Doctor Duvel

I'm like a sommelier, but for beer.

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Location: Upstate New York, United States

Favorite Beers: Orval, Samuel Smith, Duvel, Hennepin, Oude Gueze, Chimay, Dogfish Head, Anchor Steam, and anything made by Trappist monks.

Monday, October 23, 2006

Hanssens Oude Kriek

Wow. Been a while since I had one of these. Went for a beautiful, if very chilly, autumn run and suddenly felt an overpowering desire for Kriek. This one is a stunning earthy, oxidized, orange-amber-red. The first aromatic impact is very earthy with lactic sharpness, fading into a deep, deep perfumey cherry scent. The palate is very sharp at first, mellowing into a paradoxically rich, palate-clinging, warmth. Flavor-wise, there are cherries everywhere, leaving their sharp, sour essence. This lambic always has a fantastic astringency and this is no exception: the finish lingers drily. It's probably not the perfect cheese for this beer, but a little sharp cheddar makes a nice counterpoint. The dregs just went into my lambic carboy, by the way.

Sunday, October 01, 2006

Long time no post

It was a weekend of hard brewery labor. Over two ten-to-twelve hour days, I

Bottled Subcommittee Imperial Stout
Bottled Recalcitrant Saison
Bottled Sterling Wheat Saison

Brewed Batch 100 Bourbon-Oak Imperial Pale Ale
Brewed Bad Angel Black Saison

Racked Saison de Noel, dry-hopping with Tettnang (This wins the "most promising coming out of primary" award. Yummy.)
Racked Research One IPA, dry-hopping with Simcoe and Santiam
Racked Recount Red, dry-hopping with Chinook and Columbus
Racked Ad Hoc Dubbel

Kegged Mish-Mash Stout

Fuck I'm tired. Not exactly rested and ready for the work week. But I had a serious back-log from the end-of-summer excessive brewing period. Things should die down a little now, although I do still have several things in secondary. Many are intended for kegs fortunately. Homer sleep now.