oh hey!

I almost forgot about my chocolate stout!  Can you believe it?  My third acquisition from La Tienda de la Cerveza (where I got €0.05 off, because what's five stinkin' cents anyway).  I was looking for a nice dark beer to balance some of the lighter, tangier buys, and it was the chocolate that drew my attention.  Barista Chocolate Quad, from Belgian brewery Van Honsebrouck, sat enticing on the shelf in its little squat bottle.  I do have a history of being leery of Belgians, but I've been having good luck with them recently.

There's a puff of smoky dark chocolate as soon as the cap is loosened, which is definitely a promising start.  It's on the frothy side, but the fluffy head is attractive as it resembles whipped cream on chocolate pudding.  The beer is a nice, dark chocolate color, although not completely opaque.  Definitely a mocha smell to it; the taste also leans in that direction.  It's a little sweet for my taste, I could do with a bitterer stout, it makes it more like a coffee candy than a cup.  But that's Belgian beers for you, or for me at any rate.  

Supplier: La Tienda de la Cerveza
Price: €3.30

on top of the pre-sunday sundae

Another pick from the now defunct Cervezorama, St. Louis Premium Kriek was kind of a challenge for me.  I've had bad experiences with lambics in the past, but recently found a couple of good examples.

It has a strong cherry smell, not terribly sweet.  The beer is noticeably red, and the abundant head is also tinged with ruddiness.  The taste is sharp, cidery, not syrupy like many lambics, I'm pleased to find.  The aftertaste is exceptionally smooth and mildly sweet, reminding me a little of cherry yogurt rather than soda.  A cocktail of fruit develops in the taste after a good amount of the glass is gone, with hints of apple and grape.  Sometimes a little risk does have its reward.