very foggy amber, reminiscent of a hefeweizen.
Scent: Smells amazing, reminds me of other trappist ales.
Taste: Smooth, but a touch more bitter than I expected.
Mouthfeel: Lots of carbonation with a great warm aftertaste.
Drinkability: I could have another one, but I wouldn't choose it purposely.

It gets a 7.5, because the more you drink it, the better it tastes due to the amazing aftertaste.  The Belgium's generally do not disappoint and this is a great beer, just not in comparison to the Westmalle Trappist Ale.

-charles

Maudite by Unibroue

Yet another bottle of beer with an appearance of the nether regions of hell inviting you to take a drink.  This one however scored much higher with me than the last 'bastard'.  The writing on the beer really does define the taste quite well:

"La Maudite (damned), referemented on yeast base in the bottle, goes down uncommonly smooth.  One taste of this excellent malt beverage will instill in you the highest respect and appreciation for its warm mellowing effect."

I highly agree, see the comments I wrote before I read the label below:

• Brew Details: Maudite brewed by Unibroue
• Serving Conditions: Served directly from the uncalibrated fridge into my 'Duvel' tulip glass.
• Appearance: A foggy amber
• Scent: yeast, very similar to a good hefeweizen (Franziskaner being my favorite so far)
• Taste: Smooth and rich with a deep warming flavor well balanced with the alcohol content (not overpowering).
• Mouthfeel: Lots of carbonation with a subtle and inviting aftertaste.
• Drinkability: Definitely ready for another one, just not tonight.  This could be the beer for the evening and I would not be disappointed.

This is my highest tested ranking so far, I'm giving this one a 9.  I guess it just reminds me of my favorite hefeweizen too much, but with more boldness.  So far both drinks I have had by Unibroue are amazing; the other drink being La Fin du Monde.  Unibroue has now made my list of favorite breweries, I will be looking for more of their beverages very soon.

Next stop, Orval Trappist Ale...

broma theon

"food of the gods"

-Charles

Arrogant Bastard Ale

After initially thinking I was picking up 'Dirty Bastard', I instead
found another bastard to take home.
Their bottle is quite hilarious as they seem to poke a little fun at
breweries spending millions of dollars in advertising convincing
everyone that they are small breweries. Here is an excerpt from the
bottom of the bottle:

"Questions or comments? If you don't like this beer, keep it to
yourself ---- we don't want to hear from any sniveling
yellow-beer-drinkin' wimps, 'cause this beer wasn't made for you."

• Brew Details: Arrogant Bastard Ale by the Stone Brewing Co. in Escondido, San Diego County, CA
• Serving Conditions: Served directly from Specs into my 'Duvel' tulip glass once I got home.
• Appearance: Amber, almost ruby
• Scent: Very strong citrus, grape fruit
• Taste: Bitter, literally like a grape fruit. I love grape fruit so I do enjoy this beer.
• Mouthfeel: bah..still don't like this weird term. Perfect consistency with a good balance of carbonation.
• Drinkability: I am ready for a different beer once finish a glass, it doesn't hold my palet very well as it has a strong bitter aftertaste.

I personally give it a 6.5 out of 10, but that doesn't mean this is a
bad beer, it just doesn't fit my taste right now. If I was a huge IPA
fan I would probably enjoy this more as it tastes similar in citris to
some IPAs I've had. It really is an amazing beer, just not my current
flavor of choice.
-Charles

La Trappe Isid'or

I don't have time this evening to write an entire article on this wonderful beer, but I have to share my short experience.  I finally tried La Trappe by our friends in Belgium and wow, I am blown away again.  I guess I just love trappist ales because I fell love with the Westmalle Trappist Ale (Dubbel) immediately too.  The smell is amazing, the taste is amazing and the experience is one to behold, thank you my wonderful monks.

-charles

Banana Bread Beer

I really thought this was going to be a very bad idea...banana...bread...beer.  What other horrible mixes could they come up with?!  Well, I finally tried it and wow!  It was not what I thought it was going to be.  Definitely read Dave's post on the He Man Beer Lovers blog for more information about Banana Bread Beer; all in all another great review.  Here is my review using our very own Cosmo Beer blog review :

• Brew Details: Banana Bread Beer, Wells and Youngs Brewing Co. (since 1875), Product of England, 5.2%
• Bottle Inspiration:  "Long ago, ale was known as liquid brea.  We've used our long history of creating the finest malt blends and added Fairtrade bananas to awaken the senses with a seriously fruity, rich, yet surprising, versatile banana bread beer.  The inspired brew made with our own natural mineral water and Fairtrade bananas.  Tempting Banoffee aromas and flavours are balanced by the silky richness of a masterful malt blend and the peppery spice of the freshest ripest hops."
• Serving Conditions: Tried from the bottle in the picture above and from the bottle.  The bottle had a better taste for the beer than the 'skinny' glass, because the bottle is better designed to drink this beer.  Temperature was probably 45 to 50 degree (from the fridge).

• Appearance: Amber clear transparency, medium head with medium retention providing a satisfying luster.
• Scent: Sweet and a distinct banana effervescent.
• Taste - Initial:  Banana dominant, pleasantly balanced malt and subtle pilsner flavors.
• Taste - After: Slightly bitter with a banana aftertaste
• Mouthfeel: Light with medium balanced carbonation.
• Drinkability:  I could definitely drink more than 1, a very pleasant surprise.
• Additional comments/questions:  None
• THE FINAL SCORE:  7

Definitely give it a try, you will be pleasantly surprised.

-charles

Bud Light Commercial

How about a quick advertisement for Bud Light. No, no don't leave, it has Conan O' Brien in it so its worth it!

It begins...

I used to hate beer. Growing up I would try the typical 'light' beer in the usual high school and college functions and was left disappointed. I just didn't understand why everyone liked it so much. Was it truly just 'an acquired taste' as so many told me? Yes and no. Seems like a dumb answer, but I'll explain.

To me light beer is an acquired taste as it took quite a long time for me to actually enjoy one, but soon I discovered dark beer. All of a sudden the world of beerdom didn't seem so unexplainable, it was beginning to have a new appeal. Dark beer was not an acquired taste to me, I liked it immediately. So after this discovery I decided it was time to learn more.

I have stepped out of the casual Guiness dark beer corner and am venturing off to try new flavors. My palate was small with only Guiness Extra Stout, Samuel Adams: Boston Lager, and Michelob's AmberBoch (the only Michelob beer on my list) being the beers I would look for at an establishment. It is time to discover the rest of beerdom; wheat beers, rice beers, Lambics, Lagers, Stouts, Ambers, and much, much more.

Here is a list of a few of my new favorite beers so far in this short venture. This list will soon be molded into a much more usable list, but this is all you will get for now:

1. Belhaven: Scottish Stout
2. Franziskaner hefe-weisse
3. Maredsous Dubbel
4. Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout

Continue to check back and see how the list grows (with an official ranking system) with the contributors of this website as the adventure begins. Feel free to leave comments about your favorite beers so far!

-charles