For this beer review we took a field trip to the Total Wine in Huntington Beach for one of their tasting classes. It's a great program they have - $15 gets you a tasting of some good beers, the history of the beer and region, plus all the pizza you can eat!
This tasting was all Belgium beers who have the famous brewing monks. Monks brewed beer not because they were all a bunch of drunks, but that was the best way to make the water safe to drink in the years before chlorine. Their every-day drinking ales were real low ABV so you could drink it all day long, not get drunk and stay hydrated. They'd brew stronger ABV ales, though, for "fun" consumption. "Trappist" beers are beers that are brewed inside of a monastery. "Abbey" beers are ones were the recipe comes from a monastery, but are brewed outside the monastery. St. Arnold is the patron saint of Belgian breweries.
Beer #1 - Dupont Florent
Farmhouse Ale
7.5% ABV
While highly carbinated, it has a lackluster apperance. It has a very light taste - hardly noticable. Paring this beer with cheese would help the taste a lot. It's recommended this is drunk out of a tulip class and served at a temperature in the mid 50's F.
On a scale of 100, this one gets a 72.
Beer #2 - Martens Witte
Witbier
4.8% ABV
A refreshing, orange taste. Would be a good beer to drink after a run. It has a lackluster appearance but an inviting smell and an appealing feel in the mouth. Comes in a can and recommended to drink out of a mug. Serve at a cool temperature around 50 degrees F.
On a scale of 100, this one gets a 79.
Beer #3 - Antigoon
Pale Ale
6.7% ABV
Fairly clear, but very orange in color. Christina thought it smelled like a pistachio swamp. It has quite an interesting aroma - Earthy. Great taste, not bitter. Malty. Recommended to drink out of a tulip glass, cold at around 50 degrees F.
It's sister style is a Belgian Blond Ale.
On a scale of 100, this one gets a 90!
Beer #4 - Kwak
Strong Pale Ale
8.4% ABV
Dark golden color. Not much taste considering it's color. It's a little malty. The high ABV content is hidden in the taste. The brewers of this beer use a Belgian candied sugar as yeast. Recommended to drink out of a tulip or wine glass and a serving temperature in the mid to upper 50's F.
On a scale of 100, this one gets an 82.
Beer #5 - Flying Fish Exit 4
Belgian-style Tripel
9.5% ABV
Brewed in New Jersey. Light golden look, like apple juice. Smells crisp and sweet, but very hoppie. It tastes like a Riesling wine at first until the hops kick in. It's very sweet. It's good, but it'd be tough to drink a lot of it. You'd also get pretty drunk pretty fast. Recommended to drink out of a wine glass and serve cool at around 50 degrees F.
On a scale of 100, this one gets a 90!
Beer #6 - Poppering Hommel Ale
Belgian IPA
7.5% ABV
Cloudy look to it. The smell isn't very hoppie. It's very carbonated but not very bitter in taste. Not a whole lot of flavor to it except an egg aftertaste. We're used to the IPA's of San Diego county that have a much stronger, bitter taste to them. Recommended to drink out of a wine glass or chalice and serve at a temperature in the mid 50's F.
On a scale of 100, this one gets a 72.
Beer #7 - Flying Fish Westmalle
Belgian-Style Dubbel
7.2% ABV
Very brown and cloudy in apperance. Lots of particles floating around in this one. Kurt though it was too fizzy. Christina liked this much better than an American-style Dubbel. It has something in it (yeast?) that balances out the sweetness of the malt. Recommended to drink out of a chalice or goblet and serve at a temperature in the mid 50's F.
On a scale of 100, this one gets an 80.
Beer #8 - Adriaen Brower
Belgian-Style Strong Dark Ale
8.5% ABV
Dark brown in color. Smells a little like eggs. It's fizzy, but doesn't give much else for an impression. The beer has been discontinued, but if you could buy it, it's recommended to serve it at a temperature in the mid 50's F and any style of glass will suit it.
On a scale of 100, this one gets a 76.
Beer #9 - La Trappe
Belgian Quadrupel
10% ABV
Light brown color w/ particles floating around. Sweet smell of molasses. It has a very sweet, sugary taste. None of us noted what type of glass it's recommended to drink this out of. We were a bit tipsy by this point. It is recommended to serve this warm in the upper 50 degrees F.
On a scale of 100, this one gets a 76.
Beer #10 - Dauchese De Bourgogne
Red Ale
6% ABV
Very dark in color, yet clear. Smells like a farm and tastes like a vinegary wine. It was tough to finish the tasting pour.
On a scale of 100, this one gets a 70.
Beer #11 - Mikkeller Strawberry
Fruit Lambic
7.7 ABV
An unfiltered beer that is cloudy orange in color. It smells more like a barn yard than even the previous beer. It tastes like straight vinegar. There isn't a particular style of glass this beer can be drank out of, but the group recommended pouring this one into a toilet. It was univeraly hated. Drink it cold, drink it warm, it's going to suck either way.
On a scale of 100, this one gets a 6.
And that's the Belgians. The Antigoon Pale Ale and the Flying Fish Exit 4 Tripel were the run-away winners with the group. The Mikkeller vinegar beer is something to stay away from. It's $13.99 a bottle by the way!
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