WOW, was this delicious or what? You wouldn't believe that it's 10% alcohol.Another surprisingly alcoholic selection made it's way into our glasses for round three. This was a 750ml bottle of Ommegang's 10th anniversary celebration beer, the Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence Stout. From their website: "Chocolate Indulgence comes with a thick tan head of foam resting on top of the rich onyx-colored liquid. The aroma immediately speaks of dark chocolate and dark malts. The gentle herbal nose of Perle hops compliments the darker notes, making the beer savory to the senses. The taste continues with the intense Belgian dark chocolate gliding across the tongue; starting sweet up front but giving way to rich cocoa flavors at the back...." Everyone liked this beer, but no one was fanatical. At 10% alcohol (10 years, 10%...) it is an incredibly smooth drink. While the cocoa is undeniably present, it is not overwhelming or "intense", like the company claims. It tasted more like a balancing ingredient, which makes this beer very drinkable. I've tried a number of high gravity porters and stouts that are too much to drink after the first glass, but this decadent brew is so clean that I never felt full. I'd really like to serve this with some chocolate crepes or something sweet, but it would be equally satisfying with a porterhouse steak.
After a cigarette break it was time for desert, and when it comes to desert beer one name you can always count on is Lindeman's. Their Fruit Lambics (Belgian style fruit beer that is spontaneously fermented by airborne yeast rather than controlled fermentation with Brewer's yeast) are like liquid candy. What's really cool is that the fruit juice is added after the beer has already fermented, and all the sugars from the fruit cause a SECOND stage of spontaneous fermentation. Jacob popped a bottle of Kriek (Black Cherry) which is the best fruit beer I've ever tasted. It took a minute before Dick was convinced that we weren't drinking cherry soda. The flavor is distinct and acidic, it actually pours with a big head that's slightly creamy, and it nearly has the carbonation of a soda.
After a cigarette break it was time for desert, and when it comes to desert beer one name you can always count on is Lindeman's. Their Fruit Lambics (Belgian style fruit beer that is spontaneously fermented by airborne yeast rather than controlled fermentation with Brewer's yeast) are like liquid candy. What's really cool is that the fruit juice is added after the beer has already fermented, and all the sugars from the fruit cause a SECOND stage of spontaneous fermentation. Jacob popped a bottle of Kriek (Black Cherry) which is the best fruit beer I've ever tasted. It took a minute before Dick was convinced that we weren't drinking cherry soda. The flavor is distinct and acidic, it actually pours with a big head that's slightly creamy, and it nearly has the carbonation of a soda.
From their website: "Kriek has a pink-red color and a delicious taste of sparkling cherry champagne."
Thanks again Jacob! As for mine and Dick's homebrew, an 8% Honey Oatmeal Stout which was bottled three weeks, it's making great progress. We popped open a couple last night and the flavor is really maturing. The head is perfectly creamy and very controllable when you pour it. The 4 pounds of honey and two pounds of grain (American Chocolate, Rolled Oats, Cara Pils, and Roasted Barley) combine for a sweet flavor on your tongue followed by a full-bodied woodsy aftertaste. Everyone from the amateur drinker to my beer snob friends have commented on the "fantastic caramel flavors". One interesting note is that if you pour a big head some of the foam sticks to the side of the glass because of all the sticky, sweet honey. I'll put up a picture of the beer in a glass next week when it's officially matured for a month in the bottles (Friday the 13th of March, also my Mom's birthday). Anyway, I'm signing off. You should probably go to the liquor store now that you're salivating like crazy....
