"Süßes oder Saures" 3 sour stouts not for everybody

De Molen Verdeel&Heers

BA Imperial Stout Brett

9.8% Alc

t'Verzet Kameradski Balsamico

Experimental Fusion of Oud Bruin and Imperial Stout

12.5% Alc

Lervig/Oud Beersel Black Acid

stout/lambic blend aged

8.5% Alc

It was supposed to be blinded competition. After giving it some thoughts I have decided not to do so. First, because I am the huge fan of Kameradski Balsamico. Second – there is no official beer style for sour stouts, thus a fair comparison is difficult to make.

Finally, I have decided to give you some thought about all 3 beers.

The one from De Molen is quite impressive one – rich aroma of dark chocolate, roasted malts, dried fruits and plums. Flavor is barrel, rum, whiskey, plums. Overall very tasty, very well balanced. One point of the criticism is that I cannot see the Bretanomyces doing the job. All acidic notes may as well come from barrel aging and that makes V&E quite close to many other BA Imperial Stouts. It is not a bad beer, it is just not as exceptional as I thought.

Lervig/Oud Beersel is a different approach. Stout is gone and lambic is taking over everything. Can you imagine drinking a dry beer? Well, it’s the effect obtained here. Kind of like drinking very, very dry wine. I have looked on Ratebeer and some people tend to find there some malt notes and richness. I clearly don’t, it is one sided, acidic and boring. And, yes, I have tried well before the “Best before” date.

Now the Chocolate Stalin – how ‘t Verzet calls Kameradski Balsamico. Whereas it is not a beer for everybody – this is one of the most rewarding beers I have ever tried. Pitch black in color with a brown foam. Smells with malts, coffee and caramel with light acidic notes. Taste is acidic, but balanced with sweet fruits, berries, coffee and chocolate flavors.

For me this beer is simply amazing and the best Belgian beer ever (Westvleteren XII is a joke in comparison). Knowing that it is not everybody’s beer I have tested it on a chosen group of beer lovers. Very polarized reactions – from I don’t like it, to where can I get 10 bottles. For me, another sign of exceptionality – it does not a beer that leaves anybody warm.

The Place and The Beer Part 1: Lamplighter Brewing Co, Cambridge, MA, USA

LAMPLIGHTER BREWING CO.

284 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

I have made a sad realization that I am not able to write a proper story about all the places I visit and all the beers I taste. But, most of those places deserve at least a short note. Therefore, I have stated a new series called The Place and The Beer. Rather short stories, lot of photos and a /the beer.

Today we end up in Cambridge Massachussets in USA. I have visited the Lamplighter Brewing in the second week of November. It is Tuesday at 9 pm. The brewery is in a walking distance from the Kendall Square being the center of the town. Typical American building, well preserved and clean.  Inside is also very typical modern style brewhouse, solid tap/party-room and a huge glass wall so that everybody can appreciate the brewery and barrel aging beer. Nice but not ass kicking.

Clearly it was a party night. We should have been checking earlier. Music was deafening. Live DJ, doing quiz. Simply horrible if you come to get a beer and talk.

But the beer, as in the most American breweries was worth the effort – I have tried an imperial stout brewed with vanilla and maple syrup called After Midnight. But they really brew something for everybody: IPA, gose, sour, wheat, saison, brett. They have it, I strongly believe that this is one of the powers of American Craft – we are eclectic, we will not concentrate on a few local beers – we are taking everything what is interesting from the world and do this better. Impressive.

So was the After Minding. Pitch dark with appealing head and nice lacing. Aroma is chocolate, malt, clear maple syrup and roasted coffee. Intensive and complex flavor, thick texture of drinking chocolate and vanilla. Surprisingly it is not sweet, it could almost be considered dry. Maybe a bit on the too much side, but clearly you would not mix that one with any other beer. For me this a a huge plus and After Midnight was the best medication to cure my jet lag.

Alvine Craft Beer Ferstival 2017

This time we have visited the far west of Belgium for another beer festival. Honestly, I was quite excited to see that one, not because of the location, but because most of the invited breweries are not Belgian.

Yes.

Somebody here did realize that craft beer exists outside of Belgium.

Some facts: 130 beers, 19 breweries form around the world. On top festival is organized by a brewery (Alvinne) in a magical place called Bierhalle Deconinck.

Why magical?

Because for a beer geek, entering the gigantic shop with thousands of beers from all the world is better than finding the Alladin’s treasure. The festival venue itself is rather average, modern building with stands and places to eat. All advantages of being inside (no smokers) and enough space to have fun.

What I also noticed were groups of people not only drinking beers but also taking notes and rating the stuff. Yes, I have seen that before, but I have never seen so many. This again tells you that people coming to this festival are interested in craft. Neat, clean but nothing more.

There is a compulsory beer glass and tokens for a start. Price €1.50 for a beer is absolutely OK.

One very important information for the next year! Buy your ticket online! The festival tickets were sold out already on Friday around 7 pm. 

Something fancy, a wash station. Wash your glass in between the beers. Nice idea.

How about the beer? Here are today's candidates.

6^oN Magic Six

(Scottland), Pale Ale

Good start of the festival. Very nice pale ale. Nice aroma of grass and tropical fruits, mostly mango. Bitter enough to satisfy geeks. Just don’t expect the power of IPA and you will enjoy this one. For everybody.

Guineu.’t Verzet Super Yeah!

(Spain), APA

Rather solid thank great. On one hand, it has all aromas of hops and malts that a good APA needs, on the other, the overall feeling is rather diluted and watery.

Landlocked

England, IPA

Another solid example of IPA. It is going more in the direction of classical British IPA with a small modern aromatic twist. I am not a fan of classical British IPAs but if somebody is, can probably enjoy it.

Laugar Random 80

Spain, Rye IPA

All the time I believe, that, in this case I was given a wrong beer. Some stout or so. Therefore, no rating for this one.

La Pirata Tremenda Revival

Spain, IPA

Yep, I was revived after trying this beer. Great IPA with overwhelming hoppy aroma and more than solid bitterness. Medium body, medium carbonation. Close to perfection.

Het Uiltje Old Enough To Drink

Netherlands, Icedistilled IPA

This is a perfect example of what craft can be. Take a very good IPA and freeze it. What happens is that the beer essence will to some extend separate from water. Remove the water and thaw the whole thing. What is left is the IPA essence, a pure pleasure. Brutal heavy aromas of hops, perfect balance with malt. 21% alcohol, but balanced in a way that the beer does not feel alcoholic at all. We are talking here about one of the best beers I had in my life. Thick, hoppy, aromatic. It kicked my ass. World Class.

Moreover, the festival price of 2 tokens (€3 for a glass) is more than OK. These guys will start bottling the beer on Monday. I want 10 bottled for a start please.

One comment – is the name and the amount of alcohol a kind of a joke from the USA? Legal age to start drinking in US is 21…

Beavertown Uptown Monk

England, Rye Triple aged in White Wine Barrels

Another proof that you need a lot of aroma to age a beer in a barrel. Belgian Triples are rather malty and yeasty and its clearly not enough to cope with aggressive white wine flavors. At the end its more a wine than a beer. You may like it, you may not. Overall it is interesting.

Kees Caramel Fudge Stout

Netherlands, Imperial Stout

I was expecting much more seeing the word Fudge in the name. My saliva was coming out in the expectation of thick rich aromatic wonder. Sadly, this stout is too watery to deserve the name Fudge. Caramel enough, but not enough overall.

Alvinne & Friends Mano Negra Cognac BA

Belgium, Imperial Stout

And this is an example of what barrel aging can do to a strong beer. Marvelous aroma of cognac, dried plum and roasted malts. Heavy, thick structure. Flavor of roast and plums, no clear alcohol. Almost no carbonation. This is not everybody’s beer. But if you dare to try it is worth it. Brilliant.

Alvinne & Friends Cuvee d’Erpigny Pedro Ximenez

Blond beer aged in Pedro Ximenez sherry barrels. Apparently this one was aged for one year. OK, it may need more. Or it may never come to the point where it would be a worthy beer. Too watery, too average. Overally disappointing.

Gollem's Swedish Beerweekend

Swedish Beer Weekend…

Swedish what?

I have dived deeply in the depths of my brain and started digging out the info about Sweden I have.

• IKEA – yes, at least in Belgium they sell beer. If I remember it correctly, it is lager type piece of junk. OK, if they will serve the IKEA beer, it is over.
• Food. I may not know any typical Swedish food, but I know Food Emperor and Regular Ordinary Swedish Time channels on you tube. First one swears in Polish, other boys are crazy like a fox. I have never tried to cook per their recipes (even if I would love to the axe thing), but they may prompt to a certain “craziness” of Swedes.
• Systembolaget (try to pronounce this) – a government network of shops that sell alcohol. Regular shops are not allowed to sell anything above 3.5% of alcohol (stronger mineral water).
• Vodka Absolut – must be one the biggest hits of the Swedish export
• Beer… well call me ignorant, but, except for the point 1 I have never had a beer from Sweden before.

Time to change that. If there is craft beer enough to make an event around it, it is worth trying.

The trips took us to Antwerp, beautiful city in the north of Belgium. As I could find out Gollem is one of the local experts specialized in the craft beer and the events. Perfect localization – close to the main market of the town. Great atmosphere. No smoking inside. Reservation system online. A set of food, mostly burgers that fit the beer and pocket (of average Belgian, do not count on McDonalds prices). This all looks very good.

On contrary, the prices of the Swedish beer were outrageous. But, after a short check online I have realized that it’s very comparable to what the Swedes want their craft beers… 

List of the beers is very long.

Drawings on the blackboards may not be everybodys case, but I like them.

Still, they have served beer and have burgers so it OK. Seeing the information about Swedish beers served (especially alcohol content) I have decided to a mixed type of the event – 2 beers in the bar and 2 to take home (they were having a neat mix of tap and bottle/can event). From the perspective, this was a great choice (and the only one that allows you to keep a memory of the day).

Anagram 

Blueberry Cheesecake Stout

Omnipollo / Dugges (Sweden), Imperial Stout

Incredible beer, no doubt. Black, almost no head and the ass-kicking aroma of blueberries, vanilla and cheesecake. There is some alcohol on top, but not disturbing. But the taste, the taste is like drinking an intense cheesecake dissolved in dark, strong beer. Awesome. On the bad side – it has 12% of alcohol and you can feel it in some sips. Still it may well be the best aromatic stout I have ever had in my life. AMAZING stuff.

One comment Omnipollo is a gypsy brewery (if I get it correctly). So, for all criticizing this type of brewers – get an Anagram and shut up.

Noa Pecan Mud Cake

Omnipollo (Sweden), Imperial Stout

This beer looks great. With its pitch black body and amazing, stiff beige head is a wet dream of any dark beer lover. The aroma of pecan nuts and fudge is absolutely crazy. Minus points go to the taste. Pecans, fudge, vanilla and some roasted notes are clearly there, but this time the high alcohol content is not as well balanced as in the previous one. Alcohol comes in front and takes over most of the feeling. Still very good beer, but the previous ne was significantly better. 

Hip Hops #49

Beerbliotek (Sweden), IPA

Lightly, hazy orange IPA. Very grassy in aroma and taste. Clear tropical fruits. Combined with a rather medium bitterness and a bit too much carbonation this looks like a perfect interpretation of the IPA style for the younger people. Easy to drink, IPA enough. Still, there are a lot of better IPAs on the market. 

Tropic Thunder

Dugges (Sweden), Sour ale

Looks to me like people in Sweden are very extreme in many their tasks. Tropic Thunder as a name is appropriate to this one. A blast of mango, papaya and any tropical fruits you can imagine, connected with acceptable sour taste it’s one of the most refreshing beers I have ever had. If not the alcohol, this would be the best thing to satisfy the thirst on the summer days. Another great beer from Sweden. 

Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens

STONE BREWERY BERLIN

In Marienpark 23

STONE brewery is one of the world’s most famous, USA-based craft companies. It is the biggest craft brewer in California and in the top ten of USA. Beers of the Arrogant series are a kind of legend on the old continent, especially, that getting them in Europe was almost impossible before.

The brewery, led by a charismatic Greg Koch, alias Beer Jesus (sorry, not my idea, this is his nick name google his photo and you will understand), has announced in 2014 that it will open its first production site in Berlin, Germany. And not a regular one, like many things in USA, this one was supposed to be huge. Stone brewery has decided to locate the new site in the Alt Mariendorf part of Berlin and revitalize and old, over 100 years old GASWERK. A 25 million dollars’ project. As a result, STONE promised a 100 Hl production site that will (finally) assure that their beers are available all around Europe. On top a 1500 people drinking hall Located. As far as I remember first beers were finalized at the end of 2015, and the brewery was finally operational in April 2016.

Altogether, if you ask me, there is no reason not to come here and see the new Stone Brewery.

OK, I have found one. Location. I think that it was very bold to locate a beer hall in the area so far from the city center. It takes almost an hour of combined subway and walking effort to get there from Berlin Mitte. Taxi drivers have no idea where the place is. Good that google maps knows it all. At the arrival, at least in the evening, you are 

The remaining question is whether getting there is worth the effort. If you like good beer and enjoy renovated industrial buildings it certainly is. In fact, the view is breathtaking. Beautiful tower bathing in the lights outside and really nice post-factory renovated buildings around. Great. 

Some view from the outside.

The one below is just to reassure you are in the right place.

The entrance seems very solid. Just in case they need to separate from the angry mob.

There is a big shop at the entrance filled with beer, t-shirts, glass and other gadgets beer geeks may need. Crew is mixed German-American, but all the people here speak both. I have visited the place really late on Monday and the place was empty. I really enjoyed the undisturbed attention of the whole crew, and they were happy to answer all the questions.

But What really kicked my ass was the hall by itself. OK. Not a brewpub. It’s a brew HALL. It is humongous! Check the photos. There is everything inside starting from cozy chairs and ending up with cool stairs covered with pillows and blankets (yes, you can sit here). Unless you suffer from cyclophobia, you will simply love this place. 

The place is protected by cast glass sign of Gargoyle in one of the windows (first photo). On the other side behind the glass one can enjoy the view on the brewery. Really impressive.












OK, enough for the introduction. Now, take a look on this multi-tap. Over 50 taps, on each side (but they are duplicated, for a better service). Guys do you offer the over-night stay, or sleeping bags? I will consider moving there soon.

THE BEER

Having more than 50 beers on the tap, it was hardly possible to try them all (I have never had more than 40 different beers in one evening. You have my word on this). Friendly, Stone will offer a trying size of 0.15 for the ones who still want to walk away on their own.

I have decided to stay classical for the evening and started with the Arrogant series. On the photo, they look very similar, but this is classical problem of ding the photo in the dimmed light of the bar. Number 1, 3 and 4 look almost the same, but the number 2 is lighter in color (from left to right). One thing that tells you a lot about the professionality there. The moment I have ordered four beers in the tasting size, the bartender just gave me a glass of water to clean up my taste buds in between. Just like that. No extra cost. Nothing. Respect.

Starting from the left:

Arrogant Bastard Ale (7.2% alc). Stone’s classic. This one being brewed here in Germany. IBU unknown, seems to be secret. I would bet on 80. Very nice mahogany color, decent head. Aroma of pine, oak, papaya and grass. Flavor is grassy hoppines complemented with dark malt. Quite bitter. World Class beer, but you know it.

Lil’ bastard (prototype) (4.7% alc). Brewed in Berlin.  This beer is supposed to be a lighter version of the Arrogant Bastard. It fits exactly - Little bastard is lighter in aroma and taste, maybe even a bit watery. At least for me. If you just start your adventure with bitter beers – Little Bastard can be a very good choice. Otherwise, it has all the characteristic of its more Arrogant brother. Very interesting.

Double Bastard Ale, Dark Toasted Oak, 2012 edition (10.5% alc.). Brewed in San Diego – an excellent case of how oak aging can change good beer in a masterpiece. It has all the characteristics (multiplied by the Double factor) of the Arrogant Bastards, with hoppy aroma and bitterness, but really beautifully complemented by decent oak notes in bot aroma and taste. Body is smooth, sugary and syrupy. One of the best beers I have ever had.

Double Bastard Ale 2015 (11% alc.). Brewed in San Diego. Very nice beer. But, after trying the 2012 edition it was pointless. It’s just not decadent enough.

So the evening was still young, maybe 10 pm and the beers were finished. Feeling adventurous, I have decided to put a cherry on top and try their Chai Spiced Imperial Stout. OK. And this was a good idea. The chai part is really coming out nicely in both aroma and taste. Lot of spices, berries, dark chocolate. Bit boozy. I didn’t know that you can make a refreshing stout. Great finish of the evening.

Thanks a lot Stone brewery!