Beer Blog
Beers for New Year’s
We would never argue the undeniable allure of drinking Champagne or other sparkling wines on New Year’s Eve, as the Bluebird crew will surely be sipping (more than) our fair share of bubbly this weekend, but we also intend to incorporate some special beers into the mix as well.
Here’s what we’re drinking this New Year’s Eve:
DeuS – Brewery Bosteels in Buggenhout, Belgium
This absolutely stunning “Brut des Flandres” raises a lot of eyebrows when people peruse our beer menu, due to the price tag that comes with it. Every week, people ask me if this beer is really worth $40 (it’s a 750ml bottle), and every week, I explain why I feel like it is.
It’s a strong, golden ale that’s brewed and fermented in Belgium by the lovely people who make Tripel Karmeliet and Kwak, and once it’s finished fermenting, they ship the beer to Champagne, France via tanker truck. In France, it has a full Methode-Champenoise performed on it, just as the finest sparkling wines in the world do, and it undergoes and lengthy (and costly) maturation period in the Champagne caves. All in all, it takes about a year to produce this beer.
The end result is unlike anything else we’ve ever tasted. It’s spritzy, but delicately elegant. There are beautiful aromatics of citrus and mint, and complex flavors of fresh apples, pears, ginger, tarragon, and more. It also doesn’t hurt that the alcohol content is 11.5%
Grand Cru – St. Feuillien Brewery in Le Roeulx, Belgium
This is one of our favorite new beers to come out of Belgium this year, and we’re thrilled that the brewery is going to be making it year round.
This strong, blond ale is fermented with St. Feuillien’s house yeast strain, but then bottle conditioned with Champagne yeast. It doesn’t undergo the same Method-Champenoise that the DeuS does, but it is pretty amazing in its own right.
The Grand Cru is incredibly crisp, with intense tones of spicy and herbal hops. There’s a touch of malty sweetness on the mid-palate, but overall the beer is quite dry and pleasantly bitter. It drinks deceptively light for having an alcohol content of 9.5%, which is what prompted one of our staff members to nickname this beer “The Velvet Hammer.”
Lagunitas Sucks – Lagunitas Brewing Co. in Petaluma, CA
Yes, you read that right. Lagunitas actually named their Holiday Ale “Lagunitas Sucks” this year, since they felt so bad about not being able to brew their normal season, “Brown Shugga,” due to their current ongoing brewery expansion (When I was out in CA for a visit last month, there were trucks and contractors all over the brewery grounds). Brown Shugga is a pretty massive beer that takes a really long time to produce, and they realized that since they were already running at capacity this year, they wouldn’t be able to brew Brown Shugga AND make enough of their staples like IPA, Pils, and Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ to satisfy the masses.
The solution? Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale, a delectable IPA that proves these guys can have a sense of humor about themselves, and also make a really awesome beer in place of a favorite seasonal. The hops are bright and fruity, with big notes of mangoes, pineapples, and coconuts. If there was ever a beer that seemed reminiscent of a pina colada, it’s this one. And I mean that in a very good way.
And as a bonus, Lagunitas just shipped more of this beer, but the second batch is labeled as Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Leftovers Ale.
Hibernation Ale – Great Divide Brewing Co. in Denver, CO
This winter seasonal from Great Divide is brewed in the style of an English Old Ale. Darker and heavier than a pale ale, Hibernation is malty and robust with subtle hints of smoke and pumpernickel bread. It’s rich, but not cloying or overly sweet.
We love this beer because it’s a fantastic representation of a classic style that we don’t see a lot of people brewing right now. It’s hearty, it’s warming, and it’s ridiculously delicious. It also happens to pair very well with a variety of foods, especially things with rich sauces.
Happy New Year to everyone! If we don’t see you this weekend, we look forward to drinking with you in 2012!
