WHERE WE CELEBRATE WORLD CLASS BEER
I share our experiences from the North Coast Brewing Company Campus (brewery, taphouse, shop). There are lots of photos to check out!
I also do a video review on the 2017 Old Rasputin Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout!
Click here to visit the North Coast Brewing Company Campus Brewery Review
Cheers,
Gordon A. Ponce
CEO – Beer Review Journal
#NorthCoastBrewingCompany #FortBraggCalifornia #MenodcinoCounty #California #BeerReviewJournal #OldRasputin
I fell in love with the Belgian Beer Culture back in 1983 after reading the late Michael Jackson’s book “The World Guide to Beer”. It described how the Belgians revered beer.
From each individual beer being poured into its own special glass, to the renowned “Cuisine a’ la Biere” (cooking with beer), to the specialized beer bars and shops, it was clear that no other country’s beer culture could compare.
Heck, Michael even wrote that if you were at one of the specialty bars in Belgium and were served a specific beer that was not poured in it’s signature glass, you could send that beer back, and ask the beer server to get it right! Now that’s respect!
The times they are changing. Over the past 39 years, I never saw a picture (in any magazines, websites, TV, etc.) of a Belgian pouring any Belgian beer in a glass other that the signature glass for that beer- until now.
I recently joined a Facebook group that highlighted Belgian beer. I saw lots of beers being poured into glasses that were not their signature ones (people from Belgium doing this!) I can understand people outside of Belgium not having access to the right glasses (in the USA, you can get signature glasses from our friends at Belgian-Style Ales). But to me, there is NO excuse for people in Belgium with the vast retail resources there not to have the correct glass. It’s just pure laziness if you don’t.
When I saw the blasphemous picture of a Chimay Grande Réserve being poured in a lowly bud glass (as seen above), I had to speak up! I also mentioned that if you are going to take a picture of a beer and don’t have the signature glass to pour it in, then pour it in a stemmed, non-logoed glass. Many people liked what I had to say about respecting the Belgian Beer Culture in the way it is meant to be. More so, I was called out for being legalistic, “why don’t you relax”, etc. It is obvious that may people drinking Belgian beer (especially those in Belgium) simply don’t hold the respect they once had. I’m not saying all are this way, but from what I saw, there were a lot.
The times, they are changing. And as for me and the Facebook group, I decided to leave. A Trappist ale is to be enjoyed with respect and reverence.
Gordon A. Ponce
CEO – Beer Review Journal
NEW BEER REVIEW: La Fin du Monde – Brasserie Unibroue – Chambly (Québec) Canada
The incomparable La Fin du Monde was first released to an eager beer drinking public in February 1994. Being a Tripel style beer (first created by Trappist monks in Belgium in the early 20th century) La Fin du Monde took 18 months of research and development before released on the market… READ MORE >>
Thanks to the massive efforts of beer importers Merchant du Vin since 1978, the Lindemans Lambics were the very first beers in the Lambic style we were fortunate to taste (we’re guesstimating around 1983 or so). They were some of the first beers from Belgium we experienced, for sure. READ MORE >>
Here’s a beer we’ve been cellaring for a long time. We knew we were going to keep a few bottles of it for at least 5 years, while enjoying some alone the way. Refraining from drinking Oude Gueuzes to allow them to age is not an easy thing, but we accomplished our goal!
READ MORE >>
SEPTEMBER 18, 2022
Being the first brewery in North America to produce ales in the classic Belgian styles, Blanche de Chambly was the first bottle refermented ale produced by Unibroue on July 1, 1992. (Incidentally, that was the date the brewery was founded, and celebrated 30 years of brewing excellence on July 1, 2022.) READ MORE >>
SEPTEMBER 9, 2022
The Boon Lambic beers were some of the first we tried for the first time in the late 80’s. The very first was the Kriek Boon. Since then we have experienced the other fruit, and other Geuzes / Oude Geuzes over the decades. READ MORE >>
SEPTEMBER 3, 2022
When we discovered Orval Trappist Ale for the first time back in the early 90’s, we had been accustomed to the “usual” Trappist beer flavor profiles for about a decade. Needless to say, we were quite surprised at the aroma and flavor departure Orval took from its monastic cousins! Also being previously accustomed to Brettanomyces characteristics in Lambic beers, we were initially quite pleased with it… READ MORE >>
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