Put your back into it

A slightly uncomfortable topic has been set for September's Session, though I'm sure plenty of other regular participants will have no problem with it. Natasha from Meta CookBook has called it "The Hard Stuff" and asks what isn't being talked about in the general beer conversation that should be. While I'm aware that there are topics which arise time and again as points of sensitivity -- quality, price, ethics -- what anybody else chooses to write about on their own beer blogs is entirely their own business. How they write, though? Now there's something we don't hear so much about. Because just like beer, beer blogs can be easily divided into the ones that are good and the ones that are not.

As a blogger you don't have to write and re-write, and re-write, every post. You don't have to do multiple runs at proof-reading each one. You don't have to ask yourself "will anybody really enjoy reading this?" But you can tell the ones that do, and they tend to be the ones worth reading. At the very least, learn which one's "palate" and which one's "palette", eh?

To pair with this mini-rant, a beer which has had a bit of extra effort put into it as well. Boon Vat 77 is described on the label as a "monoblend", 90% of it aged for two years in a single barrel at the brewery. The eponymous vat 77 is apparently one of the founder's favourite foeders, having been there since 1907 and used solely for old lambic. The result is a stonking 8.5% ABV and quite a dark gold colour, so I was expecting something heavy. There's definitely a thicker texture than your standard lambic and even a syrupy element in the flavour that has me wondering about that other 10% of its make-up. Beyond these stopping points there's a lovely mature oak-and-saltpetre aroma and a rounded sour flavour; warming and spicy rather than sharp and acidic. It's hard to believe it was bottled as young as it was so I guess the brewery is getting its money's worth out of ol' 77. Overall, though, I think I prefer something lighter and zippier when it comes to geuze. This is presumably designed as a sipper and as a result lacks the invigorating quality I go to lambic for.

Which just goes to show: no matter how hard you work at your creation, there will always still be some bugger waiting to snipe at it from the sidelines.