Project Beer Cellar

As some of you might have noticed, i have posted one or two pictures on the Facebook page regarding my slowly growing collection of stashed away beer in my parents cellar.

Yes, i don't mind to admit it, that cellar isn't mine. Being a student, and living in student size accommodations, storing beer at any significant scale would probably mean sacrificing either my couch or bed. And anyway, all extra space is already occupied by my ever encroaching beer glass collection, but we will talk about that some other time.

Anyway, project beer cellar...A new addition to my beer hobby, storing away beers for ageing.

This came about for a number of reasons: First of all, i truly enjoy tasting beers which have "developed" and "matured" in taste, a truly interesting experience really showing beer is so much more than something which must be quickly consumed.

And off course the fact that my parents had a practically empty wine cellar with a perfect stable temperature, low humidity and limited light exposure... the ideal conditions for storing away beer.

So one day, some months ago, i decided to start with this project. I headed over to my local beer store and bought a number of beers which to my knowledge were good for storing away for a period of time. This collection has slowly been growing, most of the time now that i visit my parents (who live in a different city than i do) i tend to add two or three bottles to the collection.

So what i have so far:

Collection of regular bottles

In the category, regular beer bottles:

QTY/Name/Style/Bottle Date (DD/MM/YY).

- 2x St. Bernardus Abt 12, Belgian Quad/Strong Dark, 18/03/14
- 3x Hertog Jan Grand Prestige, Barleywine, ??/02/15
- 2x Orval, Belgian Ale, 21/04/15
- 3x Kasteel Donker, Quad, ??/03/15
- 2x Cuvee Du Chateau, Quad, ??/01/12
- 3x Chimay Bleue, Quad, ??/12/14
- 1x Grolsch Herfst Bok, Bock/Bok, 02/06/15
- 1x Rochefort 8, Strong Dark Ale, 03/03/15
- 3x Westmalle Tripel, Tripel, 07/10/14
- 3x Westmalle Dubbel, Dubbel, 24/09/15
- 1x St. Feuillien Grand Cru, Belgian Strong Ale, 08/08/15
- 3x Tripel Karmeliet, Tripel, 10/11/15
- 1x Watou Tripel, Tripel, 06/10/15
- 1x Mont des Cats, Strong Ale, 2015

The majority of small bottles do not have a bottle date, so it takes some research discovering said date by using the best before date which is displayed on all bottles.

Small collection of "big" bottles, (bottles are now being stored upright)

And in my still insignificant, but present, big bottle collection:

1x Gulden Draak Brewmasters Edition, Whiskey Barrel Aged Quad, 2015
1x Deus Brut des Flandres, Champagne Beer, 2014
1x Sink the Bismarck!, Quadruple IPA, 41% ABV monster which is not going to age anytime soon :P

There you have it, the start of my beer cellar collection!

I will post updates on my progress as time passes, if you have any suggestions or comments please post them below or on the Facebook page!

Cheers!


UPDATE

This blogpost is closed as the cellar in question is no longer available, my beer collection is growing however but is spread out across some locations.

Beer Style Discovery: India Pale Ale (IPA)

Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)

And no, its not from India…

The India Pale Ale, or IPA, is currently a well known (and consumed) beer style around the world, characterized by its hoppy flavor and aftertaste, this beer is favorite for many beer lovers!

But where does it come from, and what does India have to do with it?

History time!

Earliest mention of IPA (Source: FoodsofEngland)

The first documented mention of "India Pale Ale" was in an 1829 advertisement, in the Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser. Its origins are in England however, not in Australia.

Based on the original pale ale, a beer first brewed in the mid 18th century. Due to a different brewing process this beer was pale of color and was lightly hopped. Bow Brewery produced a variant of this beer, named October beer.

This is where India comes into the story..

Tradesmen, Soldiers and colonizers stationed in India liked to have a drink every now and then. They faced one little problem however, the breweries were in England and they were in India. From England, a trip to India took around six months (imagine it took that long to get to your local beer store). Conditions on these ships were far from ideal; Heat, the rolling waves, thirsty sailors… not the best place for storing beer six months. Beer often became infected, spilled or was drunk by those who transported it.

British East Indian Trader (Source: British Library)

If none of those thing happened, and the beer survived, you must imagine that everyone was very happy? Not exactly…

Due to the length of the journey, one of the few beers which could survive the journey, and as such the majority of the beer, consisted of dark porters. Very popular in cold and rainy London at the time but not so much in hot and sweaty India. (although stouts and porters can be enjoyable on warm days, they don't eye as being very refreshing :P)

But first, back to England!

As i previously mentioned, Bow's Brewery created October beer (a pale ale variant of the day). This beer was the first beer of its kind to be exported to India by the EIC. The beer was very well received, it was refreshing, light of color and maintained its taste remarkably well over the six month journey.  However, the brewery experienced decline due to bad business practices (ignoring the EIC and attempting shipping by themselves) and as such exports dwindled.

It was the East India Company which requested a strong hopped pale ale, similar to that of Bow's Brewery, to be produced for export to India. Allsop brewery was the first to be approached with this request, and several other breweries quickly followed suit . Initial exports of this new "India Ale"or "India Pale Ale" proved very successful, and the beer was very well received in India. This beer was more heavily hopped and had a slightly higher alcohol percentage than most other beers of the time.

Enjoying some IPA 

This early connection to India is where the beer gained its name. Subsequently, the beer was also exported to other markets such as the Americas and Australia, often under the name pale ale as India was not the destination. However, due to its more hoppy nature and connection to India, the name did stick and later emerged as a distinct beer style!

Enjoying a Pliny the Elder Imperial IPA 

Enough history, back to the present…

IPA is currently enjoyed worldwide, and has a whole number of varieties. there are three "official" (main categories) styles for IPA:

American IPA: Significantly hoppy and usually characterized by a bitter aftertaste.

English IPA: Lower average ABV percentages (due to taxation over the decades) and is characterized by less of a hoppy flavor and more pronounced hints of malt.

Imperial/Double IPA: Intensely hoppy, and higher in ABV.

Several other "unofficial styles" or subcategories, include:

- Belgian IPA (IPA's fermented with Belgian yeast)
- India Session Ale (IPA with low ABV level)
- White IPA (Begian witbier hopped like an IPA)
- Wild IPA (IPA that experiences fermentation with wild yeast)
- Red IPA (American red ale brewed with the strength and hop level of IPA)
- Rye IPA (IPA brewed with rye)
- Spiced/Herbed IPA (IPA brewed with additional spices, herbs or flowers)
- Black IPA (IPA brewed with dark specialty malts)
- Triple IPA (more hops more glory)
- Quadrupel IPA (very extreme, not for the faint hearted)

So plenty of IPA's to choose from, and that all without the 6 month waiting time!

Cheers!

Brewery Visit: De Koninck

Brewery: De Koninck
City: Antwerp
Country: Belgium

Well the old brewery, so more like a museum..

Last weekend i visited the old Koninck brewery in the Belgian city of Antwerp!
Although the brewery no longer brews its beer there, which is now done at Duvel Moortgat (which bought the brewery), it still functions as a museum and brewery "experience". Why did we decide to visit? My sister is currently conducting her thesis research for the brewery!

De Koninck!

But first, a little history lesson..

The brewery was founded in 1833 (3 years after the formation of Belgium as a country) and was originally called "the hand". The reason for this original naming was that the building hosting the brewery was located at a boundary crossing between Antwerp and Berchem. A signpost with a hand sigil indicated that payment of a toll was necessary to pass. The hand has since become the symbol for the city of Antwerp.

The name "De Koninck" appeared in the first half of the 19th century, and as such the brewery was now named after its founding family. Around the same time, the beer also became the most popular drink in Antwerp and the surrounding countryside.

Ill just have one…..

But back to my story,

I visited the Brewery last weekend, on a Sunday. Looking back this was unfortunate as, although the brewery was open, all surrounding restaurants and bars (which are in the same complex) were closed. Although unfortunate, the brewery was open and that was the main reason for visiting.

Like i previously mentioned, the brewery has stopped brewing beer and has been turned into a brewery "experience" and museum. The experience guides you through the old brewery which has been renovated into a semi-interactive museum with televised tour guides and exhibitions.

Glasses, glasses everywhere!

For example, in the space shown by the picture above, a video guide informed us about different beer glasses and their corresponding beers (all owned by Duvel Moortgat, off course). Exhibitions like this really characterized this brewery museum, as each space had some form of video instruction or interaction. Probably the best part was taking a seat in a Koninck delivery truck as it, as a simulation, raced through the streets of Antwerp.

Grand Theft Koninck

But apart from a few other limited, tangible, interactions it was really just a museum and not so much an experience. Although informative, these semi interactive (press a button) video guides and interactions dont really let a visitor experience anything "real"(with the exception of being able to touch barley).

Moreover, even though the brewery is no longer in use, it was not possible to walk through the actual brewery. Instead, a suspended walkway with windows was seemingly constructed and as such it felt a little artificial.

An old Koninck cafe and a history lesson

Don't get me wrong, the exhibitions were nicely made and looked great, but the lack of physical or human interaction made this less of an "experience" for me. It would have been great if more activities were included, or for example places where one can taste and feel the brewing process and ingredients.

But first, let me take a brewfie..

So in terms of the "experience" in itself, i experienced it more like a museum. The exhibitions were great and the information displayed was great, however there was nothing really there to entice or motivate you to really explore and "experience" the Koninck.

The ending was good..

The end of the tour was nicely done however, as here you could exchange your ticket for either a tasting platter of three different beers or a single glass. The "brewery" bar was also very nice, and had a great atmosphere.

I selected the single glass as i was eager to taste on of the new test brews currently being made by de Koninck.

Cheers!

All in all a good day, but not really an "experience" which was unfortunate. However, if you ever find yourself in Antwerp and looking for something to do, de Koninck is a nice place to visit.

I hope my sister's research will contribute to some improvements to really make this a brewery experience!

Cheers!

What makes a Trappist, a Trappist?

What is a Trappist?

Questions which have been on the mind of many a beer drinker. We all know that Trappist beers are great and something special. But why? I was questioning the same thing myself some time ago.

Well, question no more!

The name "Trappist" comes from a branch of the Roman Catholic Religious order of Cistercians, the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance. The monks and nuns of this order are actually commonly referred to as Trappists (keep that in mind when you are ordering a Trappist at a monastery brewery, you might get more than you asked for). The order takes its name from the La Trappe Abbey in France (yes in France, not the La Trappe Monastery in the Netherlands).

Although a lot of religious orders brewed beer, the Trappist are noted as being the most active brewers throughout history (+1 for Trappists)!

They also drank beer… (Bridgeman Images)

But enough history, what is it that gives a beer the label of Trappist? Well the obvious answer here is that they are brewed by Trappists. Yes in most cases, but there is more to it than that. 

In 1997, eight Trappist (Orval, Chimay, Westvleteren, Westmalle, La Trappe, Rochefort, Achel and Mariawald) monasteries founded the International Trappist Association (ITA), this was done to prevent commercial companies from branding their products with the Trappist logo. Those of you familiar with Trappist breweries are probably wondering: Mariawald?. Mariawald, although one of the founders of the ITA, does not currently produce beer (they stopped in 1956 due to resource shortages).

"For then are they monks in truth, if they live by the work of their hands" - Chapter 48, the Rule of St. Benedict  

The association also set up strict rules on brewing authentic Trappist brews:

- The beer must be brewed within the walls of the Trappist monastery by, or under the supervision of, monks.

- The brewery must be second in terms of importance to the monastic way of life, and business practices should be representative of said way of life.

- Income generated by the brewery should cover costs of daily life and maintenance of the monastery, all additional income must be donated to charity. 

- The Trappist breweries are to be constantly monitored to ensure the quality of their product.

And that ladies and gentlemen, makes a Trappist, a Trappist!

A beer from each Trappist Brewery (Rowlands, 2015)

There are currently a total of 170 Trappist Monasteries and Convents worldwide, unfortunately only 11 brew authentic Trappist beers. A list of official Trappist breweries:

Belgium

- Brasserie de Rochefort (Rochefort)

- Bieres de Chimay (Chimay)

- Brasserie d'Orval (Orval)

- Brouwerij Westvleteren/St Sixtus (Westvleteren)

- Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle (Wesmalle)

- Brouwerij der Sint-Benedictusabdij de Achelse Kluis (Achel)

Netherlands

- Brouwerij de Koningshoeven (La Trappe)

- Brouwerij Abdij Maria Toevlucht (Zundert)

Austria

- Stift Engelszell 

United States

- St. Joseph's Abbey 

Italy

- Tre Fontane Abbey

So go out there and enjoy some strictly regulated, religious, and oh so delicious Trappist beer!

Cheers!

Beer Discovery: Hertog Jan Ongekend

Beer: Ongekend HJA15/1-3
Brewery: Hertog Jan
Country: The Netherlands
Style: ???
ABV: ???

Noticed the ?question? marks did you? No i didn't make a mistake, its exactly that what makes this beer so interesting.

Well not exactly one specific beer, but three!

Hertog Jan Ongekend (unprecedented) represents a three beer limited edition range from the Hertog Jan brewery. What makes these beers so special is not the fact that they are limited edition, well maybe a little, but the fact that they are brewed with the intention of discovering yourself whats inside. Each edition is a limited, one batch brew.

This also means that there is no label or indicator to give away the contents, the bottle itself is also pitch black (so no peeping).

See what i mean? no hints at all

Well there is one hint actually.

When you buy the bottle, a small booklet is attached to it. After tasting, and forming your own opinion, you can open this booklet and read the comments of the brewer.

I was lucky enough to try out the HJA15/1 recently at a beer festival, it was the same day that the HJA15/2 was released (so right on time). Loved the taste, I haven't yet read the brewers notes, but the taste was a bit like a dunkelweizen/strong dark ale mix (definite notes of banana)! Im also really looking forward to the next three editions, but as supplies are limited i will really need to keep an eye out.

I also recommend you to do the same, if you have the opportunity to try one (or all) of these creative brews!

Cheers!

My Rating: 3.75/5*

Beer Discovery: Pepperspray Porter

Beer: Pepperspray Porter
Brewery: Het Uiltje
Country: The Netherlands
Style: Imperial Porter / Chili Beer
ABV: 8.6%

Hot, hot, hot, hot, hoooooot!

That could be my entire description of this crazy beer, but i will be nice and will put a little bit more effort into it than that.

I have had only one other chili style beer before, so i don't have much to compare it with, but i wasn't expecting the sheer spiciness which i experienced (evidently the large red pepper on the bottle wasn't enough of a warning :P)

The beer is brewed by Het Uiltje, and is brewed at Jopen (both located in Haarlem, the Netherlands). They brewed an imperial porter and added an ingredient which makes this beer so distinctive and hot: The California Reaper.

Drinking a Pepperspray Porter 

For those of you unaware of what this vital ingredient entails, the reaper is the hottest known pepper on the planet!

The result: a beer which, in my limited experience, is spicy like no other. During the first few sips the beer presents a wide range of flavors and some significant spiciness. However, with each sip one takes, the spiciness gets more intense (much like eating spicy food), and you seem to get thirstier and thirstier (a very dangerous combination). And not to forget, this beer still packs a 8.4% ABV punch which is not to be underestimated.

However, this beer is not overly spicy and remains "drinkable", unlike some other spicy beers which i have heard about. Don't drink this beer first though, it will probably ruin your taste buds.

But like i mentioned at the very beginning, the word hot is all you need to know!

I highly recommend trying out this spicy monster!
(not in combination with spicy food, don't kill yourself)

Cheers!

My rating: 3.75/5*

Beer Style Discovery: Rauchbier / Smoked Beer

Beer Style Discovery: Rauchbier / Smoked Beer

When one thinks of beer, smoke isn't usually the first thing that comes to mind.
By method of drying malted barley over an open fire, Rauchbier gains its distinctive smokey taste.

And when i say distinctive, i really do mean distinctive!

Although varying in degrees of taste, some smoked beers really taste like drinking liquid smoked ham or eel, a strange but delicious experience!

Drying malted barley

Drying malt above an open fire was quite common before the advent of the 18th century, meaning that some early beers did have a smokey flavor to them, similar to smoked beers today.

Around the beginning of the 18th century, kiln drying malt (using an indirect heat source)  had become a common method, and by the mid 19th century near universal. This almost caused the disappearance of smoked beer around the world as modern techniques became more popular.

Drinking a Dutch Rauchbier

However, luckily for us, some breweries have maintained the tradition of drying barley malts above a fire. Two of these breweries located in Germany, Schenkerla and Spezial, have continued traditional Rauchbier production for nearly two centuries.

Drinking a Shlenkerla (weizen) Rauchbier

Thanks to breweries such as those two, the style hasn't faded away from history. A number of breweries all over the world have started brewing in the traditional method, creating some awesome beers!

So if you haven't already, try a smoked beer!

Cheers!

Beer Style Discovery: Bock/Bok Beer

Style: Bock/Bok

Bock beer is a seasonal beer which nowadays is enjoyed right around this time, fall. The earliest records of bock go back to the 14th century in the German town of Einbeck. There the beer enjoyed great regional popularity.

A couple of centuries later (no big deal) the style was adopted by the brewers of another German city, Munich. You might have heard of Munich, they have a small annual october gathering where a few people drink a couple of beers.

But back to the point

These brewers adapted the style to a more advanced method of brewing, and something similar to what we know as bock beer today was born!

But why the name?

This had to do with the bavarian accent of the people of Munich, and the town where the style was adopted from: Einbeck. Einbeck is pronounced in bavarian as 'ein bock', which translates to male goat/billy goat. This explains why a number of bock beer brands still symbolize the beer with the image of the goat.

Bock Beer, always a party...

As can be derived from the slightly disturbing image displayed above, Bock beer was traditionally drunk at parties, back then called religious festivals.

The beer is also very season bound, with in the fall/winter the traditional bock and in the spring a variant named 'lentenbock'. I highly prefer the traditional version.

There are a number of variants of bock: Traditional (Darkish / 6.3-7.2%), Doppel (Dark gold to dark brown, 7-12%), Maibock (Light golden, 6.3-7.4%), and Eisbock (dark amber to dark brown 9-12%)

Enjoying a Bock

There are a number of variants of the Bock beer style, making this a very interesting style of beer to discover. The beer is most popular in Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria and the Czech Republic. These countries also host the majority of breweries which produce Bock. However, breweries that produce bock exist in many additional countries.

The Netherlands has even developed its own style of Bock beer, with the most notable trait being that Dutch bock beers can be both top and bottom fermenting. The style became popular in the Netherlands in 1868, and after experiencing a dip in popularity a number of years later, it came back in full force around 1978. The Netherlands now produces more than 50 different brands of Bock Beer!

Enjoying a Dutch Bock

All in all, an interesting and usually tasty beer style to discover!

Cheers!

Beer Discovery: DeuS Brut des Flandres

Beer: DeuS Brut des Flandres
Brewery: Bosteels
Country: Belgium
Style: Champagne Beer / Brut
ABV: 11.5%

Champagne Beer!?

yes, you heard that right!

DeuS is one of the few beers belonging to the Champagne/Brut beer style, and what a fantastic beer it is!

Me, enjoying a 2014 bottle of DeuS

This fantastic beer was introduced in 2002 by Brewery Bosteels, the same brewery which makes the outstanding beers of Pauwel Kwak and Tripel Karmeliet.

The beer is initially brewed by the master brewer at Bosteels, after its initial fermentation and maturation stage, the beer is actually transported to the Champagne region (yes, thats where champagne comes from..). This makes it unique even amongst other champagne beers!

There the beer undergoes the famous method de champenoise, a method for used for making sparkling wines. There, amongst bottles of Champagne, the beer slowly develops into an amazing fusion of beer and champagne.

Method de Champenoise. Source: Bloomberg

After enough time has passed for the beer to ferment a second time, the bottles are stored horizontally to mature for a minimum of 12 months. After such time, sediment has formed in the bottle, this sediment is then propelled toward the neck of the bottle by method of remuage.

The bottles are then placed in stillages, where they are turned around and brought from a horizontal to a vertical position. These turns are made every eight hours, for approximately 3 weeks. After such time the bottle will be standing upright, and the sediment which has formed during re-fermentation will have gathered in the bottle neck, from there the sediment is expunged and the bottle resealed.

So all in all, a very easy and simple beer to create…….

Appreciate that a whole lot of work went into creating that glass of DeuS, next time you're drinking it!

Enjoying a DeuS (2011)

There are some discussions around this beer regarding its ability to age, and become better over time. My own opinion is that this beer definitely does improve over time, i enjoyed the 2011 variant much more than the recent 2014.

DeuS definitely has some similarities to champagne, but has a much softer taste. Fruity yeast flavors coupled with a smooth light sweetness, the flavor of this beer is just awesome. Light in color, bubbly, with a medium amount of head. Enjoy by drinking from a champagne glass. Be careful with enjoying it too much though, it still packs 11.5% ABV.

Cheers!

My Rating:
2011 5/5*
2014 4.5/5*

Beer Style Discovery: Dubbel, Tripel, Quadrupel. What's the difference?

Style(s): Dubbel, Tripel, Quadrupel

Dubbel (Double), Tripel (Triple), and Quadrupel (Quad). These are familiar terms to beer lovers all over the world, but what does each style represent, where does it come from and what are the differences?

I have had my own answers to these questions, but i have never taken the time to really find out where they come from, and their exact definitions.

So if you were wondering the same thing, this is your lucky day!

Trappist Ales

So, lets start with the Dubbel.

A Dubbel is a trappist naming convention, the first to use this term being the Abbey of Westmalle, all the way back in 1856!

The monks of Westmalle originally brewed a light beer (which nowadays is often referred to as patersbier). Later on, the monks started brewing a stronger variant which was brown in color but still retained the sweetness of the original flavor. Later on, in 1926, the brew was altered and became stronger and more like the dubbel style that we know today.

The first recorded sale of the "dubbel" beer of Westmalle was back in 1861, but in terms of popularity, the beer really took off after World War 2. Due to its popularity, the Westmalle Dubbel was copied by other breweries (independent and trappist alike). This popularity and the following imitation led to the emergence of the style "dubbel". Dubbels are now characterized by being fairly strong in terms of alcohol percentage (6-8%), having a brown colour, and a fruity character.

Me, enjoying a Westmalle Dubbel!

So lets move on, time for the Tripel!

Our friends at Westmalle were at it again, they too were responsible for the emergence of this style of beer!

The Tripel was a naming convention used by the monks at Westmalle to rename their strongest beer, back in 1956! The original name of the beer was "Superbier" or "Superbeer", so lets all be glad that they changed the name. 

Is it a bird?, is it a plane? No!…. its SUPER BEER!!!

Source: Incrediblethings

Once again, the popularity of the brand Westmalle, ensured that this term was copied by other brewers, and once again led to the emergence of a new beer style. The Westmalle recipe was changed in 1956, and has remained essentially unchanged ever since. There were some recorded beers using the name tripel, prior to 1956, but low awareness caused these to have faded away into history (apparently some were also dark in colour). 

Enjoying a Westmalle Tripel

Last but not least, lets talk about the Quadrupel!

And no, it wasn't invented by Westmalle..

The Quadrupel is intended to be stronger than the Tripel, and as such should be stronger than the average Tripel. This is pretty much where the guidelines for the style end, making this the least defined beer style of the three. So a Quad will usually have an alcohol percentage of 10% or more. 

Therefore, Quadrupel or Quad is an umbrella term used to usually describe a (trappist) breweries strongest beer, the term Quad has become quite popular to describe such a beer. The term Quadrupel is used by La Trappe, a trappist brewery in the Netherands, as a name for their strongest beer. 

Me, enjoying a La Trappe Quadrupel

So, there you have it, the history behind each style and its notable differences!

Go out there and enjoy these great beer styles!

Cheers!

Beer Discovery: Sink the Bismarck!

Beer: Sink the Bismarck!
Brewery: Brewdog
Country: Scotland
Style: Quadrupel IPA
ABV: 41%

Yes, you read that right, a 41% Quadrupel IPA!

This extraordinarily strong beer is the result of a back and forth battle between Brewdog and 

Schorschbräu.


The two breweries have been having a back and forth battle to create the strongest brewed beers on the planet, Sink the Bismarck being a a product of this battle for supremacy.

The name, an veiled insult aimed at the German brewery, refers to the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck during World War 2. And although it isn't the strongest beer anymore, the name was probably intended to sink the German competition. 

The Bismarck!

So first, a little history lesson..

The Bismarck was only one of two Bismarck-class battleships created by Nazi Germany in WW2. The Bismarck itself was a monster of a ship, being 251 meters in length, weighing around 50.000 tons, and crewed by around 2000 men, this was one serious ship. In short, it was a heavy, impressive and very dangerous battleship…much like the beer that was named after it. 

Ironically the ship was never sunk by the British, but by the Germans themselves.

After multiple engagements, the ship was neutralized by sustained bombardment and was scuttled by her own crew. Multiple engagements is also the term i would use when describing my experiences with my own Bismarck. 

One of the attempts to Sink the Bismarck. 

7 times i drank one or two small liquor glasses of bismarck, usually whilst sharing with others. One or two small (2-4cl) glasses are, in my opinion, more than enough for one sitting.

The taste is extreme, both in its flavor and uniqueness. IPA is definitely present within the taste, and afterwards so is the extreme alcohol content. The fact that the beer retains such a strong IPA taste, with its extreme alcohol percentage, made this a unique experience for me. Therefore it really does earn the classification of being a Quadrupel IPA! 

But how does this beer get this extreme taste?

Brewdog Kettle hopped, dry hopped and freeze hopped a staggering four times to create this extreme IPA! And the great thing about it is, if you can handle the strength of the alcohol, it tastes pretty good for what it represents (one or two glasses at one time only though).

Extreme IPA tastes, very fruity, syrupy and with a strong alcohol and bitter aftertaste, this is definitely and impressive beer! So impressive they even made a movie about it!

Being so extreme, this is definitely a beer to be enjoyed over a period of time (if you have a bottle of your own). Brewdog in their Brewdog wisdom supplies a re sealer for your bottle, so you can try to sink the Bismarck over and over again!

Sink it if you can!

Cheers!

My rating: 4/5*

Beer Festival: Beyerd Beer Festival

Festival: Beyerd Beer Festival (Second Edition)
Location: Breda, The Netherlands

Last Sunday i visited the second edition of the Beyerd Beer Festival, in my college town of Breda.

The festival was held in the 'week van het Nederlandse bier' or 'week of Dutch beers', a week that celebrates beer and breweries from Dutch soil. It was held together with another festival, the burgundian boschstraat (street) festival, although i didn't really notice the presence of that particular festival :P

Cafe de Beyerd

Cafe de Beyerd is, in my opinion, one of the best pubs in Breda. The cafe always has a great atmosphere and a wide selection of craft beers. Furthermore, it also has its own brewery (Drie Hoefijzers) which is always nice. But i will stop advertising and get back to the main subject of this blog, the beer festival itself.

As far as beer festivals go, the Beyerd beer festival was quite small, with only 11 breweries attending. The great thing about this particular festival however was the fact that the majority of the breweries participating were from the city itself, or the surrounding area. This really provided a great opportunity to discover some fantastic new brews which were from, or close by, the city where i study.

Beyond beer festival in full swing

As you might have observed from the picture above, much like the last beer festival i visited, the weather was not very accommodating. It was raining most of the day and the temperature was not what it should have been, however this did little to deter me, my friends, and the fellow visitors to the festival.

As mentioned above, the beer festival hosted 11 different Dutch breweries, which ranged from aspiring home brewers to established craft beer breweries. What they all had in common however was that they poured some great brews. Once again, not a single brew i had was disappointing.

Enjoying a Galders Bokbier (Doppelbock) 3.75/5*

For those of you who use Untappd to keep track of your brews, you probably know it is quite hard to find a beer, especially at a beer festival, which is not yet present on said app. Surprisingly i did manage this at the festival, i actually added the above beer on Untappd, a first for me since I've started using it.

But back to the main topic.

There were also some interesting things to discover at this particular festival, for example, there was a beer taste guessing game present. This game was played by trying to blind guess which beer belonged to which bottle, something i would have loved to participate in. Unfortunately, at the point where i became aware of this games existence, i had already ruined by taste buds with some hop heavy brews.

Guess the Beer!

Furthermore, there were a number of interesting brewery stands present. One even had a special type of tap, which provided the option of adding specific flavour to the beer as it coursed through it.

One of the 'special' taps

and some brewery stands just looked really cool..

St. Christoffel mobile bar, awesome!

I really enjoyed myself at the Beyerd beer festival, and I'm sure that my friends, and fellow visitors, did as well!. If you ever find yourself in the Netherlands, or near Breda, next year around the same time, i highly recommend paying a visited to this small but absolutely fantastic beer festival (i just hope the weather is better next time around)

Cheers!

Beer Discovery: Pauwel Kwak

Beer: Pauwel Kwak
Brewery: Bosteels
Country: Belgium
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
ABV: 8.4%

Many people recognize the distinctive shape and look of the Kwak glass, but the story behind the funky shape of the glass and the beer it contains is not that well known.

The beer is brewed by the family brewery Bosteels, which has been run by the same family for over 6 generations!

The beer is named after its brewer, Pauwel, who started brewing the beer while Napoleon was busy conquering Europe. Pauwel was the owner of an inn, de Hoorn, which was frequented by coachmen of horse carriages. It was customary during that time for the coachmen to stay with the carriage, whilst the passenger went inside for a refreshing drink or something to eat.

Pauwel, recognizing that the coachmen would also like to have a nice brew (drunk driving was still allowed back then), set about creating a special glass for the coachmen. Imagine someone designing a special glass today which would make it easier for drivers to drink without leaving their car.

Coachman and his Kwak

And so the Kwak glass was born! The glass is distinctive for both its round bottom shape and the wooden holder which comes with it. Its enlarged, round bottom, prevented the glass from falling over while riding whilst it was hanging from its wooden holder. Attached at the side of the carriage, the coachmen always had their glass ready for a refill. The wooden base was added later as the brew became more popular, allowing for the beer to be placed on tables or other surfaces.

Enjoying a Pauwel Kwak (3.75/5*)

There are several theories as to why the beer is named "kwak". Kwak or the english equivalent of blob was used to describe the brewers physical appearance as Kwak was not his actual last name. However, some people attribute the name to the sound the beer makes when it spills over careless consumers. Due to the its distinctive shape, the last few sips result it an air bubble pushing beer outward (something which, if not suspected, can cause quite a mess). Therefore, some argue that the name is descriptive of the sound the beer and not the physical appearance of its brewer.

The beer and glass were actually released in 1980, with the history behind the glass and beer being used for marketing its release. The brewery claims the history is authentic, and it might as well be with the brewery going back so many generations.

Amber in colour and having a slight sweet/spicy taste with fruity aromas, the Pauwel Kwak is definitely an enjoyable brew.

So if you ever find yourself driving your horse carriage through Belgium, be sure to stop for a Kwak!

Cheers!