Import Beer

New Beer Blog Unibroue Grand Reserve 17 Dark Ale

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In this beer blog, we are going to get into beer called Grand Reserve 17 Dark Ale from Unibroue.  Unibroue was founded in 1990 under the name of La Brasserie Massawippi Inc in Quebec, Canada.  The name changed in 1993 to Brasserie Broubec Inc and then merged with Unibroue.  It was then sold in 2004 to Sleeman Breweries.  Sleeman Breweries was then sold to Sapporo.  Unibroue Brewery brews several different Belgian beer styles.  Let us get into  the beer.

It has a brown color with a white head on the beer.  The smell is a sweet malty and other species. The taste is a sweet slight carbonation and no aftertaste to the beer.  There is a lot going on in this complex dark ale.  It is a sipping beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Dark Ale on Lees.  Ale Brewed with Spices, Aged with French Oak, and with Natural Flavors added

Inspired by the great Belgian brewing tradition of Trappist monks established over the centuries.  Unibroue 17 was first brewed in 2007 to celebrate our brewery’s 17th anniversary.  However, the overwhelming success of this specialty brew made it obvious that we could not let such great ale slip into the anonymity of retirement.

As testimony to its remarkable flavor profile which increases in complexity as it ages, the original batch bottled in 2007 was awarded an international platinum medal three years in a row and the prestigious title of “World’s Best Dark Ale” when it was well past three years in the bottle!

So in 2011, we proudly brought back this French Oak aged, bottle refermented dark ale, with the “Grande Reserve” appellation as a fitting endorsement of its exceptional quality for aging.  Brewed only once a year, in limited quantities, and individually numbered “brasseur” bottles, this is truly a flavorful delight for the specialty beer enthusiast.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.unibroue.com

Twitter:  @unibroue

In the end, I really enjoyed this beer and I have to thank my friend let me try it.  There is a ton going on in this dark ale.  It is a sipping beer but it is pretty smooth.  I was pretty stun by this beer and I will be searching the rest of their beers down from this brewery.  To be honest, how much this beer was good, I would rather drink a beer from Belgium.  This brewery being from Canada is as close to the real thing from Belgium.  I recommend this beer and  I would like to hear your thoughts on this beer or other brews that Unibroue brew.  Any you recommend for me to try from this brewery.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Birra Del Borgo Extra Re Ale

In this blog, we are going to get into a beer from Italy.  It is an American India Pale Ale from Birra Del Borgo Extra Re Ale.  There is no information on this brewery just ratings from Ratebeer and Beeradvocate.  Then I finally realize to look at the bottle and I found a website of the brewery.  The brewery was founded in 2005 so it is a young brewery.  They brew several different beer styles.  It is a wide range of beer styles.  Let us get into their India Pale Ale.

Re Ale has a ton of carbonation so please pour it slowly in the glass.  It has a deep amber color with a nice white head. The smell is of orange and some citrus in the beer. The taste is very unique for being import beer plus an India Pale Ale.  It has a nice sweet carbonation circus with a nice dry hop finish. This is a very drinkable India Pale Ale from Italy.  Yes it is from Italy.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Ingredients: water, barley, malt, EXTRA hop, yeast.  Unpasteurized, unfiltered, bottled-conditioned.  Serve at 53 to 57 F.  Natural yeast sediments on the bottom.

Here is a description from their website (www.birradelborgo.it):

Extra-hopped version of Reale

A derivative of our regular ReAle, the hops are varied especially in quantity: a huge amount is added in a different technique. All the hops are added during the last 10 minutes of the boil, using 3 times more than regular ReAle. The result is an explosion of perfumes, in a range from citrusy to resiny (pine resin and incense). The mouth feel is dry, with immediate bitterness, then it finishes with a beautiful, persistent tangerine note.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.birradelborgo.it

Twitter:  @BirraDelBorgo

In closing, just want to thank my friend that share this bottle with me, I am really stun this came from Italy and it being good.  I do not think I have to say what you think when you think of Italy? It is wine, wine and more wine.  I love the complex taste that I get from this India Pale Ale.  I love the funky to spicy taste and then the run on the hop taste.  This is not a cheap beer.  I believe my friend pay $80.00 for a case of 12  11.2oz bottles.  I would go and hunt this beer down.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Innis & Gunn Original Oak Aged Beer

Starting a new tap, we are going to sample out another barrel age beer.  This time around it is Innis & Gunn Original Oak Aged Beer.  This brewery was started in 2003.  There is really nothing more on this brewery.  This beer is aged in a barrel for thirty days.  Let us get int othe beers.

When pour in the glass, the beer is a nice copper color with a kind of head.  It has that import smell. It has a malty earthy taste to it. It is very smooth for being a full body beer. It is very drinkable.  The more the beer drinker is drinking this beer. He or she will start to experience a little vanilla and oak taste from the beer.

Here is a descriation from their website (www.innisandgunn.com):

This is our flagship beer, the one whose discovery led to the formation of the company back in 2003. Since then we’ve won a string of awards for Original, most recently a third consecutive Modern Monde Selection gold award.
Like the world’s great wine and whisky makers we strive for depth of flavour, complexity and mellowness in every beer we produce. Innis & Gunn Original typifies this approach.
Its lengthy 77-day maturation imparts flavours of toffee, vanilla and oak that perfectly complement the beer’s backbone of luscious malt and fruity hop notes.
The oak helps to give Innis & Gunn Original its appealing colour and also mellow the alcohol character, so although the beer is 6.6%, it’s very smooth and easy to drink.

Here is a descriation from the beer bottle:

To make Innis & Gunn we hand-select barrels which are packed with the most delicious oak flavors.  Over many weeks our unique maturation slowly unlocks these flavors from deep inside the oake grain, the beer growing in character with every hour that passes.  Only when it has matured to perfection do we bottle and release it.  The result is a refreshing honey-hued beer with aromas of vanilla and toffee, and a malty, lightly oaked finish.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.innisandgunn.com

Twitter:  @innisandgunnuk

Closing out the tab, just like the Kentucky Barrel Aged Ale, this beer is not a stout but an ale.  I really love this beer but the price turns me off a little bit.  I understand the price point because it is an import beer and the process it goes through.  There is a ton of flavor going on in this beer.  To me, what makes this beer so special, it is the complex tasting that is being experience.  Your mind is telling you that you are tasting this but then your taste tells you something in the beer.  It is drinkable and exetremely fun to drink.  Thanks to my friend for sharing this beer with me!  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog Chouffe Houblon Chouffe Tripel IPA

In this blog, we are going to take a look at another brew from the Chouffe Brewery.  The beer is called Houblon Chouffe Tripel India Pale Ale.  If you read my earlier blog on their La Chouffe then you know a little bit about this brewery from Belgium, let us get into the beer.

This beer is a bright golden with a slight cloudly along with a nice constant white head to it.  A heavy citrus smell is kicking along with some species too. As far as the taste of this awesome Belgium, the beer drinker will taste a very sweet carbonation citrus upper cut in your face along with a nice hop finish that lingers afterwards for a bit after the beer drinking experience.  It is very drinkable for being a highend Tripel IPA.

Here is a descripation from the bottle:

On its journey across the globe the little Chouffe wander through beautiful hopfields.  The overwhelming aroma of these little hop flowers such as Tomahawk, Amarillo and Saaz mesmerized him.

Back at home in the Ardennes, he crafted a new recipe combining this heady array of hops with the depth and body of his favorite style “Tripel”.  Thus, our little Chouffe’s new inspiration Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel was born.

Here is a descripation from their website (www.achouffe.be):

Description :

The HOUBLON CHOUFFE was brewed for the first time in 2006.  It is an ‘Indian Pale ale’ type of beer, with a harmonious balance between a marked bitterness (three types of hops are used to make it) and a pleasant fruitiness.  The HOUBLON CHOUFFE is unfiltered, and re-fermented in the bottle as well as in the keg.

Packaging :

330 ml bottle

750ml bottle

20 litre keg

Alcohol  :

9% alc./vol.

Original extract :

18 °Plato

Serving temperature :

4 to 10°C (bottle)

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.achouffe.be

Twitter:  @chouffeusa

In closing,  this is my favorite beer from this brewery.  I love how you get the nice hoppy taste but still get the funky Belgian taste.  I know I have yelled at craft breweries for saying their beers are Belgian Style IPAs.  I do feel the same way towards this brewery, however, they put the word “Tripel” and they put more depth on the hops to make it a little different then the old classic beer style.  The craft beers that said Belgian India Pale Ale are really Tripels that I have had in the market.  Please chellenge me on this beer style, I really want to back off this issue.  Asides that, I really love this beer for many reasons.  It is well balance, drinkable, and a nice spicy kick to the beer.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser

New Blog Liefmans Cuvee – Brut

In this blog, we are going back over to Belgium to sample out Liefmans Cuvee-Brut.  Here is a little history of this brewery.  There is not too much on this brewery but they were founded in 1679.   Duvel Moortgat Brewery brought them in June 2008 after they went into Chapter 11.  They want to be known as a Benders.  I found this video on their website and Youtube.

Here is the video from Youtube (www.youtube.com) and their website (www.liefmans.be):

Liefmans Brewery

This video tells you the rich history of this brewery in moving pictures then in words.  It will also show their other beers along with description. Let us get into the beer.

It has a dark cherry color with no head.  This sour ale has a nice cherry smell. There is a touch of old attic smell in it. The taste is a sweet cherry with a sour kick to it. Shocking this beer is very drinkable for the type of beer style.

Here is a descripation from the bottle:

Aged with cherries, flavored with cherries and cherry juice.  Contains sugar and barley malt.  6% ABV

Here is a descripation form their website (www.liefmans.be):

This Kreik is made with a completely different method from Kreik Lambic.  It starts with old brown beer which is macerated with fresh whole cherries in shallow, horizontal tanks [every 100 liter brown beer holds 13kg cherries].  Then it matures for about 1 year, afterwards it is blended with old Oud Bruin and Goudenband of different ages.  The result is a well  balanced sour and sweet Kreik of great complexity.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.liefmans.be

Twitter:  @liefmansusa

In closing, it took me forever to starting loving this beer style, which is sours.  However, I pick this beer up for a special event, I thought I would give my thoughts on this beer. This is a very well made beer and they did an awesome job.  I am loving the fact they stayed true to what they were and what they are right now.  I love the drinkablity and the complexs nature of this beer.  Beer drinkers can drink this beer any time of the season.  This beer would be perfect for any special event for being a highend beer.  I highly recommend you trying this beer.  If you like fruit beers, Cuvee- Brut is right up your alley.  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it! Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser Lipka

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog De Koninck Anno 1833

Something different, we are going to get into an import beer from the import company called Duvel.  The beer that will be featured in this blog is called De Koninck Anno 1833.    The brewery was founded in 1833 in the Belgium city of Antwerp.  They brewery several different beers but this Amber Ale is their flagship beer.  It is only one of two beers that is in the states.  Let us get into the beer.

This beer is a nice amber color with a ton of white carbonation head. The smell ia not really good. It has a weird smell but as a beer drinker you never judge a beer by the look or smell.  The taste is the real story of it.  It has a slight carbonation with some sweet malty taste. It reminds me sitting around the camp fire making s’mores in the Michigan woods as a kid. It is very drinkable beer.

Here is a description from their website (www.dekoninck.com):

De Koninck is the brewery’s jewel in the crown. Its typical surprisingly malty flavour is appreciated by beer lovers worldwide. This amber-coloured top-fermented beer (25 to 27°) has an accessible taste and a low alcohol content. Brewed in the traditional way using water, yeast, 100% pure malt and pure hops. A natural product, in other words. And what about the slightly bitter finish? De Koninck uses organic Saaz-Saaz hops from the Czech Republic, natural barley and without the addition of maize or brewing sugars. One thing is certain: this delicious specialty beer is the ideal thirst quencher.  Alcohol content: 5.2% Vol.  Pour with a creamy head at 4-6° in the distinctive spherical De Koninck “bolleke” glass.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website:  www.dekoninck.com

Twitter:  There is no twitter account.

In closing, this is a very unique beer that comes out of Belgium.  When drinking this beer you would never thought, it comes out of Belgium.  When you think of Belgium, you picture chocolate and weird to different spicy to fruity beers.  This one is in its own little world.  I am not a huge fan of Belgium beers but I really like this beer.  It is very drinkable and have a ton of flavor without it being over spicy or hopped up.  I would recommend this beer to even your average or beginner beer drinker.  Oh I forgot to say this.  Fat Tire please go away because this beer will never been duplicate.  You loss!  You get nothing!  Good day beer!  Go get some!  Drink it!  Enjoy it!  Metal it!  \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email:  djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter:  @djweiser

New Blog La Chouffe Golden Ale

In this blog, I wanted to change it up a bit.  I have been blogging about Craft Beers and I wanted to a high-end Import Beer.  We are going to talk about beer from Belgium called La Chouffe Golden Ale.  This beer is under the Duvel  Moortgat USA Company.  Under this company you have Duvel, Ommengang, Deninck Amber Ale, etc.  A little history about this little company, it was founded in 1982.  This brewery’s beer is known for their cartoon elves on  their labels.  You will find all their beers 750ml in the Chicago market.  I don’t know about the rest of the states.  They have several different product sizes listed on his website, which is www.achouffe.be.

Description :

LA CHOUFFE is an unfiltered blonde beer, which is re-fermented in the bottle as well as in the keg.  It is pleasantly fruity, spiced with coriander, and with a light hop taste.     (from the website www.achouffe.be)

Here is the description from the  bottle:

 La Chouffe is brewed by the Artisons of la Brasserie d’Achouffe deep in the heart of Belgium’s Ardennes mountains.  The legend of gnomes (chouffes) who once brewed in this mysterious region provides the inspiration for this eccentric bottle conditioned, double fermented ale.

This beer is a Belgian Golden Strong Ale that pours as a golden color. If you pour completely out,  the beer will be cloudy at look from the yeast that is in the bottle. You can smell the spices from their Belgian Yeast.  A smooth, session, and refreshing beer that has a nice balance and carbonation finish.

Here is a few places to get information on this brewery:

Website: www.achouffe.be

Twitter: @ChouffeUSA

In closing, I am not a really huge fan of anything that comes out of Belgium or just about anything that comes out of Europe.  However, this beer is something else, it has everything going on.  I love the spices in this beer.  This beer is not your normal Belgium Golden Strong Ale.  I would say hunt this beer down.  It is a very well made beer and I would drink this on day-to-day basis.  You will find this beer any high-end liquor stores.  Go find this beer!  Enjoy it! Drink it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser