Session # 197
De Struise | Black Damnation IV
Imperial Stout | Oostvleteren, Belgium | 13% ABV

One year ago: Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout

When a stout coming from Belgium clocks in at 13% you know you’re going to get something massive. That’s just exactly what I got from this iteration of the great Black Albert from De Struise. What the fine gentlemen from this brewery have done is taken their Black Albert Imperial stout and created numerous variations of the beer. There’s the Mocha Bomb, Black Mes, and Coffee Club to name a few. Today we look at the Coffee Club (aka IV). It poured so dark that I didn’t even have to hold it to the light. I knew nothing would come through it. A nice chocolaty head formed on top and started to unleash some rich coffee aromas into the air. After digging further, miles of dark roasted malts and deep dark burnt caramel followed. The flavor was pretty much the same with tons of bitterness from the coffee that even finished a bit tart like espresso. The chocolate and burnt caramel soon followed and left my tongue on the side of the road for dead. Another huge stout from Belgium. If you like them big, you’ll probably like this one.

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This beer can be found in these states.
Listening To: Joni Mitchell “The Hissing of Summer Lawns”



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Session # 195
Fantôme | Printemps
Saison / Farmhouse Ale | Soy, Belgium | 8% ABV

One year ago: Craft Beer Paintings

The last time Tim and I got together to review a Fantôme beer, the results were worse than what we’d hoped. Upon opening their flagship Saison (reviewed here), we couldn’t help but call the beer “vomity.” After having the Printemps, however, we are both convinced that the bottle we opened before was infected (in a bad way). This beer poured the exact color you would expect from a Saison, bright and warm yellow with a touch of cloudiness and a soft pale white head. Strong aromas of lemon, grass, and Belgian funk started to appear as we lowered our noses to the glass. THIS is how a Belgian Saison should smell. As we sipped, the lemon took center stage, with a very astringent and bitter lemon peel behind it. The grassiness and spiciness from the hops wasn’t far behind. The mouthfeel was pretty light for an 8% beer and we both felt that this was quite refreshing and drinkable at that ABV, too. Now I’m ready to track down more Fantôme beers since this was much better than our last experience!!!

Check out all sessions of The Hopry here.
This beer can be found in these states.
Listening To: Stephen Malmus & the Jicks “Tigers”



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Session # 181
Urthel | Saisonnière
Saison / Farmhouse Ale | Ruiselede, Belgium| 6% ABV

One year ago: Kuhnhenn Olde Brune

Seeing other beer geeks being very passionate about a beer can prompt you to go right out and buy it. A new acquaintance of mine, Jay Hinman, from Hedonist Jive, gave this beer a perfect score. This, and the fact that it’s a Belgian Saison, made me want to review it ASAP. It also happens to be the brewer’s birthday today so it’s an even extra special day. Happy Birthday Hildegard Van Ostaden!!! When I poured the Urthel Saisonnière from the small 11.2 ounce bottle, it presented the most beautiful pale golden color. It had an uncanny clarity, too. In fact, I don’t know if I’ve seen a beer this clear in a while. The aromas that began to escape from my tulip glass were very clean and subtle with a touch of Belgian yeast, a nice bit of breadiness, and a soft fruity banana bubblegum character at the end. The flavor was extremely clean and spot on with the aroma with the banana bubblegum and fair amount of grassy hop. As I said in the review, this beer is the equivalent of wearing a tuxedo. It will be classic for as long as it’s made. Rating: 92/100

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This beer can be found in these states.
Listening To: Fink “This is the Thing”



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Session # 175
Cantillon | Classic Gueuze
Gueuze | Brussels, Belgium | 5% ABV

One year ago: Lost Abbey Angel’s Share (Bourbon)

There are lots of sours out there, and there are lots of sub-styles of sours. The most intense of them is the Gueuze, a blend of three different years of Lambics. For those who love the sourest of sours, this style epitomizes greatness. Today’s beer from Cantillon called Classic Gueuze is just that – classic. The name even says so. It was a beautiful straw yellow color out of the glass with virtually perfect clarity. The soft soapy white head disappeared within seconds before filling the room with a sour lemon and funky character. It was soon followed by some green apple and a touch of oak. I could describe the flavor as the exact same characters, so I will. While I didn’t enjoy it as much as the Drie Fonteinen Oude Gueuze, this was definitely a classic Gueuze and one you should find if you want to truly understand what the style is like. Rating: 93/100

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This beer can be found in these states.
Listening To: Dead Meadow “That Old Temple”



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Session # 165
De Dolle | Oerbier Special Reserva
Flanders Oud Bruin | Esen, Belgian | 13% ABV

One year ago: Mikkeller 1000 IBU

Belgium rarely releases anything as strong as some of America’s most extreme offerings. But when I read on the bottle of the De Dolle Oerbier Special Reserva that it was a 13% sour ale (aged in Bordeaux barrels) I got very intrigued. Sours rarely top the 8% mark, so you can see why this is a bit of an anomaly. When we poured it from the small 11.2 ounce bottle, we noticed that while it was a touch hazy it had a beautiful ruby red color topped with a light tan-colored head. The aroma was a touch sour but not like we would have hoped. The sweetness on the nose masked a lot of what we were looking for, but once we tasted the beer we pulled out the earthy brett funkiness that made this one interesting. We were also surprised that there wasn’t more heat based on the ABV, but we were happy that it was easy to put back this small beer and move on for the evening. Rating: 85/100

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This beer can be found in these states.
Listening To: Doc Watson “Country Blues”



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Session # 136 | De La Senne | Taras Boulba | 4.5% ABV
Belgian Pale Ale | Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Belgium| Rating: 86/100
One year ago: Ayinger Celebrator

Sometimes when people discover that I run my own beer website, they immediately ask me if I’ve had this beer or that beer. Such is the case with Brasserie De La Senne’s Belgian Pale Ale called Taras Boulba. I had never heard of this beer before but quickly became fascinated with the label art and low 4.5% ABV. After doing a small bit of research I discovered that it is distributed by Shelton Brothers, but I had never seen it in any of our stores around town. I was finally able to track a bottle down and wanted to share it with you sooner rather than later. Taras Boulba is pretty atypical of the Belgian Pale Ale style. It pours pale yellow, has a good amount of cloudiness, and emits a nice Belgian yeast character before you even get your nose to the glass. There is a light amount of bittering hops that are present on the nose, but the real focus is on the breadiness of the malts and the light floral element of the yeast. On the palate, the bitterness is at the forefront with the same bready hay-like and floral funkiness backing it up. Underneath is a touch of lemon and just a general clean fresh taste. For a 4.8% ABV beer, this one really did have a ton of flavor.

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This beer can be found in these states.
Listening To: Massive Attack “Protection”



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Session # 132 | Drie Fonteinen | Oude Gueuze | 6% ABV
Gueuze| Beersel, Belgium | Rating: 95/100
One year ago: RJ Rockers Black Perle

There is a fun video on YouTube (seen here) of Drie Fonteinen’s owner and master blender, Armand Debelder, talking about the process of blending his lambics to make Gueuze. It’s a fascinating one that helped me to further understand the final outcome of his Oude Gueuze, which I’ll be sharing with you today. As I’ve said before, this is a tough style to enjoy unless you are really determined to open your sense of imagination. It’s sour, it’s funky, and it’s everything a “normal” beer is not. Of the small handful of Gueuze I’ve enjoyed, this one was easily the best. The color was very typical of the style; however the aroma and taste went a step beyond the rest. In addition to the lemon and sour hay funk that is traditional, there was something poignant lying underneath – an almost soft floral finish. While I also picked up a touch of fresh rubber tire, too, the end result left a lasting impression that will indeed keep me plugging away at the Gueuze style.

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This beer can be found in these states.
Listening To: Aldo Nova “Fantasy”



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Session # 128 | St. Bernardus | Christmas Ale | 10% ABV
Belgian Strong Dark Ale | Watou, Belgium | Rating: 92/100

One year ago: Ska Modus Hoperandi

The St. Bernardus Abt 12 is one of the most well-beloved beers in the world. It’s a shame for sure that I haven’t had it on the show yet, but I guess there are only so many beers one can drink or review. Well, it’s Christmas season and if the Abt 12 is good then this one must be, too. At least that was my thought process. Well…yeah…their Christmas Ale is a very good beer, too. The color is pretty traditional with the nice bottle-conditioned head gently lying on top of the glass. A bit of sediment rose to the top as the carbonation began to release. Surprisingly enough there was only a faint amount of spice and caramel on the nose. I expected a lot more on the aroma than I got. However, it’s the taste that just amazes. Simply put, I didn’t even get the full effect of the beer before I new how amazing it was. The dry, but medium-heavy mouthfeel helps facilitate loads of burnt caramel and dark fruits like dates, raisins, and plums. Most beers of this style (meaning Belgian Christmas Ales) are typically cloying and gloopy, which I despise. The dryness in this one, however, helps keep that from happening. This is a really good beer to warm by the fire with while taking in another year and looking forward to a new one. That’s exactly what I’m going to be doing soon…

Up Next: Jolly Pumpkin Noel de Calabaza

Others: St. Bernardus Abt 12, Westvleteren 12, Rochefort 10

Check out all sessions of The Hopry here.
This beer can be found in these states.
On the iPod: Vince Guaraldi Trio “Christmas Time Is Here”



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Session # 122 | Kerkom | Bink Tripel | 7% ABV
Tripel | Sint-Truiden, Belgium | Rating: 90/100

When a Belgian Brewmaster says he is disappointed in the decreasing use of hops in Belgian brewing and decides to make a Tripel, one would hope that the resulting beer would carry as much hops in the nose and flavor as is displayed on the label. The Bink Tripel (a.k.a. Kerkomse Tripel) does just that. However, allow me to digress just a bit. When I poured the beer into the glass, I was quite surprised to see that what poured out looked nothing like a Tripel but more like freshly pressed, foamy apple cider. What hit my nose, however, was far from apples. A nice refreshing noble hop aroma came rising out of the glass to greet me and there was much rejoicing. There were the traditional Tripel notes too, earthy, fruity with just a hint of alcohol. The flavor was frankly everything I was hoping for; an upfront hop character that faded to a mildly barnyard earthy funk, with just the right balance of complexity from the malt, yeast and (in this one) hops. If you have plenty of experience with Tripels and would like to see something a little different from the classics, the Bink Tripel is a great place to start. Plus, I was lucky enough to finish the bottle over a plate of the best BBQ in the world – Oklahoma Joe’s, right here in the heart of good ole’ KC. One better, it paired perfectly with the food. Give it a shot – you won’t be disappointed. Except for the lack of Oklahoma Joes BBQ…

Up Next: Maui / Stone / Schmidt Kona Coffee Macadamia Coconut Porter

Others: Gouden Carolus Tripel, Urthel Hop-It, De Ranke Guldenberg

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This beer can be found in these states.
On the iPod: The xx “Night Time”



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Session # 115 | Westmalle | Tripel | 9.5% ABV
Tripel | Malle, Belgian | Rating: 94/100

Belgian beers are so friggin’ tasty – especially the Trappist beers. There’s something about the tradition, dedication, and passion behind them that really seems to shine. Today’s beer is no exception. It’s the Westmalle Tripel, a Trappist beer that I have loved for a very long time. Today I’ll not only be sharing it with you, but it is especially nice due to the aging and bottle-conditioning of the 750ml caged and corked bottle. Out of the bottle the aromas start to come up to the nose as you watch the warm golden color graze up the side of the glass. On top of that is the traditional soft meringue-like white head that just seems to grow and grow as you let it unfold into the glass. The aromas are truly Belgian, and almost remind me of the dark fruit characters of a Belgian Quadrupel. The flavor, however, is much lighter (though still quite thick). There is an easily recognizable yeast taste that’s met with the fruits, light caramel, and a great dryness that makes this one of the classier beers I’ve had. If you want to know where you should begin with Tripels, this isn’t a bad place to start.

Up Next: Founders Curmudgeon

Others: St. Bernardus Tripel, Achel 8° Blond, Affligem Tripel

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This beer can be found in these states.
On the iPod: Gonjasufi “Dust”



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Session # 114 | Crispin Cider Co. | The Saint | 6.9% ABV
Cider | Minneapolis, MN | Rating: 80/100

The Saint, an artisanal cider from Minneapolis, MN is definitely at its best when it’s at its coldest. And so begins my journey with Crispin Cider Company’s The Saint; not over ice. It pours with a murky orange-straw color and is virtually still in the glass. As you’ll notice in the video, it was virtually impossible to work up any head. I am sure that this could have been alleviated if one were to pour it over ice, but alas… At first it was the feint barnyard and funky characters (this was brewed with Trappist yeast they say), that when mixed with the tart, sour, green apple flavor became pretty darn interesting. However, as I sat there over the rest of the bottle, what was once interesting became weird. A very strong boozy, medicinal twist overtook the crisp-tart apple and left it, well…a bit strange. Over ice, I am sure that this thing would stay lively for the entire pour, so I definitely recommend taking the advice on the bottle and adding a couple of your little frozen friends from the ice tray.

Up next: Westmalle Tripel

Others: Tripel Karmeliet, De Dolle Dulle Teve, Chimay White

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This beer can be found in these states.
On the iPod: MGMT “Time To Pretend”



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Session # 112 | De Struise | Black Damnation | 13% ABV
Russian Imperial Stout | Oostvleteren, Belgian | Rating: 91/100

It’s a great day when you receive feedback from a Belgian brewery that your reviews are enjoyed by the brewers themselves. It’s an even better day when they show you how much you’re appreciated with a beer package directly from the brewery itself. That’s the case with De Struise Brewery out of Oostvleteren, Belgian (courtesy of Urbain and Carlo). The first beer I’ll be sharing from this package of stouts is the Black Damnation. It comes in at a whopping 13% ABV, and I think you better know that I put my big boy pants on before recording. What pours out is an insanely black beer that looks like squid ink topped with a tan frothy head. It smells like…well…black damnation. You get miles and miles of intense complexity that brings dark chocolate truffles, coffee, and tons of dank caramel. The taste is just as insane, which may be its only drawback. While I love an intense beer, this one is almost bombastic on the palate. It’s definitely one you’d want to end a tasting with because I can still taste this beer over a week later. Not really, but kinda. It’s still a touch young (if it would even ever mellow) and doesn’t bring subtlety in any way, but if you like the big boys this is one you need to look for.

Up Next: Weyerbacher Merry Monks’ Ale

Others: De Struise Black Albert, De Molen Hell & Damnation, FFF Dark Lord

Check out all sessions of The Hopry here.
This beer can be found in these states (Not available in the US).
On the iPod: Neon Indian “Deadbeat Summer”



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Session # 111 | St Sixtus | Westvleteren 12 | 10.2% ABV
Quadrupel | Westvleteren, Belgium | Rating: 98/100

It’s a pretty special day when you can say you’ve created over 100 video beer reviews in less than a year. It’s an even more special day when you can celebrate it with the highest rated beer on planet earth (according to Beeradvocate). This bottle of Westvleteren 12was given as a gift from the good folks over at Beer Paintings, and it was delivered at a very convenient time – my one year celebration. The beer, a Belgian Quadrupel, pours murky and brown with intense amounts of dark fruits popping out into the room before you even get your nose in the glass. The taste is extremely complex with miles of dark fruits like prunes, figs, dates, and raisins. There’s even the signature grape bubblegum component I love so much. The overall mouthfeel is perfectly balanced and it is equally sweet, bitter, and dry. Ultimately, there’s really not a whole lot you can say about this beer that hasn’t already been said. Is it the best beer in the world? Probably not. Probably so. It’s hard to argue against it, but I think it’s pretty dang close to perfect. It certainly lived up to my expectations and will make any drinker happy with its complexity and easy drinkability (for 10.2% ABV that is).

Up next: De Struise Black Damnation

Others: Rochefort 10, St. Bernardus Abt 12, De Struise Pannepot

Check out all sessions of The Hopry here.
This beer can only be found at the abbey itself or via trade.
On the iPod: Girls “Laura”



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Session # 107 | Rodenbach | Grand Cru | 6% ABV
Flanders Red Sour Ale | Roeselare, Belgium | Rating: 96/100

While not my favorite style of beer yet, the sour ale is slowly creeping up the food chain for me. The beer we’ll be looking at today, Rodenbach Grand Cru, is a very good reason for this. I have been looking for a bottle for at least a year now, and it’s been a long time coming on the show. Well here we are — I finally got it because of a recent visit to Minneapolis. Man I love traveling to other states in my car! Anyway…

The Rodenbach Grand Cru is a Flemish Red, which are known for having that puckering sourness paired with delicious tart fruits like cherries, apples, and pears. They’re commonly referred to as the “vinegar beers,” which, in truth, is not far off from what you smell and taste. The Grand Cru is also aged in large oak vats (seen here), for two years and then blended with younger ale to make for a more balanced and enjoyable experience. In this case, 67% is aged in oak while the remaining 33% is considered “young ale.” Even with the blending process, you can certainly taste the oak character in the beer.

Grand Cru pours a beautifully deep mahogany red with a nice amount of off-white head. The aroma hits your nose before you even get your nose to the glass. It’s filled with tons of sour cherry, tart apple, red wine vinegar, light caramel, and a healthy amount of oak. The taste is not much different (which is always fine with me). It hits you hard up front with the green apple and tart cherry paired with tons of red wine vinegar. The oak, while not predominant, plays a huge role. Though it may be a sour ale, it’s quite refreshing and one hell of an experience. I like this one a lot.

Up next: Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout (CBS)

Others: Duchesse de Bourgogne, Lost Abbey Red Poppy, Russian River Consecration

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This beer can be found in these states.
On the iPod: Real Estate “Beach Comber”



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Hopry Short # 3 | Brasserie d’Achouffe| Houblon Chouffe | 9% ABV
Belgian IPA / Tripel | Rating: 88/100

It should be no surprise by now that I love tripels. I also have a great love for IPAs. So this beer, Houblon Chouffe IPA Tripel by Brasserie d’Achouffe, is right up my alley. It combines these two styles into something that is only commonly seen in the Belgian IPAs. I will say that I was unpleasantly surprised, though, with the insane amount of sediment that seemed to take over after opening the bottle (and yes I handled the bottle gingerly before opening). I know this is somewhat normal for Belgian beers, but this was a bit much. Obviously it doesn’t impact the flavor, but it certainly didn’t do much for the appearance of the beer. That aside, this is a very yummy Belgian Tripel. The flavors that are commonly present in a Belgian Tripel are right at the fore, but then you are immediately hit with a nice punch of three different types of hops they use. This creates a spiciness that is not always common with hop-forward beers. Overall an enjoyable little session. Cheers!

So here we are with the final session of Saison Week. I had a lot of fun recording this week’s beer reviews and got to experience an amazing variety of the Saison style. Hopefully you liked them too because I’ll be having Mr. Pratt on the show more (time permitting) going forward. Now, on to the review… Let me preface this by saying that the beer really does have a vomit-like characteristic. I know I’m going to have to defend this because a lot of people are going to say, “How can you rate a beer an 86 if it tastes like vomit?” Here’s my answer: the sour, funk, and acidity combined in this beer produces an aroma that I couldn’t deny as being what I called “vomit-y.” I just don’t know how else to say it. If a beer smells like cat piss, I’ve said it (Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA), if a beer smells like leather, I’ve said it (HOTD Adam), and the Fantôme Saison smells like vomit. End of story. Now, there are a lot of redeeming qualities, too. The tartness level balanced with the sweetness is very nice. There is the definite Saison character in there as well. But the obvious aromas is the main problem for me. Ultimately this was my least favorite of the three. While the other two had some spicy and brett qualities that were true to the style, Fantôme leans a little too close to Gueuze territory for my taste. While I like a good Gueuze, this beer just didn’t seem to be on the same level as the other two. At the end of the day, I found myself most appreciative of the Saint Somewhere Saison Athene for its soft funk and intriguing spice component. In retrospect, this is interesting knowing that its two competitors are two of the most celebrated beers in the style. This is proof again that you should like what you like and not be afraid to stand behind your own opinion. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Up next: Mikkeller It’s Alive.

Check out all sessions of The Hopry here.
This beer can be found in these states.
On the iPod: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros “40 Day Dream”



Brewery: Fantôme
Beer: Saison
Style: Saison
Location: Tourpes-Leuze, Belgium
ABV: 8%
Rating: 86/100

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So I hope you enjoyed the Saint Somewhere Saison Athene session on Monday, but now it’s time for Tim and me to take it up a notch (technically speaking) with the Avec les Bons Voeux from Brasserie Dupont. This brewery, from Tourpes-Leuze, Belgium is easily one of the most recognizable producers out there when it comes to the Saison. Avec les Bons Voeux is just one of several that you should be able to find fairly easily (the other two being Saison Dupont and Dupont Foret). The primary thing I love about this particular beer is that it fits into that timeless list of beers that will stand the test of time for years to come. Even Beer Advocate and Ratebeer list this as one of their top Saisons. I’m not sure I’d go that far personally, but I think it’s fair to say that Tim and I both enjoyed this one quite a bit. Here you get the traditional barnyard funk we talk about a lot with Saisons, but the spice component has been pulled back in order to focus more on the yeast. And that is perfectly fine with me, because something like this will always fit the bill when it comes to satisfying that Saison crave. Of the first two we’ve had so far, my personal favorite has been the Saison Athene. Up next: Fantôme Saison.

Check out all sessions of The Hopry here.
This beer can be found in these states.
On the iPod: Jose Gonzalez “Heartbeats”



Brewery: Dupont
Beer: Avec les Bons Voeux
Style: Saison
Location: Tourpes-Leuze, Belgium
ABV: 9.5%
Rating: 94/100

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Hopry Short # 1 | Brouwerij De Ranke | XX Bitter | 6.2% ABV
Belgian IPA | Rating: 90/100

I got home tonight a little late since I’m trying to get ahead of my workload before leaving for vacation. Before I got home, though, I stopped by one of my local liquor stores to see if anything new had hit the shelves or if something generally stood out. The “new section” had a gang of these De Ranke XX Bitters so I decided to bring one home and bust it open for you. Also, hope you like these new Hopry Shorts as I’ll be recording them whenever I feel the need to share a beer with you guys outside the normal 10-minute sessions. Cheers!

So here we are with our third (and last) De Dolle beer for the week. It’s been fun sharing a brewery with you instead rather than focusing on random beers or certain styles. As I set out to review this brewery, I wanted to put the beers in order of strength. However, all three that I’ve reviewed this week (Dulle Teve, Oerbier, and Extra Export Stout) all sit in at about the same ABV. The Extra Export Stout is their stout (genius huh?), though it’s more precisely classified an Export/Foreign Stout. These types of stouts do not come in as strong as their Imperial brethren, but still have a good amount of roasted characteristics. What sets this particular beer apart from the rest I’ve had is that this one tends to have a Quadrupel characteristic that I wasn’t expecting. In fact, it really reminds me of a beer that has been blended. I’d say something like 25% Imperial Stout, 10% Porter, and 65% Quadrupel. So what I’m getting at is that this adds a bit of complexity and unique character, but it doesn’t quite live up to what you hope you’re going to get. With that said, I will have to say this was my least favorite of the three De Dolle beers this week. Up next: Saison Week (with Tim Pratt).

Check out all sessions of The Hopry here.
This beer can be found in these states.
On the iPod: Bill Callahan “Jim Cain”



Brewery: De Dolle
Beer: Extra Export Stout
Style: Foreign Stout
Location: Esen, Belgium
ABV: 9%
Rating: 88/100

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Preface: Apologies for the lighting issue on this video. I tried something different and it clearly did not work like I thought. Normal great quality will be back in action Friday.

On Monday we took a look at De Dolle’s Dulle Teve 10º, which was a very good Belgian Tripel. Now we’ll take a look at the brewery’s version of a Belgian Strong Ale called Oerbier (aka ‘original beer’). Having been one that I had not had, I was very excited to get working on this thing. And right out of the glass things look good. Though a little hazy in appearance, there is a lot of nice head that lets you know effervescence is in your future. This insane Belgian head shows its face immediately and then slowly turns into sticky lacing around the inside of the glass. Once the nostrils dig in you get a huge amount of sticky fruits like prunes, dates, figs, and raisins (mostly raisins). It’s not until you taste it that you realize just how classic this beer is. Again, you get the overwhelming feeling here that De Dolle is not trying to push the envelope or be experimental, but simply they are just trying to create great timeless beers. Man I love this brewery. Two beers down and all is good. Up next: Extra Export Stout.

Check out all sessions of The Hopry here.
This beer can be found in these states.
On the iPod: Vampire Weekend “Taxi Cab”



Brewery: De Dolle
Beer: Oerbier
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Location: Esen, Belgium
ABV: 9%
Rating: 94/100

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In the past few weeks I’ve been focusing my time on specific styles of beer. We took a look at smoked beers, then hoppy beers, and finally raspberry beers. So this week I thought I’d take a break and go in a slightly different direction – which is to focus solely on one brewery. This week it will be De Dolle Brouwers out of Esen, Belgium (Flanders region). The main reason I’ve chosen to focus on them first is that experience has taught me everything they do is very true to form for Belgian style of brewing. So first up is their Dulle Teve 10º (Mad Bitch). It’s a tripel that doesn’t necessarily do anything to push the envelope or set itself apart from the rest of the pack, but rather it strives to represent the style in a very timeless way. Its pour is very effervescent with miles and miles of soft white head and the aroma is of Belgian yeast and spring flowers. The taste is not mind-blowing, but its subtleties are. With only a slight bit of alcohol burn and a very nice mouthfeel, this is a truly great beer that will situate itself nicely with the Tripel Karmaliets of the world. And with the number of breweries out there pushing the envelope (some too far), I’m always glad to find a brewery that simply does their best to make something I’ll always enjoy every time I go back. Up next: Oerbier.

Check out all sessions of The Hopry here.
This beer can be found in these states.
On the iPod: Menahan Street Band “Make the Road by Walking”



Brewery: De Dolle
Beer: Dulle Teve 10º
Style: Tripel
Location: Esen, Belgium
ABV: 10%
Rating: 92/100

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Welcome back peoples! This week we will be focusing on one of my favorite berries – the raspberry. As I was looking at my beer collection one night trying to come up with a new idea for this week, I noticed that I had a few beers that had raspberry in them. Seemed like a pretty fun thing to have on the show, mainly because the three I’ve chosen are all very different in style and flavor (though all have a raspberry focus). I’m also excited about the next three sessions because the weather has just been phenomenal, and what better time to celebrate raspberries? First up is a Fruit Lambic called Rosé De Gambrinus from the one and only Cantillon. They are probably the most recognizable brewery making Lambic beers today. I also seem to get requests to review them fairly regularly. So here it is — a beautiful beer with an even more amazing label. Yes I’m a sucker for labels and packaging. As soon as the first drop hits the glass you are met with the most beautiful raspberry color and very nice light pink head. But what you don’t know is that it smells nothing like what you’d expect. This one is Cantillon through and through. It’s tart, funky, and has only a faint touch of raspberry. The flavor is also exactly as you’d expect. In fact, this tastes a lot like the other Cantillon beers. What you’re not going to find, however, is a bunch of sugary sweetness. This is not a Lindeman’s Framboise or raspberry wheat beer meant to be consumed by the masses; it’s definitely for the diehard Lambic folks. In the end I feel this is a very strong way to start raspberry week on The Hopry. My advice on this one is to buy a couple and hide one in the basement for a few years to see what happens. That’s what I’ll be doing…

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This beer can be found in these states.
On the iPod: Wilco “Country Disappeared”



Brewery: Cantillon
Beer: Rosé de Gambrinus
Style: Lambic – Fruit
Location: Brussels, Belgium
ABV: 5%
Rating: 94/100

I’m not even going to lie, when I received a direct compliment from the De Struise Brewery on my review of their Pannepot, my head got a little enlarged. It’s a compliment to hear from the brewery that you’re reviewing. They liked the way I described and reviewed their Pannepot, which is a beautifully complex Belgian-style strong ale. Well, I hate to say it, but they’ve gone and done it again with this insanely deep and complex Belgian Royal Stout called Black Albert. How that’s exactly different from an Imperial Stout I don’t know. Maybe I shouldn’t care. What I do know is that this HUGE monster (sitting in at 13% ABV) is really one amazing beer. It drinks more like a 9% – 10% stout. Perhaps it’s that I found this thing on a whim, or perhaps it’s just that it’s so damn easy to drink at this high of an ABV that it just makes you scratch your head. Either way, this is very deserving of a high score. With as much flavor as you get out of this beer, it just seems to balance everything very well. But, you know what? At the end of the day it is 13% and you can feel it by the time you’ve drained this small bottle of stout goodness. This Belgian brewery really does things well. And this is no exception.

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This beer can be found in these states.
On the iPod: Jóhann Jóhannsson

Brewery: De Struise
Beer: Black Albert
Style: Belgian Royal Stout / Imperial Stout
Location: Oostvleteren, Belgium
ABV: 13%
Rating: 95/100

There has certainly been a trend around The Hopry lately – and that is the fact that I’ve been drinking a lot of great canned craft beers. For the most part, they have all been IPAs…until now. On this night we moved to Abt/Quadrupel territory. I have to admit that the first time I heard someone was selling a Belgian-style Quadrupel in a can I just had to search for some to get on the show ASAP. As such, I was able to get a four-pack of the Monk’s Blood from 21st Amendment out of San Francisco. I was very surprised, too, with the amazingly nice packaging. It comes in a square cardboard box with the beer’s information on all sides (seen here and borrowed from here). Since this beer came to me via Minnesota, I figured I would have my good friend Martin back over to share it with me (he’s originally from the area). What we had was a very nice beer that met the expectations of the can, which says “Belgian-style dark ale brewed with cinnamon, vanilla, oak chips and dried figs.” They were pretty spot on with the description because that’s exactly what it tasted like…oh and some with dark cherries.

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This beer can be found in these states.
On the iPod: The Avett Brothers

Brewery: 21st Amendment
Beer: Monk’s Blood (Insurrection Series)
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
Location: San Francisco, California
ABV: 8.3%
Rating: 91/100

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the Gueuze Lambic is one of the hardest styles for a new craft beer drinker to enjoy. Now that may be a generality based on my own opinion, but it truthfully is one of the most challenging styles out there. Gueuze are very tart, funky, and lowly carbonated beers. In some ways, they tend to feel more like a very acidic wine than a beer. However, time and dedication usually shows that one can grow to become quite fond of this style. There’s a small group of folks out there who will even tell you this is their favorite style of beer. For me personally, I enjoy Gueuze much better when I have some food or cheese to pair with it. To just sit down and drink it by itself is not something I normally do. Having said this, Hanssens Oude Gueuze is a very nice surprise and was very good to enjoy with a few simple pieces of crispy bacon. It has all the traditional components of the style, but it seems to be one of the better representatives I’ve tried. I still prefer the Cantillon Iris due to its presence of hops, but every time I drink one of these I know I’m getting just a little bit closer to finally “getting it.” We’ll see…

For a larger HD experience click here.
This beer can be found in these states.
On the iPod: TV on the Radio

Brewery: Hanssens
Beer: Oude Gueuze
Style: Gueuze
Location: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Rating: 89/100