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!

Beer Festival: Dutch Craft Beer Festival

Festival: Nederlands Speciaalbier Festival (Craft Beer Festival)

Location: 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands

Last week i visited the bi-annual Dutch craft beer festival in Den Bosch, and had an absolutely great time. 

I was really looking forward to once again attending this great beer festival, having only visited it once before. Furthermore it was in my home town, something which adds just a little bit more excitement to the event. I was therefore quite disappointed that after a week of reasonably good weather that the forecast for the festival day was bad.

I still had my hopes up though, weather forecasts aren't that accurate in the Netherlands on average.  Unfortunately for me and my friends, on this occasion they were. Despite the dismal weather conditions, we still managed to have a fun packed and beer filled day at the Dutch craft beer festival!.

We were a little early, eager to start!

We arrived about 15 minutes early to the festival, knowing from previous experience that it could get quite busy and as such did not want to wait in a long line. Therefore, we managed to get our tasting glasses and coins quickly and set out exploring. 

Tasting glass, and brewery booklet

It turned out that there was plenty to discover, with 38 Dutch breweries present and with each offering 3 or more craft beers, there was something for everyone's taste. With so much choice, we started looking around for something light to start with (which ended up being a very good idea). There was also a great atmosphere, at least for the first half of the festival, with live music and relatively stable weather conditions. 

Beer Festival

However, after a couple of hours the rain started pouring down and some logistical problems became apparent. There were two big problems, there weren't enough coins or glasses. This was unfortunate, because it created long lines and prevented people from enjoying more of the festival, since it is only a one day event. However, we were well prepared, being early birds, and as such were just spectators to the chaos. 

Getting busier

Logistical and weather conditions aside, it was really awesome being an such a big festival! The fact that there were only Dutch breweries present really gave me a chance to discover more of my nation's craft beers. Furthermore, the brewers were all open for a chat and there was even some brewing going on!

Brewmaster in action

Weathering the storm, using our festival booklets as umbrellas, we enjoyed all kinds of different beers at the festival. I ended up drinking 17 different brews (good thing i started off light :P). Furthermore, with the exception of one brew, i enjoyed all the beers that i tried. 

I will be sure to visit the festival again next time (in the fall), hopefully next time it will be better organized and the weather more enjoyable. 

All in all, a great day at a great festival!

Cheers!

Beer Discovery: La Trappe Quadrupel Oak Aged Series

Beer(s): Quadrupel Oak Aged
Brewery: Koningshoeven (La Trappe)
Country: Netherlands
Style: Quadrupel
ABV: 11%

The La Trappe Oak Aged Quadruples are in my opinion some of the best beers that the Netherlands has to offer!

In 2009 the monks at the Koningshoeven Monastery and Brewery started aging their La Trappe Quadrupel in Barrels (or Barriques), and have since then produced 19 batches of La Trappe Oak Aged. The Koningshoeven is also a fully certified Trappist Brewery, one of two in the Netherlands.

Enjoying a Batch #18! (4.5/5*)

Batches are blended multiple times a year, and as such this beer enjoys a consistent release but ever changing taste palette. Once a new blend is created, production of the previous stops, making each La Trappe Oak Aged Quadrupel a collectors item in its own right.

With each blend, the quadruple is interred into barrels (or Barriques) with specific properties. For example the Batch #14's blend consisted of: Acacia Wood (7%), New Oak Barrels (11%) and Limousine Barrels with Cognac (82%). Each Batch has a particular theme, for example with 82% Cognac Barrels, the Batch #14's taste is strongly influenced by Cognac.

Enjoying the #14! (5/5*)

Unfortnately, the La Trappe Oak Aged beers do not come cheap. When a new batch is released they are reasonable priced, at least at the brewery. However, since batches are only created once, and the fact that the beer can be further aged on the bottle for many years causes earlier batches to come with a significant price tag. I recently came across the batch #12 which was priced at €25 (could have been a lot worse).

€100 of Batch #12, Yes this happened :P (4.5/5*)

The most recent batch to be released, as i am writing this, is the batch #19. This batch is aged on dessert wine and should be very interesting to drink. I recently paid a visit to the Koningshoeven Brewery and bought myself a bottle of the batch #19,  I'm planning on drinking it this weekend (if i can resist my temptation for that long).

Oak Aging, with a little Divine Intervention (Source: La Trappe)

If you ever have the opportunity to try one of these awesome beers, i highly recommend it!

Cheers!

P.S. I did not get the opportunity for a brewery tour when i was visiting the Koningshoeven, so a blog post will have to wait until i have had the opportunity to do so.

Beer Discovery: Royal Virility Performance

Beer: Royal Virility Performance
Brewery: Brewdog
Country: Scotland
Style: IPA
ABV: 7.5%

Royal Virility Performance is a limited edition Brew (2011) to celebrate the marriage between Prince William and Kate Middleton. But this isn't your average commemorative beer….

"A beer to stir the lions of newlywed princes and cure the stammer of stuttering kings"

and to

"Celebrate Big Willy Style"

RVP is brewed to give the happy couple something "extra big" on their wedding night, and with a name such as Royal Virility Performance i think the message is quite clear. Brewdog states that the beer contains viagra and other aphrodisiacs to boost the "performance" of the drinker, and caused quite big stir upon its release.

Is Royal Virility Performance the cause?

"Arise Prince Willy.."

Whilst the beer does not contain the full strength regular viagra, it does contain the herbal viagra variant together with some other "stimulating" herbs and a good dose of sarcasm. If you are reading this, and thinking that your search for beer that will boost your sexual performance is over, i must disappoint you. Although a great concept, and reason for a laugh, the beer really does nothing to help you out there. In fact, having too many of these will probably do the opposite.

Enjoying a RVP, no side effects experienced

I had heard of this beer before, but had much given up ever coming across it short of ordering it online. Therefore i was pleasantly surprised when i came across this at a pub in my hometown. It wasn't cheap however, being a limited edition beer in 2011 with only 1000 bottled, and it now being 2015, i did have to pay a significant price for a performance boost. However I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to see what all the fuss was about.

Big Willy

I quite enjoyed this beer: herbal, spicy and IPA goodness. This beer probably tasted a bit different from the original, having aged three years, but still tasted fine. The fact that i was so surprised to find this beer, and that i was quite drunk at the time, probably contributed to my appreciation of the taste.

If you ever come across one of the rare remaining bottles i highly recommend you to also "Celebrate Big Willy Style"

My Rating 4.5 / 5

Cheers!

Brewery Visit: Van Moll

Brewery: Van Moll
City: Eindhoven
Country: The Netherlands

A while ago i visited the Van Moll Brewery and Brewpub, and had an absolutely fantastic time! The great thing about this brewery visit was the fact that it wasn't planned, at least not by me.

We were going to attend a soccer game that day, arriving earlier to spend some time in the city beforehand. My girlfriend wanted to do some shopping and told me she had heard of a nice pub we would visit afterward (it made the shopping a lot more bearable :P). I had never heard of Van Moll prior to walking through its front door, where i was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was both a brewery and a stylish/modern brewpub!

Brewery & Brewpub Van Moll (Source: Van Moll)

The brewery is run by Jaap and Erwin, who opened the brewery in 2013 as the first brewpub in Eindhoven. Underneath the pub is the brewery, which customers can observe through glass windows (as can be seen on the above pictures, top middle). The brewery isn't large, but Jaap and Erwin do brew quite a number of different beers both for consumption in the pub and for limited distribution (their beers have recently started appearing in the city where i live). Van Moll brews 11 beers all year around, with a number of experimental or limited time brews also available during the year.

Enjoying a Van Moll Schobbejak 

Off course, when visiting a brewery its near heresy to not try some of their beers, why wouldn't you? its the best place to drink them!. I really liked the Van Moll beers which i tried (Eenvoud 4*, Toewijding 4*, Schobbejak 3.5* and D.A.F. 4* respectively), the atmosphere might have contributed to this but they were very pleasant to drink. Furthermore, you are by no means limited to drinking their own brews, Van Moll has a wide selection of specialty beers available.

Enjoying a Toewijding (Dedication)

All in all: Great beer, great atmosphere, great pub, great location and one of the two owners that i talked to was very nice. It was a great place to get into the mood to watch some soccer and drink some very nice beers.

If you are ever in Eindhoven, I highly recommend paying a visit to this awesome brewpub and brewery!

Cheers!

Brewery Website: http://vanmolleindhoven.nl