Delerium Tremens

I first had this beer years ago during my senior year in High School when I went on a trip with a few of friends to Brussels. I was living in the Netherlands at the time, so it really wasn't that far out of the way (or that expensive) a proposition, especially since the entire point of the trip was going to be drinking copious amount of alcohol. Rather than bar hop around the town, we pretty much only drank at two bars, Delerium Cafe, and their sister store across the street Floris Bar (unfortunately the site is offline). This however, was not a problem as Delerium holds the Guinness world record for most available beers and Floris sells 30+ types of Absinthe.

Anyway, not really going to talk much about that night, besides the fact that I enjoyed myself and between the six of us, we tried over 30 different types of beer. One of those beers, was Delerium Tremens, one of the cafe's  own brews. At the time that tried it, I had not seen it anywhere before and it really was a "local" secret if you will, but in the interim, it has exploded and you can know find it everywhere. This change, is not unwarranted though.

This is one of my favourite beers and I recommend it to everyone, regardless of what type of beers you like to drink, (I haven't met a person who I've introduced it too, who hasn't liked it). It may be a bit pricey in your location, but regardless this is a beer to splurge. Highly recommended.

YEAR: 2011
ABV: 8.5%
POUR: from 33cl bottle into Guiness Glass

COLOUR: light golden (transparent), little bubbles continued rising through out the drink

HEAD: white, big bubbles, fairly large 1.5” (mostly dissipated quickly, ring around the edge never goes)

SMELL: sweet, fermented apple (cider)

TASTE:

(initial taste) fermented apple taste

medium body, not very fruity

(aftertaste) sweet, lesser version of the same flavour

White Ale

Samuel Adams Winter Lager

DRINKING NOTES:

COLOUR: reddish brown

HEAD: cream coloured (very small head, dissipated almost immediately)

SMELL: light oaky smell

TASTE:

crisp hoppy taste, quite smooth

nice body, not to light, not to heavy

aftertaste: slightly bitter

Sam Adams White Ale

INFO:

Sam Adam's White Ale is another seasonal brew from the Sam Adams Winter Classics Variety Pack. Like the Fezziwig Ale I blogged about previously, I also ended up picking this over the summer in NY, however, this beer can be purchasd by itself from Sam Adams, during November to January, if you so desired. One fun fact I learned from reading the about the beer on the Sam Adam's site was that is was first produced in the year of my birth; who knew?

Year: 2010

ABV: 5.6%

From: 12oz bottle (chilled), and poured

DRINKING NOTES:

COLOUR: light golden colour

FOAM: light of white foam (poured about 1/2 an inch) quickly dissipated

SMELL: slightly hoppy smell hint of earthy/floral notes

TASTE:

(initial) mild slightly floral taste

(body) light and smooth (but also lacks body)

(aftertaste) slightly bitter after taste

Sam Adams Old Fezziwig Ale

INFO:

Sam Adam's Old Fezziwig Ale is a seasonal brew now found only in the Sam Adams Winter Classics Variety Pack. I ended up picking up a bottle from the Winter 2010 run (I presume) over the summer while buying beer in cases to circumnavigate the high alcohol prices of New York City

Year: 2010

ABV: 5.8%

From: 12oz bottle (chilled), and poured

DRINKING NOTES:

COLOUR: deep brown colour, with a dark coppery tint

FOAM: nice thick head of foam (poured with little finesse easily an inch or two)

off white, not very lasting

SMELL: sweet yet hoppy

TASTE:

(initial) sweet slighty roasted hoppy flavour

(body) nice, smooth

(aftertaste) slightly bitter

Guinness Extra Stout

INFO:

Guinness Extra Stout is (surprise) a stout that comes from Dublin City in the Republic of Ireland. I have actually visited the brewery/museum, Saint James Gate, (alas I was but a few months too young to sample the draft) nevertheless I highly recommend it as it is a very interesting place.

Guinness itself, though is an interesting beer though; as in it is more than a beer. Apparently it's sales were declining and so it was marketed as a "cult" beer which has definitely worked in the United States where it (for better or for worse) is synonymous with all things Hibernia and WASP-ey by extension.

In addition, you can get it around the world, but it is alway slightly different, depending on where you are (so don't think if you like it in the USofA you will necessarily like it in France). For example, this is the British version of the American site linked above. For a full list of the crazy, check this out.

Finally, I just one last thing before writing up some tasting notes. I really love the way guinness foams. Basically what happens is a small head appears on the top and then you see the bubbles cascade down in the glass rather than up; it is all very odd. The reason for this is that there are a few salient differences between guinness and your average lager. If you don't know what that is, it is actually quite interesting (hint: it involves nitrogen) click here to find out.

Year: 2010

ABV: 5.0%

From: 12oz bottle (chilled), and poured

DRINKING NOTES:

COLOUR: opaque black

FOAM: thick creamy, light tan

SMELL: bitter smell of roasted grains with a hint strong coffee

TASTE:

(initial) initial bitter taste of hops (hard to tell the nuances because I drank it very cold as it is really hot out and thats not the best way to drink guinness

(body) the beer has a nice body though that really expands the flavour of the roasted grains giving it both less bitter and even some sweet notes, very much a full palate taste

(aftertaste) slightly bitter but not unpleasantly so

Smithwick's Irish Ale (2010)

Recently (due to a certain marathon of Guy Ritchie films I was hosting) I found myself with an overwhelming desire for a beer from the British Isles, and so I picked up a six-pack of Smithwick's Irish Ale (an import that claimed to be Ireland's favourite beer). Now, not to be only to put too much stock into what labels say about their product, I did some quick research, and apparently, Smithwick's is Ireland's local favourite draft, at according to the Internet. It also is listed as one of the top beers in Ireland according to the McHale beer rating club of Ireland and has won a number of awards.

With all this knowledge going in, I had some pretty high expectations for the beer, but they unfortunately didn't pan out. It poured a very clear dark amber-brown colour with a very tall head of off white foam that was fairly thick and long-lasting (it nicely coated the entire inside of the glass as I polished it off). The aroma was also faintly hoppy and not unpleasantly beer-y. As for the taste, it was incredibly smooth, even within the categories of red ales, with only had a trace of bitterness to it. The alcohol precentage was nominal (4.5%) but there was no real wateriness to the beer, it drank like a beer with a solid body.

Unfortunately, that is pretty much all there is about this beer. Everything is not bad, it is an average beer in all respects and as such I found it underwhelming. Sure nothing is necessarily bad (though I did feel the taste was a bit thin) but there was also nothing special about it either, nothing really stood out.

If I was to hazard a guess as to why this beer is so popular, I would probably place the blame it on nostalgia. This is the beer that is served in the pubs of Ireland so for many, it is what the first started drinking, which for better or for worse, holds some weight. For me that first beer Heineken and even though I don't really drink it anymore, it will always have a special place in my heart for this reason.

Verdict: If you're Irish, you care about it regardless of what I say, but for everyone else, a decent, drinkable beer.