Blake Kunisch

Beer No: 103
Page No: 930
Category: Specialty

Yum, yum, yum.  This is the reason I'm heading up to Russian River in August.  Their beers are legendary here in California, and most likely across the United States.  Amongst those that know a good sour, they know Russian River.  You really have no idea how excited I am to be able to visit Russian River in early August.  I'll be there for a nice lunch at their restaurant, hope to take a quick tour of the brewery, and then hit the road to have dinner and a tour up at Sierra Nevada a bit further north.  I had planned to continue my trip by heading up to Portland, but with finances still being tight, I just can't justify the cost of added hotel nights, more gas, more beer bought (well, that's justifiable), and other expenses.  But checking Kayak, round trip flights up there are just $221, so I'll probably go at some point, find a nice downtown hotel, and not even worry about having a car.

As for this amazing Russian River brew, I rated it almost exactly the same as the awesome Consecration.  I think it really says something about this beer when it's the #2 sour ale on all of RateBeer.com.  Lost Abbey's Yellow Bus is #1 and I almost got some of it last Saturday, but instead went to the home brew competition results luncheon at the Orange County Fair to accept our award for our first place Sweet Stout ("our" being Arkh Brewing).  Hopefully I'll have the chance to try Yellow Bus soon as I can't live without knowing what the #1 sour beer tastes like.  Oh, by the way, Supplication is #3 on the site.  Lost Abbey / Pizza Port holds spots 4 through 7 and Russian River holds spot #8 with Temptation (one of the 1001 and coming in mid-August).  Pretty insane that the top 8 sour beers come from just two producers.  If only I could figure out a way to master this type of brew.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Russian River Supplication by Russian River Brewing

Aroma: 9/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste: 9/10
Palate: 5/5
Overall: 17/20

Rating: 4.4 / 5.0

Batch 005X3 from Hi Time Wine Cellars. An amazing way to follow up last week’s Stone Sour Fest and an absolutely wonderful beer that I’ve had many times, but never rated. Pours with a reddish brown hue, fine carbonation, and slight tan head which dissipates quickly. Nose is mostly cherries, pinot, brett, lactic acid, and sour vinegar. Taste is perfectly balanced sourness with lots of cherries, plums, oak, wine, vinegar and citrus. Finishes perfectly with lingering fruits and oak. I just love this stuff.

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Beer No: 102
Page No: 918
Category: Specialty

The last of my Stone Sour Fest reviews, this is the Lost Abbey Red Poppy.  It's easily one of my favorites (though their new Russ - strawberry sour - was pretty amazing as well), but the Cuvee de Tomme still ranks as my favorite Lost Abbey brew (I'll post both reviews below).  One day, when I'm rolling in cash, I'll join the Lost Abbey Sinners & Saints program, but for now, I'll be content with my Bruery Reserve Society membership.  Enough with Lost Abbey, on to the beers.  For the final listing, here are the beers from "C" East Side of Lawn - all on draft.  A * indicates I tried it - a º indicates I skipped it because I knew I had already tasted it at a previous festival.

• "C" East Side of Lawn
  • Lagunitas Pinot Noir Barreled Sonoma Farmhouse Saison Style Ale
  • The Lost Abbey Duck Duck Gooze *
  • The Lost Abbey Framboise de Amorosa *
  • The Lost Abbey Red Poppy Ale *
  • The Lost Abbey Russ *
  • The Lost Abbey Veritas Ale 07 *
  • Moylan's Barrel Aged Kilt Lifter with Brett
  • New Belgium La Folie
  • New Belgium Lips of Faith Eric's Ale º
  • New Belgium Lips of Faith Transatlantique Kriek º
  • New Belgium Love - Felix (dry hopped) *
  • New Belgium Love - Oscar (spiced) *
  • New Belgium Tart Lychee *
  • Ommegang Zuur *
  • Russian River Consecration º
  • Russian River Supplication º (tomorrow's beer)
  • Six Rivers Raspberry Lambic *
  • Triple Rock Sour Cherry Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels *
  • Dogfish Head Festina Peche º
  • Drake's FrakenBerry Sour
  • Drake's Kuato

I think this quote from Lost Abbey's director of brewing, Tomme Arthur pretty much sums up my feelings on all the sour ales (my personal favorite style of beer):

"Perhaps the single most defining beer moment for me came when I experienced my first Rodenbach Grand Cru.  It was a seminal moment, as I only then began to understand that beer could possess a range of flavors outside of bland and watery.  The beer was ruby with brown highlights.  It was at once sweet and sour, woody and dry.  This beer was an epiphany for me."

I think any craft beer drinker can agree with Tomme.  There's that moment when you discover that there's a whole world out there outside of the Corona, Bud Lite, and Miller High Life.  There's a world full of flavor, complexity, and range.  A beer can at once be "sweet and sour, woody and dry."  It doesn't have to taste like nothing and only serve the purpose of getting you drunk.  A good beer should be imbibed to experience a full range of flavors, and once experienced, there's no going back.

Thank you to all the visionaries out there.  Those at Stone, Lost Abbey, Cascade, Russian River, AleSmith, The Bruery, Bootlegger's, and countless others whom have made my life better through drink.  Keep up the good work, maybe one day I will work beside you.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Lost Abbey Red Poppy Ale by Port Brewing / Lost Abbey

Aroma: 8/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste: 8/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 16/20

Rating: 4.0 / 5.0

Had on tap at Stone Sour Fest 2010. Easily one of my favorite Lost Abbey beers. The Red Poppy pours with a deep brownish-red color and slight tan head. Aroma of cherries, oak, lactic acid, vinegar, and citrus. Taste is equally complex with the cherries being the dominant flavor with the citrus and acids backing it up. Well balanced, finishes nicely, a true gem from Lost Abbey.

Pizza Port Cuvee de Tomme by Port Brewing / Lost Abbey

Aroma: 8/10
Appearance: 5/5
Taste: 9/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 16/20

Rating: 4.2 / 5.0

Had on draught at The 12 Hour Belgian Beer Party at Pizza Port Carlsbad on March 8, 2003  #34 on the program and #100 for me!!!

The beer has a very pleasing aroma - a slight wine smell laced with cherries. It's a bit tart, but wow, it's extremely flavorful. The beer has a beautiful appearance with no head and a clear, dark red hue. The beer is sweet, slightly acidic with a very complex, flavorful density. I had actually left the Beer Fest for dinner, but upon reviewing my program, saw I missed this highly recommended beer. I went back, bought another ticket and enjoyed this very fine beer. An absolutely wonderful beer.

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Beer No: 101
Page No: 866
Category: Specialty

Ok, so maybe the picture isn't really the Cantillon Rosé, but it's close enough.  I currenty have this picture as my background on my computer and it makes me thirsty for a nice rose or kriek every time I look at it.  Mmm...I need to have that Supplication I picked up at Hi-Times today...

Back to the Stone Sour Fest, here's the amazing list from the "A" Outside Bar (draft) and "B" West Side of Lawn (Draft) along with a couple special beers on cask.  A * indicates I tried it - a º indicates I skipped it because I knew I had already tasted it at a previous festival.

• "A" Outside Bar
  • Alvinne Kerasus
  • Bacchus Flemish Red
  • Bockor Cuvee des Jacobins Rouge º
  • 2007 Boon Oude Geuze Marriage Parfait º
  • Cantillon Classic Gueuze
  • Cantillon Fou Foune
  • Rodenbach Grand Cru º
  • St. Louis Gueuze Fond Tradition
  • Stone Funky Sour *
  • Verhaeghe Echte Kriekenbier
• "A" Outside Bar Cask
  • The Bruery Melange #7 *º
  • Stone Estate-gown Peach Sour *
• "B" West Side of Lawn
  • Allagash Confluence Ale
  • Avery Altar Boy *
  • Avery Depuceleuse
  • Ballast Point Hout Series Black Currant º
  • Ballast Point Hout Series Gueuze *
  • Ballast Point Sour Wench Blackberry Ale *
  • BJ's Oude Jeremiah
  • Bootlegger's Cherry Chernobyl *
  • 2009 Cascade Apricot Ale
  • Cascade Bourbonic Plague *
  • 2009 Cascade Kriek Ale
  • 2009 Cascade Sang Rouge *
  • 2009 Cascade The Vine
  • 2009 Cascade Vlad the Imp Aler *
  • Craftsman Sour Lavendar *
  • Deschutes Bender Weiss
  • Deschutes Quadsimoto *
  • Grand Teton Sourgrass *
  • Green Flash Grand Mantis
  • Green Flash Super Freak
  • Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere º
  • Jolly Pumpkin Calabaza Blanca
  • Jolly Pumpkin Luciernaga
  • Jolly Pumpkin Oro De Calabaza º

Looking back at my old review, it's pretty harsh, but not too far off.  The Rosé was pretty good and I'd love to find a bottle of it to try it again in a setting that doesn't involve a festival.  I do like it and would love to test it again.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Cantillon Rosé de Gambrinus by Cantillon

Aroma: 7/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 6/10
Palate: 2/5
Overall: 13/20

Rating: 3.1 / 5.0

Had on draught at the Pizza Port 12 Hour Belgain Ale Festival on March 8, 2003
#8 on your programs for those following along. What a beer - even better to be found on tap...yes - on tap. Pours with an orange/red color and a beautiful clarity. The aroma is sweet - apricots and/or peaches. The beer though has much more of a bite than the Lindeman's - you've got hints of sweetness mixed amongst a tartness. A bit more astringent than others I tasted, while this one didn't have that smokey/vinegary flavoring, it packed the perfect punch and was a nice contrast to the extremely sweet krieks.

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Beer No: 100
Page No: 862
Cateogory: Specialty

Truth be told, there's really few other brewers that I would choose to be my 100th beer on my journey to 1001.  The Grand Cru was an amazing beer and an absolute delight amongst all the other fine beers available at the Stone Sour Fest.  So, just to tease you all who might not have been there, here's the full list of all the beers available (a * indicates I tried it - a º indicates I skipped it because I knew I had already tasted it at a previous festival).

• Bottle List
  • 3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze
  • Alvinne Cuvee Freddy
  • Avery Brabant º
  • Avery Depuceleuse
  • Avery Sui Generis
  • Bayerischer Bahnhof Berliner Style Weiss
  • Birr del Borgo Duchessie
  • Birrificio Italiano Series
  • Cantillon Bruocsella 1900 Grand Cru *
  • Cantillon Classic Gueze *
  • Cantillon Cuvee des Champions *
  • Cantillon Iris º
  • Cantillon Kriek 100% Lambic
  • Cantillon Lou Pepe Gueuze 2006 *
  • Cantillon Lou Pepe Kriek 2007 *º
  • Cantillon Rose de Gambrinus *
  • Cantillon Vigneronne
  • Cascade Kriek Ale
  • Cascade The Vine
  • De Proefbrouwerij Flemish Primative 2008 Special Vintage Reserve
  • De Proefbrouwerij Zoetzuur º
  • De Ranke Kriek
  • Dogfish Head Red & White º
  • Girardin Gueuze 1882 Black Label º
  • HaandBryggeriet Wild Thing
  • HaandBryggeriet Haandbakk
  • Hanssens Oudbeitje
  • Hanssens Oude Kriek
  • Ichtegem's Grand Cru
  • Jolly Pumpkin Luciernaga
  • Liefmans Kriekbier º
  • Lindemans Gueuze Grand Cru Cuvee Rene
  • The Lost Abbey Cuvee de Tomee º
  • The Lost Abbey Red Poppy Ale º
  • The Lost Abbey Sinners 09 *
  • Ommegang Zuur
  • Oud Beersel Framboise
  • Oud Beersel Kriek
  • Oud Beersel Oude Geuze Vieille º
  • Panil Barriquee
  • Petrus Aged Pale
  • Reinart Flemish Wild Ale º
  • 2009 Russian River Consecration º
  • 2010 Russian River Consecration º
  • Russian River Supplication º
  • Russian River Temptation º
  • Verhaeghe Duchesse de Bourgogne º

But what you have to realize from this list is this was just the bottle list.  There's another 2 pages full of sour beers on tap that I'll post tomorrow along with another review of one of these spectacular beers that I sampled.  Many thanks to the wonderful people at Stone Brewing who put this on - especially Dr. Bill.  The only downside to the event was the long line at the bottle tasting bar and the limit of just 15 tickets.  With a lot of the good (i.e. rare) beers costing two tickets, and no ability to buy more tickets, the limit of 15 taster tickets really put a damper on things.  We arrived at 9:30am and we were done at 12:30pm.  We were not drunk, we had a designated driver, and with the event going until 7pm, we had plenty of time left to sample more beers.

That being said, I have to reiterate that it was an amazing day, staff was friendly and helpful, weather was beautiful (about 90 degrees - which was actually much cooler than last year when it was 100+ with high humidity), and we had an awesome table to sample our beers at.  The day really couldn't have been any better.

On to the beer...The Cantillon Grand Cru Bruocsella 1900...I had it late in the day which probably upped my anticipation a bit and more than likely enhanced my appreciation for the beer.  Looking back at an old 2009 rating, I can't say I disagree too much when all is said and done.  I enjoyed the small taster I had at Stone, but when you have a full bottle, you're able to grasp the subtleties of the beer better.  So...without further ado...

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Cantillon Bruocsella 1900 Grand Cru by Cantillon

Aroma: 6/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 6/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 14/20

Rating: 3.2 / 5.0

750ml bottle from High Time Wine. Pours with a few bubbles, but flat. Had to question whether it was supposed to be this flat or if I got a bad bottle. Aroma was of strong oak (expected after aging three years in a barrel) with a hint of tartness - apples perhaps - and some malt. Color is clear, crisp, gold with again, no bubbles to speak of.

Flavors are intensly lambic, oaks, woods, but a bit too much like a cider or wine. The tartness of the citrus comes through at the end, a satisfying finish, but in the end, I felt it lacking overall.

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Beer No: 99
Page No: 853
Category: Specialty

About 1% of the U.S. population is gluten-intolerant, so they are unable to imbite or ingest many of the common grains used to make beer.  Which is truly a shame.  Luckily, there's a few sorghum-based beers out there that are gluten-free and safe for them to drink.  Unfortunately, the flavors are really lacking and the sorghum provides an unusual flavor that really just doesn't go well with a drink I want to have in my hand while relaxing.  Since I've never had any other gluten-free beers before, it's tough to compare this one to others, but based on this one, I'll probably never sample another one unless I must.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Bard's The Original Sorghum Malt Beer brewed by Gordon Biersch Brewing Company under contract for Bard's Beer

Aroma: 4/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 3/10
Palate: 2/5
Overall: 7/20

Rating: 1.9 / 5.0

12 oz. bottle. Pours a clear, light yellow with good carbonation and a slight head. Aroma is faint, mostly grass, bread. Flavor is...interesting. Nothing special, hints of faint hops, grassy, slight sweetness. Finish lingers a bit too long. Not something I’d ever try again, but for those that can’t tolerate gluten, perhaps this is the beer for you. Sorry you’re just missing out on a truly flavorful experience.

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Beer No: 98
Page No: 418
Category: Blond

It's always tough to review a pilsner.  Most of the time, they're watered down, lack any real flavor, and are hard to objectively rate from one to another.  Every once in a while though, you come across a pilsner that has more flavor then all the others and is actually able to be differentiated from all the other so-called "pilsners" out there like Bud, Coors, and Miller (technically they're American Lagers, but they derive directly from the classic pilsners).

So it's nice to come across the Lagunitas Pils, which as Lagunitas founder Tony Magee states, "This is our best beer."  Now, I'd disagree on that, but I do think that the Lagunitas Pils is a damn fine beer, able to hold itself against other imported pilsners, like Pilsner Urquell and other "true" pilsners from the region.  The Lagunitas Pils is pretty much your standard pilsner with a clear yellow appearance and a nice white head and good carbonation.  It features a slight bit of hops on the nose and a slight bitterness on the end.  It's easy to drink like almost any pilsner and really quenches a thirst.  But complex it is not.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Lagunitas Pils by Lagunitas Brewing Company

Aroma: 6/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 6/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 12/20

Rating: 3.0 / 5.0

12 oz. bottle. Pours clear, golden yellow with good white head and slight lacing. Aroma is of slight hops and a bit of bread with malts. Body is light like most pilsners with a clean, crisp flavor of malts with a slightly bitter hop finish. A nice, drinkable pilsner.

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Beer No: 97
Page No: 560
Category: White

It's been almost a month with no beer reviews, so I figure that's ample time away.  I guess other things just got the better of me.  It started with a weekend missed due to prior engagements and then I just didn't have the inclination to catch up from the missed weekend and the weekend turned into a week, and from there, it just spiraled out of control.  Then came Sunday, Stone's 4th Annual Sour Fest kicked my butt into gear.  I had an amazing time sampling some absolutely amazing beers (I'll post the full beer list in a bit).

So I'm back.  I've still got tons of beers lined up to enjoy from the book and I can't wait to start reviewing them again.  So we'll start with a nice German wheat, the Ayinger Ur-Weisse.  I'm generally a fan of Ayinger's beers and I enjoyed this nice wheat beer that packs a bit of malts along with it.  Not as fruity as your standard wheat, nor really having all of the spices, this beer is well balanced and a perfect fit for a warm day in the sun.

It's good to be back and hopefully I can stay on schedule again and not take a few weeks off any more like I did here.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Ayinger Ur-Weisse by Brauerei Aying

Aroma: 7/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste: 7/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 14/20

Rating: 3.5 / 5.0

500mL bottle from Hi Time Wines. Pours cloudy, hazy yellow/orange with nice head and some lacing. Aroma is slight wheat, spices, and malts, all blended together nicely. Taste is refreshing, light, malty, nice balance of wheat and cloves. Slight bitterness at the finish, but a very nice finish and easy drinkability.

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Beer No: 96
Page No: 627
Category: Dark

I've been slacking on my beer reviews, so I'll be trying to play catch up over the next few days (all of them being back-dated appropriately).  For World Cup Day 18, I finally had to abandon my World Cup Beer challenge.  I could find no beer from the Netherlands, Slovakia, Brazil, or Chile that was in my book in any local stores.  I did, however, find a Heineken Dark Lager from the Netherlands and drank that in place of an official beer from the book.  I was actually pleasantly surprised with the beer and the play of the Netherlands.  Though the score shows 2-1, the Netherlands easily dominated the game with the sole Slovakia goal coming on penalty kick on the last play of the game.  As the score implies for Brazil, they didn't have much trouble with Chile, winning 3-0.

Up next tomorrow: Paraguay vs. Japan and Spain vs. Portugal.  Following that, 2 days off, then 2 days of quarterfinals before 2 more days off and then finally 2 days of semi-finals.

Looking at today's beer, from Russia, Baltika 6 is one of many in the Baltika family and the only porter in the family.  Baltika started as a small brewery back in 1990, was acquired by Carlsberg, and now dominates the Russian beer scene with over 40% market share.  Head brewer, Irina Tlekhuray explains that the porter comes from an old English recipe and the porter indicates the skill of a good brewer.  By all accounts, Irina knows what she's doing as Baltika 6 is a strong porter and a nice-drinking import from Russia.

Oddly enough, a google search of Irina Tlekhuray returns just 6 results, and nothing on Google Images.  Very odd for a head brewer of a brewery that commands 40% market share in Russia to really have nothing said about her online.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Baltika 6 Porter by Baltika Brewery (Baltic Beverages Holding - Carlsberg)

Aroma: 7/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 7/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 9/20

Rating: 2.9 / 5.0

Had from bottle. Pours dark black, somewhat clear with tan head. Aroma is nice - a bit sweet, some roasted malts, toffee, raisins. Taste is similar, not too complex, hints of alcohol go with the malty flavors. Bits of caramel and alcohol linger through the short finish. A good porter, but nothing special.

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Beer No: 95
Page No: 473
Category: Blond

World Cup Day 17...With the United States out, there's just one team left for me to root for - Germany.  So I got up nice and early today, gathered up the pillows on the couch, and settled in to watch an epic match of Germany vs. England.  Germany went ahead early 2-0 with two goals that both could have been prevented.  However, England then stormed back, scored a quick goal and then a couple of minutes later scored again, however, the referees didn't see it.  So it was Germany up 2-1 heading into half time.  Who knows what would have happened or how the game would have played out if England had tied Germany 2-2, but in the end, with England pressing for an equalizer, Germany was able to counter-attack twice and take the final score to 4-1.  While it's easy to say that Germany outplayed England, we just never know how it would have ended if the goal were called correctly.  England probably would have played much more defensively and Germany might not have been able to counter-attack.  But in the end, Germany wins, advances to play Argentina, the winner of the second game against Mexico, and I'm still a happy German fan.

Unfortunately, the Reissdorf Kolsch didn't make me all that happy of a German beer drinker.  Watered-down, clear yellow, this beer didn't produce much flavor at all and was a disappointment.  It's not a bad beer by any stretch of the imagination, just a standard Kolsch that has some flavor, but not much, and the aroma is almost non-existent.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Reissdorf Kolsch by Privat-Brauerei Heinrich Reissdorf

Aroma: 3/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 5/10
Palate: 2/5
Overall: 8/20

Rating: 2.0 / 5.0

Had from 500ml bottle from Hi Time Wines. Pours clear golden with slight head that dissipates quickly and leaves slight lacing behind. Aroma is faint, notes of grass and hops. Taste is watered-down, weak, hints of hops, sweetness, slight malty flavor. Easy to drink, almost like drinking water, slightly bubbly with good, clean finish.

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Beer No: 94
Page No: 120
Category: Amber

World Cup Day 16...what is there to say?  Today's beer comes from the United States, and just like that, the United States is out.  A very disappointing game in which they give up an early goal AGAIN, manage to tie it, have chances to win it, push it to extra time, and give up another early goal, and can't recover.   A sad day, but I've still got Germany in it, so it's not all bad quite yet.  In the early game Uruguay handled South Korea pretty well.  They gave up a goal (the first of the tournament), but scored two pretty easily, advancing to the round of 8 where they now face the afternoon's winner, Ghana.

Of course, I picked the United States to win (the homer pick) and couldn't have been more wrong, but in the early game, I predicted a 2-1 Uruguay win, so nice call there (though 2-1 is pretty easy to guess and could be called for most games - as that was the final score of the Ghana / U.S. game as well).

For today's beer, we have a new American classic, New Belgium's Fat Tire Amber Ale.  It's their flagship beer and, while a solid, consistent beer, it just isn't the best that New Belgium puts out and it's just a good, run-of-the-mill amber ale.  As noted in 1001 Beers though, in an interview with brewmaster Peter Bouckaert, he commented, "Luckily, we have Fat Tire, and that allows us to do all these other things."  So, I'm glad Fat Tire's around, because it allows them to produce amazing beers like La Folie, Love, and the amazing Lips of Faith Series (Eric's Ale, Dark Kriek, Transatlantique Kriek, Biere de Mars, and many others).

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

New Belgium Fat Tire Ale by New Belgium Brewing Company

Aroma: 6/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 6/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 10/20

Rating: 2.8 / 5.0

Had from six-pack - 12 oz. bottle from BevMo. Pours amber in color, slight tan head. Aroma is malty with slight hop undertones. Taste is fairly weak for an amber, nicely balanced, but doesn’t show off any flavors well. Nice nutty flavors linger afterwords. A solid, consistent amber, but nothing out of the ordinary.

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Beer No: 93
Page No: 371
Category: Blond

Day 15 of the World Cup and the round-robin round is complete.  We now know the final 16, so it's time for some predictions and I'll see if I can keep up my World Cup Beer Challenge (picking a beer from a country that plays that day).

June 26 - Uruguay vs. South Korea, United States vs. Ghana - The first game is a bit tough to pick.  I've been impressed by South Korea's resilience through the tournament, however, I think that Uruguay is the superior team here and I see them winning 2-1.  And of course I'm going to pick the United States.  I don't think Ghana will be nearly as tough as England was and if we can take it to penalty kicks, I think we have the best goalkeeper in the league.  However, I don't think it gets there.  U.S. 2-0.  Beer: United States something...I've got too many U.S. beers to count these days.

June 27 - Germany vs. England, Argentina vs. Mexico - That first game will be amazing.  And it's almost impossible to pick.  However, I think Germany has the better team chemistry and we've seen that England has been struggling to score.  Germany wins 1-0.  Argentina / Mexico is pretty tough too.  I don't really recall exactly what the Argentinian team looks like other than Messi.  However, they did win all three of their games in the first round and have pretty much dominated Mexico, losing only 4 times in 25 total international matches.  So, Argentina 3-2 in extra time.  Beer: German something...I've got a bunch of them too.  Probably will have more than one German beer that day.

June 28 - Netherlands vs. Slovakia, Brazil vs. Chile - I like the Netherlands here.  They breezed through their first three matches with 3 wins while Slovakia managed a win, loss, and a draw.  NED 2-0.  Brazil vs. Chile should be fun, but I don't think anyone can stop Brazil in this round.  Brazil 3-0.  Beer: NOTHING...I'll have to stop by my usual locations to see if I can find a Brazilian or Netherlands beer.  Chances are slim, but you never know what new stuff might have arrived since I last checked.

June 29 - Paraguay vs. Japan, Spain vs. Portugal - I think Paraguay / Japan is a pretty tough one to pick like the Uruguay / South Korea.  Pretty strange that Uruguay and Paraguay are both facing Asian countries in Japan and South Korea.  Like South Korea, I've liked Japan's play through the group play so I think they might have a chance here.  So, I'll go out on a limb and pick Japan to win in penalty kicks.  As for Spain / Portugal, another interesting match-up with the two countries of the Iberian peninsula.  However, Spain just looks too good and I've not been impressed with Ronaldo, so go Spain!  Spain 2-1.  Beer: Spain Alhambra Negra or Japan Hitachino Nest XH. (probably Japan's XH so I can save Spain for the next round).

There's then 2 days off for the teams to recuperate and then we move to the Quarterfinals.

Incidentally, with today's win by Spain, I finish the first 15 days of the World Cup Challenge with a record of 6-6-3 for the teams I picked to drink from.  Not bad, but I wasn't going for wins, just trying to match teams to beers, which has been fun.  As for my predictions on the teams that would advance, I was 3 for 4 today, picking Switzerland instead of Chile.  So for the final round of picks, I correctly picked 13 of 16.  Not bad, but also, not that great since a lot of the teams were already easily on their way to the next round.  We'll see how my picks above do.  Those are much tougher to call.

Today's beer comes from Spain as I had no beers left from North Korea, Ivory Coast, Portugal, Brazil, Switzerland, Honduras, or Chile...The Estrella Damm Lager obviously comes from the same brewery as the Estrella Damm Inedit.  Unfortunately, the lager is nowhere near as good as the Inedit.  Granted, it's not horrible, but it's nothing special and pretty much your standard watered-down lager with mediocre flavor.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Estrella Damm by S.A. Damm

Aroma: 3/10
Appearance: 1/5
Taste: 4/10
Palate: 2/5
Overall: 6/20

Rating: 1.6 / 5.0

Pours a clear straw, yellow color with very slight head that dissipates quickly. Aroma is almost non-existent with slight hops and grass. Flavor is weak, watered-down, malty, astringent, hoppy, dry. Boring lager.

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Beer No: 92
Page No: 43
Category: Amber

Day 14 of the World Cup - it really doesn't get much better than this.  Needing a win over Slovakia to advance, most thought Italy would be making it to the knock-out round (myself included), but instead, they come out, play with no intensity until the last 15 minutes and end up losing to Slovakia as Paraguay advances with the Slovaks.  Meanwhile, the Netherlands have had a strangle-hold on Group E from the start and they came out today and beat Cameroon to take the group with 9 points.  All Denmark needed to do was tie Japan, a feat most thought they could accomplish, but instead, like Italy, they come out with lazy play, allow Japan to score on two free kicks, and lose 3-1, allowing Japan to advance with the Netherlands.  A crazy day for sure.

We've got one more day of round-robin play to go as groups G & H need to be sorted out tomorrow and then on Saturday, the knock-out round begins.  The United States plays Ghana in the afternoon match while Uruguay and South Korea play in the early game.  I just can't wait for the weekend to get here...

As for my predictions, I predicted Netherlands & Denmark (by a hair) and Paraguay & Italy.  So just 2/4 today.  But after being 8/8 the previous two days, I'm still a nice 10/12.  For my World Cup Beer Challenge, I'm now 5-6-3 with the beers that correspond with the teams playing.  Two wins in a row now with England yesterday and Japan today.  Tomorrow we finish up the round-robin round with a beer from Spain as they play Chile.  And tomorrow I'll try and post my schedule for the next round.  Saturday will definitely be an American beer and then on Sunday I can go with a German or English beer.  Monday and Tuesday will be much harder though, so I have to see how the games turn out tomorrow to see if I even have any exotic beers remaining to choose from.

Unfortunately, while Japan had a great showing on the field today, I was not impressed with their beer.  The Angry Boy Brown from Baird Brewing showed some promise at the start with a nice frothy pour and a sweet aroma, but the taste just let me down.  Way too much in the way of alcohol flavors with an almost watered-down feeling to it.  This is my last brew in the book from Baird Brewing and I had hoped they'd put forth a better showing.  Their Rising Sun Pale is just ok, certainly nothing special, and I think if I have to pick a favorite brewer from Japan right now, it'd have to be Kiuchi (brewers of Hitachino).

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Baird Angry Boy Brown Ale by Baird Brewing Co.

Aroma: 7/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 6/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 9/20

Rating: 2.8 / 5.0

Had from 12 oz. bottle from Hi Time Wines. Pours hazy amber brown with huge three finger head. Head dissipates slowly leaving behind slight lacing and bubbly film. Aroma is very malty with hints of nuts and alcohol. Taste is stronger alcohol than in aroma with mostly malts, caramel, and nuts rounding out the taste. Somewhat dry finish, just too much alcohol flavorings and a little bit watered down for me.

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Beer No: 91
Page No: 301
Category: Amber

Hello Day 13 of the World Cup.  What an absolutely amazing day.  First, in the morning games, the United States once again got robbed on a goal where the player was called offsides and clearly wasn't, but despite being eliminated with a tie, the United States pushed on, and in the first minute of extra time, finally scored a goal.  So both the United States and England advance on the back of 0-1 wins.  My prediction was 100% correct from a couple days ago.

However, even though my logic doesn't really make sense when I go back and read my predictions from Group D, I did say that Germany and Ghana would advance, like they did.  I really wasn't expecting Australia to play the way they did though.  They beat Serbia, 2-1, and, had a 2-0 lead at one point and was just one goal away from advancing.  Unfortunately, they couldn't push it to 3-0 and Germany couldn't score a second goal to help out Australia, so in the end, we'll see United States vs. Ghana and England vs. Germany this weekend.  I can't wait.  My two favorite teams are still in it, and now they're on opposite sides of the bracket, so here's hoping for a United States / Germany final.

As you can see, I switched up the layout for the 1001 Beers blog.  They introduced some new features, including "Pages" so now I have set pages for "About 1001 Beers.net" and "All Beer Reviews by Date."  I think the new layout is also easier to read and a bit easier on the eyes without the yellow.  There's another layout I really liked, but I'm probably going to stick with this layout for a while now.

Back to the beer though.  Generally, I'm not the biggest fan of Samuel Smith breweries in England, but there's just something about this Yorkshire Stingo that I enjoyed.  It wasn't really the explosion of malts as I'm not the biggest fan of malty beers, but I think the complexity gained from aging the beer in oak ale casks really enhances all the flavors and makes this 8% beer really enjoyable and flavorful.  The aroma is very strong with fruits, raisins, and malts while the taste balances the fruity sweetness with nice malts and a subtle oak flavor.  It's really a great, interesting beer you should try and track down.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Aroma: 8/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste: 8/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 15/20

Rating: 3.9 / 5.0

Had from 550ml bottle from BevMo. Pours hazy amber with thick two-finger head and ample lacing. Aroma is lots of sweet fruits, raisins, toffee, and malts. Taste is complex with the alcohol just coming out at the end of a complicated sip of malty sugars, raisins, prunes, subtle oak flavors, and caramel. I was very surprised by this beer and really enjoyed it. A rare exceptional offering from Samuel Smith.

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Beer No: 90
Page No: 431
Category: Blond

Day 12 of the World Cup...the first day of eliminations.  The day got off to a great start with a great France vs. South Africa game while I watched Mexico vs. Uruguay on my second TV.  When South Africa whent up 2-0 and Mexico down 0-1, I thought...there just might be a chance.  South Africa just might pull this amazing comeback off.  But unfortunately, it was not to be.  France scored, and Mexico and Uruguay advance.  In the late games, nothing too special.  For a second there I thoguth Greece might actually have a chance, but then Argentina turned it on as expected and S. Korea fought to a tie to advance.  So, based on my predictions from yesterday, I got the 4 teams advancing correct - Uruguay, Mexico, Argentina & S. Korea.  So in the knock-out round, Uruguay will play South Korea and Mexico will have to battle Argentina.

Next up, Groups C & D.  Tomorrow morning...7am...United States...win and advance.  Go U.S.  Afternoon games...Go Germany!

Today's beer comes from France and it's another 'biere de garde.'  If you're unfamiliar with the style, I just went over it a few days ago with my other French beer, 3 Monts.  The La Goudale was a good beer, better than the 3 Monts, but nothing special.  I liked the malt sweetness that balanced well with the hop citrus flavors, but ultimately, in the end, the malts overpower the other flavors and you're hit with a bit of alcohol on the tail end.  Maybe I'll get something better from tomorrow's England pick.  Maybe I'll have a Samuel Smith tasting tomorrow...I know I've got a bunch of them ready to taste.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Gayant La Goudale by Les Brasseurs De Gayant

Aroma: 6/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 7/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 14/20

Rating: 3.3 / 5.0

Had from 750ml bottle from Hi Time Wines. Pours a golden orange with slight head and good lacing. Aroma is mostly malts, slight funk, a bit of yeast, and some bready flavors. Taste is malty, floral, slightly hoppy, alcohol, and citrus. Pleasant aftertaste lingers. Not a bad beer, unfortunately, nothing special. Fairly simple and one-note with the malt sweetness.

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Beer No: 89
Page No: 571
Category: White

Day 11...the final matchups of the round robin round begin tomorrow!  Just 2 days until the U.S. plays...so, might as well take a quick look at what's coming up over the next 4 days.

Tomorrow: Groups A & B

Group A - Uruguay and Mexico - 4 points, France & South Africa - 1 point.  With Mexico playing Uruguay and France playing South Africa, theoretically, any team could make it.  France and South Africa need Uruguay or Mexico to win so the other gets 0 points and with a win, France or South Africa could end up with 4 points and we would then go to goals.  I imagine Mexico and Uruguay will probably end in a tie though so both can advance.  Neither team needs to go out and win, so they'll play defensively.

Group B - Argentina 6 points, South Korea and Greece 3 points, Nigeria, 0 points.  Nigeria plays South Korea and Greece plays Argentina.  This will be a tough game for Greece and I see Argentina winning and I would think South Korea can beat Nigeria, so I pick those two teams to advance.  But Argentina doesn't need the win, so they might play for a tie and if South Korea ties Nigeria, it could come down to goals between Greece and South Korea.  Could be interesting tomorrow.

Wedneday: Groups C & D

Group C: Slovenia, 4 points.  England and United States, 2 points.  Algeria, 1 point.  This is a crazy bracket.  Basically, it comes down to if the United States beats Algeria, they are in  The U.S. ends up with 5 points and if Slovenia / England ends in a tie, Slovenia advances.  But look for England to go all out.  If they win (which I think they will), they also end up with 5 points and advance.  If the U.S. ties, they only end up with 3 points and then Slovenia and England will probably advance.  I see the United States and England winning though and both teams advancing.

Group D: Ghana has 4 points, Germany and Serbia have 3, and Australia has 1.  Germany plays Ghana and needs to win to get in.  A tie really does them no good.  But I see Germany coming out strong on Wednesday and winning to advance.  That means that Serbia has to win to advance, or tie and score a few goals to leap over Ghana and well...Australia is pretty much out.  I predict Germany and Ghana advancing.

Thursday: Groups E & F

Group E: Netherlands 6 points, Japan & Denmark 3, Cameroon: 0.  Denmark plays Japan and with both teams at 3 points, they'll be fighting to advance.  Netherlands plays Cameroon and will advance with 9 points.  So that just leaves the winner of Japan / Denmark.  This is a tough game to call and could go either way.  I'd like to see both teams advance, but pick Denmark by a hair.  If they tie, Japan advances.

Group F: Paraguay 4 points, Italy & New Zealand 2, Slovakia 1.  This is the closest group, other than Group C which has the same point structure.  Paraguay plays New Zealand and I think they'll take that game which leaves Italy in with a win or tie.  Anything could happen in the game vs. Slovakia, but I think Italy can muster the tie or win, so I'm putting Paraguay and Italy through.

Friday: Groups G & H

Group G: Brazil 6 points, Portugal 4, Ivory Coast 1, North Korea 0.  This is the only bracket that has a team eliminated.  There is no way North Korea can advance.  Luckily for the Ivory Coast, they play North Korea while Portugal has to play Brazil.  Unluckily for Ivory Coast, Portugal scored 7 goals against North Korea and Ivory Coast is down two goals overall.  So they have to get 9 goals more than Portugal scores vs. Brazil to advance.  Slim chances.  Brazil and Portugal advance.

Group H: Chile has 6 points, Spain and Switzerland have 3, and Honduras has 0.  Switzerland plays Honduras while Chile plays Spain.  I like Switzerland's chances of advancing.  With a win over Honduras, they have to hope that Spain beats or ties Chile.  A Chile win over Spain sounds improbable, so it's just up to Switzerland to win.  I will take them and Spain.

So in the end, I've got the U.S. and England advancing from group C and Germany and Ghana in Group D.  It will be interesting to see what happens since both the U.S. and England have the same goal differential.  So if one team wins by 2 while the other wins by 1, the team that wins by 2 is the winner of the bracket and plays the second place team from Group D which I think will be Ghana.  While the second place team out of Group C has to play Germany.  So I'm hoping the U.S. can win the group so we don't have to play Germany as the Germans are the other team I am rooting for in the cup.

The beer, you ask?  Awesome.  I first has the Estrella Damm Inedit at a Beers Around the World Party and loved it then as I do now.  It's a very nice white beer with a good blend of citrus and spice.  Perfect for a hot day, a lovely import from Spain.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Estrella Damm Inedit by Damm

Aroma: 6/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 7/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 14/20

Rating: 3.4 / 5.0

Had from 750ml bottle from Hi Time Wines. Pours cloudy yellow/orange with one-finger white head and good lacing. Aroma is pleasant, but weak - mostly citrus, yeast, and spice. Taste is similar, mostly the ctirus and hints of the yeast in the finish. Mouthfeel is slightly watered down with fizzy bubbles. A nicely balanced white - easy to drink and flavorful with citrus.

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Beer No: 88
Page No: 655
Category: Dark

Day 10 of the World Cup...nothing too outrageous today other than Italy being forced into a tie with New Zealand.  The commentators were comparing it with the massive upsets of years past, but they just tied, didn't lose, so I don't really think it was that big of an upset.  Now if North Korea upsets Portugal, that's a big one, but a New Zealand / Italy tie?  Eh.  Paraguay beat Slovakia like they were supposed to and Brazil beat the Ivory Coast like they were supposed to.  So nothing too special.  I'm just getting all geared up for the final games on Tuesday through Friday of the round robin round.  I'll look at the match ups tomorrow for those.

As for this Italian beer, it certainly is unique, unfortunately, I just didn't find it that appetizing.  1001 Beers states that the "moment of inspiration" for this beer came when Sergio Ormea, the founder of Grado Plato was watching a documentary about the Allied landings in Sicily during World War II.  The sight of American soldiers throwing chocolate bars to the Sicilian children, whos only sweets until then had been carobs, stuck in his mind.  So we have this strange mix of chocolate and carobs in a dark ale that tastes more like unsweetened cocoa than anything else.  The aroma and taste start out well, but unfortunately, the finish of the beer just drags it down.  I had hoped for more, but was left wanting.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Grado Plato Chocarrubica by Birrificio Grado Plato

Aroma: 8/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 4/10
Palate: 2/5
Overall: 8/20

Rating: 2.5 / 5.0

Had from bottle from HiTime Wines. Popped swing top cap and immediately had foam over the edge. Caught quickly in a tulip, pours dark brown/black with a surprisingly small head after it gushed over. Aroma is heavy chocolate, spices, sugar, and malts. Taste starts nice, ends poorly. Get big time chocolate and malts, hops are pretty well hidden and some alcohol at the end. Taste and finish is almost like unsweetened cocoa - dry, bland, just something seemed off. Kind of a watered down chocolate / cocoa blend that just doesn’t sit right. I’ll pass on this one in the future.

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Beer No: 87
Page No: 582
Category: Blond

Woohoo, Day 9 of the World Cup.  A few interesting games today, but no downright good games.  It started with a tie between Ghana and Australia, a Japan loss to the Netherlands, and Denmark's comeback from 0-1 to beat Cameroon 2-1.  Tomorrow, for Father's Day, we have Slovakia vs. Paraguay (yawn), Italy vs. New Zealand (eh), and Brazil vs. Ivory Coast (Brazil dominates I will guess).  Tomorrow's beer will be coming from Italy, but today's comes from another losing team, making me 2-5-2, Japan.

The White Ale from Hitachino Nest is based on the popular Hoegaarden White, but the brewery also found that because it contains fruit and spices, it's also taxed at a lower rate than beer in Japan.  Finding the right formula was a pretty long experiment according to 1001 Beers.  But they finally settled on a wonderful mix of flaked barley, flaked wheat, and pilsner malt.  Then, for some added good measure, they toss in some coriander, nutmeg, orange peel, and a hint of orange juice.  It doesn't quite matter how it's made, this is a refreshing beer, but I thought it could use just a bit more carbonation.  Also, I thought the fruit flavors overwhelm the wheat and malts a bit.  Overall, an enjoyable beer though.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Hitachino Next White Ale by Kiuchi Brewery

Aroma: 6/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 8/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 12/20

Rating: 3.3 / 5.0

Had from 12oz. bottle from Hi Time Wines. Pours hazy yellow with very slight head that dissipates to nothingness. Carbonation is slight, but lasts throughout. Aroma is citrus, flowers, lemon, and grapefruit. Taste is a very nice white with orange, lemon, spices, and floral tastes. Finishes sweet with citrus lingering. A nice white that could maybe use a bit more carbonation, but overall easily drinkable and refreshing.

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Beer No: 86
Page No: 722
Category: Dark

The fun continues...sort of.  As the World Cup moves on, the games are becoming more and more important.  And fresh off their 4-0 beating of Australia, Germany goes out and...lays an egg.  Not only do they miss a penalty kick to tie the game, but they suffer a bad red card (two yellows) and let Serbia win 1-0.  It's not all doom and gloom for Germany though.  A win in their third game and they advance to the next round.

So then we move on to Slovenia vs. United States.  And unless you've been living under a rock for the past couple days, you know the horrible outcome of this one.  First the U.S. comes out playing sloppy soccer like they did versus England and goes down early in the 12th minute.  They then allow another goal right before half in the 42nd minute.  But, they storm out of the half time break, score quickly in the 48th, and then pick up another goal to tie the game in the 82nd minute on Bradley's amazing goal.  And then...well, they score again in the 85th minute, however, this referee, officiating his first World Cup game ever, waves it off.  WHAT?  WHY?  Well he certainly won't tell anyone what the call was on the field, but after the game it comes out that he called offsides.  So...he calls offsides from behind the play, when his assistant on the sideline with a perfect view of any possible offsides calls nothing?  Great.  So here we sit with 2 points and slim chances of advancing.

And then it happens...England scores no goals against Algeria and can only manage a 0-0 tie.  How pathetic.  England can still advance with a win next week.  And the United States advances with a win as well, but how sad for England to win and still get 2nd place in the bracket?  With the United States taking the first seed with a win (assuming England doesn't go out and score 5 or 6 goals, of course).  Should be an interesting Wednesday next week.

Back to the beer though, today's beer comes from Germany, which lost, putting me at 2-4-2 overall with my beer picks.  This Schwarzbier (Black Beer) comes from Kostritzer Schwarzbierbrauerei (so obviously, this is their specialty beer).  Stating on the bottle it's the #1 black lager in Germany, I can see why.  It's clean, crisp, and easy to drink.  Which then means that it really has no flavor.  It's a watered down lager without any complexities and just the slightest hop and malt flavors.  It certainly is a refreshing beer, and better than it's Brazilian counterpart, Xingu, but it's nothing special.  Hopefully the next two beers in the lineup perform better - one from Japan, and then Italy.

As an aside, I'm keeping my rating from 2003 when I initially rated the beer.  If I had to re-rate it, I might move my overall rating down a couple points, leaving the final rating around 3.1 or 3.2, but a 3.3 isn't far off, so I'll just leave it as is.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Kostritzer Schwarzbier by Kostritzer Schwarzbierbrauerei (Bitburger)

Aroma: 5/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste: 6/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 15/20

Rating: 3.3 / 5.0

Had from bottle at Stuffed Sandwich on July 25th, 2003 - Day 25 of Blake's Beer Month™
After looking through the multitude of beers available at the Stuffed Sandwich, I asked Sam for a Xingu - he told me I had to try this beer first - no reasoning, just to try it. Oddly enough, this was my first Black Beer - didn't really know what to expect - and was pleasantly surprised. The beer pours black (duh) with no clarity and a small amount of carbonation. The head is light brown with good lacing. The aroma was faint - yeasty, malty, but faint. The flavor was lagerish - a bit dull - nothing too special. The beer was easy to drink and was just what you would expect from a black lager - lager-like taste with a completely black appearance. On with the Xingu!

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Beer No: 85
Page No: 304
Category: Blond

Day 7 of the World Cup.  We're now a full week in and teams have started playing their second games of the round robin format.  Argentina thoroughly destroyed South Korea today, Greece won their first World Cup game in the country's history, beating Nigeria, and France lost 0-2 to Mexico.  So alas, my record drops to 2-3-2 with the French beer I selected today.  1001 Beers notes that the 3 Monts beer from the St. Sylvestre brewery utilizes locally grown hops along with malts from Northern France.  The beer ferments for a few days and then is "garded" for between three to four weeks.

Now, I've heard of the style "biere de garde" before, but never really knew what it meant, so let's go to Wikipedia for the answer:

Bière de Garde, or "keeping beer", is a pale ale traditionally brewed in the Pas-de-Calais region of France. These beers were usually brewed by farmhouses in the winter and spring, to avoid unpredictable problems with the yeast during the summertime.

The origins of the name lies in the tradition that it was matured/cellared for a period of time once bottled (and most sealed with a cork), to be consumed later in the year, akin to a Saison.

So, basically, it's a cellared beer, which really doesn't mean much these days as many beers are cellared before release and then bottle conditioned.  But what Wikipedia doesn't mention and 1001 Beers does, is that a 'biere de garde' usually is a "classic amber malt bomb."  So, I'm glad that St. Sylvestre strays away from tradition as this golden, hoppy, 8.5% ABV beer is definitely anything but a malt bomb.

If you have a chance to try this fine French beer, give it a shot.  The alcohol is hidden well and the citrus and yeast flavors dominate the palate.  Just another great selection from 1001 Beers - opening my palate up to many a new flavors and my knowledge up to new and unique beer styles.  Oddly enough, I have had one other 'biere de garde' - the New Belgium Lips of Faith (which I rated at a 3.6 vs. the 3 Monts 3.0).

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

St. Sylvestre 3 Monts by La Brasserie de St.-Sylvestre

Aroma: 6/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 7/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 11/20

Rating: 3.0 / 5.0

Had from 750ml bottle, corked, strange cage, then wrapped in plastic. Pours golden yellow with good carbonation, head, and lacing. Foamed out of the bottle slightly, but quickly caught in tulip glass. Aroma is floral with citrus, bread, and yeast. Taste is grassy, almost lager-like. Alcohol is present along with bread and citrus flavors. Drinkable, enjoyable, but ultimately, nothing special.

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Beer No: 84
Page No: 902
Category: Specialty

World Cup Day 6!  Now that all 32 teams have played at least one game, it should start to get a little more interesting.  Teams will know if they need to win to advance or if they can just play for a tie, so expect teams that have nothing to lose to be ultra-aggressive, while those that just need a tie to stay in it sit back and play defense.  Either way, this second week of games should be a lot better than the first week.

Today's beer hails from Switzerland.  It was the only Swiss beer I could find, a 2006 vintage of Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien.  And, even though I could have had a Spanish beer today, I picked Switzerland, and they upset Spain 1-0.  So, that got me thinking - how are my beer picks paying off for the teams I pick?

Day 1: Mexico - tie with South Africa
Day 2: United States - tie with England
Day 3: Australia - loss to Germany
Day 4: Denmark - loss to Netherlands
Day 5: Brazil - win vs. South Korea
Day 6: Switzerland - win vs. South Korea

So I'm 2-2-2.  Not bad, but not the best.  If I had picked Germany on Day 3, I'd be 3-2-1, which would be very good.  But since I already made all my picks in advance, I'm sticking to them.  If I can pick and choose the round 2 teams as I go, I'll try and pick more winners.  Up tomorrow - a French beer as France plays Mexico.

Back to the Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien, I really loved the start of this beer.  I just didn't like how it finished.  However, as I type this, the beer is warming, and the finish seems to be mellowing out a bit.  Either way, I found the finish to be a bit dry, chalky, and astringent, but the initial flavors were quite wonderful.  This oak barrel aged beer has a wonderful aroma of tartness, sweet malts, sour fruits, and wine.  The initial flavor also has that same tartness and vinous undertones.  Which is to be expected - founded in 1997, the head brewer had his start as an oenologist (which is the study of wine-making).  Given this background, the beers put out by Jerome Rebetez are remarkably refined and I'd love to get my hands on one of the Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien Grand Crus.  The non "Grand Cru" blend mixes the aged beers from a bunch of different casks, but the few casks that stand on their own are labeled Grand Cru.

I really need to figure out a way to get ahold of the brewery's La Meule as well.  Their only other brew in 1001 Beers, this Belgian inspired beer is a strong spiced dark ale with prunes and sounds pretty good.  It also feagures a strange twist - sage leaves.  So I'm really looking forward to it if I could ever find it.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

BFM Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien 2006 by BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes)

Aroma: 9/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste: 7/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 13/20

Rating: 3.7 / 5.0

Had from bottle from Hi Time Wines - 750ml. 2006 Vintage, Blended in April, 2007. Pours a reddish brown with slight tan head that dissipates over time to nothingness. A bubbly mouthfeel accentuates the first taste. Aroma is tart, with nice oak / wood undertones. Aroma also consists of a bit of white wine and malty sweetness. Flavor is very vinous with a tart, sweet, fruity flavor. I love the way this beer starts, however, I’m not a fan of the finish. Finish is dry, chalky, and astringent. I really loved how the beer started - from the magnificent bottle, nice pour, good color, and sweet aroma - but the finish just put me off. The finish lingers for a bit too long and is just too astringent for my tastes. I wanted to rate it higher, but after consuming the bottle, just had to lower it a bit to account for the strange aftertaste.

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102" of glory ready for simultaneous games starting at 7am tomorrow...

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Hop-15, England vs. US, outside, beautiful weather.

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It's gonna be a doozy!

Barrel Aged:
BrewDog Paradox (whiskey)
North Coast Old Rasputin XII (bourbon)
Haand Bryggeriet Norwegian Porter (aquavit)
Deschutes Abyss 2009 (bourbon)
The Bruery Black Tuesday (bourbon)

Smoked:
Alaskan Smoked Porter (2004)
Alaskan Smoked Porter (2009)
Stone Smoked Porter

Coffee Stouts:
Alesmith Speedway Stout (2005) x2
Alesmith Speedway Stout (2009)
Norrebro Bryghus La Granja Espresso Stout
Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast
Requiem Espresso Stout
Terrapin Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout

More:
Carnegie Stark Porter (2001)
Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout (2009)
Brew Dog Rip Tide
Lost Abbey Serpent's Stout
Dieu du Ciel Peche Mortel
Norrebro Bryghus Skargaards Porter
Mikkeller Black
Nogne O Imperial Stout
Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Stout
Stone 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout
Three Floyds Dark Lord (2009)
Victory Storm King (2002) x2
Victory Storm King (2010)
Bear Republic Big Bear Black (pre-2005)
De Dolle Special Extra Export Stout
Sinebrychoff Porter IV
Avery Out of Bounds Stout (pre-2005)

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$191 for 36 beers. Wouldn't have been too bad if I didn't buy the $25
bottle from Switzerland or the 3 bottles of Mikkeller...

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Beer Buying Planning for World Cup...I'm going insane.

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