1001 Beers: Duchesse de Bourgogne

Beer Number 98: Brouwerij Verhaeghe Vichte Duchesse de Bourgogne

This beer has been a long time favorite of mine. I was first introduced to it after I first got into beer. I had never had a sour beer before... well, maybe a La Folie, but one day over at a buddies house while we were both brewing, one of his friends came over and brought over a whole slew of sour ales. I am so glad she did, but I would have for sure found this one at some point even if she didn't.

Breweries have been aging beer in wooden barrels for as long as there has been commercial brewing, but the practice has fallen off dramatically within the advent of more durable and less flavor-imparting stainless steel. In parts of Flanders, however, wood aging endures through the persistence of several beer styles, including the red ales sometimes known as the burgundies of Belgium.

Like I said, I am glad this one was showed to me but I would have loved it and found it eventually. The nose is very sweet and has a slight vinegar character. Some suggest pomegranate, but maybe I have not had enough of this to know exactly what that smells like. Though, there is a ton of fruit on the nose.

The deep red body with a tan, or brownish head leads you into the deep sweet fruit flavors of this beer. Cherries come to mind immediately and then they are attacked with that sweet vinegar taste that I smelled on the opening. A dry finish and simply delicious. The perfect body and mouthfeel. This could easily become my favorite beer.

903 Bottles Of Beer To Go!

Cheers!

1001 Beers: Cascade Brewing Company

1001 Beers: Cascade Brewing The Vine, Kriek, Cuvee du Jongleur... kind of...

I drove down to Portland to taste the three beers from Cascade mainly because the cost per bottle of each beer tends to be quite expensive, $20-$30 each. The Cuvee De Jongleur was also discontinued so I figured I would take this chance to find out if it was going to be brewed again or if there is something similar to it that I could taste.

I wish I would have gotten some more pictures of this place! I only took pictures of my beers but the place was pretty sweet. You can probably find images online but it would be way better to get over here! So, they brew a whole array of "normal" beers but the reason to come here, at least in my and many other opinions is their line up of sour/Northwest Style Sour Ales.

Beer Number 89: The Vine

The Vine is the result of Gansberg's interest in the concept of marrying a beer with the juice of an American white wine grape varietal through the process of fermentation. It took the brewery two years to develop a spiced Belgian blond ale that became the base for The Vine.

This was one amazing beer. On Untappd I said, "Very nice, but I have a feeling this isn't their best!", and nothing against it, but it was not! Their beer list has them in an order to drink. I can't remember what was the deciding factor, but The Vine was at the top of the list, i.e. drink first. You got an initial sourness, more vinegar like, but sweet and oaky. Then I guess the grape juice that they use opens up and finishes slightly dry. Worth a try, multiple times.

Beer Number 90: Kriek

The Pacific Northwest is noted for producing outstanding cherries, and Cascade blends blood-red Bing cherries and sour pie cherries to get the right taste profile for the beer. The goal is to make a kriek unique to Cascade and not attemp to simply copy Belgian krieks.

So, I only had one beer before this one but the similarities of the two were unmistakable. Cherry flavors and a nice sour twang open up this beer. As you move more into this beer there is a vinegary note and some great fruit flavors blending with the oak. Another one that finishes a bit dry but you are begging for more as you go. Just fantastic and better than the last. I would love to taste the base Flanders Red for this one.

Beer Number 91: Cuvee du Jongleur Substitute

This beer is one that was discontinued and I, as well as others on this hunt, had no idea what to do other than trying to track it down. When I was talking to the server, she told me that it was around when the sour program first started but after that... nope! I was told to pick up a bottle of 2011 Manhattan or to try a blend that of Vlad The Imp Aler and Noyeux. Separately both of these were fantastic but together, I hope they were great. I hope this is similar to the beer I was trying to get!

Cascade Brewing's Cuvee du Jongleur is a beer that is hard to pin down. For a start, there's the issue of the name. "Cuvee' is a French term used on wine labels to denote wine of a specific blend or batch. The word originates from the French word cuve, meaning 'vat,'" explains Cascade's brewmaster Ron Gansberg. "'Jongleur' refers to an entertainer or juggler in medieval England and France," he adds, revealing the name "Cuvee du Jongleur" made perfect sense to him as he juggled barrels from nine different lots of beer to create the finished product. The beer is the result of a careful blending of select barrels of sour red ales, aged in excess of a year; soured Belgian tripels aged in oak for up to eighteen months; and fresh blond quadrupels. After bottling, the beer is laid on its side in racks, like champagne, for eight months of further conditioning.

To me, that sounds like why it is not around anymore. A ton of work for what sounds likes an amazing beer. I just wish I were able to get my hands on it. This blend, while tasty I feel does not compare to that haha! Then again, she said that would be the closest I get. Oh how I wish, I were around for that one. Maybe I will just have to move close to Portland and ride my bike in every so often... I did not get a growler on this trip but I did get a glass. And I love it! I am sure you will be seeing it around.

910 Bottles Of Beer To Go!

Cheers!

1001 Beers: Monks Cafe Flemish Sour Ale

Beer Number 42: Brouwerij Van Steenberge Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour Ale

When I started to throw the 1001 Beers list into an Excel spreadsheet, there were a few beers that really caught my eye. Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour Ale was one of them. Why? Well, I love the Flanders Style and I even brewed a Flanders Red not too long ago. I have only had American examples so this one was going to be a real treat to me. I think this one is classified as an Oud Bruin, but whatever.



It seems as if this beer has some ties to America and that their old school brewing methods are no longer in place.

Today, the brewery is a modern operation with a computerized brewhouse and bottling line. The brown ale has become something of an infrequently brewed footnote to a range that majors on stronger specialties and contracts--a shame given the rarity of the style. It received a boost in 2002 when the Monk's Cafe beer bar in Philadelphia asked the brewery to supply the ale and relabeled it as their own brand, "Flemish Sour". Unlike the better-known examples, it's matured in metal rather than wooden cask, which some say makes it harsher. However, it's still refreshing enough to count as an indulgent Burgundian pleasure.

Due to my pour the nose was a bit hard to pick out but it was sour, funky and cherry like. Deep brown and red with a big brown head... insanely big... I know the bottle was not infected but I mean, you see the picture.

Slightly tart, but not that sour at all. Cherry flavors and a light to medium body. Very easy drinking with some citrus and a touch of grain. Overall though, refreshing. I did not find this beer harsh at all, I have no idea what they are talking about. I actually thought it was really great.

959 Bottle Of Beer To Go!

Cheers!

L's Ales: Flanders Red

This is a beer I have been planning for months, even years... unofficially. I have always wanted to do a sour beer and I have always had a reason in mind. Beers such as La Folie greatly influenced the creation of this beer. Actually, La Folie was the only beer that influenced this one but if you have ever had it... You will understand.



So the reason I wanted to brew this is to age it for a number of years and drink a little bit of it on an annual basis. Checking for change over the years and to celebrate the day a little creature came into my life. Now that it is happening, I figured this should be brewed and it will probably be named after her. Yeah, this beer officially has no name at the moment but it is in the carboy and I am going to pitch the bugs to make this thing really sweet, (or sour, actually), very soon.



Since I decided to start using some of my spent grain for stuff, I saved more from this batch of beer. Quite a bit more. I plan to make a ton of flour just to have around and this long brewday got me wanting one of my favorite things! Ok, two. Beer and Breakfast!



The spent grain waffles were pretty easy to make I used the same website I used when I made Pirates Booty Into Dog Buscuits, The Growler. Here are the directions. I cut the recipe in half since I would be the only one eating them and I still got 4 waffles out of it. If you want pancakes, I am sure it works the same way. I mean, I use pancake batter to make waffles, right?

2 cups flour
¾ cup spent grains, compressed
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¾ cup milk
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Method:
Preheat your waffle iron and whisk together wet ingredients, except the spent grain. Gradually add in dry ingredients and finally the spent grain. Mix until combined. Pour batter into the center of the iron, about a ½ cup per batch and cook according to your machine’s directions.

I didn't measure the vanilla and I threw in some cinnamon. I love those two things in just about everything. I should have put some Sriracha on it... Anyway, I say give it a try. I still want to make those damn pretzels. Another day. I have a little extra spent grain so I can probably do it before I brew my next batch.

Cheers!