Slake it all over

Today's beers are various odds and sods picked up on my way through the Netherlands and Belgium last month.

The first was a gift from Eoghan Walsh, a Vienna Lager created by Brasserie Mule in Brussels to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Eoghan's blog. It's one of the paler Vienna lagers, yellowy orange with a slight haze. It doesn't look very rich but there's a malt-driven density in the aroma suggesting plenty of heft to come. At 5.2% ABV it's no lightweight. I drank it quite cold so it was the hops that came to my palate first, a lemony tartness whose acidity becomes more grassy as it goes. That clean and sharp first impression turns to something bigger and rounder later on. There's a sweetness that's almost cake-like which might be a problem were it not for the bitter tang of those hops. The haze means there's a certain kellerbier-like fuzzy wholesomeness. Overall it's very good. It's definitely not one of those bourbon-biscuit melanoidin-driven Vienna lagers, but I liked the assertive hopping and how it interacts with the rich malt. There's lots to explore in what might appear to be a plain pale lager. Thanks Eoghan!

Sticking with Belgian beer, though acquired in Groningen, a bottle of Oud Beersel Demi-Muids The name of this geuze is from a particular size of French wine barrel that the beer -- brewed and inoculated at Boon, one assumes -- was aged in. The end result is 6.5% ABV and a bright though hazy amber colour, with bags of fizz and excellent head retention. It smells rich in minerals, with more than the usual buzz of saltpetre and old cellar bricks. There's a thick raisin sweetness in the foretaste which I'm chalking up to those wine barrels -- lots of oak spicing -- followed by a hard and long-lasting bitter and dry wax effect. It seems they've set out to deliberately unbalance a geuze, giving the wood a greater role than the souring bugs. I'm not sure I approve, but it still tastes great, retaining all the classic features.

Representing the Netherlands is Puur, one of the La Trappe range I'd never tried before. This is broadly a golden ale, the name referencing its use of organic ingredients. It's very slightly hazy in the glass, the head forming briefly before fading to nothing: far from the "sturdy collar" promised on the label. Fruity Belgian esters -- peach and apricot in particular -- form the aroma. That's it's a very un-Trappist 4.5% ABV is apparent from the thin mouthfeel, not helped by lots of fizz. The flavour takes a moment or two to poke past that, and what's there is good: peach and pear; honey and white pepper. It has a lot in common with tripel, if said tripel has been heavily watered down. It's not unpleasant but I don't really see the point of it. Get a stronger beer and drink it more slowly, is my suggestion.

One of the things I love most about beering around the Netherlands is the sheer variety: beer from places we don't currently get at home. The next set were picked up solely on the basis of their exotic country of origin.

Dois Corvos is the Portuguese brewery whose wares get out and about more than any others. It tends to be good stuff and I liked the look of Vai Nú, an imperial stout. Although it's only 9% ABV, it pours out tarry and headless, as though it were much stronger. There's no shortage of complexity here either, and based around deeply bitter espresso coffee there's harsh tobacco and barbecue beef, plus lighter raspberry and rosewater. Hazelnut and cola nut? You got it. The mouthfeel matches the smooth appearance with not a trace of thinness. Overall it's a top-tier imperial stout with no compromises. Makes me wonder if all those 12-15% ones really need their full gravity.

I have a hit-and-miss record with Swiss Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes (BFM) in recent years, or vice versa, but it had been a while since I'd tried any of their beers. So it was time to turn a new page when their imperial stout, Cuvée Alex Le Rouge, came into view at Bierkoning in Amsterdam. Other than the ABV to three decimal places (10.276%) I don't have a lot of detail on what this is. I'm guessing it's barrel-aged in something interesting, however. There's a Christmas cake aroma, mixing warm raisins, lemon peel and cinnamon, as well as a sweet vinousness suggesting fortified wine -- vermouth and hippocras in particular. The stout aspect is still present under this, with enough coffee and caramel to keep a purist happy. The slightly wild briskness that has been a BFM bugbear for me previously is present here, but it's entirely complementary with everything else going on. I won't comment on whether I think that's deliberate or not and will simply appreciate this highly enjoyable beer.

Continuing upwards in strength, to 11.5% ABV, is this one from Dádiva in São Paulo: Odonata #10. The number refers to its position in a series of barrel aged imperial stouts, and here the barrel is Amburana. It's a Brazilian wood famed for its spicy characteristics and boy is this spicy, though in a Christmassy cinnamon and nutmeg way. I would actually believe that there's tonka bean in the recipe, so pronounced is the cinnamon. There is one non-standard ingredient listed on the label -- flaked hazelnut -- but I couldn't detect what that does, other than the oils preventing any possibility of head formation. It's not terribly stout-like, missing coffee or chocolate, but beside the cinnamon there's a classy red wine character, so perhaps that's what the barrel was used for. I dunno. Anyway, this is quality stuff, managing to transcend its one-dimensional Amburana-ness, as we all must.

We go on to Greece via Estonia and over the 12% mark with the 12.1% ABV bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout called Deisidaimonia. This is by Seven Island Brewery, purportedly in Corfu but stating that the brewing is done by Sori in Tallinn. The geography is more interesting than the beer. It's very very bourbon, absolutely packed with vanilla to the exclusion of everything else. The aroma isn't even that, it's raw and dry oak in an unpleasant sawdust sort of way. Again, this is one of a series of barrel-aged stouts and I hope they've made a better fist of the others than they have of this. If you want your bourbon to be subtle as a brick, this is the stout for you. My tastebuds were crying out for some nuance, however.

Never let it be said that this blog doesn't bring you variety. Particular shouts-out to Slijterij Groningen and Just In Beer in Groningen; Bier Lokaal and The Beer House in Breda; and of course Bierkoning in Amsterdam, for supplying the goods.