Beer Belly Files (5)

TGIM!!!!!!! How come no one ever thanks God for Monday? It being Monday, it's time to let you know what beers I drank over the weekend. I actually three different ones and enjoyed them all. First off, I was seen playing Halo2 last Thursday and was accused of missing my teabags. I say to you, however, after drinking a six pack of Yeungling, how close do the teabags need to be in order to count? I say anywhere within 20 feet (give or take a few beers). I also went out to eat at Applebee's this weekend and was able to get Yuengling on tap. It was 2 for 1 at the time which made me even happier.

Yuengling

Yuengling, pronounce Ying-ling, is touted as the oldest brewery in the Unites States, having been established in 1829. Molson od Canada being the oldest in North America, being established in 1786. More on Molson some other time. DG Yuengling and Son is headquartered in Pottsville, Pa with a brewery there and in my hometown of Tampa, Fl. I have to say that as a traditional lager, and a US brand, I like Yuengling a lot. It has a clean, refreshing taste that drinks smooth. This is no sipping beer, it's meant to be drank and drank it I do (huh?). If you're stuck on Budweiser, Coors, Miller etc and haven't tried Yuengling, you need to do so. It's moderately priced at about $6.00 and change per six pack in most areas with an ABV of 4.9%. Other than the lager, they put out a Porter, a Black and Tan, Lord Chesterfield Ale, a Cream Ale, a Light, a Premium, and a Premium Light. I must confess that I have only tried the Traditional Lager, but if I get around to the other brands, I'll let you know.

Chimay

*This beer was gotten in response to a request. If you have a request, I'll do my best to aquire it, try it and tell you all about it.

Bieres De Chimay is a Belgian Trappist brewery and cheese maker. Cheese maker? I thought it was wine & cheese and beer & nachos, but if their cheese is as good as the brew I may have to trade in the jalapeno dip. As I have stated before, trappist style brews are quickly becoming my favorites. According to the website, "in order to meet their needs and those of their foundations as well as to sustain employment in their region, since 1862 the Cistercian Trappist monks of Chimay have been developing the production of Trappist beers and cheeses which, owing to their character and qualities are well known and enjoy great success." So it's not only good but holy...ish? Cool! I tried the Chimay Bleue (blue) or Grand Reserve. It had a ABV of 9% and I paid about $9 for a 1pint 9oz bottle. It really was delicious. I didn't, however, think it was any better than the Saint Bernardus or Allagash brands I've told you about before but my wife thought it was better and perhaps sweeter. It did seem to have a fruity character but bitter as well. As I have said before, there is no fruit in these beers. The fruity characters in the beers I showcase are that way because of the different blends of hops that are used. If there were fruit or other additives, I would list them specifically. Aside from the Bleue, which is the extremely popular in Belgium, the make a Blanche (white) which is a triple at 8% ABV, a Rouge (red), a dubbel at 7% ABV, and a Doree which is a light brew at 4.8% ABV. If you see them or any brew listed as a Trappist style brew, give em a try.

Koningshoeven

To start off, I want to let you know that this company switches out it's labels according to where it's shipped (I think) so it may not look exactly like picture shown. It will look the same but instead of La Trappe it may say Konings (first line) hoeven (second line) as mine did. This beer is another Trappist style brew and listed as a Quadrupel. As I stated before, a trappist brewery will have a regular brew, a dubbel (double) which is twice the amount of malt as the regular, a trippel (triple) which is three times the malt adn the quadrupel (quadruple) which would four times the amount. Trappist brews are also reseeded meaning simply that additional yeast is added to the bottle before it's corked or capped which continues to ferment until you drink it. These brews typically have a strong alcohol taste as if you dropped a shot of whatever in it. The Koningshoeven had the strongest alcohol taste I've tasted in any of these brews to date. I can't say it was the best tasting but still it was a treat. ABV for this brew is 10%. I paid $3.99 for an 11.2 fl oz bottle similar to the one shown.

Until next week friends, throw down one for me.