Tag Archives: Belgian ale

Actual Diary entries

Unibroue ‘Trois Pistoles’

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Unibroue 'Trois Pistoles'
Unibroue 'Trois Pistoles'

I get mistaken for Canadian, sometimes (I have very idiosyncratic accent — and no idea why I do). I have Canadian relatives, I’ve been to Canada (though I was not of beer-buying age), one of my favourite bands (The Tragically Hip) is Canadian, as are some of my most-beloved TV shows (Wonderfalls, Due South). So, how the hell did I get to Diary II without any Canadian beer, so far? And how the hell did I get this far without this legendary Canadian beer,1 in particular?

I don’t really have an excuse. But here I am, solving both problems at one delicious time. Because this beer is very much not one of those times where you finally try something much-hyped and are left with a confused look on your face, wondering what everyone elses’ fuss was all about. This deserves the not-insignificant fuss it generates.

It’s a dark, broody looking brown with purply highlights that show up against the light or during a swirl — and which suspiciously-well match the Apocalpytic-looking painting on the bottle. Compared to its big, chewy, Belgian-esque brothers, this one has a fresh, ‘uppy’ and particularly plummy fruitiness that brings a whole smackload of deliciously tart flavour into your face — like a crabapple straight off the tree. I do love the more-typical sticky fruity Belgians like Kwak, but this is just utterly fantastic as itself, and as a comparison.

Unibroue 'Trois Pistoles'
Diary II entry #11, Unibroue 'Trois Pistoles'

Verbatim: Unibroue ‘Trois Pistoles’ 18/9/10 9% 355ml $9 from Rumbles. Ticking off another of those embarrassing Never Hads. Very dark brown-with-reddy-purply-highlights-on-the-swirl. Suits the broody Apocalyptic painting on the bottle. The nose is fresh, uppy and plummy, and that nicely tart fruitiness carries on into yer face. Almost crab-apply. Nice to have that side showing up in one of these big Belgian-esque ales — a fresh change from the stickier sweeter ones like Kwak. Old Port wine character, they say, which is fair. (And hey, Three Pistols was always a favourite Tragically Hip track.)

1: The aforementioned favourite band, The Tragically Hip, even did a song (on their 1991 album, Road Apples) called ‘Three Pistols’. I can only assume it’s not directly related — it’s likely that both are named after the Quebec town. I’m a big enough nerd that I made sure I listened to it while drinking the beer — and while writing up this entry, weeks later. These things have to be done, really.


Actual Diary entries

Moa ‘St. Joseph’

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Moa 'St. Joseph'
Moa 'St. Joseph'

Moa brewery in Blenheim is the work of Josh Scott, son of winemaker Allan Scott. And it really does have a significant “wanky side-project of spoilt rich kid” air about the whole thing. The beers are particularly expensive, nobbishly marketed — and unforgivably naff all too often. I suppose when you’re charging an arse and a head for your beer, you have to make sure it’s mild enough that people won’t hate it. Really, it’s a clever corner of the market to go for, too; wealthier people with pretensions of boutique beer-ery, but who are still Heineken drinkers at heart.

All that said, ‘Saint Jo.’ is pretty much the exception to the rule. It’s a nice little Tripel, and is very-definitely the pick of the bunch.

Afterthoughts, February 2011: Heh, there’s your ‘balance’. “Ranty-ranty-rant — but this is okay.” But it’s sincerely meant, still, even after Moa have expanded their range with a few more properly-worthy offerings like some genuinely-interesting barrel-aged beers. Aspects of the marketing are massively annoying; I’ve been considering using their stuff for a whole post of Please Don’t Do This points about beer branding. And the ‘First Three’ (the ‘Original’ lager, the ‘Blanc’ wheat, and the ‘Noir’) are terribly bland for their price — and what isn’t ‘bland’ about them is a worryingly-distinct Moa Funk that it takes their heavier beers to cover up / avoid / compensate-for.

Though there are some exceptions, the Moa Beers are — in general, and so far — a depressing triumph of brandwank over substance.

Actual Diary entries

Brugge Tripel

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Brugge Tripel
Brugge Tripel

I’d wandered into work on a day off mostly taken up by mooching around town running various errands. Just as I plonked myself in my usual spot at the bar, Scotty opened one of these by mistake, the customer apparently actually wanting its ‘Blonde’ sibling but not managing to properly articulate their decision — so I had this as a freebie to try, in the spirit of not letting something pointlessly go to waste.

It’s a Belgian strong golden ale, but not one I can really recommend. For the price tag, it just seemed a bit… naff — so I’m extra-glad the price tag didn’t apply, in my case. Have a Tuatara Ardennes, or a Moa St. Joseph if you’d like something local and similar, or hell, just have a Duvel if you’d like the real deal. It’s just better, somehow. The Brugge Tripel just seems a bit, thin — like they’ve candy-sugared it up too much. It does — at 8.2% — pack a sly boozy punch, though, I can tell you that.

Afterthoughts, February 2011: Just about the only thing I can give this beer credit for, now, is inspiring me to rewatch In Bruges. Pretty limp praise-by-assocation is the best I can manage; this beer was a real let-down from what I was hoping for, and against what I’ve liked in other examples of its style.

Actual Diary entries

Tuatara ‘Ardennes’

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Tuatara 'Ardennes'
Tuatara 'Ardennes'

Verbatim: Tuatara ‘Ardennes’. A belgian-style strong golden ale from local favourites Tuatara. Just recently back on tap at work, and thereby eligible for staff drinks. Huzzah. One of our regulars (a formidable Beer Nerd) rates it as the #2 All-Around Best Value Beer Buy on the Planet, which isn’t a bad nod. It’s a lovely bright gold, slightly heftier than usual (at 6.5%, so not as full-on as the Belgian-Belgians often get), and with a nice smooth, slightly warming, peachy kind of yumminess to it.

Afterthoughts, November 2010: #1 on the Best Buy list mentioned above was Schneider Aventinus, if memory serves. But it often doesn’t, so don’t quote me on that.

Tuatara 'Ardennes'
Diary entry #64, Tuatara 'Ardennes'

It also occurs to me that I’m posting this, and writing these Afterthoughts, almost exactly two years since I took that photo. Two more years of backlog before I catch up with the steadily-marching-on ‘present’. Sheesh.

And then — mysteriously, a few weeks later — an actual Diary entry for this same beer pops up. But I didn’t take a photo at the time, so I’ve put the entry here, in the spirit of consolidation.

Actual Diary entries

Malt Shovel / New Norcia Abbey Ale

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Malt Shovel Abbey Ale
Malt Shovel / New Norcia Abbey Ale

Another recommendation from the guy in the markets, and he’s two for two. Which also backs up my earlier praise for the James Squires people. Fairly heavy at 7%, it’s a very appealing golden amber, and smells utterly gorgeous — all flowery, fruity and citrusy. The taste is fresh, with a slight metallic zing (not in a bad way, like you get in a Becks or whatnot), and has apricotty and grassy flavours kicking around in there. Toby compares it (favourably) to wandering around a sunny field, chewing on wheat. And I’m fairly sure I’ve been to the monastery where it’s matured, in New Norcia, WA — Karen and I drove past it on our way up to her family’s farm for her birthday party, methinks. (A quick look at Google Maps left me feeling able to upgrade from the “I think” in the paper diary to an “I’m fairly sure”.)

Malt Shovel Abbey Ale
Diary entry #60, Malt Shovel Abbey Ale

Verbatim: Malt Shovel Abbey Ale. 7/10/08 $4 @ Markets 7%. Another recommendation. And M.S. = James Squire’s. Smells gorgeous; flowery, fruity, citrusy. Nice golden amber. Tastes fresh, with non-bad metal, apricotty, grassy. Like chewing wheat. And I think I’ve been to the monastery in New Norcia, WA.

Actual Diary entries

Emerson’s ‘JP’ 2008

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Emerson's 'JP' 2008
Emerson's 'JP' 2008

‘JP’ is a regular in Emerson’s healthily-populated series of seasonal releases. It’s named in honour of JP Dufour, a Belgian who is reputedly largely responsible for introducing the fledgling local brewing scene to the joys of beers from his homeland. He was a professor at Otago University, I believe with Richard Emerson’s father — and sales from these beers apparently go towards a scholarship.

Each year’s ‘JP’ is a different take on a Belgian style, and the 2008 was a big hearty brown ale, matured on cherries. Generally speaking, I don’t go for cherries. But I go for this, in a big way. So that was clever of them. It’s freaking delicious, and has real cross-category appeal.

Emerson's JP
Diary entry #55, Emerson's JP (redacted)

Verbatim: Emerson’s JP 2008. 5/10/08 $10 @ Markets. I’ve had this before, but it turns out that [REDACTED]. Awesome Belgian brown ale, matured on cherries. I hate cherries, and I love this.

Afterthoughts, October 2010: My first piece of censorship, here. The Diary was never intended for public consumption, after all. I was elated to find such a worthy Little Country beer at the markets in the Big Country, but also moved to pick this particular one because of a certain piece of rumour / gossip I’d heard. So I’ve bleeped that bit out.

Actual Diary entries

Leffe Brune

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Leffe Brune
Leffe Brune

Verbatim: A pair of Leffe Brune. Not both for me, honestly. Though I have always usually been more a fan of the Brune than the Blonde. So to speak.

Afterthoughts, October 2010: Like a lot of these at-Malthouse but-not-working-at-Malthouse entries, I was there with some of the people I worked with at the time, at a pretty-awful bar down the other end of town which is probably best left anonymous. For my sake. They did have a decent whisky selection, though. I got to basically be the curator of that, which certainly helped my Nerdery — my CV at the time covered both the beer and whisky bases by invoking the term “Malt Nerd”.

The wedges were awesome. A pain to make, apparently, but awesome. It is kind of a shame we don’t do them anymore.

Actual Diary entries

Het Kapittel Watou Abt / Tripel

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Het Kapittel Watou Abt
Diary entry #38, Kapittel Watou Tripel

Verbatim: Kapittel Watou Tripel. 330ml, $6 or so, 10%, 12/9/07. Random find at Rumbles. Funny cartoon monks on the front. Bottle conditioned, nice bubbles to show it. Amber, but smells and tastes darker. Nice low fruitiness.

Afterthoughts, October 2010: Correctly listing / categorising these things sometimes gets quite tricky, when you aren’t able to read the language — and when the marketing gets slippery. This one’s apparently branded an ‘Abt’, and a ‘Tripel’, and a ‘Quadrupel’, depending on who you ask.

And in terms of Diary timing, there’s another four months just plain missing. Weird.