Three Floyds Moloko Stout

More Wisconsin-gotten Three Floyds goodness. Enjoyed this last week, but took notes from my first bottle, last December, 2010:

Three Floyds Moloko Milk Stout, 22 oz. bomber.
I know what a milk stout is, but what's a moloko, and who's the one-eyed green guy, and how about the freaky hat he's sporting? Ah, I get it, malt shovel, mash fork, barrels, in the form of a crown. Is he a new form of the Alpha King, created by a love-child of Peter Max and Jack Kirby?

Brewed with a portion of golden naked oats and lactose milk sugar, to give it all those things that I'll pretend I didn't read, so I can come up with them on my own, and act like I made it up out of my golden brains.

Let's open it, already.
Basic blackness, under a gorgeous roasty brown head, the color of cocoa, small, but lasting.

Aroma, sweet chocolate and smooth and creamy. Simple, yet supple, and lush.

Taste: there's the sweetness again, the cream and the chocolate, with silky smooth oatmeal feel rolling easily along right underneath. Great balance, ...I'd say well-rounded but I peeked at that on the label...

Medium-to-full bodied, low to non-existent bitterness, and the sweet factor discerned so early on remains restrained. Roast is balanced, sweet and dry are hand in hand. Deee-licious.

Put this in 12 oz bottles and 6-packs, Floyd Boys, this is your session stout right here.

Three Floyds Alpha King

Here's what Alpha King looks like in 2019. My notes
from 2011 (and 2004) continue unaltered.

Three Floyds Alpha King Pale Ale.
6.66% ABV. 68 IBU
Three Floyds Brewing, Munster, IN.

Visits to Wisconsin means more Alpha King! Used to be a staple back when it was available locally in the late 90's/early 00's, and I can't fathom why I didn't review it in the early days of note taking. The brewery's line disappeared here when the local distributor dropped the brand in 2002. A trade in 2004 got me another bottle, and I took these notes in May of that year:

"When I was first introduced to this beer, I was warned that it wasn't for everyone, and at the very least took some getting used to, after all "it's not normal." I'd already had an affection for the hops, and, well, it was love at first sniff and sip.

Years later, after the bloom of fresh infatuation has mellowed, how does the beer compare, especially after this tongue has met so many others, with abundant charms? That is what we seek to discover...

Perfect crimson-tinged nectarine hue, hazy, and blessed with a beautiful bed of froth up on top, leaving delicate lace, enticing the eye. Aroma makes matters worse for the thirst, big fruit, fresh hops, peachy, melon, orange, and, yes, mango, and more, a bountiful bouquet that keeps the nose happy and hoppy. Man, but I need a taste, though!

An explosion in the mouth, the hops are a bursting throughout, but so well buttressed by malt, that any bitterness is mellow and well smoothed out, after an initial bite, at least. Like chomping into a ripe tangerine, juice splashing on the corners of the mouth and dripping down the chin. Though hoppiness flows freely, and bitterness peeks through time and again, the mouthfeel is actually soft and luxuriant, body is medium, and the overall effect is a constant joyride for the palate. A lively and rewarding ale, and a real American classic, a jewel in the craft-brew crown. Count yourself lucky if you can grab these with ease.

Ah, I once had it on-tap around here...those were some fine days..."

I had it on tap in fall of 2001, one keg that went fairly quickly, but was replaced by the seasonal Summit Oktoberfest. Those were the days when I didn't rotate the taps as often as I do now. By the time I decided to make it a regular offering, it was too late. For reasons that have something to do with it being contract-brewed by August Schell, All Saints dropped it that summer.
The handle hangs above the bar as part of my collection, and it probably the most remarked upon piece. People often wonder if it's a joke, or if we got it as a gift, or bought it on eBay. No, folks, it was real, it really happened, and you missed it.

A bold yet balanced American Pale Ale with slight caramel sweetness and aggressive citrus hoppiness. This is our flagship beer.

Fitger's Seaside Single

From a growler, brought back from Duluth by Don, what a guy, what a heck of a guy. Here's the notes:

Fitger's Brewhouse, Seaside Single

Clear, golden color, lovely, soft, snowy-white head.

Aroma, citrus notes and light spice, with traces of banana and bubble-gum. Hints of Belgian yeast-funk. Lively stuff.

Taste: crisp, clean, and quaffable. Light bodied, with a lemon-y finish, matched with lean bitterness and quiet spice.

Very sessionable, extremely refreshing, but lacking something significant in character. If I were really passing a satisfying Belgian pale ale, in the single style, down my happy throat, it would have to have a greater yeast factor, a bigger Belgian quality all through the mouthfeel and texture. If I can't taste the yeast, I'm not getting the real flavor I should be getting. Perhaps the filter needed to be turned off in this instance.

Bell's Batch 10,000

Here's a story. And it's not of a lovely lady. It's of me, and a beer. What, that's not enough? Come on…

I've been drinking the Bell's 1000 batch series since 5000. Don't know if any of the others were ever in our market, but that was the first one I noticed, back in, back in, what? 2002? It was the first beer I tried to cellar for any length of time, as per brewery recommendations, and I managed to make the last bottle last about a year and a half.

Subsequent 1000-batch brews have been harder to cellar, especially as beer geekdom grows and the avarice heightens. The rare ones go quicker. I don't manage to make it out to the store as soon as the trucks hit the parking lot, and tend not to get many bottles to save. But I have gotten kegs of this series since 6K, and the final one in the series, (due the fact that this thousand-batch mark is easier and swifter to reach, and therefore less special), Batch 10,000, well, we got one 8-gallon keg at the Nile back in January and I manage to hold on to it until yesterday.

And here starts another part of our story. What profits the beer -geek bar-manager to tap a keg he cannot drink?

It is Minnesota Craft Beer week (as well as American Craft Beer Week, don't ask, I don't care to go into it)…and I chose the occasion of this Saturday, the 14th, yesterday, to finally tap the batch 10K keg I'd been sitting on all these months. But, meanwhile, I'd never even seen it on sale anywhere and had no opportunity to pick up case, 6-pack or bottle. What if I'd tapped it right at open, and the beer fans roared in, I worried whether I'd even get to drink one. Sure, I tasted some when I tapped it, but I didn't have enough to get intimate with it. Throughout the day people asked me to describe it, and I was tempted to point at someone else, and say, "ask him, he's drinking it." I rarely tap a beer I've never had, and this was a unique experience when I hadn't had time to formulate an opinion. I'd thought about tapping it the night before, but there just wasn't enough time then, either.

The event was advertised to take place from 4-9 pm, and as soon as 9 o'clock struck, I took the keg off tap. Disappointed a few people who came late, but, you know, snooze, lose, that equation.

Is this my 300th post? Well, let's let it be Bell's Batch 10, 000.

So, I rolled in tonight, hooked up the keg, and just under a pitcher was left. And I'm going to drink it now. What's left, I'll share with co-workers…so, here goes…

Deep, dark appearance, kind of a plummy brown, small, cocoa-tinged head, slim, but staying.

Aroma: chocolate at first, raisin and plum, dark malty goodness. Richness aplenty, but not too sweet. Wonderfully balanced. Delightful.

Taste: easy entry on the palate, with a charge of cocoa, dark, sweet, caramel and chocolate malt behind. Some vanilla and oak hints emerge, some bourbon tints, flaked chocolate, Sweetness is rising. At first it tastes like a stout, even an Imperial Stout, and now the flavors of a barley-wine, or old ale come rushing in. We're getting more prune, now, some date, some raisin, and more sourness, and higher alcohol feeling.

This is clearly a hybrid between a strong stout and an old ale, with no one side taking over. I kind of like that. No. wait…I really like it.

A little licorice, some char, deep woodiness, dark malt….the 5 months it's aged have mellowed it well. Mmmm, it's nice.

I'm finishing it up right now. Mmmm. Yes. Oh, wait, one more word: ahhhhh…..

Menabrea Ambrata (G. Mebrea e Figli

Let's go to Italy! Shall we? Another one I'd never heard of, picked up at ye olde Ale Jail.

G. Menabrea e Figli, Casa Fondata nel 1846, Amber beer/birra ambrata

Why did I buy this? Because I have never seen it before, never had it, and it looked interesting. I have no idea whether it will be. Only one way to find out.

Dusky amber red coloration, lasting creamy head. Looks nice.

Grassy/ herbal aroma, very lager-y. Just a little musky, a trifle off.

Taste: clean and smooth, nice malt component, little hops, a whiff and a huff of fruit. A tiny bit of bitterness emerges, but it remains a malty amber lager. Consumable, refreshenating, gulpable, and altogether nice.

But, need it be said, not for me, though I'm glad I tried it!

Bayern Dragon's Breath "Dark Heff Ale"

A new brewery to me, Bayern, out of Missoula, Montana, picked up at the Ale Jail. I'll give them another shot, but this one was disappointing. Here are the notes, from a few nights ago.

Bayern Dragon's Breath, Dark Heff Ale, Bayern Brewing, Missoula, Montana

Dark brown color, thin creamy, cocoa-toned head.

Aroma, roughly suggestive of a weizen, there's a whiff of wheat, sure. Caramel, clove, latent banana. Some of that. But what does "heff ale" mean? Have they created their own colloquialism for "hefe" as in in "hefe wizen." Are they sure that the unwashed masses will have no truck with a "Dunkel weizen", and need to coin the ugly phrase, "dark heff ale." I'm a bit turned off by this.
And " Dragon's Breath?" Are they competing with Moose Drool for unappetizing beer name?

Smells okay, actually, but uninspiring.

Taste: dark malt, smooth, refreshing what, but comes across as very pedestrian. Eh, it's beer and you can drink it,..I guess. But doesn't do hardly a thing for me.

I left the notes off there. Frankly, I didn't feel like saying anything else, the brew was so uninspired. I finished it, slowly, and with regret.

The Bruery Saison de Lente

Here's something from the Wisconsin haul I know I'm going to have no issue with. Or maybe, there's yet a Bruery "brue" that doesn't blow me away?

The Bruery, Famille Rue, Unfiltered Bottle Conditioned, Saison De Lente, Belgian-style saison ale. A decorated egg rests behind the word "de", and green rabbits bound across a pink backdrop. A pastel, pastoral design, meant to evoke the sights and symbols of Easter. Well, there it is right on the front label description which I try to avoid reading before I drink, in order to escape having suggestions of descriptions entering my brain. "…this saison of Spring is perfect for warmer weather and Easter celebrations." Well, it's getting warmer now, so let's dig in.

Clear and golden appearance, majestic ivory head. Looks beautiful and inviting.

Aroma, lightly spiced, airy, minor citrus notes. None too boisterous, but perfectly pleasant.

Taste: fresh, vibrant, and zesty. Slightly sour, lactic component, followed by clean refreshment. Further sips in, the flavor gets bigger, louder, brasher, makes a bit more noise in the mouth. Mouthfeel widens, spice grows, lemon looms. More and more tactile on the tongue, more and more as we go.

Long and lovely finish, light/medium body, exquisite consumability (my new replacement for "drinkable"), consummate refreshment. Another delight from The Bruery. Mmmm, mmm.

Milwaukee Brewing Flaming Damsel Real Blonde Lager

Here's my second from Milwaukee Brewing Company.

Milwaukee Brewing Company, Flaming Damsel, Real Blonde. So, why is she a red-head? I have to admit I grabbed this based on the lovely label imagery. It's meant to be a high-flying acrobat, I think, but she reminds me not a little of Jean Grey, aka Marvel Girl, aka Phoenix from the X-Men. Enough of that, let's crack it open.

Clear and golden, adequate slim white head. Drifts down to nil in no time.

Aroma, grainy, corny…not getting much of what I like. Very lager-y, which I guessed , and is confirmed in the corner of the label. Inoffensive, but uninspiring.

Taste: Mild malt, small hops, low bitterness, but very balanced. Pleasing and quaffable, but not for me. It's a nice enough amber lager (blonde lager, is that a style?) and I wish them well with it.

Baird Angry Boy Brown Ale

Let's journey to Japan for a moment, bottle I consumed last night, notes are from May 2010:

Dusky brown color, pale beige head on top, long lasting.

Wide awake, out loud and proud sweet malty aromatics. Caramel, toffee, brown sugar, molasses. Maybe a little too sweet, though.

Taste: Fills the mouth, and floats about. Gets a bit sour, mellows again, harsh malt sweetness, then dry. Bitterness abounds, and remains. Unfiltered? Tastes it. Very full in every way, body, mouthfeel, texture.

Tartness tasted earlier, which scared me for a second, is now gone, and it's all sweet, brown malt, all cocoa and caramel.

Now I'm reading the label: "fleeting malty sweetness, a barely controlled bitterness, and, naturally an angry edge..." Why is it I so seldom agree with what they put on the bottles? Not really that angry, not so uncontrollable with the bitterness (or, not the word I'd use)...the malt sweetness was fleeting?

Oh, well, I like it fine, not bad stuff from the Land of the Rising Sun.

Milwaukee Brewing Baltic Porter

Another one brought back from dairyland, and my first from this brewery.

Milwaukee Brewing Company, Baltic Porter, Barrel-aged Lager

Murky brown body, considerable floating particles…how'd they get in there, what are they doing? slim head, starts big, gets down to nothing', a dull brown.

Aroma, smoky and oaky. Even-tempered, malty, hints of cocoa.

Taste: Chocolatey, smokey malt, little hints of fruit. Carbonation is brisk, and the flavor is turning slightly sour. I'm not sure what I think of this one. Flavor isn't winning me over, it's lacking…something. I want to like it, I wish I did, really, just not doing anything for me.

I conferred with opinions on BeerAdvocate, and I'm not alone in down-thumbing this one. Hopefully my next experiences with Milwaukee are better.

New Glarus Coffee Stout

Another visit to Dave's BrewFarm last Sunday, but, alas, no new growlers to take home because the St. Paul Homebrewer Club bought them all out the day before, damn their eyes.
But a trip to Wisconsin is wasted without bringing back new beer that we can't get here, so I stocked on some New Glarus.


New Glarus Brewing Company Coffee Stout, New Glarus, WI
"Hearty and satisfying, our Coffee Stout is the ultimate full-bodied brew. Wisconsin water, roasted malts and imported hops are the natural ingredients we use to brew this bier. Then cold pressed organic coffee from Just Coffee Co-op is infused into the brew.
…and more, blah, blah, blah…

Enough, let's drink it!

Full ebon appearance, showing some reddish clarity at the bottom, with a big, cream, cocoa-toned head.

Soft and subtle aromatics, cherry notes mingle with espresso and oak, rich chocolate malt dominates.

Taste: chocolate malt comes up first, with fruity notes after. Rich and full, but never thick or intense. Very mellow coffee stout. Just right. Cherry and vanilla flavors keep up with the coffee. Medium finish, tends to leave the palate lightly.

A very different coffee stout from those with more massive mouthfeel, such as Bell's Java Stout. "Ultimate full-bodied brew"? Not at all. But definitely tasty and enjoyable. An easy-drinking coffee stout, a pleasant tipple.

Edit: It turns out that I'd reviewed this one on BeerAdvocate before, eight years ago, April of 2003. I'm going to give you the old review in it's entirety. I was disappointed then, as I am now...

The label recommends consumption at room temperature, which I have done, and I wonder if it suffered from that. Other things on this label are less than true, but we'll get to that later.
I like this brewery, I've liked the other beers I've had, but I also love stouts, and live for coffee stouts. I'm pretty demanding that way. It had better be coffee, or someone's gonna be sorry!(Probably me)
Color is a dark brown/black, with a big tan head atop that soon crumbles into nothingness. Nose: sweet,..and dry...and bitter. But nothing else. Coffee's there, a little, but none too pronounced. Mild, if any, hops, big, full malt, full body, but as for texture and taste, I'm left searching. It drinks down fine, it stands in nicely as a run-of-the-mill stout, but as a coffee stout, it's a rather weak example. A decent drink, but there is no "spectrum of extravagant flavor" as the label boasts, nor are there any really "deep coffee flavors." Sorry, New Glarus!
I'm having a Lakefront coffee stout next (thanks, jeffboo!) and if that fails, there's still my cache of Bell's Java Stout!

Olvalde Farm The Auroch's Horn

Much activity in the Minnesota craft brew scene lately, but there's still situations of much talk, less rock. When is that one finally coming out? Whatever happened to Brewery X? When will we see this beer, that brewery? And then, boom, without hype and without warning, a beer appears from a tiny place in a town no one's ever heard of, such was the case with The Auroch's Horn, from Olvalde Farms.
Got a bottle from the Ale Jail, had it last night, wrote these words:

The Aurach's Horn, Olvalde Farm and Brewing Company, Rollingstone, MN, Ale brewed with honey, lightly hopped, unfiltered, re-fermented in the bottle. 1 pint, 9.4 fl. oz., 10% a.b.v.

Here's a brew that came out of the blue. There was no hype train whatsoever, no information machine chugging away, it just landed. Who? What? Where?It does have one of those freaky iPhone code things on the side, so, they've got that going for them. But, I still have no idea what an auroch is, or it's horn.

Well, I finally found a bottle at the Ale Jail, and I'm going to drink it down.

Very hazed, amber-y, copper-ish coloration, large, and lovely white, foamy head.

Aroma: clean, crisp, breezy citric and spicy. Lightly spicy and flowery. Fresh and lively, sweet and lovely. Mmmm.

Taste: Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm. Just right. Tight, And outta sight. Full bodied, long, fruity finish. Very full flavored, flush with fruit, moderate bitterness, some sour in the end. Funkiness in effect. Deliciousness is all over the place. Wow plus Mmmm. It's working.

I love the Aurach's horn. So, why don't I marry it?
Good question. No flaw found here, nothing wrong with this. They're doing good.

Epic Brewing Imperial IPA

Wednesday night, I attending a tasting at the Ale Jail (first visit, at long last, good work, Adam!) of a new brewery from Utah, about to enter our market, due to the tireless efforts of Brad the Beerguy. Never even heard of them, and when Brad sent the email out that day about Epic (Ale Jail certainly helped the hype with some internet teasing earlier.), I confused it with the Epic Brewing in New Zealand.
About 35 people there by my head count, sharing 22 22-ounce bombers. An impressive array of styles, much more than you'd expect any brewery to have on hand at once. Impressions all around were positive, but it's hard to really get a handle on a brew with less than an ounce to gauge. Someone noticed that one of the 22 bottles was missing. "Hey, we never did the Imperial IPA." It was nowhere to be seen. Where did it go? Oh, well, none of my concern...
Until Brad shows up with one of his employees, Tara, and the Epic owner, Dave, at the Blue Nile Thursday afternoon, with bottle in hand. I love unexpected gifts! So wonderful of him. Drank it up last night, here's what I thought:

Epic Brewing Imperial IPA, Exponential Series, Release #2, 10.1% a.b.v.
"You are holding something special--one of only 1800 bottles released and numbered. Intriqued? Visit www.epicbrewing,com to explore this limited brew's precise details. Brewed and bottled by EPIC Brewing Company, Salt Lake City, Utah."


Let's crack the crown and drink it down!

Beautiful peachy color, clouded, opaque…long-lasting ivory head. Looking lovely.

Aroma: ah, there it is, everything you want in an imperial IPA. Grapefruit, mango, orange and lemon confer with some piney permutations to give this wondrous hoppy bouquet. Potent and piquant, loud and looming, big and beautiful. Just is.

Taste: Bam! There is is, again! Everything enjoyed in the aroma comes back in the taste. Fat flavor, blistering bitterness, very lively, alert and alive. I just plain like it.

Bitter fruity flavor lasts and lasts. A constant barrage of juicy, bitter hoppy flavor. Slightly astringent, but sweet fruity flavor keeps it going . Wow, the hoppiness keeps on coming. Wow. Here's an excellent entry in the ranks of imperial IPAs. The flavor doesn't quit. Yum meets yum, and it keeps on coming.

Can't help loving this IPA. Mmmmm.

La Trappe Quadrupel

Original notes from a bottle, Febrauary, 2003:

Big, creamy head. Dark burgundy color. Aroma: unbelievable! A smorgasborg of flavor and fruit, heavy on grapes, but also including subtle sensations of berries, melons, and a touch of citrus. Great, playful bitterness, lively, just-right carbonation. Long finish, the flavor sticks out, and holds on! 10%, and you can definitely taste it, but the well-balanced malt and hops cover up the sting some. Slight sourness near the end. All in all, one of a kind, in my opinion, and one of my all-time sentimental favorites.
If my ranking seems excessive, compared to some, I offer no apology or excuse. I simply cannot find fault, or wish for any change in this glorious brew!

That was my gushing, fannish blurb-ery way back when I was a gushing fan-boy. Shortly after, it disappeared due to some distribution and importing shuffles. Came back a few years ago as Koningshoeven, through Artisanal Imports, and just last year re-gained the right to call itself La Trappe.

Eight years later, having it on tap, and the Trappe is back! I can taste the silence, actually.Mmmm, silent-y....

Ichtegems Grand Cru

Ichtegems Grand Cru, Flemish Red Ale, matured in oak barrels, "oud bruin gerijpt in eiken vaten", 6.5% a.b.v., Brouwerij Strubbe, Ichtegem, Belgium.

I know next to nothing about this beer, except maybe that I've heard of it, and that now I'm going to drink one. So, here goes.

Perfectly plummy appearance, opaque, slightly clear at the bottom. Slim beige head rests atop.

Aroma: sour, fruity, & soft. Cherries abound, with a touch of raspberry, blackberry.
Sweetness is here, matched by tart. Caramel tones, vanilla notes, a pleasant complexity.

Taste: sweetness and sour, cherry and plum, caramel malt and oak edges all come together in the mouth, the promise of the nose fulfilled. Fresh and invigorating flavor, though mild and mellow in the whole. Beautifully textured, full bodied, many-layered marriage of sweet and sour.

One thing is for certain is that it's not a tongue slayer, nor a palate ripper, I's not going to punish with puckering. Perhaps "Flemish Red" on the front and "our bruin" on the back is a trifle misleading. If anyone's expecting Rodenbach or Jacobins, they'll be very disappointed. I've met some already who are…but not this guy.

Harriet's Pils European-style Pilsner

Harriet's Pils. Growler purchased Saturday afternoon. In a hastily prepared blank, transparent vessel. (They've run out of branded growlers. Must be doing good business!) I recall my disappointment when my first growler was replaced with a white-lettered one. Compare this to the man ahead of me in line who insisted on getting his green lettered growler back. Oh, but these are fleeting matters, people, ephemeral details that mean nothing compared to the beer.

And how about that beer?

Bright golden hue, slim white head. Beautifully clear and inviting.

Aroma, clean, slightly sweet, hoppy. Awfully nice.

Taste: mouth is gripped with hops first up, then it's nothing but sweet malt and crystal clear and clean refreshment. Hops, just slightly bitter, maintain a hold on the palate. I've never crazy on pilasters, never found enough to like in them. Perhaps I find them too one-dimensional, lacking certain elements I find in ales.

This, though, is damned good.

Surly CynicAle

Let's follow one saison with another, and check another Surly off the list. It's not Cynical, remember, it's CynicAle.
Notes are from the first minute I got to sit down with on on tap, June of 2006.

"Appearance: hazed amber in the glass, clearer near the foot, under a good, staying 1/2" cover of beige-toned foam. A duskier look than other saisons I've sampled, but what's wrong with that.

Aroma: nice spices, and sleek citrus. Very fine. Tickles the nose with ethereal pleasures. Lively hop play. Gorgeous.

Taste: a phenomenal blast on the palate, that sits and lingers deliciousness in the mouth. Hops, yeast, and spicy malt combine to deploy just the right amount of spicy notes and light fruit. (Lemon and lime with a side order of orange.) Dries near instantly, and demonstrates perfect balance, almost never showing sweet, not too hoppy, not too hot, nor too spicy, just spreading this ingenious, beautiful, utterly satisfying flavor.

Light bodied, like any saison should be, but so substantial in flavor, so sophisticated...tea-like, at times, broken up by hop happiness, and a malt character that takes turns at juicy and peppery. Exquisitely drinkable, massively enjoyable.
Also, I find myself admiring a certain sublimity I don't often encounter in other saisons, Belgian-brewed or otherwise.
Lordy, it's lovely!

One of the best beer names conceivable, and one of the least apt, in this case. I can't imagine any cause for skepticism, Surly has done it again!"

Cynic was a summer seasonal for it's first year or two, and appeared in cans the very next summer. This is one I had something to do with, but not everything. The first line belongs to Omar, and some parts of the ingredients/flavor section belongs to Todd, but most of it is still me. Here's what appears on the can:

"Oh great, a fizzy yellow beer in a can, that's just what the craft beer world needs! CynicAle melds Old World ingredients in a new school style. French malted barley, English oats and Belgian yeast create honey & black pepper flavors. Lively Slovenian hops provide the floral, apricot and peach notes. Toss your doubts away, toss one back and enjoy."

Saison Dupont

Another in the Belg-a-Rama #6 line-up is the classic saison from Brasserie Dupont. Imagine my surprise to discover my notes on BeerAdvocate from June of 2004 were "on tap". Did I really never find a bottle of it anywhere before I tapped my first keg, way back, seven years ago? I guess I didn't. What the hey.
Well, here's what I said then.

Hazy, straw yellow color, creamy, bone-white froth atop.

Aroma, a great heady blend of citrus and spice, probably coriander and clove in the lead. Feels quite a bit like a wit, too, with that wheaten element riding high.

Taste: warm, wonderful, spicy texture, smooths out after, but never flags in flavor. Citrus and spice carries through, with plenty of lemon zest and a drizzle of orange, plus loads of yeasty contributions and a never-ending spicy kick.

Thirst-quenching all the way, ending in a crisp, dry finish. Light bodied, but abundant with character.

Damned tasty! A great summery ale, tres sophisticated and quaffable, to boot!

Biere de L'amitie, St. Feuillien/Green Flash golden ale

Another in the Belg-a-Rama #6 line-up, Biere de L'amitie. We're all friends here, after all, aren't we? This is the one I'd never had before. The others remaining are long time favorites.

Biere de L'Amitie, collaboration between St. Feuillien and California's Green Flash. Belgian strong golden ale, using rye and wheat malt, and American Amarillo hops in the end. A blend of Belgian tradition and American innovation. Straw golden color, effervescent, yeasty, hoppy Belgian ale.

Brilliant golden color, lightly hazy, lovely, lace leaving ivory head.

Zesty, bright aromatics, citrus and spice, lemon and pepper. Clean, fruity, hoppy, and beautiful.

Taste: smooth and gentle, yet dominated by lean, bready malt and crisp, bitter hoppiness. Hangs long on the palate, leaves a tidy bitter trail along, with bright lemon and lime flavors. Up comes pineapple and pear. It leaves slowly and gracefully. Sweet fruit flavors keep step with grassy, bitter hoppy edge all the way.

I recommend this for golden ale devotees and hop heads alike. May both factions come together over this fine ale.

Glazen Toren Jan de Lichte witbier

Belg-a-Rama begins again. I've covered two of them already, St. Bernardus abt 12 and De Dolle Dulle Teve (our first De Dolle keg!). Four to go, including one beer I've never had before. So, let's kick it off with a beer I first had in a bottle back in August of 2006. And here it is, pictured in my hand, fresh off tap, now in 2011. What a world, what a world...

Slightly hazed, bold and gold, under a huge, though crumbling pillow of froth.

Honey and lemon hit the nose first. Zesty, citric, clean, lightly spiced, he says at first, but growing. Sweet, floral, large and lovely.

Lemon is big in the mouth, almost too much so, and the rest of the flavors fall behind it. Body is too wispy and light, easily described as thin. But each new sip and gulp is a treat, despite the overbearing lemon at the front. Spicy kick in there. Nice texture, too. Really plays well on the palate.

Hoppy, spicy finish, body doesn't feel as thin as before...this is a beer that gets better as you drink it. Larger alcohol than a typical wit, but, then , this is a "double."

Drinks down very easy, with sufficient flavor the keep the tongue happy.

Don't know if I can taste the spelt in here...I'm sure I wouldn't know how to, though. All in all, a recommended Belgian wit, one I will purchase again, to share with a friend on a special night.