Brouwerij Huyghe
Delirium Noël
It seems like ever since I first went to Bruxelles (Brussels, BE) and had Delirium Cafe's signature beer, Delirium Tremens on tap, it has exploded onto the world beer scene. Almost as long I have been seeing it's Christmas-themed relative, Delirium Noël, but I have always made excuses for not buying it, but as summer time looms and I will be swamped in citrus-ey summer seasonals (my least favourite of all seasonal trends), I finally took the plunge and got a bottle.
(Specs) ABV 10%
Colour: Dark amber
Aroma: Fruity, Sweet fermented hops
Head: Creamy, very foamy
Inital Taste: Sweet hops, almost fruity
Mouthfeel: Incredibly smooth
Aftertaste: Slightly overbearing, fruit aftertaste
Monday, May 28, 2012
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Rocky River Brewing Company Tasting
Rocky River Brewing Company
Assorted Brews
For the past four years, while in college, I have been working for the "Student Union" as a live sound engineer. It was a pretty awesome gig (pun intended) and consisted of me spending a prodigious amount of time working with and thinking about sound equipment. Though mostly I did was human volume control at lectures at luncheons, I did mix variety of theatre productions, art installations, and live shows--every now and then, I even got to be the head engineer for nationally touring act.
Regardless, the reason why I am telling you this is because as a reward for my (and my fellow graduating seniors) years of tireless service for too little pay, our boss took us out to lunch. And because he was a more than a little bit awesome, he took us to a small brewpub in Cleveland and bought us pitchers of everything on tap. Of course I had to try it all.
Cooper's Gold Kolsch
(Specs) IBU 27, ABV 5.0, OG 1.048
Colour: Amber
Aroma: Hoppy
Head: Thick, White
Inital Taste: Slightly hoppy, sweet, fruity taste
Mouthfeel: mild flavour, medium body
Aftertaste: a little sour
Punchin the Nuts Amber Ale
(Specs) IBU 20.8, ABV 5.3, OG 1.053
Colour:
Aroma: Very peanut-ty
Head:
Inital Taste: Slightly sweet
Mouthfeel: light body
Aftertaste: slightly peanuty
Blueberry Ale
(Specs) IBU 18, ABV 4.7, OG 1.041
Colour: Amber
Aroma: Hoppy
Head: Thick, White
Inital Taste: intense taste of blueberry
Mouthfeel: light body
Aftertaste: sweet blueberry
Flapjack Porter
(Specs) IBU 28, ABV 4.2, OG 1.056
Colour: Dark brown
Aroma: Coffee / caramel-ly
Head: White, almost creamy
Inital Taste: Notes of coffee, roasted hops
Mouthfeel: medium body
Aftertaste: mildly bitter
Unfortunately, I did not take notes on the other beers we had, the Rocky River Boondock Walker Saison but if I remember correctly, it reminded me Belgian trappist beers, both sweet and hoppy.
Verdict: First of all, I have to give my compliments to the chef. Though the main reason I came was to drink a lot of free craft brews and get a free lunch in the process, the food really was top notch and even if the beers were so-so, I would definitely be coming back if I was in the area.
That said, the beers were very good. Though they really ranged from the pretty standard (Kolsch) to the pretty divisive (Blueberry, you just like it or you don't. period.) to the literally nuts (Punchin the Nuts), I would say that, regardless of my personal opinions on each, the base level of craftsmanship was pretty high. In addition, the range of options provided even though it had such a small brewing capacity was really commendable. In the end though, unsurprisingly, the Flapjack porter was my favourite. It wasn't super rich, but it wasn't watery either and was just what I wanted on summer day.
Assorted Brews
For the past four years, while in college, I have been working for the "Student Union" as a live sound engineer. It was a pretty awesome gig (pun intended) and consisted of me spending a prodigious amount of time working with and thinking about sound equipment. Though mostly I did was human volume control at lectures at luncheons, I did mix variety of theatre productions, art installations, and live shows--every now and then, I even got to be the head engineer for nationally touring act.
Regardless, the reason why I am telling you this is because as a reward for my (and my fellow graduating seniors) years of tireless service for too little pay, our boss took us out to lunch. And because he was a more than a little bit awesome, he took us to a small brewpub in Cleveland and bought us pitchers of everything on tap. Of course I had to try it all.
Cooper's Gold Kolsch
(Specs) IBU 27, ABV 5.0, OG 1.048
Colour: Amber
Aroma: Hoppy
Head: Thick, White
Inital Taste: Slightly hoppy, sweet, fruity taste
Mouthfeel: mild flavour, medium body
Aftertaste: a little sour
Punchin the Nuts Amber Ale
(Specs) IBU 20.8, ABV 5.3, OG 1.053
Colour:
Aroma: Very peanut-ty
Head:
Inital Taste: Slightly sweet
Mouthfeel: light body
Aftertaste: slightly peanuty
Blueberry Ale
(Specs) IBU 18, ABV 4.7, OG 1.041
Colour: Amber
Aroma: Hoppy
Head: Thick, White
Inital Taste: intense taste of blueberry
Mouthfeel: light body
Aftertaste: sweet blueberry
Flapjack Porter
(Specs) IBU 28, ABV 4.2, OG 1.056
Colour: Dark brown
Aroma: Coffee / caramel-ly
Head: White, almost creamy
Inital Taste: Notes of coffee, roasted hops
Mouthfeel: medium body
Aftertaste: mildly bitter
Unfortunately, I did not take notes on the other beers we had, the Rocky River Boondock Walker Saison but if I remember correctly, it reminded me Belgian trappist beers, both sweet and hoppy.
Verdict: First of all, I have to give my compliments to the chef. Though the main reason I came was to drink a lot of free craft brews and get a free lunch in the process, the food really was top notch and even if the beers were so-so, I would definitely be coming back if I was in the area.
That said, the beers were very good. Though they really ranged from the pretty standard (Kolsch) to the pretty divisive (Blueberry, you just like it or you don't. period.) to the literally nuts (Punchin the Nuts), I would say that, regardless of my personal opinions on each, the base level of craftsmanship was pretty high. In addition, the range of options provided even though it had such a small brewing capacity was really commendable. In the end though, unsurprisingly, the Flapjack porter was my favourite. It wasn't super rich, but it wasn't watery either and was just what I wanted on summer day.
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