Topic Archives: Belgian Strong Dark Ales
De Struise Brewing “Cherry” Pannepot For 2012
De Struise (Oostvelteren, Belgium) is brewing up a special “cherry” edition of Pannepot, ready in 2012. Pannepot is a highly acclaimed Belgian strong ale, brewed with spices.
Verse krieken ontdoen van hun steeltjes vooraleer die bij een brouwsel pannepot toe te voegen
Go, go Google translater:
Removing the stalks from fresh cherries before adding to Pannepot brew
It hasn’t been disclosed yet what this special edition is for.
Weyerbacher Up To “R” in the NATO Phonetic
Weyerbacher Brewing has a small batch of beers they call the “Brewmasters Select.” Chris Wilson and brewing team at Weyerbacher experiment with different styles each time, and of course the name is different with each brew. Fun fact: the brewery uses the NATO phonetic alphabet. You’ve heard it before – the first letter of the word is the letter you are using i.e. Alpha, Bravo, Charlie etc….
August is also going to bring our next Brewer’s Select Beer, Romeo. We’re going to go Belgian with this one. It has not been bottled at the time I’m writing this, but I can tell that it will be an ~8.5% Belgian Red Ale. We are looking at around 35 IBUs and a nice dose of Hallertuaer and Saaz in the finish. Maybe you should consider a gift for your mama after what Crimson made you do.
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Availability: 12oz bottles.
Arrival: August, 2011
8.5% ABV
Rochefort 6
New Belgium Super Cru & Abbey Grand CruNow Available
New Belgium Brewing celebrates 20 years of beer making with an homage to Fat Tire. The beer is Super Cru. It’s a Fat Tire makeover – a double edition. Double the hops, double the malts. After the doubling, New Belgium added pear juice and saison yeast.
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Taste Expectations: Fruits; apples & pear juice. Malts are biscuity, light & slightly toasty. Funky saison yeast adds interesting complexity.
Availability: 22oz bombers, Draft. One time release.
10% ABV
Also arriving with Super Cru is NB’s Abbey Grand Cru. Brewed every 1,000th batch. Abbey Grand Cru celebrates New Belgium’s popular Abbey Ale, with increased hops, malts and fermentation time. It is fermented with an authentic Belgian yeast strain and is refermented in the bottle to produce natural carbonation. Abbey Grand Cru cellars well too.
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Taste Expectations: Bready & caramel malts mixing with dark fruits. Raisins, banana & clove. Complex.
Availability: 220z Bombers, rare draft. Again, brewed every 1,000 batches.
9.4% ABV
<Pic:@AleYeahBeer>
21st Amendment Monks Blood Arrives
One of the most highly anticipated releases by 21st Amendment Brewing – “Monk’s Blood” has shipped. Monk’s Blood is a Belgian Strong Dark in a can. A head turner for nothing else if that alone. This beer is a flavor kick. Love Belgian beers or Belgian style beers? Pick this one up.
Commercial Description:
21st Amendment founders Nico Freccia and Shaun O’Sullivan traveled to Belgium to develop the recipe for this special beer, visiting small, traditional breweries in the hop fields of west Flanders, not far from the famous Trappist abbey of Westvletren. Monk’s Blood is designed to pair beautifully with rich winter stews, creamy cheeses, unctuous desserts or just by itself, in a Belgian tulip glass, with a good book by the fire.
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Hops: Magnum, Centennial (Bitter) Amarillo (Flavor)
Malts: Belgian Pilsner, 2 Row Pale, Caramunich, Caravienne, Aromatic, Special B, Flaked Oats, Flaked Wheat
Special: Dark Belgian Candi Sugar, Cinnamon, Vanilla Bean, Dried Mission Black Figs
Oak Aged
Taste Expectations: A complex beer, with flavors of dark fruits, figs, vanilla, oak & cinnamon.
Availability: 12oz cans, draft. February seasonal
8.3% ABV
Heavy Seas Holy Sheet Bottled Today
Heavy Seas Brewing in Baltimore, MD is bottling Holy Sheet! today. Last year Holy Sheet got a promotion to bombers in the Mutiny Fleet.
According to their Facebook Page, today is bottling day. As you can see by the pic, I’d assume that beer is pretty fresh. Sheet is a Belgian strong dark ale. Heavy Seas calls it “Uber Abbey Ale.” My fond memories are drinking about 5 glasses of it on St Paddy’s day a few years ago. March 18th was magical.
Holy Sheet! is due out in March. Cellars for 2 years. Holy Sheet! We’ll see you soon.
NEW RELEASE: Great Divide Grand Cru
Grand Cru is actually a wine term that beer has essentially borrowed. In wine – it means “great growth”, yet the definition is a little confusing. As of late, “Grand Cru” is essentially the best offering – or special vintage. Great Divide Brewing’s Grand Cru is just that. A special offering. A big Belgian offering from the Denver, Colorado brewer.
Commercial Description:
Grand Cru is our very special Belgian-style dark ale. Imported malts give it a round malty richness, and the fruity complexity and slightly spicy character come from brewing with a proprietary Belgian yeast strain. Don’t let the name fool you; while it may be a special occasion beer, this medium-bodied, elegant incarnation is anything but snobbish.
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Taste Expectations: Dark fruits. Dates, Figs, Raisins. Candi Sugar. Some smoke. Boozy. Slightly sweet.
Food Pairings: Per GD Roasted chicken with thyme, braised short ribs, oven roasted vegetables, grilled sweet potatoes, roaring 40′s blue cheese, bread pudding.
Availability: 22oz Bombers. January – March, seasonally.
11% ABV
