Duchess de Bourgogne (Summer of Sours)

Here is another installment in the Summer of Sours series of reviews.  This Gold Medal Winner of the World Beer Cup is brewed in Belgium and weighs in at 6% abv.  I really like how this beer has that traditional sour nose and flavor.  And at a tolerable and nicely drinkable 6% abv, it has already won me over more so than some other sours.

This beer has a nice deep copper color and an "expansive" mouthfeel.  It seems to seek out and find every last nook and cranny of my tastebuds.  I find it to be crisp, and refreshing, with just enough sour flavor.  It is well-balanced and refreshing.  It scores a 91 on Beer Advocate, and I would definitely place it in one of my "top tier" lists of beers.  This is very nice.

Something about the bottle, its label, its shape, perhaps, and maybe the price, which in NJ was about $9 and change, give this beer a luxurious and classy style.  From SpecialtyBeer.com:

DUCHESSE DE BOURGOGNEfrom Brouwerij Verhaeghe is the traditional Flemish red ale. This refreshing ale is matured in oak casks; smooth with a rich texture and interplay of passion fruit, and chocolate, and a long, dry and acidic finish. After the first and secondary fermentation, the beer goes for maturation into the oak barrels for 18 months. The final product is a blend of younger 8 months old beer with 18 months old beer. The average age of the Duchesse de Bourgogne before being bottled is 12 months. [See their page]

Like Petrus, this beer is aged in oak barrels.  I see a trend here, a trend I like.

Mussels in Craft Beer Cream Sauce (Tastin' the Nation)

Yum, yum, yum: the three words that best describe mussels.  I have always loved eating mussels, either in red or white sauce, or just simply dunked into melted butter, but making a batch of mussels and sharing them with your equally mussel appreciating girlfriend, well it doesn't get any better.  So, Citizen Elizabeth and I went to the food store, got the ingredients, and got to work.

Making mussels is pretty easy.  You essentially steam them.  You can use plain water, or wine, or a great craft beer.  I also recently saw an episode of A Taste of History, and based this simple mussels recipe off that one, with some old-fashioned, family-learned cooking skills thrown in.  Here is what you will need:

• 2-3 pounds of mussels
• shallots
• celery
• garlic
• mustard
• beer
• cream
• scallions
• parsley

What You Need to Do: Heat up a dutch oven or other lidded pot nice and hot.  Add some olive oil while it is heating up.  When you start to see some slivers of smoke rising from the oil, it is ready.  Thrown in a tablespoon of butter, three minced shallots, about a 1/4 cup of minced celery and three minced cloves of garlic, and some small slices of scallions.  Add 2 Tablespoons of a mustard of your choice, and about 3/4 of a beer of your choice.  Dump in the mussels and pour about a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cream over them.  Let them steam on high for about 5 minutes, stir them up, and then add the remainder of your beer.  Steam for another 5 minutes or so, and you are done.  Serve in a large bowl, and top with scallions and parsley. Enjoy.

We used Piraat beer, a really nice unfiltered Belgian ale.  What is great about this very simple recipe is that you can customize it all you want, pick a mustard of your choice, a beer of your choice, use heavy or light cream, or no cream at all.  Prefer regular onions over shallots?  Go for it.  Here is how it turned out.

Photo supplied by Citizen Elizabeth

Holy Mackerel Special Golden Ale 2009

Holy Mackerel Special Golden Ale 2009:

Well, I jumped the gun a little by drinking this one right away. Our friends from Gordash suggest cellaring this Belgian style gem for 2-3 years. I have to admit that I'm a bit of a sucker for Golden Ales, and the Mack delivers a nice treat: a delicious Belgian style chill out beer. It's a bit like Golden Monkey Light--just a pinch drier and less boozy, weighing in at 8.5% abv as opposed to V.G.M.'s 9.5%. I'm actually a huge fan of Victory's Golden Monkey and Weyerbacher's Merry Monks so to mention the Holy Mackerel in the same review is pretty high praise.

I would really recommend this beer to a non-beer-drinker--someone who "doesn't like beer" because it's bitter. This is just the opposite. You can bring this brew with you to a BYOB seafood place and drink it in place of white wine. Oh, and ladies usually have a more delicate palate but will love the mellow b-nanna-y flavors of this Golden Ale. I'm definitely going to grab a few more and put them away in my collection. 2-3 years from now I'll let you know how it goes.

Holy Mackerel Special Golden Ale 2009:

Representation: .925
Accessibility: .95
Style: .90
Personal Preference: .90

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