Rodenbach Foederbier 2014 Foeder no 192, Roeselare, Belgium, Flemish Sour Ale

Date:  December , 2018

The Story—   We don’t like sour beers.  Except for the great ones, which rank among the top 2% of all our tasted beers.   Rodenbach Foederbier 2014 Foeder no 192, Roeselare, Belgium, Flemish Sour Ale rises to the top 1% — a masterful use of tart with complexity.

When we first visited Rodenbach it was a family owned brewery.  They were sure they’d stay independent because they owned few pubs.  Rodenbach was the dominant Flemish sour in the same way Guinness dominated the stout market in Ireland.  Neither brewery focused on owning pubs, so a plethora of other brewery-owned pubs stocked the beer without fear of sending customers to another venue.

But time passes and money talks.   Rodenbach sold to Palm brewery around the turn of the century.   Recently Swinkles Family Brewery– for decades it had been Bavaria Brewery in the Netherlands and produced more cans than good beer.   But their attempt to re-brand themselves in a craft beer world has led them to acquire La Trappe, Palm and Rodenbach.

So far, so good.  The Swinkels has, we think, let the Rodenbach brewers brew Rodenbach.  They’ve accented the single foeder beers that are the star of the crown of the brewery.   This is one of them

The Beer—  It’s tart with a drying astringency, but it’s also deeply fruity and complex.  Richly viscous, it gets rounder as it drinks. Restrained fruit carries on like a dark fruit pie with some hints of cranberries as it drinks.

Value —  Not a cheap date, but this is one of the very best beers in the world.  Lesser beers sell for $50 to $100, but you can find this for closer to $20.   It is, truly, and excellent value.

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

We promised a count down to the New Year with descriptions of some of our favorite beers from the last five years.   In those years we’ve published Drinking in the Culture, and gotten a good start on a drinking/sleeping guide to the Mid Atlantic and a guide to great beers is supposed “bad beer cities” — the tourist meccas of Europe. But goodness, Grinch, what about all the holiday beers??  So we’ll post a few of our all-time favorites between now and December 24 and then through January 6th (Twelfth Night) we’ll give your this year’s list of the Twelve Beers of Christmas.  We’ve tasted close to 200 beers brewed for the season; they’re not all good elves, but a great many are as talented as Rudolph for getting us through a foggy winter’s night.

We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is iour response to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers,   and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”

DuPont: Saison DuPont Cuvée Dry Hopping Styrian Eureka;

Date:  December 22, 2018

The Story—  When we first started taking notes on beer, the Saison style was easy to identify, find and evaluate.  Only DuPont really kept the style alive during the dark ages of pale gold beers.  Michael Jackson (the gloveless) said it defined the style.   He was right then and he’s still be right today.

Saison beers were farmhouse beers brewed in the late winter to keep the farmhand watered through the tough work of the summer.  They weren’t all that powerful because the farmhands had to go back to work after lunch and they varied in “funkiness” which was more of an off flavor than a goal.

DuPont has nailed the tight line between funk and fabulous.  Their regular saison should still be the model for aspiring breweries who churn out supposed saisons by the foederfull.  But even DuPont has felt the tug to push past the iconic to the adventurous.  Happily, these guys know what they’re doing.  The dry hopping creates balanced nuances that actually surpass the original.  This is one of our top rated beers of the last five years.  Happily, they tend to release this annually.   Seek it.

The Beer—  Hugely flavorful.  Bright clean malt with just a touch of the Saison funk.  Floral Styrian Goldings give a bit aroma and a bigger flavor.  Big late bitter demands a return.  Some pepper shows in the lingering bitter late.  Ellie reacted with unusual emotion: “So clean!  So Balanced!”   My last note was  “Oh my goodness — I want a barrel of this!”

Value —  Absolutely excellent!!   If you have to pay more than $15 for this treasure– look for a different store.

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

We promised a count down to the New Year with descriptions of some of our favorite beers from the last five years.   In those years we’ve published Drinking in the Culture, and gotten a good start on a drinking/sleeping guide to the Mid Atlantic and a guide to great beers is supposed “bad beer cities” — the tourist meccas of Europe. But goodness, Grinch, what about all the holiday beers??  So we’ll post a few of our all-time favorites between now and December 24.  Then, through January 6th (Twelfth Night) we’ll give your this year’s list of our Twelve Beers of Christmas.  We’ve tasted close to 200 beers brewed for the season; they’re not all good elves, but a great many are as talented as Rudolph for getting us through a foggy winter’s night.

We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers,   and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”