HAD 135: Belgian Ale

Ah Belgium, what comes to mind when you think of this country? Chocolate, waffles, WWI war tragedies? Okay, maybe the last one is just me, but what you should also be thinking of is Beer. They have all the Beer love of Germany with the snootiness of France, but from their Trappists monasteries to their Pilsners, they have a lot to offer. We’ll talk about a few of them today, and maybe, just maybe . . . have a drink.

WHAT WE’RE DRINKING:

Brittany

  • Beverage: New Belgium Trippel

  • Brand: New Belgium

  • Style: Trippel Belgian Style Ale

  • Strength: 8.5%

  • Other (IBU, description, etc.): 

  • Score (BA, Untappd, etc.):

Justin

  • Beverage: La Folie Grand Reserve 

  • Brand: New Belgium

  • Style: Flanders Oud brun Aged in Sherry Barrels with Tahitian Vanilla Beans

  • Strength: 8%

  • Other (IBU, description, etc.): 

  • Score (BA, Untappd, etc.): 4.11/5

Christopher

  • Beverage: 3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze

  • Brand: 3 Fonteinen

  • Style: Oude Geuze

  • Strength:6 %

  • Other (IBU, description, etc.): 

  • Score (BA, Untappd, etc.): 4.1 untappd

  • A true Geuze. A blend of 1, 2, and 3 year-old lambic unfiltered and unpasteurized and aged in the bottle for at least 6 months after blending. Continued fermentation in the bottle give this Geuze its famous champagne-like spritziness. The lambic that goes into it is brewed only with 60% barley malt, 40% unmalted wheat, aged hops, and water, spontaneously fermented by wild yeasts, and matured in oak casks.

  • 3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze is a blend of one-, two-, and three-year old lambics. Spontaneous fermentation, patient maturation in oak barrels, and continued evolution of the ecosystem in the bottle result in a distinctively complex and elegant natural beer. No two bottlings are alike, as there are multiple variables in the blending process, a variety of barrel sizes and shapes, differences in aged lambic proportions in the blend, etc. When cellared properly, 3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze can be aged for several decades. The aromas and flavours will evolve from notes of vibrant fresh citrus, zesty and grassy notes to a mellow, oaky, stone fruit bouquet as the lambic continues to develop with time. Lambic and Geuze are living, cultural heritage rooted in the Zenne valley! Taste, savour, enjoy and experience this bottle fermented, unfiltered, unpasteurised and unadulterated beer with friends new and old!

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Brittany Leigh WalkerComment