Beer Obsessed: Beer and Brewing Journal

Shot way too early in the morning before work….please clicky the pic for a higher res version.
This is a fantastic example of a Belgian golden strong ale. It has a nice white pepper finish which lets it pair with a wide variety of foods.
The bottle is the new 375ml version that Russian River started putting out. I heard that they were going to stop producing 750ml bottles entirely. I hope that isn’t the case!
Cheers and have a good weekend. Perhaps enjoy a Damnation.

Beautiful range of color in this beer. Pilsner malt is the base of the aroma and there are other subtle aromas causing interest and intrigue. Some hops and tartness to the taste balanced with belgian malt flavor. There is a thickness to the taste… Interesting, non malot or hop, flavors as well. Lingering hop bitterness and carbonation sharpness.
A beautiful, subtle beer.

To old beer friends and new ones too. Happy Holidays to you! Whether you enjoy a N’ice Chouffe like the one above or any other great beer, I hope you can lift a glass to the ones you love and  to good times throughout this season and beyond.

Cheers!

It has been a while since I’ve had a Lost Abbey Beer. I was not dissappointed with Inferno Ale.
Belgian Pale Ale at 8.5%? Hah! This was a delicious beer. It reminded me of a wit (w/o coriander) and triple mixed together. Hops along with wonderful Begian yeast making for a spicy citrisy delight. Add some tartness to all this when it comes to taste. I’m going back to the store for another.
Highly Recommended.

When I first saw this beer, I knew I wanted to photograph it. The bottle shot above was my favorite. It captures the label well while part of it remains lost in darkness. The beer itself has fantastic color. With the room the label shot left, I thought it was a good opportunity to show off the beer.

Spicy hop and pilsner malt on the nose…I might mistake it for a triple at this point. Rich and spicy taste in the mouth with a lingering spice finish. Dry and smooth. Great taste and very drinkable. One of my favorite saisons.
Hihghly recommended.

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This week, a friend asked me to join him at Cafe Biere in Oakland. I had never heard of the place but my fellow beer loving friend seemed pretty jazzed about. I met him on Adeline St. in Oakland just below 40th. For those not familiar with the area, you would get off at the Ikea exit on the eastshore freeway and continue to drive past Ikea until you are one block past San Pablo Ave…at Adeline St. Take a right and park it.
While most areas of Adeline seem a bit sketchy, this little bubble seemed relatively clean and safe. There was a modern condo complex across the street from the cafe had no discernable riff raff running around. I immediately noticed that this place was serious: a front patio eating/drinking area. Appropriate beer signage. When I got inside, I found a low lit place that is no bigger that the Trappist (minus their new space). My friends were waiting and they handed me the menu. I was pretty impressed by what I saw both on tap and in bottles. The food menu was short but well done….including mussels prepped a couple different ways. I would recommend checking out the website (linked above) and getting to know your way around before going there. Frankly, I was a bit dumfounded by what I stumbled upon and it took me a few minutes to come up with a beer to order.

I’ll keep it short because my visit was short. I was very impressed by Cafe Biere and I want to go back. The staff was knowledgable and friendly. The place had the “atmosphere” that you would expect in a good beer joint and the food was great.
Please click on the photos below for a higher res gallery to get a quick tour yourselves. Also check out their website and plan a visit to this area of Oakland for what my hometown is again showing how they are quickly becoming a beer destination.
Cheers.