Cervecería de Colima - "Colimita" lager

Hot, humid weather calls for light, refreshing beverages, and recently the market has trended towards two types of such libations - hard seltzer, and Mexican-style lagers. I'm not touching the former, and for the latter, most international audiences think Pacifico, Modelo, and Corona, all made by Grupo Modelo - owned by the multinational conglomerate (and enemy of craft brewers), Anheuser-Busch InBev. Domestically, breweries like Flying Dog and Vasen make their own takes on the Mexican lager, but you don't hear much (yet) about true craft beer from south of the border as the export market is typically dominated by the aforementioned big guys. But like so many countries these days, smaller breweries are competing more and more for market share, so it makes sense that we're starting to see some small-batch craft stuff making its way north of the Rio Grande.

I'll admit that I was initially attracted to today's beer due to the can design - a very slim 12oz can reminiscent of cold-brew or basic-white-girl seltzer. The clean, elegant appearance was certainly enough to get my attention.

This one, made by Cervecería de Colima in Colima state, southwest Mexico, is a 4.20% lager. Not much else to say about what's in the can - pretty straightforward with no special malts, or funky ingredients, or bizarre strains of hops.

Pours a light golden color, and generates a puffy white head. Makes sense, not much surprising.

With a super clean and soft presentation, this lager is delicious. It's slightly sweet, with a touch of breadiness and honey on the finish, but overall a very soft lager, almost bordering on bland. But that's kind of the point, right? Here, there's no hops, and not nearly as much malty sweetness as you get with other Mexican beers (including Pacifico, which I happen to like). The clean presentation makes this a perfect hot-day beer and something that you can totally drink all day at a (socially-distant) barbeque or on the rooftop. And at $11 for 6, a great value. It's a limited release, as I'm told, so definitely grab a sixer if you see it. It's worth it for sure! They also make an American pale ale, which just hit our store so I'll have to check that out as well.

A (Virtual) Belgian Beer Tasting with Gert Christiaens

A while back, I had the opportunity to participate in a live Q&A and beer tasting with Gert Christiaens, head brewer of Oud Beersel in Belgium. Sponsored by Craft Beer Cellar on H St in DC, this originally was supposed to be an in-person "Tour de Gueuze" tasting, but due to the pandemic was now held over Zoom. The tasting featured a virtual tasting of four Oud Beersel beers, direct from Belgium, and was moderated by Dean Myers, whom you may recall I interviewed a few years back. Dean has moved on from Brasserie Beck to Wetten Importers, Inc, which is Oud Beersel's US distributor.

Oud Beersel was founded in the late 19th century and continued operations up through 2002, when money was tight and the head brewer retired. Gert Christiaens, a longtime fan of the brewery with no brewing experience, heard of the closure from his favorite pub while ordering a Bersalis trippel (which we'll drink later!) He immediately put a plan into action to save it, and along with business partner Roland de Bus, he secured financing and developed the experience to revitalize the brewery. Almost fifteen years later, Gert has become one of the most high-profile figures in both Belgian brewing at large, and the spontaneous fermentation movement specifically. Since then, Gert has been elected the President of HORAL (the High Council for Artisanal Lambic Beers) and collaborated with New Belgium for their "Transatlantic Kriek" as well as megablends through HORAL.

So today's tasting will focus on four of Oud Beersel's beer - a lambic, a Belgian ale, a sour blend, and a trippel, after which Gert will answer questions from the group. There were about 25 participants on the call. HUGE thanks to Avi C. for treating me to a ticket to this event! Much appreciated. On with the show!

That's Gert, on screen. He was discussing the format of our first beer, the "Oude Vieux Lambiek", packaged mysteriously in this 100mL flask. According to Gert, after years of experimentation and and a protracted customs battle, Oud Beersel was able to ship their local lambic culture across the Atlantic in a bag-in-a-box. Aiming to capture the taste and feel of the young lambic beers the village of Beersel drinks themselves, the brewery has releaseed unblended and unflavored young lambic to present a view into the lambic-making process not available on US shelves before.

Dean and the H Street Cellars team disgorged this lambic into the flask from the boxed bladder about 24 hours before tasting - super fresh! The box, which is pressure-resistant to 3.5 bars, is good unopened for 2 years, and when opened and kept in fridge, good for two months. Like boxed wine, it retains freshness due to the packaging, which is how this kind of beer can be transported to the US.

Pours somewhat flat, with a "base" and slightly sour flavor, with major barnyard notes like hay, musk, and a tinge of earth. The brewers oxidized the hops before making beer - hops are older than one year, which is longer than most IPAs, so in this case the bitterness falls off. 4 hours of boil - that's a lot! Compare to the potent Dogfish Head "120 Minute", at two hours of boil - but here, the bitterness is completely boiled out. Also, notice the prefix "Oude." Meaning "old" in Flemish, in this context anything "oude" means it's made in the "old way of making that beer," i.e. the original, natural method from 1300s. So this type of beer is what you might expect to be drinking were you transported seven hundreds years in the past in Belgium (which was then the Burgundian Netherlands in the Holy Roman Empire.)

OK, on to the next - Bersalis Tripel.

It's a 9.50% ABV Belgian ale, and the original beer which Gert was drinking when he committed to saving the brewery. This traditional Belgian Tripel is brewed with a touch of lambic influence and the result is a full-bodied blonde beer that evolves over time. There's a pungent banana nose - very pleasant and malty with a sweet backbone. Softer than other tripels I've had, and less aggressive that US-made versions. But then again, this is 100% authentic Belgian.Compare to Weinhenstephaner "Vitus" in terms of mouthfeel and banana/clove aroma.

On to the next - the Bersalis Sourblend Grand Cru:

Much of the brewery's mission over the past 15 years has become to preserve lambic culture and to introduce it to new audiences. First released to the US in 2018, Sourblend Grand Cru sees the Bersalis Tripel blended with a batch of aged lambic for increased complexity. It's the product of blending an overacidic lambec with Tripel, so mixed fermentation in this 8.00% sour.

One of the more sour beers of the night - definitely has that vinegary punch of a lambic, but does have the fig / clove / spice notes of a tripel. In a way, it's close to the "Duchesse du Bourgogne" in terms of body. I really like it and would definitely have this on draft at a bar.

Last one...finishing with a bang with the 2017-vintage Bersalis Tripel Oak Aged:

This is the most special of Oud Beersel's Bersalis line of traditional ale/lambic hybrids, and only 120 cases came to America of the Tripel Oak Aged. Here, the original malted wheat Bersalis Tripel ages in new oak lambic foeders for 18 months and undergoes further fermentation, resulting in a 10.5% ABV brew...essentially an imperial lambic, if such a thing existed.

It's somewhat warm as it's been out for well over an hour, but quite delicious - lots of orange blossoms, yeast, and barnyard flavors. A touch vinegary, like many of the others, but I like that. The oak is prevalent, with a solid tang and a fizz at the end. This was probably my favorite of the night - a "big" beer that packs a ton of flavor and a definite yeasty spice character that I come to love from Belgian dubbels and trippels.

That concluded the tasting portion, and before Gert had to go to sleep (it was late, Belgium time) we did a short question-and-answer session, during which I asked Gert if he's tried any American lambic-style beers (for example, like those from Jester King) that he's liked. He said yes, although not a fan of the quick sours - kettle sours, for example. His focus and intention is to make complex sours, nuanced sours, not the "shock" beers you see in the American markets, which he feels is about money as opposed to a particular craft. Makes sense, as worldwide, there's a smaller market for lambics, gueuze and krieks outside of Belgium...overall production of these styles combined is 24000 hectoliters, which is 20452 bbls -  for example, US-based Sierra Nevada manufactures 61 times this amount in a year. So in the scheme of things - not a lot at all.

But Gert's trying to change that - lambics made now show an increase in quality, according to Gert, and by using new technology brewers are more precise in measuring and consistency. There's much less a risk of defects, and with the global supply chain, Gert is able to source flavors from other cultures and making lambics out of them, resuscitating the style. I suggested a rhubarb lambic, which was enthusiastically supported by the group.

But what does this mean for those trying to make the style outside Belgium? "Sure, everyone wants to make a goeuze or lambic, but not everyone [is equipped to do so] - almost like Ford decided to make a Ferrari," Gert said, as "lambic beer is a dedication, not something easily done." Lambics are blended according to a variety of criteria, cannot achieve complexity if you half-ass things and focus on 50 beers at the same time. Only dedicated wooden barrel aged sour beers can truly achieve the style."

Gert signed off discussing his commitment to the style - considered by many the most-progressive mind in lambic brewing, he grew up in the countryside where lambics have been enjoyed for centuries, and feels that so many people are used to drinking mass-produced beers that he'd like to make his favorite styles accessible to the drinking public. Although lambics will never be mass market, Gert feels that if we lose the knowledge of the lambic style, we lose part of the Belgian culture as well. So seek out lambics when you can, and when this pandemic thing is all over and you visit Belgium, check out the brewery - Laarheidstraat 230, 1650 Beersel, Belgium. Big thanks to Gert, Dean, and Avi for a great experience!

Source: TripAdvisor

Evil Twin Brewing - Cinnamon Baked Pear Sour IPA

I believe we have reached the peak of absurdity - today's beer is a sour IPA that is, unbelievably, $34.99 for four pints. This is excessive by any standard and really leads me to question what, in fact, is in this can. Is it gold? What could have possibly made this cost so much?

Made by Evil Twin Brewing, it's billed as 7.00% ABV sour IPA made with brown sugar, pear and cinnamon. These are flavors not found too often in conjunction with one another, and in a sour IPA (not a common style, either) it's somewhat a rare bird. I actually did not pay full price...I broke up the four-pack into single pint cans sold for $8.99. Much more reasonable.

Cracks open and poured myself a nice 6oz pour into my Craft Brewers Conference tasting stemware.

Nose is minorly sour, nothing aggressive or forward. A little bit of fruit sour nose, and there's very little head which settles almost immediately.

Actually, this kinda works. It's not particularly sour - it's there, just not hit-you-over-the-head sour - and I'm definitely getting a nice, full flavor of crisp, ripe pears. That's the bulk of the flavors for sure. The cinnamon is there, too, albeit pretty soft, and contributes to a definite sweetness due to the brown sugar that the sourness balances nicely. Finish is moderately long, with fresh sour notes and lots of pear hanging on the tongue after swallowing.

Most interesting to me is the synthesis of flavors here - the sour / sweet balance is good, as are the mellow and tame flavors of pear and cinnamon. The beer has a decent body, thanks to being an IPA, and the subtle ingredients not fund in sours make it quite interesting. Contrast this to some of the lighter kettle sours out there, which are "pucker sours" and delivery hard and fast sourness and salt. Here, it's much more rounded and silkier with no gose culture or barnyard aromas found in Belgian sours. In fact, this beer's body reminds me in some way of a Flanders red ale.

So is it worth the money? The merchant in me says no, no four-pack is worth $34.99, as you can get two decent four-packs of craft beer for that price. But is it worth 8.99 for one? Yes, definitely. I'd also love to try this on draft! A tasty beer that's good for people looking to start out with sours, perhaps.

Einstök Ölgerð - Icelandic wee heavy

Here's something neat - an Icelandic beer, and perhaps my first review from the Nordic island nation. It's a 9.00% ABV Scottish-style ale (aka "wee heavy") from Einstök Ölgerð, a brewery located 60 miles south of the Arctic Circle in Akuyeyri, Iceland.

The style is a Scotch ale, also called a wee heavy, which I've reviewed a few times here: one from DC, one from California, and one in Cleveland. Today's variant is made made with Angelica root and smoked Icelandic barley. The smoked barley I get, but Angelica root? Not even sure what this is, although subsequent research (Wikipedia) indicates it's a root used in traditional medicine. Not sure what it's going to add to the beer, but I guess I'll find out.

Not much aroma here, and there's not a lot of foam produced.

On par with most Scotch ales in terms of being malty, sweet, lightly bready, with a noticeable caramel tinge, BUT - remarkably light. Which is interesting. Most of the Scotch ales I've had over the years have been on the heavy, boozy end of the spectrum, but this is refreshingly light and definitely suited for those looking for a malty, Scotch-style ale that's not high in alcohol. I'd equate it more closely to an English-style bitters in body, like an ESB. See Molly Pitcher's "Redcoat ESB", which most closely equates in terms of body.

I grabbed a six-pack of 11.2oz - 330-ml- cans at the Wegman's in Sterling, VA, for $9.99, so not a high investment. According to my friend Amanda, who has been to Iceland, everything is crazy expensive there, so how is this so reasonable? Not sure, but it's a tasty beverage and a solid price, so can't really go wrong. There were a few other offerings by this brewery at Wegman's, but this looked most intriguing. I'm curious to try others!

Dogfish Head - "Double Dog" DIPA

Another short take - here's a 12.00% ABV double IPA from Frederick, MD-based Flying Dog Brewery. Flying Dog makes solid beer, several of which offerings I count as some of my favorites. Their "Dead Rise", a beer made with Old Bay, is a perfect hot day beer, and aside from their typical offerings ("Raging Bitch", "The Truth", etc.) they also do experimental releases, called Brewhouse Rarities. My absolute favorite from this series was their "Carolina Reaper" brown ale - stunningly spicy and awesome, so much so that I called the brewery to request they bring it back. Apparently others have done so, too, but the brewery has no plans to make it again. Bummer.

I was in the mood for something strong, and saw this on the shelf here at the Argyle Market in Mt. Pleasant. I was a little surprised, as I don't recall seeing such high ABV beers from Flying Dog in six-pack 12oz formats, so figured I'd give this a try.

Sheesh, OK, there's a lot of punch to this beer. Somewhat thick, with a full cap of what foam. Texture-wise, it's very full-bodied, and in terms of flavor is quite punchy with strong, heavy bitterness and massive grapefruit flavors, complimented by raw oak and wheaty, grainy hops. Long and lingering finish with more of that grapefruit and blood orange tossed in. In a good way, this reminds me of Great Divide's "Hercules" double IPA or DC Brau's "On The Wings of Armageddon." In the era of soft, hazy, sessionable IPAs, it's really nice to see a bulldozer of a beer. I've grown a bit tired of the New England style, and the pendulum is now shifting back to more of a West Coast-inspired beer. This was $14.99, so pretty decent for what it is. I'd get this again.

Stillwater Artisanal - "Duck Sauce" DIPA

At the risk of doing *another* Stillwater Artisanal beer only a couple posts after the last one, this beer is too intriguing to pass up. It's called "Duck Sauce", and is a 9.00% ABV double IPA made with apricots, plums, pineapples, ginger, and Candi syrup. 

Just like hops and malts, brewers can use different types of sugars to make their beers and to impact the taste. Today's beer is made with Candi sugar (which is reduced to a syrup in this example). Candi sugar is often used in Belgian beers, like trippels or dubbels, and is in the same general family as molasses. Beers like Fordham & Dominion's "Candi" trippel is one of the more famous domestic examples, and I think it's a nice addition to heavier beers.  

OK, time to try this. Wow, pours lighter than expected. Given all the ingredients, including Candi sugar, I'd expect it to be darker. Instead, it's light gold.

Generates an aroma of fresh, juicy hops, with fruit. But almost like an artificial fruit smell, like you'd get from those old Airheads candy. 

Hmm, there's a lot going on here. It's full of fruit, with pineapple dominant, accompanied by oranges, apricots, lemons, and some heavy, sweet plum flavors, like you'd get from those fancy jams they sell at Whole Foods. Not getting much ginger, though. In terms of hops, there's really almost no bitterness, but some herbal flavors, which is kind of nice for a double IPA. The Candi sugar is most evident after swallowing, and along with more pineapple, there's a caramel sugariness kind of like crème brûlée crust. Aftertaste is sticky and I'm getting more of that pineapple flavor. 

You know what - it actually kind of tastes like duck sauce, in a way. It isn't nearly as viscous, but it's got some of the same types of fruit flavors and thick, jammy texture. I admit that I actually quite enjoy beers that are made to emulate other beverages or foods - it's fun to see something recreated in beer format. For example - Crooked Run's "Macchu Pisco". 

This was $19.99 for a four-pack of pint cans, so somewhat pricey. For me, this falls under the "neat thing to try" category and although it's not cheap, I did end up getting a second four-pack. It's 9.00% ABV, so pretty hefty, but worth a try I think. 

Black Tooth Brewing Co. - "Saddle Bronc" brown ale

Courtesy of former D'Vines colleague Austin, I came across a can or two of this libation, a 4.80% ABV English-style brown ale from Sheridan, WY-based Black Tooth Brewing. Austin grabbed a few cans on a recent work trip, and was kind enough to pass them along. Thanks, Austin!

The brainchild of founders Tim Barnes, Tim Barnes, Sr., Mike Strahan, and top brewer Travis Zeilstra, Black Tooth was founded in 2010. This offering, and several others, have received medals in various beer competitions, so I'm excited to try. My only other experience with Wyoming beer has been at SAVOR in 2018, where I tried MISHAP! Brewing Co.'s lovely "Fire Hole" chili porter. Outside of events like this, or from cans smuggled back from trips, beers from microbreweries from out West seldom truly make it to DC. Black Tooth's stuff, for example, is available in cans and on draught from Wyoming, Nebraska, Montana, and to some parts of South Dakota, but no further.

Fun fact - "saddle bronc", the name of the beer, is a rodeo event also known as "bronc riding" where a rider mounts a horse using a special saddle and attempts to stay on as long as possible - 8 seconds is goal. I'd last .08 seconds, probably.

OK, let's take a look - remarkably root-beer clear, aromas of earth and a slight note of sugar.

Light, fresh, and a touch sweet, this brown ale has an exceptionally clean texture - surprisingly so. There's a touch of sweet caramel that I really dig, followed by a nice malt backbone, but the real excitement here is how soft and easy-drinking this is. Some brown ales are heavy on certain elements of the beer, or often mixed with coffee and other stuff, but "Saddle Bronc" is straightforward, well-done, and very enjoyable as a sessionable brown ale. I'd actually compare this, favorably, to another Rocky Mountain staple - Big Sky Brewing's "Moose Drool." I think the "Saddle Bronc" is a better version of "Moose Drool", packing a bit more flavor while still retaining that light, malty, easy-drinking quality.  This lovely session brown would be a great pairing with some meatloaf or burgers on the grill while watching the sun set over the Bighorn National Forest.