There’s all kinds of beer drinkers, and obviously, not everyone likes the dark, full bodied beers that the “real” beer drinkers can’t get enough of. That’s why the “I Love Beer” Show decided to feature a fruity-themed show at Cheers Bar in Las Vegas highlighting New Belgium’s Frambozen, then a double IPA from Anchorage Brewing, and finally an amazing abbey ale from St. Bernardus Brewing. Every beer tasted great as we run up the ladder with alcohol level tastings with Belgium styles and fruity flavorings.
The Frambozen raspberry brown ale was simply awesome. First you get the aroma of raspberries, followed by a fruity brown ale with depth and delicate malt tones. The deep ruby color and rich flavor makes it perfect for pairing with your favorite cheeses and gamey type foods. While most fruity type beers display only a hint of flavoring, we found the Frambozen to be more “in your face” – in a good way! It’s hard to believe the alcohol content of this beer is 7% and it’s “special release” status means you need to find this fast and taste it for yourself. After tasting this beer, a trip to Ft. Collins, Colorado (where the New Belgium Brewery is located) is certainly justified!
Next up was the Bitter Monk from Alaskan Brewing, a brand that is quickly becoming a favorite of the show. In keeping with the “Belgium” theme of the show, this Belgian Double IPA is a great mixture of both a citrus hop bittering with a strong malt flavoring, With it’s incredible fresh pineapple nose, tart guava, gooseberries, and complex undercurrents, it’s no wonder this 9% alcohol beer consistently ranks highly on just about every beer tasting review, many times scoring perfectly at 100. Suffice to say, it didn’t take long to finish the bottle and wish we had more to taste. Buy this beer next time you’re at a craft beer store (if you can find it), then sit back and get ready for a great beer experience that we can vouch for. By the way, who does their artwork and website? It’s great!
We saved the best for last. The St Bernardus Abt 12 is the absolute top quality in the hierarchy of the St. Bernardus beers. With a 10.5% alcohol content, this fruity flavored, dark ivory colored beer has a great aroma and an extremely smooth taste. Besides being a fantastic beer, the St. Bernardus Abt 12 also has a very interesting history as it is brewed by monastery monks in Belgium and sold under a Trappist Beer license. As you can see from the show, the beer pours a slightly hazy brown with a good amount of off-white head and gives way to a longer lasting and slightly bitter aftertaste which stays with you nicely. This beer was highly recommended as a show feature and it did not fail to impress. Our advice: got a special occasion or just want to relax with an amazing beer that no one has ever heard about? St. Bernardus is your choice.
We’ve got some really great shows planned in the near future, so if you’d like to stay informed on our craft beer show and local events, make sure you text BEER to 69302 to get mobile alerts. Or become a fan of the show on Facebook and tell us what you think about anything relating to craft beers. We’d love to hear from you and get your input for future craft beer selections for the show.
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