1001 Beers

Beer No: 94
Page No: 120
Category: Amber

World Cup Day 16...what is there to say?  Today's beer comes from the United States, and just like that, the United States is out.  A very disappointing game in which they give up an early goal AGAIN, manage to tie it, have chances to win it, push it to extra time, and give up another early goal, and can't recover.   A sad day, but I've still got Germany in it, so it's not all bad quite yet.  In the early game Uruguay handled South Korea pretty well.  They gave up a goal (the first of the tournament), but scored two pretty easily, advancing to the round of 8 where they now face the afternoon's winner, Ghana.

Of course, I picked the United States to win (the homer pick) and couldn't have been more wrong, but in the early game, I predicted a 2-1 Uruguay win, so nice call there (though 2-1 is pretty easy to guess and could be called for most games - as that was the final score of the Ghana / U.S. game as well).

For today's beer, we have a new American classic, New Belgium's Fat Tire Amber Ale.  It's their flagship beer and, while a solid, consistent beer, it just isn't the best that New Belgium puts out and it's just a good, run-of-the-mill amber ale.  As noted in 1001 Beers though, in an interview with brewmaster Peter Bouckaert, he commented, "Luckily, we have Fat Tire, and that allows us to do all these other things."  So, I'm glad Fat Tire's around, because it allows them to produce amazing beers like La Folie, Love, and the amazing Lips of Faith Series (Eric's Ale, Dark Kriek, Transatlantique Kriek, Biere de Mars, and many others).

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

New Belgium Fat Tire Ale by New Belgium Brewing Company

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

Rating: 2.8 / 5.0

Had from six-pack - 12 oz. bottle from BevMo. Pours amber in color, slight tan head. Aroma is malty with slight hop undertones. Taste is fairly weak for an amber, nicely balanced, but doesn’t show off any flavors well. Nice nutty flavors linger afterwords. A solid, consistent amber, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Beer No: 85
Page No: 304
Category: Blond

Day 7 of the World Cup.  We're now a full week in and teams have started playing their second games of the round robin format.  Argentina thoroughly destroyed South Korea today, Greece won their first World Cup game in the country's history, beating Nigeria, and France lost 0-2 to Mexico.  So alas, my record drops to 2-3-2 with the French beer I selected today.  1001 Beers notes that the 3 Monts beer from the St. Sylvestre brewery utilizes locally grown hops along with malts from Northern France.  The beer ferments for a few days and then is "garded" for between three to four weeks.

Now, I've heard of the style "biere de garde" before, but never really knew what it meant, so let's go to Wikipedia for the answer:

Bière de Garde, or "keeping beer", is a pale ale traditionally brewed in the Pas-de-Calais region of France. These beers were usually brewed by farmhouses in the winter and spring, to avoid unpredictable problems with the yeast during the summertime.

The origins of the name lies in the tradition that it was matured/cellared for a period of time once bottled (and most sealed with a cork), to be consumed later in the year, akin to a Saison.

So, basically, it's a cellared beer, which really doesn't mean much these days as many beers are cellared before release and then bottle conditioned.  But what Wikipedia doesn't mention and 1001 Beers does, is that a 'biere de garde' usually is a "classic amber malt bomb."  So, I'm glad that St. Sylvestre strays away from tradition as this golden, hoppy, 8.5% ABV beer is definitely anything but a malt bomb.

If you have a chance to try this fine French beer, give it a shot.  The alcohol is hidden well and the citrus and yeast flavors dominate the palate.  Just another great selection from 1001 Beers - opening my palate up to many a new flavors and my knowledge up to new and unique beer styles.  Oddly enough, I have had one other 'biere de garde' - the New Belgium Lips of Faith (which I rated at a 3.6 vs. the 3 Monts 3.0).

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

St. Sylvestre 3 Monts by La Brasserie de St.-Sylvestre

Aroma: 6/10
Appearance: 3/5
Taste: 7/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 11/20

Rating: 3.0 / 5.0

Had from 750ml bottle, corked, strange cage, then wrapped in plastic. Pours golden yellow with good carbonation, head, and lacing. Foamed out of the bottle slightly, but quickly caught in tulip glass. Aroma is floral with citrus, bread, and yeast. Taste is grassy, almost lager-like. Alcohol is present along with bread and citrus flavors. Drinkable, enjoyable, but ultimately, nothing special.

Beer No: 55
Page No: 68
Category: Amber

First a dark brown, then a brown, now an amber, it seems like I'm on a little tasting streak here.  But, no, it's just how the bottles have fallen.  However, someone that does specialize in streaks is Laurie over at 100 Beers in 30 Days.  She's taken beer drinking to the max, going through 100 Belgian beers in a scant 30 days and she's doing a wonderful job.  Her post on The Bruery beers was awesome, and who can argue with a whole post devoted to Flanders?  She's quickly made it through 57 and is well on the way to 100.

As for me, the Anderson Valley Boont Amber Ale was the second beer of the night for me, following Eric's Ale from New Belgium.  It was, quite simply, an amazing sour.  Even my friend who isn't a fan of the sour beers really enjoyed this one.  Billed as a sour for those who don't like sours and a fruit beer for those who don't like fruit beers, Eric's Ale delivers on that promise.  But even I, a sour beer lover, really enjoyed this beer.  And, it was also my 300th rating at Ratebeer, prompting this wonderful diddy to pop up after I had rated Eric's Ale at 4.2 / 5.0:

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Anderson Valley Boont Amber Ale from Anderson Valley Brewing Company

Aroma: 6/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste: 7/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 14/20

Rating: 3.4 / 5.0

Quick Look: Starts off strong and hoppy, finished with a malty flavor that is just right. A very nice Amber Ale.
In Depth: A very dark amber ale with a light, tan head when served. The aroma isn’t too strong - a hoppy waft originates with a slightly carmelized flavor in the first sip. This Amber Ale seemingly starts off too strong, but evens out and becomes easily drinkable.

(Review was from August 20th, 2002)