Oh yes, strong winter beers are finally here. I love these brews, spiced, smooth, and soul warming down to the last drop! Bottlework’s has put out some treats from the cellar for their customers this year, and I have taken advantage of this. From left to right, here is what I picked up today (not all seasonals, but all goodies!):

•  Russian River Pliny the Elder IPA (x2) – Santa Rosa, CA, USA
  • I have had a few of these now, and I must say, this recipe has rekindled my love for good IPAs.
• Bottleworks Van den Vern Grand Cru (Bottled 2004) – Belgium
  • While Rodenbach import is figured out, I thought an aged Grand Cru couldn’t hurt the palette.
    • Rating: C-
    • Head is lacking, pinkish/orange in hue
    • Aroma is flat and nutty at first, after breathing in a St. Bernardus glass for 5 minutes, mellowed out.
    • Taste is bland and a bit sour, maybe I was expecting too much from this. The bottle produced much sediment, this makes the beers texture not very palatable.
    • I will not buy this one again. Very disappointing.
    • Strangely, Beer Advocate users give high regard to this beer: BeerAdvocate
    • Consumed on 11.21.08
• Troubadour Obscura Mild Stout – Belgium
  • One of the three dudes at bottleworks had this as his weekly recommend, sounds interesting.
• Elysian BiFrost – Seattle, USA
  • These guys are by far the best brewery in my home state of Washington. I cannot wait to experience their BiFrost recipe this year.
• Westmalle Trappist (2004 Vintage!) – Belgium
  • Quickly becoming my favorite beer and finding a vintage bottle, oh my, this is going to be bliss.
• LaChouffe N’Ice Spiced w/ Tyme and Curucao, Limited Edition (2007 Vintage) – Belgium
  • Best spiced ale out there, of which I have had. LaChouffe is an excellent brewery, and never seems to let me down.
• Gulden Draak (2007 Vintage) – Belgium
  • New to me, I have been meaning to try this brewery for some time now, now I can enjoy a vintage bottle as my first experience, woot!
• St. Bernardus Christmas Ale (2007 Vintage) – Belgium
  • Nothing needs to be said here, it’s St. Bernardus people!

I plan on reviewing all of these as I taste them, most of which I have had before, I may pick up fresh bottles of the aged ones for comparison sake. Let me know if any of these intrigue you personally and I can wait until we can enjoy them together, because every good beer geek knows, a beer shared tastes twice as good.

Op uw gezondheid!

– The majority of these will be consumed post Fall Quarter at the UW, and man, will that make them taste all the more better. –