Thursday, August 16, 2007

Contemplate, Belgium brewskis



So I'm continuing on my Belgium brew hunt, diving in sippy-straw first to the world of holy, yeast free beers. According to local folklore, all the beers in Belgium are brewed at the mountainous monasteries by the monks themselves. Also, another fact that hasn't been thoroughly checked out is, the air around the monasteries contains enough yeast that there is none added in the brewing process. HMMMMM or YUMMMM? Well I have always been fond of Leffe beer available at the higher class delis. But recently a local bar called Valhala on 54th & 9th that serves around 30 beers on tap, including Chimay, Leffe, Rodenbach and few others that I can't remember, brought in a special beer on tap called Triple Karmeliet. It's a wonderfully refreshing beer with color similar to Leffe, a little more caramely in flavor but with much more depth. I'm no where close to being a food writer so using words like nutty, caramel, bouquet etc... is a bit foreign, so bare with me. Chris G. was the one who turned me on to Triple Karmeliet and opened my eyes to world of Belgium brew dogs. Last night I ate and drank at a wonderful little restaurant and bar called B. Cafe on 75th btw. 2nd/3rd, I think 'B' stands for Belgium but who knows, the owner's name might be Barney or Barnibus or Bart or Brian or Brice or Bailey or Benny or Basil or Bonnie or Benjamin or Biff. Thea recommended the Redbach Rodenbach, which was delicious! Similar to Lambic but much less sweet! Here's the entire selection of beers:

Draft Beers:
Stella Artois
Hoegaarden Wit Beer
Leffe Blonde
Leffe Dark
St. Bernardus A12

Amber Ales:
Kwak
Delirium Tremens
Kasteel Dark
Kasteel Gouden - Triple D'Or
Tripel Karmelict
De Koninck

Abbey Ales:
Grimbergen Blonde Ale
Grimbergen Brown
Corsendonk Abbey Brown Ale
St. Feuillien Triple Abbey Ale
Maredsous Dark
Maredsous Triple

Trappiste:

Chimay Blue
Chimay Red
Chimay Gold
Westmalle Trappist Ale
Orval
Trappistes Rochefort

High Percentage Alcohol Golden Ales:
La Chouffe Artissanal Belgian Golden Ale
Duvel Belgian Golden Ale

Fruit Beers:

Redbach Rodenbach Kissed by Cherries
Kriek Lambic Cherry Flavor
Gueuze Lambic
Cassis Lambic Black Currants Flavor

By the way the mussels and fries were the best i've ever tasted!!! No joke.

There are a few other Belgium bars that Thea recommended also, Vol De Nuit on W. 4th and Burp Cast in Astor place. Haven't gone to them yet but will report back when I do. By the way, most of the Belgium beers have a higher percentage of alcohol so having more than a few will kick you in the ass! Just like this one below.



1 comment:

KISS and GO - a visual diary said...

deeeeeelicious sweet nectar!