St. Feuillien Cuvee de Noel

St. Feuillien is an Abbey brewery established back in 1125 AD. I'm not sure what it is about Monks and brewing, but they definitely go together well. Tonight I tasted their Cuvee de Noel, which was part of a 3 beer assortment which also netted me the nice glass you see in the photo. There's something special about drinking a beer from a glass that was designed for it. Being a Christmas or holiday beer, this beer has a fuller body than many Belgian ales, and a vinous quality. Alcohol is at 9.0% abv, so it's a nice sipping beer, although it went well with my pork roast too. It tastes of dark fruit and has the traditional Belgian yeast character as well. St. Feuillien also makes a very nice Tripel, which was also in the assortment, and a Bruin rounded out the trio. I'm looking forward to trying the Bruin next.

Petrus Winterbeer

Tonight's beer is from Belgium, brewed at Brouwerij Bavik in Bavikhove. It's called Petrus Winterbeer, and it's my first winter seasonal this year. It poured a medium brown color with a large fluffy white head that diminished rapidly. It's pretty well-carbonated as many Belgian ales are, and is light to medium in body. It's fruity and spicy, with some sweet malt and raisins coming through at the end. I know it's a little early for winter (even though Wal-Mart is already playing Christmas music!) but I have a weak spot for beer bottles with Santa on them. This was a good warmup for the season, and I'll be looking forward to the rich, malty, spicy, syrupy beers to come!

Satan Gold Belgian Ale

Who could resist a beer named "Satan Gold" with a picture of a devil on the label? I knew right away it had to be Belgian. The Belgians are the cowboys of the brewing world. This strong golden ale was brewed by Brewery de Block, Merchtem-Pezeigem, Belgium. It poured a hazey gold color with a fluffy white head with huge bubbles. Once the largest bubbles went away, there was an eighth-inch head on the beer for the remainder of the glass. It had a ginger ale-like carbonation. As with many Belgian ales, it was very fruity, both in the nose and the palate. There was also some sweet malt, and a warming alcohol finish. At 8% abv, that was not a surprise. This was a fine Belgian ale, very much in character with other Belgian Goldens.

Urthel Hop-It Belgian Superior Hoppy Blond Ale

This is a very interesting beer - a Belgian style ale with lots of hops. I hesitate to call it an IPA, but it has some of those characteristics - lots of hops, high alcohol level. Accoding to the website www.urthel.com, this beer was created after the brewer made a trip to the US Northwest and tried some of our IPA's. It was actually brewed in the Netherlands by De Koningshoeven. It poured a golden color with a big fluffy head, typical of a Belgian ale. It also had plenty of carbonation, and an alcohol level of 9.5% - all characteristic of a Belgian strong ale. The one difference was the level of hops, which was much higher than most Belgian golden ales I've tasted. The finish was dry. I really enjoyed this one. If the price was a little more attractive, I could handle a six-pack of it - but then I wouldn't have anything new to write about for 5 days.

Chimay Bleue Belgian Strong Ale

Chimay is probably the most well-known and most popular of all the Belgian breweries that have a presence in the US. Chimay Bleue (Blue) is a Belgian Strong Ale, and has an alcohol level of 9.0%. This ale poured a deep brown, with lots of yeast in the bottle. This is a bottle-conditioned ale, like a lot of Belgian beers. It had a small white head that dissipated pretty rapidly. It's well-carbonated too. The flavor is a little sweet, with a strong wine-like character. It has some alcohol in the finish. I think Belgian beers are an acquired taste, but they're some of the most interesting beers in the world.

A Tale of Two Wheat Beers

Today, I want to talk about two distinctly different wheat beers. The first is from Blue Moon Brewing, which is a branch of Coors. Blue Moon's Rising Moon Spring Ale is a member of their Seasonal Collection, and it's flavored with the zest and leaves of Kieffer limes. It poured a light amber color with a huge head. This is the kind of head a wheat beer should have! It's very refreshing, and I could taste the lime flavors from the additional ingredients. This is a very nice American Style wheat beer, great for the warmer months.

The second beer is from Belgium, and it's a traditional Belgian Witbier. It's Hoegaarden, and many folks consider it the best Belgian Wit available. This is the first time I have tried it, and it's excellent. The Belgians have their own special yeasts that impart a truly unique flavor. This one is also citrusy, and a little spicy. Witbier's are usually brewed with orange peel and coriander, and I believe that's true with this one.


Whether you pick the American, or the Belgian, you can't go wrong. Both are refreshing thirst-quenching beers for these warmer months.

La Chouffe Spiced Golden Ale - from Belgium

Belgian brewers are the cowboys of the brewing universe. Where the Germans are proud of their brewing heritage and their Reinheitsgebot, the Belgians believe in "Anything Goes". They experiment with sugars, spices, and whatever else pops into their head. La Chouffe Spiced Golden Ale is an example of that. It is 8.2% alcohol, probably from added sugars, and has a decidedly peppery taste. It is very carbonated and had a decent sized head when first poured. Speaking of pouring, I did a pathetic job of it with this beer. Not thinking about it being bottle conditioned, my glass was full of floating debris. The particles don't bother me, as long as I don't have to chew it. The alcohol showed itself in the finish. This beer had a much more distinctive flavor than the French Jenlain that I reviewed a week or so ago.