STELLA ARTOIS ~ N.V. INTERBREW BELGIUM

A good friend has this theory about imported beers, the ones that are really popular in North America are the ones that the Europeans refuse to drink, so marketers tart up the image and try selling it In Canada and the U.S….he may be onto something. Stella Artois is marketed as a premium beer with lots of history, but the quality that may have contributed to its making is now gone. Stella is one of Anheuser-Busch InBev’s (the largest brewing multi-national) largest sellers. Stella Artois was originally launched at Christmas in 1926. By 1960 one hundred million litres was being produced and after the takeover in a new fully automated plant, in 2006 production was over a billion litres. (According to wiki). The beer poured a translucent yellow with a thin white head. The aroma was light grains, light hops and light malt. Taste is a little sweet with light hop bitterness and a slightly metallic taste. The beer was highly carbonated and had a light body. It is inoffensive and still better than many macro brew lagers. In the land of so many great beers, I don’t understand why anyone would choose this first.

5.0% Leuven, Belgium

A LITTLE BREAK.....

I have posted a beer a day for the last 320+ days. I usually have a backup of several reviews - I am now running out. I have been really sick, the past few weeks, so my next few posts will be scraping the proverbial bottom of the beer barrel. More reviews coming up as soon as I am back on my feet.

ST. BERNARDUS ABT 12 ~ BROUWERJI 

ST. BERNARDUS

St. Bernardus (a quadrupel) is another one of those rich special occasion Abbey Ales. The brewery maintains that it is brewed using the original recipe from the early days of the Trappist Monks of Westleteren licensing their beers to a made by a local brewery. Sampled from a corked bottle, the ale poured a translucent dark brown with a dense ivory coloured head. The head left impressive lacing and eventually settled into a cap. The sweet and complex aroma contained lots of dark fruit, rich malts, peppery yeast, alcohol, and hints of bubble gum and spice. The taste too contains lots of sweet ripe dark fruit along with sugary caramel. There is also a little tartness in the flavour along with beautiful malts, and a touch of spice, but no real hop presence. The flavour is full, robust and warming with a slightly syrupy mouthfeel and moderate carbonation.

10% Watou, Belgium 22 IBU

SPATEN MÜNCHEN ~ SPATEN-FRANZISKANER-BRÄU

Spaten, a helles lager, was sampled in from a tin. It poured crystal clear golden straw colour with a minimal white head. The retention was poor, but the head did leave some minimal lacing down the glass. The nose was mild but did contain bready and grassy malts, floral and peppery hops, sweet yeast and lemony citrus. The taste was crisp and clean. The hops were up front and the malts followed leaving no bitter aftertaste. The beer is a refreshing summertime drinking brew - nothing super special, but far from terrible.

5.2% München, Germany IBU 21

IPA ~ STONE BREWING

RED, WHITE & BREW ~ Sampled on draught, Stone IPA poured a slightly hazy amber golden colour with a soapy off white head. The head had great retention and left lots of lacing as it crawled down the glass. The aroma was hop heavy with piny and citrusy hops mixing with bright notes of orange and grapefruit, subtle cracker malt and an earthiness. The taste too was fairly hop heavy with piny hops dominating a more subtle malt backbone and an earthy grassiness. The flavour had some complexity as sweetness mixed with the bitterness. The carbonation was crisp and moderate and the body was medium to full-bodied. The beer was smooth and slightly sticky and the finish was dry and clean. An excellent offering, really enjoyed this one!

Hops: Magnum, Chinook & Centennial

6.9% from Escondido, California 77 IBU

IPA ~ LAGUNITAS

RED, WHITE & BREW ~ Sampled on draught, this beer poured a clear amber gold colour with lots of bone white head, that had good retention and then left some nice lacing. The somewhat muted nose contains toasted malts and piny citrus hops and some fruitiness in the back (both stone fruit and citrus). Flavours follow the nose; a nice balance between hops and malts. The beer has notes of citrus (orange and lemon) along with piny hops and a biscuity graininess. The carbonation was moderate and the body medium. IPA’s aren’t my go-to beer – I have had some mouth shredding hops that have left me unable to taste anything else, but this is a really pleasant, easy drinking IPA.

6.2 from Petaluna, California 46 IBU

BIG WAVE GOLDEN ALE ~ 

KONA BREWING COMPANY

RED, WHITE & BREW ~ This light bodied golden ale was sampled on draught. The beer poured a crystal clear golden yellow, with a white soapy head, that left traces of lacing. The nose contained notes of tropical fruit (mango and pineapple), some orchard fruits, lemon citrus with hints of caramel malts and piny hops. The taste too is very mild: sweet subtle notes of fruits, lemons and other citrus, subtle caramel malt and piny hops are most noticeable. The body is quite thin and then carbonation is lively. This is perfect beach beer on a super hot day – low in alcohol – innocuous - easy drinking – refreshing.
4.4 % Kailua, Kona, Hawaii IBU 21
Malts: Pale (Premium 2-Row), Caramel
Hops: Galaxy, Citra

AUDIBLE ALE ~ RED HOOK BREWERY

RED, WHITE & BREW ~ Sampled on draught Audible Ale, a pale ale, poured a slightly hazy golden amber with a frothy white head. The head left some lacing as it dissipated. The aroma had notes fruits and malty grains with a light citrus and subtle piny hop. Sweets malts and orange peel are up front, followed by citrusy and subtly piny hops. The body was medium-light and the carbonation was moderate. . I found the taste to be quite mild, thought the hops and malts blended smoothly and were well balanced. A nice summer brew, perfect for a BBQ, inoffensive and refreshing.
4.7% from Portsmouth, New Hampshire (or Woodinville, Washington) 24 IBU

TOASTED LAGER ~ BLUE POINT BREWING COMPANY 

(owned by Anheuser Busch)

RED, WHITE & BREW ~ Toasted Lager is Blue Points flagship beer and most popular brew. The brew was made with six different malts (English Pale, Crystal, Munich, Carapils, Wheat and Belgian Caravienna) in a direct fire brew kettle, which gives the beer its toasted flavour. Sampled on draught, this Vienna style lager poured a slightly hazy coppery amber colour with generous beige head, which left minimal lacing. The nose is quite muted with notes of bready malts, caramel and a bit of hops. The taste too is also very mild, with biscuit malts and a touch of caramel. There is some hop presence to balance the sweetness of the malts with a dry finish. The body is medium,as lively and refreshing. Though this has won many awards in Beer Awards and Cups, his is a simple brew. It is refreshing and would pair with many foods, but lacks any kind of complexity.

5.5 % Patchogue, New York 28 IBU

ARROGANT BASTARD ALE ~ ARROGANT BASTARD BREWING (STONE)

This was another really delicious brew from the RED, WHITE & BREW event at the Only Cafe in Toronto. Sampled on draught, this beer poured a reddish chestnut dark brown with a foamy beige head, which lasted. As the head receded, it left some spidery lacing. The bouquet was intense. Lots of hops were evident on the nose along with a dark caramel, chocolate, and subtler dark and tropical fruits, and a hop-earthiness. The taste is similar to the smell. This is beautifully balanced with the strong caramel malts playing off grapefruit citrus, floral hops. The finish long with bitter hops being followed by burnt sugar and caramel. The carbonation was moderate, the beer was on the full-bodied side of medium and the mouthfeel was a bit oily, and slick. This beer had a nice complexity and balance to it. Smooth and very tasty, I totally would buy this if spotted at the liquor store.
7.2 % Escondido, California