19 February 2011

And now for bottles...

By now, folks are abandoning the draft quest and seeking the best of the bottles.  The following were shared with me by others:

Kerkom Bink Grand Cru 13% Dark Belgian Ale (750 ml $20):  This isn't the dessert, as the bottle's buyer asserted--this is the sauce you pour atop the dessert.  Rich caramel, decadent sweetness.  Think Thomas Hardy's.

But to draft samples for me:
Alvinne Podge 10.5% Imperial stout: Yep, that's what it is, all right.  (Tasting fatigue obviously setting in.)  What gets to me is somewhat flat and watery for 10.5%.  Re-sample.

Alvinne Gaspar 8% Bitter:  The hoppiness of a good UK bitter or IPA crossed with an extra dose of Belgian "horseblanket."

Contreras Valier Extra 6.5% IPA:  Straw/pale color, cloudy, ah, but this is both nicely hoppy and nicely balanced.

Alvinne Wild Morpheus 5.9%:, Alvinne Wild Undressed 5.2%: both intensely tart but neat and clean at the same time.  Not as vinegary as the classic Cantillon or basalmic vinegar notes in the wordt of the sour ales, yet still bracing in a "kimchee" sort of way.

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