Beer Review - Poperings Hommelbier

Brouwerij Van Eecke Poperings Hommelbier - 7.5% ABV

The Earldom of Yedegem was founded in Watou, Flanders in 1629 where they build a nice castle and shortly afterward constructed a fine brewery.  Flanders, I am sure you know, is part of today's Belgium, which may lead you to believe that they know how to brew a good beer, and you would be right.  150 years later during the French Revolution rampaging French troops burned the castle, and the brewery to the ground.  Bastards.  Wisely, the family Yedegem ran off to England to avoid the guillotine.  In 1820 the brewery was rebuilt by a local farmer, under the slogan "Revolt all you want, but we still need beer here." The brewery was then named "In de Gouden Leeuw" (In the Golden Lion).  1862, The Family Van Eecke became the new owners of the brewery by marriage, and started brewing top fermenting country ales.

The brewery created Hommelbier (hommel in the local dialect means hops) in 1981 specifically for a local festival and it was very well received.  It's popularity has since spread far and wide and has won the brewery many awards for this magnificent beast. 

I suggest that you look at the beer in the bottle before you even open it.  Notice all of the goodies in suspension?  They are going to add interest and flavor to your experience.  The beer pours the color of honey and caramel and with a huge mushoom head that hangs around for a while.  Be patient, enjoy the show of the tiny floating bits hanging around in the glass.  The nose is of yeast and hops and a bit of fruit in the background.  When you finally get to taste you will be blown away.  Amazing flavors of yeast and a good deal of hops, but no overpowering bitterness.  Slightly sweet, malty, bready and bitter ... balanced, perfect.  Very refreshing and light considering the high alcohol content.  Incredible beer, undoubtedly one of the best beers on the market and one of the best that I have had in a long while. 

Brouwerij Van Eecke
Douvieweg 2
Watou 8978 Belgium
http://www.hommelbier.be/en

Battle of the Beers Part 2 - Stingo Ale

Boulevard Brewing & Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project Collaboration Stingo, 8.5% ABV
vs
Samuel Smith's Stingo, 9% ABV

Stingo.  Until a few months ago I had never heard of this beer style whatsoever.  Then, out of the blue, I find not one, but two versions of this unknown strong ale. The ale is quite ancient and is mentioned in old English literature and specific to the Yorkshire area; Stingo is the kind of beer that gives beer historians wood.  The funny part is that these two breweries seem to be the only ones making it.

The flavor should be a bit sweet, rich, malty and strong and with a bit of sourness in the background.  Oh yes, and alcohol, lots of alcohol.  This is a magnificent style of beer and either one of these is great on it's own, but here are the comment from the snobs when asked to compared and choose a favorite in a head to head competition.

Samuel Smith's
- "Sweeter, very smooth, excellent."
- "Slightly sweet and creamy."
- "Sweet, more complex."
- "Not bitter and no aftertaste."
- "Great depth w/ carmel sweetness."
- "..because it's just better."

Boulevard Stingo
- "Bitter, complex and excellent.  I can't really decide which is better."
- "Caramel taste."

So, as you can see Samuel Smith's Stingo was preferred by the panel 6-2, but both were very well received and everyone agreed that they would buy either of these beers to enjoy at home.  You can find both of these at several location around town, but for how long...?

Beer Tasting with The DBS

Join us for the Christmas Beer Tasting at the Idle Rich Pub.

 

 

Taste the best of this year's Christmas beers at our casual Monday night tasting. There is no formal presentation. We provide you with tasting notes, informational materials, an individual cheese plate and of course the beers. Enjoy and discuss these seasonal brews with your friends. Brewery giveaways also.

MONDAY DECEMBER 17th

Cost - $25

These tastings do sell out, please email for reservations at mail@idlerichpub.com.

 

Are you tired of our snobby beer reviews that are not, in your mind, fair and balanced?  The good folks at the Idle Rich have agreed to allow you to join us at the Christmas Beer Tasting.  Time is short and space is limited for you to reserve a space with the Dallas Beer Snobs at this event.  Everyone who joins us will be offered the chance to add their voice  to the regular panel of reviewers.  IF you would like to join us contact them and let them know that you would like to be added to the Dallas Beer Snobs list.  Remember, this offer is open for a very limited time.  We are looking forward to meeting you and value your opinions.

 

Bon

Mysterium Verum Beer Dinner

Real Ale Beer and Food pairing @ the Meddlesome Moth

Attention UBER Snobs.  On Monday, November 4th the Meddlesome Moth will be hosting a beer and food pairing with Real Ale Brewing Company from Blanco, Texas.  Their Mysterium Verum beers feature aged and experimental beers that very, very few people will ever see, much less taste.

-WT3F?!, a barrel-aged version of Real Ale’s Devil’s Backbone made with brettanomyces
-Devil’s Share, another Devil’s Backbone aged in Cabernet Barrels
-Highlander, a wine barrel-aged wee heavy scotch ale
-Empire, a barrel-aged version of Real Ale’s Lost Gold IPA
-Kraken, Real Ale’s Sisyphus Barleywine Ale aged in French oak
-Vol. X5, a Maker’s Mark-barrel-aged version of Real Ale’s 15th Anniversary Stout
-Scots Gone Wild, a wee heavy scotch ale aged six months in American oak and wild yeast (available for purchase at the bar)

While the cost is a bit of an eyebrow raiser you can be sure that the dished prepared by Moth executive chef David McMillan will be every bit as amazing as these one of a kind beers.  $90/ per person and $80/ per person for club members.

Restaurant Review - Our Favorite Sports Bar

Walk-On's Sports Bar

So there we were, out and about, driving around and decided that we should find a place to watch some Saturday football.  Since we were not really in our neck of the woods we were a bit flummoxed.  Yelp and Trip Advisor are, as you are well aware, fairly worthless for finding good sports pubs since no matter where you go Buffalo Wild Wings sits at the top of the list.  But the guy at the gas station, he knows where to go.

What is it that you expect to find in a sports bar?  TVs, duh. Yep, Walk On's has TVs.  Dozens of TVs in fact.  HD in every direction. 

Beer?  Yep, and not just fissy pissy water, they have a large selection of regional brews that will satisfy most every taste. 

Great service?  Hordes of pretty women (Hi Christy!) who are actually nice, competent and personable.

Good food?  Oh my, here is the magic of Walk On's.  Oh sure, you can get wings, but imagine if you will instead, a gumbo.  No, not a can of Campbell's gumbo dumped in a bowl and freshly nuked, just for you.  This gumbo is made in house and made with duck and andouille sausage.  Dark,rich and delightful with a thin layer of grease floating on top.  How about shrimp, stuffed with an oyster, wrapped in bacon and fried.  Yes, you can get that.  Oh, you want a burger?  How about a burger stuffed with bacon and cheese.  You heard me right, the cheese and bacon are stuffed inside the frigging patty.  Holy poop on a stick.  Something lighter?  Try fresh, blackened mahi on a wheat bun with chipotle mayo.  Lighter still?  The seared Ahi Tuna salad has ahi set upon Napa cabbage with mixed greens, avocao, mango, peppers, fresh jalepeno, cilantro, edamame and a sesame dressing.  Pastas, wraps, po-boys ... and so much more.

I can't tell you a how much we enjoyed our afternoon and how much we enjoyed the experience of Walk-On's, but I can tell you that I will return.

Oh, there is one HUGE problem with Walk--On's that you should know about ... it's in Lafayette and you will need to drive about 7 hours to get there.  Rat fart.  You can visit their locations in Baton Rough or New Orleans if you wish as well.

Walk-On's Bistreaux and Bar
2336 Kaliste Saloom Road
Lafayette, LA 70508
ttp://walk-ons.com/

Battle of the Beers Part I - Chocolate Ales

Boulevard Chocolate Ale, 9.10% ABV
vs.
Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence Stout - 7% ABV

If you have never been to a chocolate and beer pairing you may be (or may not be) quite surprised to find out that beer and chocolate compliment each other quite nicely.  So the Snobs thought that it may be fun to sample a couple of beers with chocolate added to them and then took on the task of comparing these two to see which we thought was better.

You have to hand it Boulevard, they brew lots of different beers of which some are superb and some are, well, not so superb.  Stubborn too, those Boulevard guys.  They brewed up a tank of the ale, bottled it up and released it, then they recalled it because it was funky.  So they brewed up a second batch, bottled it and released it, then recalled it because it too was funky.  So they brewed up a third batch, bottled it and released it, and this is the attempt that we tested.  Famed Kansas City chocolatier Christopher Elbow supplied the chocolate that was added to Boulevard's malty, strong ale.  The chocolate nibs that they used in the process were a famous bean from the Dominican Republic. 

The smell was richly of chocolate, vanilla and the ethers from the substantial alcohol content.  The low carbonation alludes to the creamy mouthfeel that reminds you of the texture of chocolate milk.  The finished product reminds you more of a milk chocolate than the dark that they were attempting.  You will notice the chocolate (duh), caramel, vanilla and espresso as you drink, but then the bitterness of the hops as you swallow kind if makes you think more of semi-sweet chocolate. They probably could have used a bit more malts and a bit less hops, but the brew was interesting nonetheless.

Ommegang began brewing their Chocolate Indulgence in 2007 as special treat on their 10th anniversary.  It was so popular that they continued making the beer and release it yearly as a seasonal.  Whereas Boulevard used cocoa beans and the the raw ingredients that are used to make chocolate, Ommegang used cocoa powder added to a traditional stout.  It poured with quite a large head that took a bit to dissapate and the aroma of cocoa is quite prevalent and a bit of dark fruitiness in the background.  The flavor is quite chocolatey with dark fruits coming through stronger as the beer warms.  Slight coffee flavor finished the quaff and the odd mix of Belgian yeasts with the stout.

I was quite surprised to find that the Snobs liked neither of these beers very much, but when forced to choose they chose the Ommegang Chocolate Seduction 4:1.  There was, however, a unanimous request that I never spring either of these beers on them ever again.  So let it be written, so let it be done.

Beer Review - Gnomegang

Brewery Ommegang Gnomegang Belgian Strong Pale Ale - 9.5% ABV

What do you get when you take 2 of the greatest breweries in the world and make a collaboration beer with ingredients from each?  Let's see ...

Brasserie d'Achouffe from Achouffe, Belgium and Brewery Ommegang from Cooperstown, New York are both owned by Duvel, so I guess it is logical that they would collaborate on a project.  The beers, however, are fairly similar and each fantastic in it's own right, so really, what good could come of making a beer with components of each?  Five malts ... Pilsner, Carapils, Flaked Oats, flaked Red Wheat, Special B are used in the mix along with 2 Saaz hops, added 3 times.  "The yeasts" you ask?  Because really, Belgian Ales are all about the yeasts. Well, the distinctive Achouffe yeast is used in the primary fermentation and then the just as distinctive Ommegang yeast is used for the secondary bottle fermentation.  Damn.

The beer pours a cloudyish golden apricot color with floating goodies and a huge head that slowly dissapates leaving lovely lacing.  The smell is sweetish, earthy, fruity, and with the expected bananas and alcohol ethers.  The flavor... Mother Goose... the flavor.  Bready, bananas, pepper, sugar and spice and oh so incredibly nice.  It is a bit dry and the hops only become apparent at the end.  This is one amazing beer and even if you don't particularly like this style it is worth the effort to find.

So what do you get?  A beer that makes you go booiiinggggg ... instant wood (metaphorically speaking, of course).  Grab one, or two ... hell, grab all that you can get your hands on.  My guess is that this one will age very well.

Brewery Ommegang
656 County Highway 33
Cooperstown, NY 13326
http://www.ommegang.com/