Beef's Brewery

Showing posts with label beertourism. Show all posts

Wednesday, 15 January 2014 Ale, antwerp, beefsbrewery, beertourism, Bruges, camra, camrgb, craft beer, Fine, finest, Gordon's, martin's, Scotch 0 comments

Gordon Finest Scotch Ale

Gordon's Finest Scotch Ale

Style: Scotch Ale

Alcohol Content: 8%

From: Antwerp, Belgium

Purchased From: The Wall Bottle Shop, Bruges, Belgium

http://anthonymartin.be/en/

So we have now reached the last of the four beers I brought back from Bruges. I tried to get something different in all four and so far none have disappointed. This has left me craving for more, so I have managed to convince my parents to use their air miles on a trip to Belgium. If any readers have any suggestions on what to get, please let me know in the comment box below. The subject of this review is my favorite of the four; Gordon's Finest Scotch Ale. A little tartan treat with a Belgian twist so to speak. But first a little on the brewery.

John Martin is the name of a beer brewery in Merchtem, Belgium, founded in 1909 by English businessman John Martin (1886-1966). A family company, it is currently run by his grandson, Anthony Martin. Besides brewing Belgian-style ales, the company also imports British and Irish beers,and produces soft drinks for Schweppes under license. In 1993 the company bought Timmermans Brewery, a lambic beer brewery from Itterbeek founded in 1781.

Love the old school label

Colour: This drink pours a ruby brown with a slight tan head. As the drink warms, a sunny, amber glow will reveal itself. The beer will look as warming as it tastes. The head dies away quickly leaving a dusting of foam which laces the glass immaculately.

Aroma: Full of warm peaty whisky notes mixed with subtle hints of sweet honey and salty soy sauce. Once the drink is brought up to room temperature, hints of cinnamon and nutmeg are revealed whilst still maintaining a overall sense of sweetness.

Body: A thick, chewy, treacle like body tempts all comers. This mixed with extremely low carbonation, ensures a pleasurably smooth drinking experience.

Taste: A perfect drink for those long, dark nights. Flavours of oak and peat interplay with rich blackberries. The flavour is very reminiscent of Kastel's bruin (which I've tried only once and fell in love with). The character of this beer changes as it heats up. Sweet toffee apples and a light marmite flavouring ooze from the beer. Nice indeed, seeing as though I'm not the biggest fan of marmite. In short, this beer is very well rounded and the alcohol content is well masked. I can certainly see why this drink is well respected in the craft beer community. Now, as Christmas day has just past, I am absolutely gutted that I didn't have one of these for the big day. It would of gone down a treat!

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/wild-beer-company-scarlet-fever.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery or like me on Facebook at Beefsbrewery

Wednesday, 8 January 2014 Ale, beefsbrewerey, beer, beertourism, Belgian, Belgium, Blonde, camra, camrgb, HOP, Indian Pale Ale, ipa, It, Ruiselede, Urthel 0 comments

Urthel Hop-It

Urthel Hop-It
Style: Blonde Belgian Style India Pale Ale

Alcohol Content: 9.5%

From: Ruiselede, West Flanders, Belguim

Purchased From: Bruges, Belguim

http://www.urthel.com/en/home.htm

Hildegard (Odette) Overmeire began brewing in 2000 alongside her husband Bas van Ostaden. The cheeky chap that appears on their bottles is called Urthel and his adventures in the fantasized world of the Erthel legends. Urthel beers are brewed in the Koningshoeven brewery in Ruiselede, West Flanders. Whilst in Bruges this October, I saw a number of Urthel beers on sale. Seeing as I could not bring them all back, I decided to go for Hop-It, a blonde Belgian Style India Pale Ale with a whopping 9.5% ABV. From memory, this will be the second strongest beer I have ever tried. Let’s hope that I survive to tell the tale.

Colour: This drink pours a bright, straw yellow topped with a bubbly white head. Be careful not to pour this drink too quickly, as the foam will rise out of the glass.

Aroma: Big upfront notes of freshly cut straw will present themselves straight away. These playfully mix with warming coriander notes, that will sting your nostrils with every sip. Rather unfortunately, these aroma completely die away after just a few minutes in the glass.

Body: Very similar to the Duvel and the Alken-Maes Judas i reviewed earlier this year, this is a drink of two halves. The first, is a light, heavily carbonated drink that has a similar mouthfeel to Champagne. The second could not be any more different. A sticky, almost BBQ sauce like sensation will coat your throat on every sip. A very strange sensation that's for sure.

Taste: Wooo! The alcohol will hit you straight away and can be extremely overpowering to the uninitiated. After picking myself off the floor, i braved another sip. Strong notes of crisp hay and grass are present on the palate. If you swill the drink around your mouth, a sticky, sweet lavender honey porridge can be tasted. Perfect for those cold winter nights! As the drink naturally warms, the ale will assume these sticky characteristics in the glass. For me, it needs a little bit more to make it not just another heavily hopped Belgian IPA. Alken-Maes' Judas, is a much better example of this style.

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/ommegang-hennepin.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery or like me on Facebook at Beefsbrewery

Monday, 25 November 2013 Ale, Alken-Maes, beer, beertourism, Belgium, camra, camrgb, craft beer, devil, duvel, Golden, heineken, Jesus, Judas, Waarloos 0 comments

Alken-Maes Judas

Alken-Maes Judas

Style: Golden Ale

Alcohol Content: 8.5%

From: Waarloos, Kontich, Belgium

Purchased From: Brought back from Calais by my Friend Jon

http://www.alken-maes.be/fr

Alken-Maes was created out of the 1988 merger of two small breweries, Maes located at Kontich-Waarloos and Cristal-Alken located at Alken. Both had specialized in pils (Maes was producing Maes pils and Alken Cristal pils) until Maes purchased the Union brewery (based in Jumet) in 1978, which produced Grimbergen beer among others.

After the merger, the group continued to purchase other breweries to expand their offer to a larger panel of beers. In 1989, the new brewery purchased a 50% stake in De Keersmaeker brewery, which specialized in spontaneous fermentation beers such as Mort Subite. In 2000, it bought Ciney and Brugs Witbier as well as the other 50% of De Keersmaeker.

In the same year, the brewery was bought by British company Scottish & Newcastle, which in turn was bought by the Carlsberg/Heineken consortium in 2007.

Rising from the depths of hell?

Judas was first brewed in 1986, probably as a Golden Ale that could compete with the highly successful Duvel beer made by its rival, Moortgat Brewery. The similarities in title, label and goblet are evident. Can this drink live up to its devilish name? Lets find out.

Colour: From the bottle, this drink pours a bright golden colour with a thick white head. The head will dissipate slightly but it does stay around for the duration of the drink.

Aroma: Slight hints of lemon mixed with sweet lavender honey. There are also lovely spicy aromas that burn the nostrils slightly if you hold the glass close to your nose.

Body: Very light mouthfeel for such a potent drink. Once poured into the glass, the drink will fizz up rapidly due to the high level of carbonation. This then dies down very suddenly to leave a very smooth liquid which when drunk, slides down very easily.

Taste: The overwhelming taste is that of wholemeal bread mixed with fresh lemons. This lemon sensation can be quite sharp so be careful if you take a large gulp (I did, and it was not a pleasurable experience). This beer has a slight sour ending due to the pre mentioned lemons mixed with freshly cut grass notes. As the drink warms, the strength of the alcohol become more apparent and the beer takes on whiskey like qualities. Slight hints of peat move to the fore of the flavour profile. That being said, the drink is not as potent as the the Duvel I reviewed earlier in this blog. It tastes like a more refined version of the original strong golden ale. Just be careful the drink doesn't stab you in the back with the alcohol content!

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/kernel-brewery-ipa-columbus.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery or like me on Facebook at Beefsbrewery

Monday, 18 November 2013 Agatha Christie, beer, beertourism, Belgian, Belgium, camra, camrgb, craft beer, drinkcraftbeer, Ellezelloise, Hercule, Hercule Poirrot, itv, Murder, Mystery, Poirrot, stout 0 comments

Ellezelloise Hercule Stout

Ellezelloise Hercule Stout

Style: Stout

Alcohol Content: 9%

From: Irchonwelz, Belgium

Purchased From: Brought back from Calais by my Friend Jon

http://www.brasserie-ellezelloise.be/

The Brasserie des Legends is a Belgian brewery located in Irchonwelz and Elzele.The brewery was founded in 1998 by brewing engineer Pierre Delcoigne called Brasserie des Géants. In 2007, the Brasserie Ellezelloise founded in 1993 was acquired. The merger allowed the two breweries to change their name to Brasserie des Légendes. The brewing operations are at present divided between the two branches. In 2011, the company opened a tavern which offers their beers and local dishes.

The subject of this review is Ellezelloise Hercule Stout. If you live in the UK you will no doubt recognise the name and face on the label; Hercule Poirrot. Given that Agatha Christie most famous creation has just been retired from television, i feel its only right to unwrap mystery of this beer.

Colour: Pours a thick jet black with an equally thick tan head. This head stays around for quite a while and then dissipates to a light foam on the glass. You could say that this drink is as dark and as complex as a Hercule Poirrot mystery that you may see on television.

Aroma: Luxurious dark chocolate notes resonates from the glass. You can also smell notes of roasted coffee that have been subtly mixed with chewy liquorice. In short it's a little glass of heaven.

Body: This stout has a Guinness like body, very thick and slightly creamy. Very smooth to drink and it coated the back of my mouth perfectly. It was almost like drinking a pint of milk to be honest. This beer has an extremely low level of carbonation which makes it very easy to drink.

Taste: The best way to describe the taste is that it reminds me of a Mocha coffee. Rich dark chocolate playfully mixes with a mild coffee notes. Even though it has quite a high alcohol content, this is masked very well due to the depth of flavours present. On the second sip, slight woody notes are present. These are not over powering and actually adds a slight robustness to the drink. There is a slight liquorice aftertaste, but luckily this is not overpowering (I'm not a fan of liquorice). The aftertaste is not overly bitter which suggest minimal hops are used in the making of this beer. Very pleasant and I will be going back to this again.

Mystery Revealed

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/einstok-icelandic-white-ale.html

For the latest news on reviews follow me on twitter @beefsbrewery or like me on Facebook at Beefsbrewery

Wednesday, 6 November 2013 Ale, beefsbrewerey, beer, beertourism, Belgium, brewery, Bruges, Brugges, camra, camrgb, Dupont, Eurostar, Half Man, Hoilday, Kwak, Red Rose, Saison, travel, trip, Zot 0 comments

Bruges By Beers

Bruges By Beers

So a slight change from the norm here at Beefsbrewery. Earlier in October me and my girlfriend Emma visited the gorgeous city of Bruges. As im sure most you are aware, Belgium is famous for its amazing selection of beers. Ranging from Blonde to Saison, Bruges had it all. So sit back, relax and have a butchers at my beer photos of Bruges.