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!

We love it when Oktoberfest Beers start to show up at the end of the summer, and every year it always seems like they’re gone all too soon. I always recommend these to people when we have them in stock, since they’ve been brewed for the past couple hundred years to specifically be enjoyed as summer turns to fall.

Oktoberfest beers were traditionally brewed in the springtime, laid down in caves during summer, and pulled out in the fall to celebrate the harvest season. Before refrigeration, beer couldn’t be brewed in the summer since it would spoil too easily, so they had a lot to celebrate once there was a chill in the air again. These beers are usually golden to light amber in color, with a little more body, sweetness, and well-rounded malts than pilsners. The alcohol is still relatively low though, as Oktoberfest beer is brewed to be quaffable. Here are some of my favorites:

Ayinger Oktober Fest-Marzen – This is one of the most traditional Oktoberfest beers out there. It’s on the lighter side of medium bodied, and a beautiful golden-amber color. There’s a slight caramelization from the malt, with wonderful hints of spicy toffee and rye bread. It’s juicy and smooth on the palate, with an assertive, yet pleasant floral bitterness on the finish.

Two Brother’s Atom Smasher – For their Oktoberfest, Two Brothers adds a nice twist by aging Atom Smasher in large oak casks called foudres. The result is spectacular, with a little more alcohol than usual, well rounded malts and a fuller body, and nice tones of toasty oak and restrained fruits on top of the classic Oktoberfest flavors.

Victory Festbier – In my mind, Victory brews one of the finest representations of the style on this side of the Atlantic. Classic orange-amber hues and a medium body, with bready malts and spicy hops, their Festbier is smooth, creamy, and satisfying.

Weihenstephaner Festbier- More golden in color than a traditional Oktoberfest, but certainly tasty in its own right. A brisk, herbal hoppiness compliments the slight malty sweetness up front, and it’s refreshingly crisp on the finish.

Avery Brewing The Kaiser – Avery really kicked it up a notch (or three) with The Kaiser. Dubbing it an Imperial Oktoberfest, this malty best clocks in at 10.01% ABV. If you’re familiar with Avery, you probably know about their tendency to make incredibly delicious, high octane beers. The Kaiser is no exception, packed with enough flavor to make you feel like you’re drinking two Oktoberfest beers at once.

In this blog, the third in a series of three, I’m going to get a little more in depth about some of the breweries and beers we’re going to feature for our upcoming beer tasting, themed Out-Belgianing the Belgians!

Belgian breweries and the brewers behind them have long been highly regarded for their mastery of robust, complex, and delicious beers. But with the overwhelming momentum in the craft beer industry, there are a handful of incredible brewers in America and all over the world that are brewing Belgian-Style beers as well as, if not better than, the Belgians themselves.

(you can read about the first eight beers and breweries in Part 1 and Part 2.)

Brewery #9: Kiuchi Brewery – Located in Ibaraki, Japan

Kiuchi was originally founded in 1823 as a sake brewery, and they actually still make world-class sake today. It wasn’t until 1996 that they started brewing beer under the Hitachino Nest name, but they kept the same set of standards they’ve always used to produce sake. They take great pride in the quality of the things they make, and it definitely shows in the beers. Microbreweries were actually illegal in Japan until 1994, as the only licenses given out up until then were for producers who were a lot like the brewing giants we have here in America. Consequently, light, adjunct lagers (beers made with adjunct grains, like corn or rice) had a very strong hold on the industry there, and with microbreweries being illegal, there was literally no need for them to worry about any sort of competition. Once the ban on microbreweries was lifted, several people did start brewing, but it took a while for craft beer to catch on in Japan, and many of those breweries that started in the 90′s were only around for a couple years. These days though, the craft beer scene is booming, and Kiuchi is at the forefront of it with their Hitachino Nest Beers.

The Hitachino XH Bottle

The Beer – Hitachino Nest XH

The XH in this case stands for Extra High. This is a super cool, somewhat funky strong Belgian-Style Brown Ale that’s aged in Schochu (distilled sake) Casks. The result is an 8% ABV content beer that drinks very easy for its strength, with notes of restrained citrus, sour cherries, and a hint of caramel. There’s a touch of toasty oak, from the Schochu Casks, but I think they impart a little more than that. The mouthfeel on this beer is a little starchy, in a way that it sort of glides over your palate with a certain fuzziness. It’s very difficult to explain without a taste of it in front of you, so I’d highly recommend checking this one out. As far as I know, there isn’t another beer out there (at least not in America) that’s aged in Shochu or Sake Barrels. Other favorite Hitachino Nest beers to try: White Ale, Red Rice Ale, Sweet Stout.

Brewery #10: Great Divide Brewing – Located in Denver, Colorado

Right on the edge of downtown Denver, Great Divide is nestled into a former dairy-processing plant. It’s hard to imagine anything else but a brewery in the space now though, since the brewhouse, raw ingredients, and packaging are crammed in so tight at this point due to the increasing demand for Great Divide beers. They’ve been at it since 1994, but have grown incredibly fast over the past few years especially. They make a variety of styles, but probably get the most recognition for their more extreme releases. Oak-Aged Yeti is a fantastic Imperial Stout, and Hercules Double IPA is so good that it transcends being pegged as “just another ultra-hoppy beer.” They do make some fantastic session beers as well though, like the Hoss Rye Lager and the Denver Pale Ale, the latter of which unfortunately doesn’t come into the Chicago Market. I’ve always appreciated them for having a solid lineup of beers across the board, especially when they make so many different brews throughout the year.

Taken at Great Divide in December 2010

The Beer – Hades

Hades is a Belgian-Style Golden Ale from Great Divide, and I can tell you first hand that it can get you into trouble if you’re not careful. With just a hint of malty sweetness, it’s dangerously drinkable at 7.8% ABV. It’s complex and spicy, with a little juicy citrus and floral hops to really balance it out. It’s a little unnerving when a beer this strong is so quenching, but it’s become a staple for the Bluebird staff for just that reason. We love the Hades, and we love introducing people to it. Other favorite Great Divide beers to try: Titan IPA, Oak-Aged Yeti, Rumble.

Brewery #11: Brasserie Dieu du Ciel! – Located in Quebec, Canada

These are some of the coolest guys I’ve ever met in the beer business, and if you know anything about the beer business, it’s riddled with cool guys. We had the pleasure of hosting them at the Bluebird in April of last year when they were in town for the Craft Brewers Conference, and I had such a blast chatting with them (they actually invited me to come to Montreal in June of 2010 for a Beer Festival and to see their brewpub, but I had other obligations and couldn’t make it. I’ve been kicking myself ever since). They have a little brewpub right on the edge of downtown Montreal, and another microbrewery outside of Montreal in the town of Saint Jerome. Without much formal training, the guys who founded Dieu du Ciel have a serious gift for blending different brewing styles together, and especially for crafting exceptionally flavorful and balanced beer with the use of special ingredients. Whether it’s been coffee, peppercorns, hibiscus flowers, or vanilla in the brew, I’ve never had anything from these guys that I thought was less than fantastic.

Luc from Dieu du Ciel getting ready to tap a firkin at the Bluebird in April of 2010

The Beer – Derniere Volonte

Derniere Volonte is French for “Last Will,” but the beer itself is a mix of Belgian and English-Style brewing traditions. The beer itself is an Abbey-Style Blond Ale, brewed with their Belgian yeast strain to produce wonderful tones of fruit and spice, but they also use an English brewing technique called dry hopping for the Derniere Volonte. Dry hopping is when the brewer steeps whole hop flowers in the beer during fermentation, which will add more hop aroma to a beer, and sometimes help to make it taste a little more dry than it would have otherwise. Other favorite Dieu du Ciel beers to try: Rosee d’Hibiscus, Route des Epices, Corne du Diable.

Brewery #12: Allagash – Located in Portland, Maine

How could we do an Out-Belgianing the Belgians Beer Tasting and not include Allagash? Rob Tod is a stand-up dude, and he founded Allagash in 1995 after working in another brewery and recognizing a lack of Belgian-Style beers being brewed in America. At the time, German and English-Styles were dominating the tiny craft market, but Rob had a serious ace up his sleeve with a little beer called Allagash White. Brewed in the Belgian White Ale Style (otherwise referred to as witbier), Allagash White is light and crisp with a little sweetness, a touch of spice, and damn near perfect for what it is. After achieving success with the White, Rob went on to brew the Allgash Dubbel, Tripel, and now does a variety of different special releases throughout the year, all of which are fantastic. In my opinion, Allagash is undoubtedly one of America’s top Belgian-Style breweries.

The Confluence Bottle

The Beer – Confluence (2010 release)

I’m super excited to bust this out and see how it’s tasting. We’ve been cellaring this at the Bluebird for about a year and a half now, and I think it’s going to taste incredible. To make the Confluence, Allagash actually uses two different yeast strains. They let their house yeast strain, a Belgian-Style one, work alongside their Brettanomyces (wild) strain, to create a mix of amazing flavors and complexities. They do a lengthy aging process on the beer post-fermentation, to let it develop, and then they dry hop it before bottling. So the style is technically a dry-hopped Belgian-Style Golden Ale, but when you taste it, it’s easy to see that it’s so much more. It’s light and floral, with a touch of citrus and spritzy carbonation. With the slight funkiness coming through from that Brettanomyces yeast strain, it’s in a class all of its own. Other favorite Allagash beers to try: White, Dubbel, Fluxus.

Cheers!

In this blog, the second in a series of three, I’m going to get a little more in depth about some of the breweries and beers we’re going to feature for our upcoming beer tasting, themed Out-Belgianing the Belgians!

Belgian breweries and the brewers behind them have long been highly regarded for their mastery of robust, complex, and delicious beers. But with the overwhelming momentum in the craft beer industry, there are a handful of incredible brewers in America and all over the world that are brewing Belgian-Style beers as well as, if not better than, the Belgians themselves.

(you can read about the first four beers and breweries in Part 1)

Brewery #5: Avery Brewing Co – located in Boulder, CO

Like Victory (as mentioned in the Part 1 of these blog posts), Adam Avery put his brewery right in the middle of an industrial park, and has taken over and renovated the other spaces around him as they’ve become available. There are actually offices of separate companies in between different parts of the brewery. While beers like the Avery IPA and Ellie’s Brown put them on the map, beer nerds all around the country love them for their specialty brews. They have an amazing barrel room, where they age all kinds of funky concoctions, and they also do some amazing high gravity releases in a variety of styles throughout the year.

The Barrel Room at Avery

The Beer – White Rascal

Newly released to us in cans, Avery’s Belgian-Style Wit Beer is awesomely refreshing. The wheat lends a little bit of sweetness on the palate and creaminess to the mouthfeel, as it often does, and the traditional use of orange peel and coriander is very balanced. One of my favorite things about this beer though, is the soda pop-like carbonation. It’s so fizzy and refreshing, but also full flavored. The alcohol is relatively low at 5.6%, but this beer can be dangerous in its own right just for how quenching (poundable) it is. I love this beer, and I think it’s pretty underrated, since the brewery gets a lot more recognition for their more intense or aggressive brews, so I’m really excited to feature it. Other favorite Avery beers to try: IPA, Ellie’s Brown, Maharaja, Salvation.

Brewery #6: Collesi – Located in Apecchio, Italy

The Collesi family placed their La Fabbrica Della Birra (The Beer Factory) in the mountainous area of Monte Nerone, right on the border of Tuscany, Umbria, Marche, and Romagna. One of the reasons for this, despite what I can only imagine are amazing views, is the fact that they get to tap into some pretty awesome natural spring water, and it really shows in their beers. They’re all very clean, crisp, and incredibly well crafted. Another interesting thing about Collesi is that they source their barley from a farm that they also own, and all of the malting is done at a modern malthouse that they partially own. They also apparently imported a Belgian Brewmaster to oversee all of their production. Does this make it cheating for our Out-Belgianing the Belgians theme? If you think it does, you’re bound to forget all about it when you taste these beers.

The Beer – Ambrata

The Ambrata is Collesi’s Amber Ale, and in my opinion, one of their finest offerings. It’s almost copper in color, with just a touch of caramelization and wonderful tones of dried fruits. One of the things I really appreciate about this beer is how subtly complex it is. A lot of the Belgian Amber Ales are so robust, with their flavor profiles and their carbonation, but this one seems more elegant and refined than some of its Belgian counterparts (I know, I could get shot by beer aficionados and importers alike for saying that). The Ambrata weighs in at 7.5% ABV, the malts are rich but not overdone, and a floral hop bouquet really ties it all together. Other favorite Collesi beers to try: Rossa, Bionda, Nera.

Brewery #7: Nogne O – Located in Grimstad, Norway

This brewery was founded by an airline pilot, who gathered an appreciation for the American craft beer scene when he was piloting airbuses across the pond for SAS airways. He became an avid homebrewer, and would actually pick up his homebrewing supplies when he was stateside, and stuff everything back into his luggage to haul it back to Norway. He ended up starting Nogne O with almost no money and the help of a handful of other people (some of whom have left the venture over the years), and the original brewery was welded together almost entirely by hand with a hodge podge of different equipment that they found or sourced almost entirely for free, before getting a solid investor a few years ago. The full story is on their website, and it’s pretty amazing since Norway had virtually no craft beer scene of its own before these guys came along.

The Beer – Tiger Tripel

The brewers at Nogne O admit that this is a very difficult style of beer to brew, but they decided to attempt it anyway. If you ask me, I think their attempt was pretty darn successful. It’s robust, but balanced, with hints of citrus and herbal tones that make this incredibly complex. For a brewery whose American and English styles of beer are what put them on the map, they do a fantastic job with this Belgian-Style Tripel. Other favorite Nogne O beers to try: Pale Ale, Porter, Saison.

Brewery #8: La Trappe (Koningshoeven) – Located in Tilburg, Netherlands

La Trappe is one of only seven authentic Trappist Breweries, and they’re the only one located outside of Belgium. To be able to label your beers an “Authentic Trappist” product, the beer has to be brewed at a Trappist Monastery by the Trappist Monks themselves. Our former Beer Director, Jill Mott, wrote a wonderful blog post about Trappist Brews earlier this year, which you can read here. For a while, the La Trappe beers were sold in the USA under the name, Koningshoeven, which is the name of the Monastery itself. There was a little debacle about the name La Trappe with an American company (one which didn’t sell beer or have anything to do with beer whatsoever), but the lawyers finally figured it all out last year and they were able to relaunch the beers in the USA under the La Trappe name, which is how they’re marketed all over the rest of the world.

The Beer – La Trappe Dubbel

This is one of my favorite renditions of this classic, Abbey Style or beer from any brewery, in or out of Belgium. It pours a deep ruby brown, and has a wonderful aroma of dried fruits and spicy hops. Those aromas translate onto the palate, where it’s a little malty sweet, and incredibly soft for being 7% ABV. This beer is wonderful with artisan cheeses and grilled meats, and is a joy all on its own. Other favorite La Trappe beers to try: Isid’or, Tripel, Quadrupel.

Stay Tuned for Part 3!

In just a couple weeks, we’re hosting a beer tasting at the Bluebird that I’ve had on my mind for quite some time now. Belgian breweries and the brewers behind them have long been highly regarded for their mastery of robust, complex, and delicious beers. But with the overwhelming momentum in the craft beer industry, there are a handful of incredible brewers in America and all over the world that are brewing Belgian-Style beers as well as, if not better than, the Belgians themselves.

In this blog, the first in a series of three, I’m going to get a little more in depth about some of the breweries and beers we’re going to feature for the upcoming tasting.

Brewery #1: The Lost Abbey – located in San Marcos, CA

Just about 30 miles north of San Diego, Port Brewing Co and The Lost Abbey is housed in the former Stone Brewing Co. Brewery, which Stone vacated in 2006 when they moved to their new digs over in nearby Escondido, CA. To clear up some confusion right off the bat, Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey are actually divisions of the same company, and both brands are brewed in the same space. The Port Brewing beers are a lot more American West Coast Style, while The Lost Abbey ones are Belgian Inspired.

The Director of Brewery Operations is Tomme Arthur, and I can say with confidence that he’s a bit of a rock star in the craft beer industry. Between the two labels, he makes beers that are solid representations of a plethora of styles, and he’s done his fair share of innovation as well. We did a Lost Abbey tasting at the Bluebird with Tomme in July of 2009, and a lot of people (myself included) still consider it to be one of the best tastings we’ve done to date. The beers were all incredible, and Tomme is a wealth of knowledge and one hell of a guy.

The Beer – 10 Commandments

They call it a dark, farmhouse ale, and it’s kind of a slightly beefed up version of their Abbey-Style Dubbel, “Lost and Found.” They brew this beer with raisins, which they actually caramelize with a big blowtorch (awesome), as well as some sweet orange peel and a little bit of rosemary. The alcohol clocks in at 9%, so this one isn’t for the faint of heart. It doesn’t drink boozy, but it certainly does have a warming affect to it. The raisins definitely shine through on the palate, as do the spices, and I get a little hint of dark plums and tobacco as well. It’s rich and dark, but surprisingly drinkable for the strength. You can see a video they made about brewing 10 Commandments here. Other favorite Lost Abbey beers to try: Devotion, Inferno, Carnevale.

Brewery #2: The Bruery – located in Placentia, CA

These guys have certainly made some waves recently, especially since they’ve only been in business for a few years. Patrick Rue will openly admit that he started home brewing while he was in law school to distract himself from studying, and he’s also admitted to me personally that he never had a professional brewing job or a whole lot of formal training before founding The Bruery. While this probably isn’t the best course of action for most, he’s certainly made it work for himself. Their process is pretty darn traditional and Belgian-Style in its own right. They never filter or pasteurize, and all of their bottled beers are 100% bottle conditioned.

Sidenote: bottle conditioning is a natural carbonation process for beer. How it works: Right before bottling, the brewery will add a little bit of sugar to the batch. After the bottles are sealed, the yeast inside continues to work and eats the new sugars, essentially refermenting the beer inside the bottle. When yeast eats sugar during the fermentation process, two things are created: alcohol and CO2. In the brewery, the CO2 blows off out of the fermenter. But in the sealed bottle, it has nowhere to go but into the beer itself.

When the Craft Brewer’s Conference was in Chicago in April of 2010, we had the pleasure of hosting these guys for another one of my favorite beer tastings at the Bluebird to date. For such a young brewery, I couldn’t help but be blown away with how well crafted and tasty each and every one of their beers was.

The Beer – Mischief

Mischief is one of my favorite offerings from The Bruery. It originally started out as a seasonal release, but as they’ve grown, they’ve been able to brew it year round even if it’s not always readily available. They describe it as a Hoppy Belgian-Style Golden Strong Ale. Think of Duvel, but cranked up a couple of notches. It clocks in at 8.5% ABV, but you’d almost never guess it. The alcohol is covered so well with some spicy tones up front, and restrained fruits on the finish. It’s rich and robust, but not overwhelmingly so, and it’s refreshingly dry. One of the reasons I love this beer so much is that it pairs wonderfully with a lot of different foods. Since the beer itself is so versatile with its lighter malt profile, brisk hoppiness, and spritzy carbonation, I could see this standing up to a delicate or flakey white fish, BBQ or other richer sauces, or a funky cheese. Other favorite Bruery beers to try: Saison Rue, Rugbrod, Saison de Lente.

Brewery #3: Jolly Pumpkin – located in Dexter, MI

I’ve been saying for a while now that Ron Jeffries is making some of the coolest beer in America, not to mention some of the hardest brews for the Bluebird staff to keep our hands off of whenever we can get them in stock. His process is very old school, even by Belgian standards, and very much his own.

Most breweries use fermenters that are cylindrical in shape, closed at the top, and conical at the bottom. At Jolly Pumpkin, their fermenters are square in shape, open at the top, and flat at the bottom. How does this affect the beer? The cylindrical shaped fermenters that most breweries use are ideal to make the yeast kick into high gear and start the fermentation process. The fermenters at Jolly Pumpkin are pretty much the opposite. They put little to no pressure on the yeast, letting it take its time to make a more distinct, complex beer. As if this isn’t different enough, he does all of his secondary fermentations in barrels (mostly wine barrels), which introduces wild bacteria to the mix, giving all of the Jolly Pumpkin beers a hint of tartness and barnyard funk.

Sidenote: While barrel aging has become more and more common for a lot of breweries these days, it’s still pretty uncommon for breweries to actually ferment in barrels. Most barrel aging is done post fermentation, to add a layer of complexity and let the beer mature. When the yeast is still at work and you’re fermenting in the barrels, you’re bound to pull a lot more flavor and bacteria (nothing harmful) out of them.

The Beer – La Roja

La Roja is Jolly Pumpkin’s deep Amber Ale brewed in the Flanders Tradition. Essentially, it’s a Flemish-Style Sour, and in my opinion, it’s every bit as good as the ones coming out of Flanders. It’s tart, zippy, acidic, and slightly caramelized. Only a handful of American breweries even attempt to make this style of beer, and I’ve only had two American-Brewed sours that I like as much as La Roja (Those would be Consecration from Russian River Brewing, and Oude Tart from The Bruery – the former of which isn’t currently available in IL at all, while the latter is so rare that it might as well not be available). Other favorite Jolly Pumpkin beers to try: Bam Biere, Oro de Calabaza, Luciernaga.

Brewery #4: Victory Brewing Co – located in Downingtown, Pennsylvania

Ron Barchet and Bill Covaleski founded Victory in 1996 after they had both worked in other breweries for years, and after both of them received formal training in Munich, Germany. They’re actually kind of an interesting choice of breweries for our Out-Belgianing the Belgians tasting, since they are very much a German-Style Brewhouse. They use a lot of German malts in their beers, and they follow a lot of German tradition and technique in their brewing process. That being said, they make beers in a variety of styles, and they make them all very well.

I’ve personally always felt that one of the most distinct things about Victory is their water source. They’re sitting on one of the best water sources in the craft beer community, and if you taste all of their beers side by side, I think even the most novice beer drinker could tell there was something special about it. The beers are all so crisp, so clean, and pure in their own right. From the hopped-up Prima Pils, to the Storm King Imperial Stout. The brewery is actually located in an industrial park, and as they’ve grown to a pretty decent size, they’ve actually just taken over all of the other space around them as it’s become available. They’re so loyal to their water source that they’d rather go through the hassle of renovating new space little by little instead of just moving the brewery to a much larger space all at once.

The Beer – Golden Monkey

This one packs a bit of a punch. An utterly delicious punch, that is. While they’re heavily influenced by German Brewing Traditions, the Golden Monkey is Victory’s version of an Abbey-Style Tripel. They still use German malts, but the yeast is all Belgian. I get wonderful floral and herbal tones from the hop profile, with juicy citrus and strong fruitiness from the yeast, and a hint of malty sweetness on the finish. At 9.5% ABV (that’s the delicious punch I was referring too), it’s dangerously drinkable and surprisingly light in body for the strength. This one has definitely gotten me in trouble more than once, but I just keep going back for more. Other favorite Victory beers to try: Prima Pils, Summer Love, Headwaters Pale Ale.

Stay tuned for Part 2!

When was the last time you consumed Swiss wines?

Switzerland. She’s known for chocolate, banks, watches, and shushing in the Alps. Little do people know that world class wines are crafted here! There so delicious in fact, only 2% of the wines are consumed outside Swiss borders.
This mountainous country boasts a mere 15,000 ha under vine (roughly 37,000 acres – that’s 2,000 less than all of Napa Valley put together – we’re talkin’ miniscule).

Known for crisp, lean wine that quenches ones thirst after playing snow bunny, the image of Swiss wines is changing at an accelerated rate! Everything from fashionable Pinot Noir that rivals Burgundy to indigenous grapes like the classy, age-worthy Amigne, and the playful but delineated Humagne Rouge are changing the face of quality production in Switzerland.

There is one problem: Swiss wines are not cheap and in a world of $10, easy-drinking Tempranillo, this country has a few odds stacked against it. This can easily be explained. Vines are usually planted at extremely high altitudes, steep sites that can only be harvested by the hands of man (no tractors could dare work these vineyards). Treatments, assessments, or seasonal pruning cannot be achieved via mechanical methods – this is backbreaking work and you can taste the soil, altitude, and ability of the winemaker attempting to tame this land in every sip.

We are in a world of drinking better than we ever have and wine geeks the nation over are flipping their lids over this stuff! Take for example, a wine we just put on the menu, an Amigne from the southwestern edges of the country in the Rhône River basin between the Berner Alpen and the greater Alps.

AMIGNE | Serge Roh 2009 ‘Les Ruinettes’ Grand Cru de Vétroz | Valais, Switzerland (white)
The Amigne grape is ONLY cultivated in the Valais region of Switzerland (two hours east of Geneva) & considered a local specialty. It’s produced in such miniscule amounts we’re incredibly lucky to have Serge Roh’s ‘Les Ruinettes’ in house. Planted on steep, terraced vineyards with glacial moraine & slate soils, he has less than one hectare dedicated to this variety (less than 40 hectares are planted in the world!!!)! Vétroz is a very special Grand Cru (not well known outside Switzerland) that straddles the northern edge of the Rhône river. This wine has a rich texture & medium body with notes of plum marmalade, fresh apple sauce, slate, and a myriad of spring meadow flowers that luxuriously flow across the palate dressed in an off-dry fashion. Here’s to swishing on the Alps! 75

Lately, many debates have surfaced surrounding the integrity of Trappist Ales. On one hand reside those that suggest, in a nutshell, that Trappist brews and the monasteries that produce them are resting on laurels of names and followings that have carried through centuries – quality simply isn’t what it used to be. Then we have the steadfast followers – those that refuse to think anything other than Chimay, Rochefort, Konigshoeven, Westmalle, Westvleteren, Achel, and Orval are THE most unique and notable Ales in Belgium (and the Netherlands), and that these fermented wonders are not even benchmark styles, but classics in their own right, and attempts to replicate will only leave brewers, the world over, at a loss.

Centuries ago, travelers, crusaders, or pilgrims – if fortunate – stayed in hotels during their expeditions. These hotels were only owned by abbeys and imagine what they served? That’s right! Beer accompanied meals in place of water (not only is beer considered a digestive when consumed in moderate amounts, but was also a safe alternative to the water mid-first millennia). These abbeys were and still are, for the most part, self-sufficient – they produce their own fruits and veg, breads, cheeses, and wine in the south of Europe, and beer in the north.

La Trappe is an order stemming from the Cistercians of Burgundy. When the Cistercians escaped France due to a ransacking Napoleon, they headed for Belgium and the Netherlands and naturally took to the beverage and traditions of their new home – brew-ha! The Cistercian order (technically called the Cistercian Order of Strict Observance) is still one of the most rigorous, pedantic, devout, and enclosed orders in the world. The monks have taken a vow of silence (unless their work demands spoken word), prayer is observed various times daily, work is meticulous, and study is rigorous – that’s it. At times, “secular” brewers are hired to control parts of the brewing process as a monk’s primary task is to worship and tend to various studies. The profits collected from brewing are used to run the abbey.

Trappist Ales are so distinctive; each brewery has a specific style and may produce one flagship Ale or a larger handful of selections.

Orval is treated like a wine (sorry beer geeks, that’s straight from Michael Jackson!). Work done in the brew house yields a brew that’s quite consistent, but does have extremely slight nuances from batch to batch and depending on the batch, has different ageing capabilities. Its third fermentation in bottle amps up the complexity. Some say this is the most distinguisable nose and palate of the Trappist Ales.

Chimay is the highest selling of the Trappist beers in the U.S. and probably the most available (I’ve seen these brews in the most remote liquor stores in Northern Wisconsin!). Chimay makes three bottlings, the Peres Trappistes (red label), the brilliant white label (seen on 750ml bottles as Cinq Cents), and the dark and strong blue label (seen on 750ml bottles as Grande Réserve). All are bottle unpasteurized.

Achel is the newest addition to the Trappist lineup and the smallest of the Trappist orders (that brew beer, of course). Part of the abbey is located in Holland, the other section in Belgium – yes, yes, the brewery lies on the Belgian side. They are also one of two orders that still take part in the daily maintenance/workings of the brewery. They bottle three beers that see our market – all of which float in and out of Chicago like snow as production is unpredictable. The Blonde and Bruin are stealthily delectable and weigh in at 8%. The Extra is a stronger brew that’s not always available and is difficult to find even in Belgium. Upon inception, the production of these beers was overseen by Brother Antoine (formerly of Rochefort) and Brother Thomas (formerly of Westmalle). Double-whammy!

There are 25 monks at the abbey in Rochefort and four work in the brewery, getting work underway well before 4:00am. Rochefort produces three dangerous beers labeled by number. They all include coriander in the mash bill, two types of malt, sugar, hops, and yeast. The number on the bottle refers not only to the strength, but also the time (in weeks) the beers must rest at the brewery before release. The ’6′ is the hardest to find as it’s only produced a couple of times/year and represents a mere 1% of production. The ’8′ and ’10′ are stronger and should be consumed with caution. I once consumed them all and remembered doing push-ups outside a bar to see who paid for the cab. Anyway, the ’10′ is known as ‘liquid bread’ and is totally acceptable during Lent, even if you’re fasting from alcohol.

Westmalle is undoubtedly known for its splendid Tripel that finishes with a perfect amount of hop bitterness, however a Dubbel and Single (sometimes called, Extra and only brewed twice/year for internal consumption) are also produced. The Dubbel has practically the same recipe since its inception in 1926. I particularly like a quote from a brochure put out on their 150th anniversary. “Two glasses of Trappist will reduce stress by 50 percent.” Amen to that! The abbey has been producing beer upon founding in 1836 and the monks could resist less than 100 years before selling to the public in 1921. The Westmalle is studied & mimicked the world over… You tell me if you’ve found a Tripel as balanced, pure, and enlightening!

Talk about exclusivity and obscurity. Westvleteren is THE smallest of the Trappist offerings and is sold exclusively at the small brewery store on the grounds of the abbey. Current protocol is to make a reservation for what you desire and check a schedule as to what is available and when. Then you must purchase it by the crate after signing an agreement that you will never sell the beer to a third party. Previously, more beer was available when they produced a secular and a monastic line, however, quality supposedly suffered. The secular line is no longer and the quality of the beer has dramatically increased (9 out of 10 times, less is always more!). The bottling line runs 35 days/year and monks are producing what they can fit into an everyday monastic schedule, without procuring much outside work or selling commercially. Needless to say, Westvleteren is almost never found in our market. Once in a blue moon (which really happens every three to four years, thus Westvleteren is rarer than a blue moon!) you may find one on a random menu in which most will likely be gone in seven minutes once everyone finds out it’s there. They brew a Blonde, ’8′, and ’12′ (which is actually 10,2%).

Konigshoeven is the only Trappist Ale brewed in the Netherlands. The abbey itself was founded in 1880 and the brewing began only four years later (they sure had their priorities straight!). A larger-scale operation, the monks produce around nine beers depending on the season, all with a unique personality, and all bearing the name they used years ago, La Trappe. A Blonde, Tripel, Dubbel, Witte, Quadrupel, Bockbier, Oak Aged (the Quadrupel aged in oak barrels of various origins and toast levels), and the Isid’or are the current selections. This aforementioned brew is an ode to the first brewmaster at Konigshoeven, Isidorus Laaber, who made a beer very similar to this 125 years ago when the first batches were brewed. Profits for all their brews are shared between the abbey in the Netherlands, one in Indonesia, the other in Uganda. Profits from Isid’or go entirely to the monastery set up in Uganda. This has most recently come back into the Chicago market with resounding success!

These seven abbeys/breweries are THE ONLY monastic orders allowed to use the Trappist product logo on their bottles of beer. There are 16 monasteries total who are entitled to use said logo on other products including biscuits, breads, cheeses, and more. See www.trappist.be/indexjs.cfm?v=01&taal=en for more information.

Stay tuned for our ode to Trappist Ales where we’ll taste and savour, side-by-side, as many Trappist Ales as we can get our hands on!