I stopped in to one of the beer stores in town with the intention of mixing a sixer of some new stuff to try. Instead I walked out with a boxed set from Global Beer Network, which appears to be a shop in California that appears to sell Belgian beers and glasses, and other nifty beer stuff.
http://www.globalbeer.com/index.html
What I walked out with, (18 bucks later...eek) was called "Exclusive Belgian Ales; 6 different living beers." (Imported from Belgium-Brewed in Fladers)
The box also had the words "brouwerij Van Seenberge" on it...Must be the brewery? http://www.vansteenberge.com/index.htm
and this logo.
(the set I got is the box on the right)
The six that came in the pack were.
Bruegel Amber Ale
Bruegel is an easy drinking soft and tasty amber ale. Thanks to the refermentation it offers more body, more head and more taste than most other American and Belgian Amber ales. It is brewed with Dutch barley and German hops. Although the bitterness is clearly present, it is not dominant. Since the Bruegel is low in alcohol, you can drink many of them in an afternoon or evening. It is a typical alternative for the common pilsner, when you want more taste and more color in your life.
Food Combinations. An amber ale goes with meat, salads and fish without any problem. More often, the Bruegel is consumed without food. It is a beer to drink at the bar, at the barbecue, in the dance-hall, whenever you have fun with your friends. A beer to enjoy with snacks.
Augustijn
Full body - staying head - amber color with a spicy, malty palate that finishes very fruity with complex hoppy undertones. Extremely pleasant to drink during lenghty conversations. Brewed along a 700 year tradition!
FOOD COMBINATIONS: goes very well with spicy food (fish or meat.) The hot spicy food (Cajun, Mexican, Oriental ...) is pleasantly cooled down by this wonderful beer. The hops also help the digestion. Delicious with cheeses.You can age the Augustijn for many years, just like wine.
Piraat
Voted overall Best Amber Beer (Gold medal) in the California Microbrew Beer Festival 1995.
In the 17th and 18th century, strong ale like the Piraat was highly prized by the seafaring captains for its keeping qualities and its high and healthy food value. The daily distribution of a pint of this ale kept the pirates in good health and gave them the spirit to survive the hard life on the sea. One had no water on a ship, but wine or strong beer that could be kept for months on the sea. Piraat is a wickedly rich and rounded brew that packs a mighty punch. The powerful glow builds up from inside. Deep golden with a subtle haze. Lots of hops and malt. Mild sweetness. Reminiscent of bread dough, spices and tropical fruits.
FOOD COMBINATIONS: goes with fish and meat. Is often appreciated as an after dinner beer and cigar lovers claim there is no better beer to enjoy with a cigar.
Bornem Triple
Golden shining and soft feeling in the mouth - perfectly balanced taste - full body and heart warming, a splendid aroma, tickling in the nose - hoppy dry long finish. Triple means that the brewer adds 3 times the normal amount of malt in the brew kettle, which gives us a rich beer. You can age the Bornem Triple for many years, just like wine.
FOOD COMBINATIONS: Enjoy the Bornem Triple as a digestive (hops!) with cheese after dinner, or as a rich refreshing beverage with your main-course
Bornem Double
Very dark, coffee color - full rich body - staying head - effervescent nose - soft velvet feeling in the mouth - luscious. Malt character with a hoppy aftertouch. Monks used to fast on this type of beer for 40 days! No food, only beer.
Voted Best Trappist Ale in the last California Microbrew Beer Festival.
FOOD COMBINATIONS: ideal with steak, grilled meat, game or sausages. Also as a power-shot after physical exercise.
Gulden Draak Dark Brown Triple
Gulden Draak is a dark brown Triple Ale, which makes it an exception among the Belgian Triples. The second fermentation offers the nice creamy head, the full body and all the vitamins of the centuries old brewers yeast. It is a "thick" beer, that you can actually "nimble" to adventure the complex taste. Gulden Draak balances a natural malt toffee-like sweetness with a mellow happiness and some hoppy accents. The aroma is round, sweet and reveals the 10.5 alcohol by volume. Another name for this type of rich beer is: "Barley wine". You sip and enjoy this beer slowly, probably as a dessert, or as a treat you definitely deserve.
Holland International Beer Festival - Haarlem 1995: overall winner - best beer.
Silver medal in the International Beer Competition: Chicago 1996.
Silver Medal Dark Ales.at the California Microbrew Beer Festival 1995.
FOOD-COMBINATIONS: Dessert-beer after dinner. Or just before bed. Some like it with a cigar, others match it with chocolate.
Sealed from light in the white painted bottle, which is recycled as candle-holder.
Anyone familiar with these? I have a feeling I might have bought the BMC's of Belgium.....
On a side note, I saw a nifty snifter there, and was going to buy it to use with these beers, and the owner of the shop, who knows I homebrew) gave it to me for free He also suggested the order to sample them, which is the order I placed them in the descriptions.
I haven't opened them yet....I'll probably go for a walk and come back and sample the Bruegel Amber Ale...and if I'm still sober (I just had a couple of my own creations) Maybe the Augustjin as well.
http://www.globalbeer.com/index.html
What I walked out with, (18 bucks later...eek) was called "Exclusive Belgian Ales; 6 different living beers." (Imported from Belgium-Brewed in Fladers)
The box also had the words "brouwerij Van Seenberge" on it...Must be the brewery? http://www.vansteenberge.com/index.htm
and this logo.
(the set I got is the box on the right)
The six that came in the pack were.
Bruegel Amber Ale
Bruegel is an easy drinking soft and tasty amber ale. Thanks to the refermentation it offers more body, more head and more taste than most other American and Belgian Amber ales. It is brewed with Dutch barley and German hops. Although the bitterness is clearly present, it is not dominant. Since the Bruegel is low in alcohol, you can drink many of them in an afternoon or evening. It is a typical alternative for the common pilsner, when you want more taste and more color in your life.
Food Combinations. An amber ale goes with meat, salads and fish without any problem. More often, the Bruegel is consumed without food. It is a beer to drink at the bar, at the barbecue, in the dance-hall, whenever you have fun with your friends. A beer to enjoy with snacks.
Augustijn
Full body - staying head - amber color with a spicy, malty palate that finishes very fruity with complex hoppy undertones. Extremely pleasant to drink during lenghty conversations. Brewed along a 700 year tradition!
FOOD COMBINATIONS: goes very well with spicy food (fish or meat.) The hot spicy food (Cajun, Mexican, Oriental ...) is pleasantly cooled down by this wonderful beer. The hops also help the digestion. Delicious with cheeses.You can age the Augustijn for many years, just like wine.
Piraat
Voted overall Best Amber Beer (Gold medal) in the California Microbrew Beer Festival 1995.
In the 17th and 18th century, strong ale like the Piraat was highly prized by the seafaring captains for its keeping qualities and its high and healthy food value. The daily distribution of a pint of this ale kept the pirates in good health and gave them the spirit to survive the hard life on the sea. One had no water on a ship, but wine or strong beer that could be kept for months on the sea. Piraat is a wickedly rich and rounded brew that packs a mighty punch. The powerful glow builds up from inside. Deep golden with a subtle haze. Lots of hops and malt. Mild sweetness. Reminiscent of bread dough, spices and tropical fruits.
FOOD COMBINATIONS: goes with fish and meat. Is often appreciated as an after dinner beer and cigar lovers claim there is no better beer to enjoy with a cigar.
Bornem Triple
Golden shining and soft feeling in the mouth - perfectly balanced taste - full body and heart warming, a splendid aroma, tickling in the nose - hoppy dry long finish. Triple means that the brewer adds 3 times the normal amount of malt in the brew kettle, which gives us a rich beer. You can age the Bornem Triple for many years, just like wine.
FOOD COMBINATIONS: Enjoy the Bornem Triple as a digestive (hops!) with cheese after dinner, or as a rich refreshing beverage with your main-course
Bornem Double
Very dark, coffee color - full rich body - staying head - effervescent nose - soft velvet feeling in the mouth - luscious. Malt character with a hoppy aftertouch. Monks used to fast on this type of beer for 40 days! No food, only beer.
Voted Best Trappist Ale in the last California Microbrew Beer Festival.
FOOD COMBINATIONS: ideal with steak, grilled meat, game or sausages. Also as a power-shot after physical exercise.
Gulden Draak Dark Brown Triple
Gulden Draak is a dark brown Triple Ale, which makes it an exception among the Belgian Triples. The second fermentation offers the nice creamy head, the full body and all the vitamins of the centuries old brewers yeast. It is a "thick" beer, that you can actually "nimble" to adventure the complex taste. Gulden Draak balances a natural malt toffee-like sweetness with a mellow happiness and some hoppy accents. The aroma is round, sweet and reveals the 10.5 alcohol by volume. Another name for this type of rich beer is: "Barley wine". You sip and enjoy this beer slowly, probably as a dessert, or as a treat you definitely deserve.
Holland International Beer Festival - Haarlem 1995: overall winner - best beer.
Silver medal in the International Beer Competition: Chicago 1996.
Silver Medal Dark Ales.at the California Microbrew Beer Festival 1995.
FOOD-COMBINATIONS: Dessert-beer after dinner. Or just before bed. Some like it with a cigar, others match it with chocolate.
Sealed from light in the white painted bottle, which is recycled as candle-holder.
Anyone familiar with these? I have a feeling I might have bought the BMC's of Belgium.....
On a side note, I saw a nifty snifter there, and was going to buy it to use with these beers, and the owner of the shop, who knows I homebrew) gave it to me for free He also suggested the order to sample them, which is the order I placed them in the descriptions.
I haven't opened them yet....I'll probably go for a walk and come back and sample the Bruegel Amber Ale...and if I'm still sober (I just had a couple of my own creations) Maybe the Augustjin as well.