In a foreign land, we are going to sample out of Troubador Obscura during Belgian Week at Ashley’s Westland. The brewery was founded in 2000 by Kristof De Roo, Rikkert Maertens, Stefaan Soetemans and Sven Suys. They are known around Europe as the 4 ‘Musketeers’. They brew in the traditional and classic Belgian beer styles in past. This brewery brew several beer styles and they do them well. They do not let anything out of their brewery unless it is up to their standards. I like that. Let us get into the beer.
It has a dark brown with some reddish tones for the color with a constant white head. The aroma has slight chocolate with notes of cherry to fruit. The taste has an aged malty chocolate notes with a cherry aftertaste. It is a pretty drinkable beer.
Here is a description from their website (www.troubadourbeers.com):
Troubadour Obscura is a dark red-brown colored beer, with a rich, malty body combined with different touches of a stout but in a very nice balanced way: roast, chocolate, coffee, vanilla. A mild stout with a Belgian body!
Specifications:Alcohol (V/V): 8,2%
Stamwort: 18
Plato EBC: 110
IBU: 35
Here is their website and twitter addresses:
Website: www.troubadourbeers.com
Twitter: @Troubadourbeer
In first glance, it took one sip of Obscura. I was in love with this brew. It took me a few sips to get to know everything that is going on in this complex ale. I love the chocolate cover cherry notes I received out of the this brew. I can see the vanilla and coffee notes also. I tasted that towards the end of the glass. There is a ton going on in this beer and I love that. It is a drinkable beer but I found myself sipping it. I wanted to taste everything that was going on in this brew. I highly recommend this brew. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
Cheers!
Bill DJ Weiser
Email: djweiser13@comcast.net
Twitter: @djweiser
New Beer Blog Beer Stores In Southeast Michigan And West Of Detroit Part 1
(www.509beerstore.com)
In this beer blog, we are going to talk about liquor stores in my area of Michigan. I just moved back in October so please, give me feed back if I missed a store. As you know, I am a huge beer fan and a craft beer fan. I will be the first to say I was spoiled in Chicagoland area with great beer stores. It was between Binny’s, Cardinal Stores, and some of the chain stores there. When I moved back, I knew Michigan craft beer market was huge on Michigan beers, which should be the case. There are so many beers, and breweries in every market around the country. I know Michigan is in that same situation. Where do I go to buy some great beers? I had no idea. I did Google search after Google search. I came up with a list. I even did something I hate doing walking in and out of stores. I do have a list and I am going to be up front and honest. Here we go!
Beer Baron (Livonia, MI)
Beer Baron is a little bit north of Wine Palace by 7 mile on Middlebelt. When I went, they were working on the store. The staff there was nice and let me walk around. He let me take my time and asked if I needed help. This was the opposite of Wine Palace. They have a great beer selection and some pretty good prices. I was pretty impressed. This is a beer store and it is pretty clear to that fact. The two things I did not like about this store. One, the store is in chaos. There is beer everywhere. Two, when I went, the staff did not know anything about beer. Their parking lot is a lot easier than Wine Palace. I recommend this beer store.
Wine & Barrel (Livonia, MI)
I did not want to drive up to Beer Baron and I am staying away from Wine Palace. I just went to Wine & Barrel that is right down the street from my place. There is some nice parking at the side of the building and they are not that busy like the last two stores. The first thing, I did not like is the guy does not take pop cans. You are a liquor store that sells rum and you do not sell pop. I guess not rum and coke for someone in the area. I am just saying. I was not happy by that. Now, I have to go two places to get my errands done for returns. Who will go there and buy their liquor just to go somewhere else to get their pop? I was not too impressed by their beer selection. I did not like the fact you could not buy single beers (12oz). They had beer store selected ones available. It was like it came from their breakage area. I thought their prices where too high like Wine Palace. I get it that these stores need to make some money. There is a level where it will keep people out of your store. This store has a huge area for beer brewing supplies. I thought that was really cool when I was walking through but after looking at that the beer selection. I started to have a different attitude towards the store. Their beer area is all over the place. I mean you have craft beer with imports beers and the other way around. This is so not profitable for the store. Their beer customers that are looking at crafts beers are not seeing all their crafts or import beer customers in one area. They have to walk around the store and I know I might have missed something. It can be the same for their mass-produced beer customers. I just feel they make more money off their beer supplies. There is nothing wrong at being just a brewing supply store. I will pass on this store.
Mid-Joy Liquor Store (Livonia, MI)
The first weekend I was back in Michigan. I wanted to go beer shopping so I thought I would go back to my old liquor store when I first lived in the area. They have a pretty nice selection. I was enjoying it until I started noticing that everything I was picking up was out of date. I was pretty disappointed pretty quickly. This store went hard into the craft beer without the consumers to support it. I never went back into this store. I might again but I think I just might stay away.
Keg & Wine Party Store (Redford, MI)
I found this store looking for a Cider from Woodchuck Hard Cider on their website. The parking lot could be better but that is not point of this review. The store inside is pretty nice and clean. Everyone is nice and helpful. They have a great selection on beers and spirits. I was pretty impressed. I will have to say it is better than Wine Palace. The only thing I do not like about this store. I can not buy single bottles and/or cans of beer (12oz). You have to buy the six or four pack. I will be back to this store and I recommend this store.
Holiday Market (Canton, MI)
Whenever I would come in town, this was the store I would go to in the beginning. They had whole warm shelf aisle in this grocery store for craft beer. I was amazed at the selection. I always picked up beers that I could not get in Chicago. I started to realize pretty quickly that they were not selling through most their beers. This store at that time had a ton of out of code beers. This is a great store but buyer beware.
Super Fines (Canton, MI)
This store is at the top of my list. They have just about everything in this liquor store. If they do not have it, they will get the beer or whatever you are looking for at that time. If it is sold in the state, they will get it. You can do mix six packs in every price range. You can buy single beers too. They have a pretty big spirit selection. This is a great beer store and I highly recommend it.
Closing, I know I have not covered everything liquor stores in the Southeast Michigan. I am looking at just craft liquor beer stores. I am not going to just the neighbor store. I went to ones that claim they are a craft beer store or I know they have a pretty big selection. I know there are more out there. I will keep searching. I loved Super Fines in Canton, Beer Barton in Livonia, and Key & Wine Party Store in Redford. I will never go back into Wine Barrel and Mid-Joy Liquor Store in Livonia. If there are any other stores, please, let me know. I would love to hear your thoughts on these stores. I will be writing a new review here shortly. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
Cheers!
Bill DJ Weiser
Email: djweiser13@comcast.net
Twitter: @djweiser
2013 in review Thanks For All The Support!
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 2,500 times in 2013. If it were a cable car, it would take about 42 trips to carry that many people.
Click here to see the complete report.
Thanks For The Support!
Bill DJ Weiser
New Beer Blog Buckle Down Brewery Fiddle Sticks Belgian IPA
One beer before the road, this is the last beer, which is Fiddle Sticks Belgian IPA, that I had at Buckledown Brewery. If you read beer blog post two days ago, you know the history of this brewery. If you have not read that beer blog post on their American IPA, please, read that post to get to know this craft brewery. Let us get into the beer.
It has a bright yellow to straw like color with a white head. The smell is citrus with hints spices. The taste is a slight lemon to citrus notes with some spicies. It is nicely balance and pretty drinkable.
Here is a description from their website (www.buckledownbrewing.com):
Fiddlesticks
Belgian-Style IPA
This hybrid brings together all of the best qualities of Belgian brewing and American hopcentricity — spicy, hoppy, dry and complex.
Here is their website and twitter addresses:
Website: www.buckledownbrewing.com
Twitter: @BuckleDownBeer
Closing, there is not too many good Belgian IPA’s that are good on the market. There is not too many craft breweries that have Belgian IPA as their first four beer styles. This brew brings some nice spicy, hoppy, and complex notes to the beer drinker. I like that about this beer and has a nice balance to it. Plus, it is pretty drinkable beer. I really did not have their Belgian Single but just a sip. This brewery has a nice core of four beers to start with. I just want to thank Sean and Ike for a good times at their brewery. When I am back in town, I will stop by the brewery in the near future. I highly highly recommend this beer and brewery. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
Cheers!
Bill DJ Weiser
Email: djweiser13@comcast.net
Twitter: @djweiser
New Beer Blog Gigantic Brewing Hellion
Starting a new tab, we are going to get into another brew from one of my favorite craft brewery from Portland, Or. I am talking about Gigantic Brewing and their Hellion. If you read my earlier beer blog on this brewery, you know the history of this little brewpub. If you have not, please, read those beer blog posts to get to know this great craft brewery. Let us get into the beer.
It has a clear golden color with a constant white head on this brew. The smell is a sweet Belgian notes. It has a farmhouse smell notes. The taste is citrus notes of spices with a crisp dry hop finish. It is pretty drinkable beer.
Here is a description from their website (www.giganticbrewing.com):
Hellion
To some a Hellion is a troublemaker, to others a messiah. Our dry-hopped Belgian-style golden ale will bring out one or both in you. Which will it be?
“The tall tree catches much wind” -Japanese Proverb
Beer Style: Dry-Hopped Belgian-Style Golden ABV: 8.5% 23 IBU
Label Artist: Shohei Otomo www.Hakuchi.jp
Notes: Dry-hopped with Sorachi Ace and Simcoe = lemon, grapefruit and dill aromas. Complex aroma and flavor of ester and spice from a Belgian yeast strain.
Availability: July-October 2013 in Oregon, Washington, California, British Columbia, Alaska, Vermont and Chicago.
Here is their website and twitter addresses:
Website: www.giganticbrewing.com
Twitter: @GiganticBrewing
Closing out of the tab, this is a great beer and I really enjoyed drinking this brew. This is a well made beer and they brew this beer as close to the classic beer style. It is an American craft version of Duvel. I love Duvel and I found hints of this beer when I was drinking it. I can see many craft beer drinkers thinking this a great version of Duvel. I highly recommend you trying this brew. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
Cheers!
Bill DJ Weiser
Email: djweiser13@comcast.net
Twitter: @djweiser
New Beer Blog Upland Brewing Strawberry Lambic
In this special beer blog, we are going to get into a project that Upland Brewing did not know was going on in their brewery. One of their assist brewmasters started a sour and package it. Everyone at the brewery loved his sours. Sour ales take years to make and is one hardest beer style to make. If you mess it up, you need to start over. If you read my earlier beer blog post on their Dragonfly IPA, you know the history of this brewery. If you have not, please, that beer blog post to get to know this brewery. Let us get into this sour ale.
It is a cloudy strawberry color without a head on the beer. The smell is a sour strawberry. The taste is extremely sour strawberry and tart with sour aftertaste. It is not drinkable.
Here is a description from their website (www.uplandbeer.com):
Man, that’s sour. Made with real strawberries.
Here is their website and twitter addresses:
Website: www.uplandbeer.com
Twitter: @UplandBrewCo
Closing, I have to say I am a huge fan of sours and Upland Brewery. I was excited to get my hands on this brew. I know this sour is hard to get on the market. I have to say this brew is pretty sour. I like it but I wished I had cork to save it for the next day. The color, smell, and taste are sour strawberry notes. This is an awesome beer and they have done a great job on this brew. I hope to get a chance to try their other sours in the near future. I highly recommend their sours. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
Cheers!
Bill DJ Weiser
Email: djweiser13@comcast.net
Twitter: @djweiser
New Beer Blog Fruli Strawberry Ale
In this beer blog, we are going to get into import fruit beer. I am talking about Fruli and the beer is their Strawberry Ale. There is not too much history on this brewery. I could not find any history. I do know they are an extremely small brewery in Belgium. Let us get into the beer.
It has a reddish to amber color without head on the beer. The smell is a heavy strawberry. The taste of this medium beer is heavy strawberry notes with light carbonated. It is pretty drinkable beer.
Here is a description from their website (www.fruli.be):
Fruli is a high quality Strawberry Belgian fruit beer, produced at a craft brewery near Ghent. It is a unique blend of white beer and strawberry juice. The juice complements the zestiness of the wheat beer and the result is a balanced and refreshing beer that is packed with strawberry fruit flavour.
It is simply delicious.
Fruli is a high quality Strawberry Belgian fruit beer, produced at a craft brewery near Ghent. It is a unique blend of white beer and strawberry juice. The … has a delicious and refreshing taste that has been compared by Time Out magazine to a smoothie with bite….a completely different experience in beer
Here is their website and twitter addresses:
Website: www.fruli.be
Twitter: @Fruli
Closing, I do get into some fruit beers but I am not a huge fan. I have to say this import craft fruit beer is really good beer. It is pretty well balanced with the beer and the fruit in the beer. It is pretty refreshing and perfect for the hot summer days. They did a great job on this beer and I highly recommend this beer. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
Cheers!
Bill DJ Weiser
Email: djweiser13@comcast.net
Twitter: @djweiser
New Beer Blog Great Divide Hades Golden Belgian Style Ale
In this beer blog, we are going to get into the last of the three beers from Great Divide Brewing that I am reviewing on this blog. It is their Hades Belgian-Style Ale. It you read my earlier beer blog post on their beers, you know the history of this brewery. If you have not, please, read those beer posts to get to know this brewery. Let us get into the beer.
It has a slight cloudy golden color without a head. The smell is between malt to citrus but very fade. It is hard to pick up. The taste of this medium body ale is a slight carbonated back hop to malt with refreshing with a slight citrus finish. It is a session beer.
Here is a description from the beer bottle:
Hades is a Begian-Style golden ale brewed with a rare Belgian yeast stain that gives a complex spicy flavor and aroma. Noticable hops and medium malt character make it a very well-balanced crisp ale.
Here is a description from their website (www.greatdivide.com):
HADES is a Belgian-Style golden ale brewed with a rare Belgian yeast strain that gives a complex spicy flavor and aroma. Noticeable hops and medium malt character make it a very well-balanced, crisp ale.
ABV.: 7.8%
AVAILABLE: Year Round
SIZES: Included in Brewers’ Picks and Big Show 12-packs only
Here is their website and twitter addresses:
Website: www.greatdivide.com
Twitter: @greatdividebrew
In closing, this is one beer style. I believe are hardest to match to the classic beer style and put your own twist. It is just like lagers most craft breweries can not make a good one. Great Divide did a great job coming as close as they can and putting their twist on their version of Duvel. I have to say I was pretty impressed about it. I recommend you trying this brew and please let me know if I am right or wrong. I would love to talk about beer with you. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
Cheers!
Bill DJ Weiser
Email: djweiser13@comcast.net
Twitter: @djweiser
New Beer Blog 3 Fonteinen Zwet.be Belgian Porter
Happy 4th of July, we are going to get into 3 Fonteinen Zwet.be in this beer blog. It is a pretty unique beer. It is a Belgian Porter, which is unique as it is, but they use the Begian yeast during the brewing process. 3 Fonteinen was founded in 1887 in Belgium. They were brewing lambics beers. It is style of blending old and young beer into one. It was sold 1953 to Gaston De Belder and it has been the family since. The current owners have expanded the brewery and they have been exploring into different beer styles like the one we are review here. Let us get into this unique beer.
It has a jet black color with a constant tan to light brown color head. The smell is a dark chocolate cover fruit. The taste of this full body is a dark chocolate with a tart aftertaste. It is a sipping beer with a cigar.
Here is a description from the beer bottle:
This unusual ale is the brainchild of Armand Debelder, brewer and blender of the world-famous Drie Fonteinen lambics. A Belgian Porter, brewed with wild yeast cultured from Armand’s casks of lambic.
Here is a description from their website (www.3fonteinen.be):
Zwet.be, unusual “black” beer mixed gistingis is brewed with wheat, Maris Otter malt and cara malt.
Specifically, the mixed fermentation, yeast culture on the one hand from the Beersel Blonde, other lambic yeast. The lambic, brewed by Armand Debelder, a specific type of Brettanomyces geïsolleerd. This yeast gives this beer of 7% alc. volume slightly tart finish.
Here is their website and twitter addresses:
Website: www.3fonteinen.be
Twitter: @3Fonteinen
In the end, I hope this would be my last beer on the planet. This is amazing sipping beer. I am a huge porter fan and I have not really been a fan of Belgian beers. This beer is in my top five list of best porters ever had so far in my life. This porter has everything that will make the Belgian fans happy and non Belgian fans happy. There is the dark chocolate to tart notes. This is dark chocolate cover fruit because of the tart. I am pretty speechless on what to say about Zwet.be. It just tells you how much I liked this beer. I will say this just because I like this beer. It does not mean you will like it too. I would keep an open mind and draw your own thought pattern. This is great beer and I highly highly HIGHLY recommend you trying this beer. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
Cheers!
Bill DJ Weiser
Email: djweiser13@comcast.net
Twitter: @djweiser
New Beer Blog Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales Calabaza Blanca White Ale
Opening a tab, Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales is the brewery that is being featured in this blog. The beer is Calabaza Blanca White Ale. Jolly Pumpkin was founded in Dexter, Michigan in 2004 by Ron Jeffries. They have a brewery which is located in Dexter and two pubs in Ann Arbor and Traverse City, Michigan. They brew several different beer styles, however, they are best known for their sour ales. They are also known to age their beers in wine or oak barrels. Let us get into the beer.
It has a cloudy yellow strew color with a constant white head on the beer. The smell of this light body has a chai tea along with other species. The taste is like Chai Tea without the hot cinnamon to it. There is no aftertaste to the beer. It is a pretty drinkable beer.
Here is a description from the beer bottle:
Calabaza Blanca, an artisan white ale brewed in Belgium’s biere blanche tradition. Spiced with orange peel and coriander, you’ll find it refreshingly tart, with a wonderfully dry finish. A year round favorite for sure!
Please enjoy our beers in good health, Cheers and Mahalo plenty!
Here is a description from the website (www.jollypumpklin.com):
Year round production 4.8% Alc./Vol. 750ml bottles – 12 case
Here is their website and twitter addresses:
Website: www.jollypumpkin.com
Twitter: @jollypumpkin
Closing out tab, this is one of my first beers from Jolly Pumpkin on this blog. I have heard several things about this brewery when I lived in Michigan and now in the Chicago market. This is the first beer from this brewery that is not my favorite beer style. I have to say I was pretty stun on how it came out. I was pretty interested in a brewery that ages all their beers in barrels. I would not say this is not favorite beer but I will put this in the middle of the pack if I had to choose from beers at a bar or a store. I will pick this beer. I will give this beer a look at the liquor store when picking beer for the weekend. It has a nice refreshing and easy drinkable taste. I highly recommend you trying this beer that is coming from a guy that does not like wheat ales. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
Cheers!
Bill DJ Weiser
Email: djweiser13@comcast.net
Twitter: @djweiser
DJ Weiser 