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!