1001 Beers

Beer No: 100
Page No: 862
Cateogory: Specialty

Truth be told, there's really few other brewers that I would choose to be my 100th beer on my journey to 1001.  The Grand Cru was an amazing beer and an absolute delight amongst all the other fine beers available at the Stone Sour Fest.  So, just to tease you all who might not have been there, here's the full list of all the beers available (a * indicates I tried it - a º indicates I skipped it because I knew I had already tasted it at a previous festival).

• Bottle List
  • 3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze
  • Alvinne Cuvee Freddy
  • Avery Brabant º
  • Avery Depuceleuse
  • Avery Sui Generis
  • Bayerischer Bahnhof Berliner Style Weiss
  • Birr del Borgo Duchessie
  • Birrificio Italiano Series
  • Cantillon Bruocsella 1900 Grand Cru *
  • Cantillon Classic Gueze *
  • Cantillon Cuvee des Champions *
  • Cantillon Iris º
  • Cantillon Kriek 100% Lambic
  • Cantillon Lou Pepe Gueuze 2006 *
  • Cantillon Lou Pepe Kriek 2007 *º
  • Cantillon Rose de Gambrinus *
  • Cantillon Vigneronne
  • Cascade Kriek Ale
  • Cascade The Vine
  • De Proefbrouwerij Flemish Primative 2008 Special Vintage Reserve
  • De Proefbrouwerij Zoetzuur º
  • De Ranke Kriek
  • Dogfish Head Red & White º
  • Girardin Gueuze 1882 Black Label º
  • HaandBryggeriet Wild Thing
  • HaandBryggeriet Haandbakk
  • Hanssens Oudbeitje
  • Hanssens Oude Kriek
  • Ichtegem's Grand Cru
  • Jolly Pumpkin Luciernaga
  • Liefmans Kriekbier º
  • Lindemans Gueuze Grand Cru Cuvee Rene
  • The Lost Abbey Cuvee de Tomee º
  • The Lost Abbey Red Poppy Ale º
  • The Lost Abbey Sinners 09 *
  • Ommegang Zuur
  • Oud Beersel Framboise
  • Oud Beersel Kriek
  • Oud Beersel Oude Geuze Vieille º
  • Panil Barriquee
  • Petrus Aged Pale
  • Reinart Flemish Wild Ale º
  • 2009 Russian River Consecration º
  • 2010 Russian River Consecration º
  • Russian River Supplication º
  • Russian River Temptation º
  • Verhaeghe Duchesse de Bourgogne º

But what you have to realize from this list is this was just the bottle list.  There's another 2 pages full of sour beers on tap that I'll post tomorrow along with another review of one of these spectacular beers that I sampled.  Many thanks to the wonderful people at Stone Brewing who put this on - especially Dr. Bill.  The only downside to the event was the long line at the bottle tasting bar and the limit of just 15 tickets.  With a lot of the good (i.e. rare) beers costing two tickets, and no ability to buy more tickets, the limit of 15 taster tickets really put a damper on things.  We arrived at 9:30am and we were done at 12:30pm.  We were not drunk, we had a designated driver, and with the event going until 7pm, we had plenty of time left to sample more beers.

That being said, I have to reiterate that it was an amazing day, staff was friendly and helpful, weather was beautiful (about 90 degrees - which was actually much cooler than last year when it was 100+ with high humidity), and we had an awesome table to sample our beers at.  The day really couldn't have been any better.

On to the beer...The Cantillon Grand Cru Bruocsella 1900...I had it late in the day which probably upped my anticipation a bit and more than likely enhanced my appreciation for the beer.  Looking back at an old 2009 rating, I can't say I disagree too much when all is said and done.  I enjoyed the small taster I had at Stone, but when you have a full bottle, you're able to grasp the subtleties of the beer better.  So...without further ado...

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Cantillon Bruocsella 1900 Grand Cru by Cantillon

Aroma: 6/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 6/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 14/20

Rating: 3.2 / 5.0

750ml bottle from High Time Wine. Pours with a few bubbles, but flat. Had to question whether it was supposed to be this flat or if I got a bad bottle. Aroma was of strong oak (expected after aging three years in a barrel) with a hint of tartness - apples perhaps - and some malt. Color is clear, crisp, gold with again, no bubbles to speak of.

Flavors are intensly lambic, oaks, woods, but a bit too much like a cider or wine. The tartness of the citrus comes through at the end, a satisfying finish, but in the end, I felt it lacking overall.

Beer No: 8/1001
Page No: 497
Category: Blond

Unfortunately, this is my last review from the Belgian Beer Festival at Pizza Port.  Though I easily tried 50+ beers, only four are being reviewed herein.  With talk of Pizza Port winding down, it reminds me that I really need to go back this weekend and pick up some beers from their bottle shop.  Pizza Port, Carlsbad opened their bottle shop a couple of years ago and features some really hard to find beers from outstanding breweries.  Their prices are a bit higher than you can expect to find in other liquor stores, but they often feature hard-to-find beers from the San Diego region.

The Pizza Port restaurant itself does quite fine in its own right.  With the brewery next door, they always have a nice rotating selection of in-house brewed beers on tap along with a nice assortment of other macro and micro-brews on tap at all times.  On top of the great selection of beers, Pizza Port features top-notch pizzas.  Their Pizza Carlsbad, featuring a pesto sauce, feta cheese, grilled chicken, artichoke hearts, and sun dried tomatoes is simply divine, but, as I mentioned earlier, it's the pepperoni and garlic pizza that I have every time there.  Oh, and the sumptuous beer buddies.  Recently, in Arizona, I stopped by another brewpub that tried to copy the Beer Buddies from Pizza Port and they were nowhere near as good.  Instead of a nice, doughy bite, this other brewpub opted for a thin crust, cracker-like buddy and it was not good at all.

So, long story short, if you're ever in the San Diego area, look for a Pizza Port.  They have three locations now, and a fourth will open soon.  Did I mention their beer festivals are the things legends are made of?  Yeah, the Belgian Beer Festival is that good.

So onto the beer, the last of the four, the De Dolle Still Nacht is a pale strong ale, clocking in at 12% ABV.  1001 Beers notes that, originally, the Still Nacht was brewed with a strain of yeast from Rodenbach brewery (one of my personal favorites - including the amazing Rodenbach Grand Cru (one of the 1001, review coming later)).  But when Rodenbach stopped offering the yeast to brewers in 2000, brewer Kris Herteleer cultured what he had left of the yeast and ended up with a stronger, more complex strain.  Since then, he now ferments 20% of the wort with lactic acid bacteria and then blends it back with the rest of the beer which is fermenting with his own yeast strain.  No matter how he does it, this winter seasonal is a gem.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

De Dolle Still Nahct from De Dolle Brouwers

Aroma: 9/10
Appearance: 4/5
Flavor: 8/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 17/20

Rating: 4.2 / 5.0

Pours a hazy yellow/amber with a small, off-white head which lasts a while. Aromas of fruits, alcohol, and strong sugar/caramel. Taste is of more sugar, a bit of fizzyness, and malts. The beer starts and ends sweet, more of a sipping, after-dinner beer, but definitely something that will warm the soul in a long winter. Finishes with the slightest hint of bitterness and alcohol.