Beer 45 – Unibroue Chambly Noire

Style: Belgian Dark Ale

Purchased at: Vintage Estate

What makes this beer different: Lacks oomph for a belgian

Will I be drinking this again: nope

Grade: B

12/23/2009: I have had a handful of Unibroue beers, and up until this one they have all been awesome. Unibroue consistently makes some of the best tasting Belgian beers outside of Europe.

At first taste I expect some wow factor, but I get nothing. Every sip after that I find myself looking for a taste that just isn’t there. The flavors are so dull that I really cannot pick out anything specific. I taste dark malt, and some sort of fruit but I cannot tell what it is. Someone who has never tried a belgian might like this, but I expect more out of a Belgian Dark Ale. Very drinkable, just not a lot of flavor.

Beer 37 – Trappistes Rochefort 8

Style: Belgian Dark Ale

Purchased at: Vintage Estate

What makes this beer different: Its the only beer that is the best beer ever.

Will I be drinking this again: Absotively

Grade: A+

12/15/2009: The brewery at Rochefort has been brewing beer since 1595. Plenty of time for them to perfect their recipes. The three recipes they have, 6, 8 and 10 are each aged for 6, 8, and 10 weeks respectively. Another funny thing is that the monks actually used the beer as their primary source of nutrients through the years. Father Antoine (former head brewer) said “Without the nutrients in our beer, we would have died.” Pretty intense.

Let me start by saying this is my favorite beer of all time. I really can’t put into words specifically why I like it so much… I just do. It might be because there’s about 9827 flavors going on at once. This beer is very sweet, but has a bit of an alcohol bite. Most Belgian beers almost hide the alcohol too well. Sometimes I like knowing that I am drinking an alcoholic beverage and not a malty fruit wine. If you have never drank a Belgian beer, you need to give this on a shot.

Beer 36 – Trappistes Rochefort 6

Picture will be added later today. I attached it wrong from my home computer this morning.

Style: Belgian Dark Ale

Purchased at: Vintage Estate

What makes this beer different: Granny Smith Apple aftertaste

Will I be drinking this again: Yes

Grade: A

12/14/2009: Over the next few days I’m going to be drinking each of the 3 varieties of Trappistes Rochfort; 6, 8, and 10. There are plenty of Belgian breweries, but only 7 authentic trappist breweries. Six from Belgium (Orval, Chimay, Westvleteren, Rochefort, Westmalle and Achel), one from The Netherlands (Koningshoeven). A trappist brewery must brew its beer within the walls of the abbey, and profit is only to be used to sustain the abbey, or be given to charity. You will see the logo to the right on an authentic trappist beer. I am a bit of a history buff so I find this stuff interesting.

Anywho onto the actual beer. This is a very smooth beer even for a Belgian. Can’t put my finger on the actual fruit flavors I am getting but apple is for sure one of them, but it doesn’t jump out at you. A lot of Belgian beers almost border on too sweet, but this one is just perfect. Super smooth. Give it a try.

Beer 25 – Delirium Nocturnum

Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale

Purchased at: Vintage Estate

What makes this beer different: Apple Tartness

Will I be drinking this again: Is there a elephant pink on the label?

Grade: A

12/3/2009: Delirium Nocturnum Loosely translates to “Crazy at Night.” So is it safe to assume that Tiger’s wife was drinking one of these, started seeing little pink elephants dancing around and went a little crazy? I mean who would believe that she was actually mad over one silly little affair. Okay maybe two three or a few dozen affairs. Regardless my explanation sounds much more plausible.

But seriously this stuff is top notch. There is a reason Brouwerij Huyghe (The place that brews Delirium) held the title for best beer in the world at one point. Delirium tastes like brown sugar mixed with granny smith apples. And contrary to my prior statement the beer does not make you crazy, at all. Although you might be crazy if you are a true beer geek and have not yet tried this one.

Have you tried a similar beer that you think is better? Let me know in the comments section below!

Beer 21 – Gouden Carolis Noel

Style: Belgian Dark Ale

Purchased at: Vintage Estate

What makes this beer different: It’s just plain great

Will I be drinking this again: For sure

Grade: A

11/30/09: Sometimes it makes me sad that Belgian beers are typically only 11.2 ounces. I feel cheated because I love them so much! (as I wipe the tears). Damn you Belgian monks for teasing me!

This one has undoubtedly landed in my top 5 Winter beers category. This one is a bit sweeter than most Belgian Darks, but its perfect for me. Lots of brown sugar taste, with a bit of cinnamon/ginger flavor. I poured this one down pretty quick because I couldn’t stop drinking it. If I had another I would have popped it open right away. If you run across this one give it a try.

Beer 9 – Corsendonk Christmas Ale

Style: Belgian Dark Ale

Purchased at: Vintage Estate

What makes this beer different: Not too much really

Will I be drinking this again: Maybe

Grade: B+

11/17/09 I might have psyched myself out with this one because I love the original Corsendonk Brown so much. This is definitely a good beer, but in comparison to the original its not nearly as good. Lacks a lot of the malty flavors you usually get in a Belgian Dark. Don’t get me wrong its good, but nothing wowed me about it.

Beer 5 – St Bernardus Christmas Ale

Belgian Dark Ale

Purchased at: Vintage Estate

What makes this beer different: Can’t put my finger on it but its an amazing beer

Will I be drinking this again: Is the earth round?

Grade: A+

11/13/09 Unfortunately I could not get a picture of the beer because I had it on tap at Vintage Estate in Boardman Ohio (my beer mecca), but above is the glass that came with it. Very carbonated (but a good thing). Tastes like a mix of Cola, Caramel, and Ginger Snap. Also helps that Belgian Darks are my favorite style of beer.