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We have a trivia question in order to register to prevent bots. If you have any issues with answering, contact us at cass@bartowel.com for help.
Introducing Light Mode! If you would like a Bar Towel social experience that isn't the traditional blue, you can now select Light Mode. Go to the User Control Panel and then Board Preferences, and select "Day Drinking" (Light Mode) from the My Board Style drop-down menu. You can always switch back to "Night Drinking" (Dark Mode). Enjoy!
What're you drinking right now?
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- Bar Fly
- Posts: 624
- Joined: Sat Dec 21, 2013 12:16 pm
- Contact:
Brasserie de Blaugies Bière Darbyste — Great Belgian saison with some some added fruitiness via the added fig juice. Less spicy than many, and I enjoyed it better before the final pour, laden with sediment (that had strangely accumulated on one side of the bottle). Glad I picked up a few of these and La Vermontoise when they popped up on LCBO online some weeks ago. I missed out on La Moneuse if anyone wants to trade!
Saulter Street Riverside Copper Pilsner from brewery store, the can is souring just a few weeks after purchase so I dumped it out. The Sorachi hop Lager they have on tap right now is really nice though.
This new Duvel Tripel Hop Cashmere Belgian IPA (9.5%) is very flavourful showing nice underlying fruit tones of pear and some lemon plus peppery and bubblegum spice along with the more hop forward resiny-viney bitterness - it's a densely-flavoured brew of the type I particularly enjoyed when really discovering craft beer, and I like it right now. Looks beautiful in the Duvel Tulip.
Also liked that unserious Jacobins ROSÉ MAX berry-cherry-currant ale from Belgium in the teeny 250ml bottle, it's a simple,sour with loads of convincing fruit and for what it offers to be I think it's very legit. It's a brunch bennies and waffles kind of beer. Remember the Only Cafe in its brunch heyday?
Can't wait to try the Unibroue Éphémère Baie d'Argousier / Sea Buckthorn Berry... these 750mls have crept up in price over the years but a good iteration of this series is welcome. My favorite of all time remains the Pomme, which for me was like an apple orchard in a glass with an overnote of vanilla. It's damn French.
This new Duvel Tripel Hop Cashmere Belgian IPA (9.5%) is very flavourful showing nice underlying fruit tones of pear and some lemon plus peppery and bubblegum spice along with the more hop forward resiny-viney bitterness - it's a densely-flavoured brew of the type I particularly enjoyed when really discovering craft beer, and I like it right now. Looks beautiful in the Duvel Tulip.
Also liked that unserious Jacobins ROSÉ MAX berry-cherry-currant ale from Belgium in the teeny 250ml bottle, it's a simple,sour with loads of convincing fruit and for what it offers to be I think it's very legit. It's a brunch bennies and waffles kind of beer. Remember the Only Cafe in its brunch heyday?
Can't wait to try the Unibroue Éphémère Baie d'Argousier / Sea Buckthorn Berry... these 750mls have crept up in price over the years but a good iteration of this series is welcome. My favorite of all time remains the Pomme, which for me was like an apple orchard in a glass with an overnote of vanilla. It's damn French.
In Beerum Veritas
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- Bar Fly
- Posts: 926
- Joined: Sun Jan 26, 2014 7:55 am
- Location: Guelph
Drinking this years version of Fracture and it’s absolutely delicious. I think it’s tasting a little bit different this time around...hop profile seems changed a bit, but that could just be me. Also, as a bonus I’m pretty sure it’s cheaper than it has been the past couple years.
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- Bar Fly
- Posts: 624
- Joined: Sat Dec 21, 2013 12:16 pm
- Contact:
Zundert 10 — Picked this one up as I've been neglecting quads. It's a pretty good effort from a Trappist I'd never heard of before. It seems like there's been a mini boom in Trappist breweries in the past 5-10 years. I remember when I could name them all! Speaking of which — where the HELL is Orval?!
Just trying the Duvel Cashmere, now. I'm very impressed. I'd have to do a direct comparison, but going by memory, I prefer this to the standard Duvel bottling.Belgian wrote:Saulter Street Riverside Copper Pilsner from brewery store, the can is souring just a few weeks after purchase so I dumped it out. The Sorachi hop Lager they have on tap right now is really nice though.
This new Duvel Tripel Hop Cashmere Belgian IPA (9.5%) is very flavourful showing nice underlying fruit tones of pear and some lemon plus peppery and bubblegum spice along with the more hop forward resiny-viney bitterness - it's a densely-flavoured brew of the type I particularly enjoyed when really discovering craft beer, and I like it right now. Looks beautiful in the Duvel Tulip.
Also liked that unserious Jacobins ROSÉ MAX berry-cherry-currant ale from Belgium in the teeny 250ml bottle, it's a simple,sour with loads of convincing fruit and for what it offers to be I think it's very legit. It's a brunch bennies and waffles kind of beer. Remember the Only Cafe in its brunch heyday?
Can't wait to try the Unibroue Éphémère Baie d'Argousier / Sea Buckthorn Berry... these 750mls have crept up in price over the years but a good iteration of this series is welcome. My favorite of all time remains the Pomme, which for me was like an apple orchard in a glass with an overnote of vanilla. It's damn French.
Indeed. It's been far too long since we've had Orval available, and I really miss it. Truly a unique beer.beerstodiscover wrote:Zundert 10 — Picked this one up as I've been neglecting quads. It's a pretty good effort from a Trappist I'd never heard of before. It seems like there's been a mini boom in Trappist breweries in the past 5-10 years. I remember when I could name them all! Speaking of which — where the HELL is Orval?!
Had the Trou du Diable L'ours 750ml this week... it's fine, for me I have to say a lot of sours are very same-ish.
Now a 750ml of 2012 Saison Dupont Vieille Provision (with a BBD of 01 / 2016.) It's well-preserved, the aroma is clean. The taste is fairly caramelly at this point, the bitterness is very smoothed down, and it has a grapey sweetness - a very drinkable 'provision' beer if you had these packed away in a cool place and needed emergency calories. I'd probably drink this sooner than eight years next time, but Dupont is always fine stuff!
I also have a number of those Avec Bon Voueux Dupont Christmas beers they put out, probably stellar cellar candidates as well.
Now a 750ml of 2012 Saison Dupont Vieille Provision (with a BBD of 01 / 2016.) It's well-preserved, the aroma is clean. The taste is fairly caramelly at this point, the bitterness is very smoothed down, and it has a grapey sweetness - a very drinkable 'provision' beer if you had these packed away in a cool place and needed emergency calories. I'd probably drink this sooner than eight years next time, but Dupont is always fine stuff!
I also have a number of those Avec Bon Voueux Dupont Christmas beers they put out, probably stellar cellar candidates as well.
In Beerum Veritas
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- Posts: 346
- Joined: Sat Aug 01, 2015 11:36 am
- Location: Toronto
I pulled one of these out of the cellar about a month ago and it is still drinking great. A little bit sweeter/maltier, but still showcasing that spicy phenol character. I'm down to my last bottle from the 2016 vintage sadly. Although I do still have a 1.5L magnum from when those were on the shelves at the LCBO (in late 2014 I think). Would love to see this one make a return.Belgian wrote:
I also have a number of those Avec Bon Voueux Dupont Christmas beers they put out, probably stellar cellar candidates as well.
Having another Godspeed Nana - intense with its Japanese herbal /woody and peppery-phenolic profile. This beer benefits from warming up a bit to round out the malts and gentle juicy citrus. Feels like a meditative Zen garden!
Also a Baltika 7 Export Lager in the tall pint glass we got in 2015 at Xmas (Russia).
Sort of the anti-craft beer but in very fresh form, better than the beer that came with the glass.
This glass is to me a nice bit of Russian corporate design. Tall, very gently sloped sides to a slightly flared base, almost a Brutalist attitude.
Also a Baltika 7 Export Lager in the tall pint glass we got in 2015 at Xmas (Russia).
Sort of the anti-craft beer but in very fresh form, better than the beer that came with the glass.
This glass is to me a nice bit of Russian corporate design. Tall, very gently sloped sides to a slightly flared base, almost a Brutalist attitude.
In Beerum Veritas
I'm having a Royal City Oktoberfest, which is delightful. I love fall beers.
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- Bar Fly
- Posts: 926
- Joined: Sun Jan 26, 2014 7:55 am
- Location: Guelph
Craig wrote:I'm having a Royal City Oktoberfest, which is delightful. I love fall beers.
Definitely one of Royal city’s better offerings. I look forward to it every year.
I had their Dunkel later tonight, also very good. I think I prefer the Oktoberfest, but I'll probably have to order both again just to be sure.
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- Bar Fly
- Posts: 624
- Joined: Sat Dec 21, 2013 12:16 pm
- Contact:
Muskoka's Munich to My Ears Festbier is hitting the mark for me right now.Craig wrote:I love fall beers.
- S. St. Jeb
- Seasoned Drinker
- Posts: 1051
- Joined: Tue Mar 22, 2011 11:44 pm
- Location: Burlington, ON
Had one this week. Agree it was good.beerstodiscover wrote:Muskoka's Munich to My Ears Festbier is hitting the mark for me right now.Craig wrote:I love fall beers.
This 2012 Van de Keyser Blau will do! Amazing smooth rich dark silky prune-like fruit, some caramel, chocolate and gentle coffee, liquorice. Insanely full and complex beer at 8 years of age.Craig wrote:I'm having a Royal City Oktoberfest, which is delightful. I love fall beers.
So that's why this beer is a champion, I think this is kicking a less-than-optimal bottling of Westy 12's rear end today. It really hasn't faded and could hang in a year or two.
In Beerum Veritas