New Beer For Friday Sept. 7, 2007

The holiday flood begins...


New Arrivals:

Serafijn Celtic Angel: There's no commercial description, so click the link to read some reviews or wait until I drink one and report back...

Serafijn Donker: This dark brown Serafijn has a spicy herbal character and a soft bitterness. The Achilles brewery has a unique way of achieving an even heating of the wort: using no direct flame or steam, the wort is pumped through a spiral that sits in a tub of hot water!

Serafijn Tripel: There's no commercial description, so click the link to read some reviews or wait until I drink one and report back...

Serafijn Grand Cru: There's no commercial description, so click the link to read some reviews or wait until I drink one and report back...

Hemel Nieuw Ligt Grand Cru: Translated from Dutch, on the painted label: "heavy beer, 12% ABV, for long cellaring. Full, dark, aromatic. Now ready to drink, but around 2008 at its peak. Store cool and dark. Drinkable until eternity." English bottles: Exquisitely brewed by Browerij De Hemel - "Heaven" in Dutch - and gently accented with spices lovingly picked from the Garden of Eden. It is specially brewed to give pleasure for all Eternity. Keep it in your cellar as long as you can. It just gets better as time goes by.

Gouden Carolus Noel: For the Christmas and New Year festivities the Gouden Carolus range is now extended to include this seriously heavy strong brown ale. Het Anker are thus rekindling a long lost tradition from the days of yore when they marketed Cardinal Christmas and Anker Christmas. The commercial description doesn't really say much, but I remember it being like a heavenly spiced dessert in a bottle. Take that for what it's worth...

Sam Adams Imperial Pilsner: This is easily the best brew I've ever had from Sam Adams, even better than the much maligned Triple Bock. Clear, golden, and medium bodied with a billowy white head. There's some malt in there somewhere, but this beer is all about the hops. Earthy, spicy Hallertau hops permeate every drop of this beer leave a lasting impression on your tongue. It won't be around for long, so try some while you can!

Six Rivers Bluff Creek Pale Ale: Citrus notes, well balanced, crisp with a hoppy aroma. Honestly, that commercial description leaves a lot to be desired, so I'll post something more thorough in a couple days.

Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale: A crisp and refreshing wheat beer with delightful aromatics and gently spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale : Punkin' Ale is a full-bodied, spiced brown ale brewed with baked pumpkins, cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar. Dogfish Head Punkin' Ale is named after the annual Punkin' Chunkin Festival held near Lewes, Delaware the weekend after Halloween.



Long Lost Friends:

Chimay Grande Reserve (Blue) 1.5 Ltr Magnums: It's the same Chimay Blue you know and love, but in a larger bottle that's perfect for holiday gatherings or family dinners.

Piraat 1.5 Ltr Magnums: Piraat has been out of stock for so long I'd almost forgotten the wonderful blend of sugar and hops it provides. At 10.5% abv its another great beer for gatherings or a really, really long solo session.



Note: Most of these descriptions came from either the bottle or the brewers' website. I take no responsibility if something doesn't live up to the flowery marketing-speak they use to describe it.

Have a good weekend!