eleven grinches grabbing

On the eleventh day of Beermas I went and bought for me

Eleven alarms peeping 

Ten lords a-leering 

Nine sinfully good black beers 

Eight lizards leaking

Seven feathered friends a-fluttering

Six phoenixes rising

Five photographic plates

Four flying saucers

Three sunny toucans

Two dogs in costume

And a lone eagle flying free

Ah, the end comes so quickly sometimes.  Yet another Beermas nearly past.  I had some difficulty finding musical beers, as you might have noticed, but at least this one is amusing: The Greench Stole X-mas.  This DDH Double IPA from Uiltje has one of their eye-catching labels and odd but somehow fitting names.  What's so fitting about the Grinch, er Greench, and pipers you ask?  Well, ever set off a burglar alarm?  That's some set of pipes, albeit electronic ones.

The aroma is immediate and piney.  It's a pretty light looking beer, sort of a dark yellow.  Perhaps on the bubbly rather than the heady side.  It's a juicy sip, a blend of citrus and beeriness, a lot like a NEIPA.  There are hints of tropical fruits in there too, so it's a modern IPA all the way.  While clean and smooth drinking, there's a heft to it that leaves you knowing you have a real beer in your glass.  There is a little bit of build-up of bitter as you drink, keeping the back up your tongue from getting to complacent and letting the Grinch sneak in.  Although for the life of me I don't know what the Grinch would want down anybody's gullet.  I don't think Whos are personifications of gut fauna.

and 1

This is the last beer from Espuma.  Sigh, things come and go.

It's another black beer, and I thought it said pastry stout when I first picked it up but then I saw it was...Panty Stout?  Ok, that's new.  It's from Oedipus, a Dutch brewery, and those northern countries do have a knack for black beers, so I think it will be just fine.  Especially to go with the black days of a virus apocalypse. 

Stockings over your face might be more protection.  You look more dangerous to germs.

Oh, it's extra sweet in smell, makes me think again that it was meant to be "pastry".  It's not a perfectly black beer, more of a superdark brown with a tannish head.  The head is quite exuberant, too.  After some moments of rest, the beer takes on a slightly citric touch in the aroma.  Then, the taste is surprisingly light and fruity.  Where's that pastry?  Orange marmalade tart maybe?  There is a swirl of bitterness and even a little smokiness hovering behind that tart surprise.  In some ways it's a nice change from the heavier, and much more chocolatey and coffee-dependent, stouts of late.  It has a bright and snappy flavor, making it quite suitable to sit with on a sunny and unseasonably warm afternoon.  The hint of bitter makes for a nice balance so it doesn't get overly tropical.  Overall, it goes down very cleanly and easily.  A nice all-year beer.

Supplier: Espuma
Price: €1.65

eleventhly

On the first day of Beermas I went and bought for me
A bird dropping beads on the street
Two turtledoves
Three Belgian roosters
Four birds calling for blood
Five rolling blings
Six geese parading
Seven mermaids bird flipping
8 breakfasts steaming
Nine drinkers dancing
Ten boars a-drinking
Eleven pipers charming

After many frustrated searches the snake popped up like magic.  While some might not call the instrument a pipe, it's close enough for me, especially considering what medieval pipes tended to be like.  White Mamba from Two Chefs Brewing looks like a light note to close out my Beermas, even with one day left.  It's a witbier, something shiny and bright for the new year.

Light straw yellow color, bright white head, and tangy citrus aroma.  The taste matches quite closely, with a hint of bitter under an orange fuzz.  At first it feels pretty light, but grows in body with time.  Doesn't get to an explosive point, though, staying smooth and easy drinking.  It's supposed to be strong on the flavor, but I think I've had stronger ones.  Still, it's cuddly and a little thrashy, like the happy snake on the front.

Supplier: Espuma
Price: €2.89

fourthly

On the first day of Beermas I went and bought for me
A bird dropping beads on the street
Two turtledoves
Three Belgian roosters
Four birds calling for blood

It says Bird of Prey on it, even though it looks like a superhero, so there must be blood involved.  It's from our old friends Uiltje, who have created some wild things in the past.  I am looking forward to this IPA.   Ah, there's another reference to superheroes on the can - if not stored properly it will turn to kryptonite.  Not to mention it starts out supernatural!

Says right there

The way the bubbles come up, it looks like a very weighty kind of beer.  It's one of those golden IPAs, and transparent to boot.  Good head, nice and white, sticks around for a while too.  There's an almost spicy aroma over the standard citrus, promising a good blend of bitter and sweet.  Indeed, it's a blend of mandarin tanginess and grapefruit bitter, very fruity and citrusy, but in noticeably different ways.  It is, perhaps, just a little thinner than I expected, but it's still substantial and no wispy, watery thing.  I have the feeling that this is a beer that could stand up for itself, outweighing snacks and dominating a conversation.  Saving you from a boring one is something a superhero ought to do!

Supplier: Más Que Cervezas
Price: €3.27

black beer flowin' sweet thing

It's still fall, so it's time for rain.  Not right now, but the clouds certainly seem to promise some moisture later.  It's a good time for a good dark beer.  I went overboard a little, perhaps, with Kees' Caramel Fudge Stout and its heavy dessert of a beer.  On the other hand, it might not be as heavy as I expect.

Darlin'

Maple syrup colored, burnt caramel maybe, strongly sweet aroma.  It has more of a brown ale appearance than stout.  I get something of a barrel aged sensation from a close-up whiff.  At first the taste is like that too, kind of woody, but that's quickly overwhelmed by a caramel sweetness.  Then, a toasty sort of flavor comes out and smooths over everything.  The stout part only comes out at the end, and anchor to the wild candy of the first sip.  Does it go with marzipan?  It's the good German stuff, so if it's going to it'll be with this.  At first the marzipan (chocolate covered at that) brings out more bitter in the beer, which I find quite pleasant, but then the beer's own caramel fudginess reasserts itself, but in a tangier way.  I don't think I'll try that again.  Maybe with a more bitter chocolate we would have a fine pairing.

Supplier: Be Hoppy
Price: €5.20

no 8 ball?

So I guess the whole weekend is going to be chilly and rainy, with some blustery winds blowing about.  Hell, that's fine with me!  All the better for sitting down with a nice stout.  Billiard Imperial Coffee Oatmeal Stout was noticeable in a sea of color for its somewhat stark label.  The two dimensional black and white is probably what a lot of people are feeling these days, but I'm just looking forward to my stout.

Like she doesn't even realize what she's pouring the coffee into...

It has a somewhat penetrating smell, on the heavy sweet side of the stouts.  It's pretty close to pure black, just a tiny bit of light around the bottom.  Nice, mousse-y looking head too.  If I get my nose right over it, I am pretty sure I smell more of a raisin aroma than the more common honey or sugary sweetness.  The taste is an interesting blend of flavors coming and going, starting out mildly sweet but escalating into a coffee-like bitter.  Then some fruitiness comes out to finish off the swallow.  The aftertaste is sort of...grapey.  It's a smooth beer, but the bitterness adds some bristle to it, so it's not one that would slide down before you knew it.

Supplier: Más Que Cervezas
Price: €4.26

may the fourth...

Although I didn't find anything worthy of Star Wars Day, or Cinco de Mayo to be honest, something about this bottle made it appropriate for May Day.  I think it was the phrase at the bottom:

"Coworkers, let's join forces and create craft."  Kinda reminds me of this.  Also, Yankee Punch is just daring you to not think of riotous strikes.  Now, this is not an American beer, but Dutch, and Jopen seems to take pride in a rather unique bottle style.  I will feel a little bad when I recycle it. 

This is not just a New England IPA, but a double NEIPA, so I'm guessing it might be heavy on the juice.

Immediate scent sensation, a heavy and sweet kind of citrus.  On the perfumey side, actually.  Color is very light for the aroma, kind of a straw gold.  Head looks pretty good, fluffy and resistant.  The taste is heavily citrus, leaning strongly on the sour rather than the bitter.  It's one of those mandarin orange flavors, fooling you into thinking it will turn sweet, but it just stays tangy and sour, in a pleasant way I hasten to add.  A touch of bitterness does start to develop in the aftertaste, but that stays pretty light.  Honestly, I don't find it particularly tropical, as the label hints, but it's definitely fruity and in line with other NEIPAs, although maybe a little headier and on the clear side in color.  The doubling adds a bit of weight to it; a lot of NEIPAs are kind of heavy in spite of the juice, but this one is a formidable drink.

Supplier: Cerevisia
Price: €5

birds of a feather

I wandered around Cerevisia a little bit, trying to make up my mind.  So many choices - stouts, ales, lambics - from so many places.  Finally, I settled on Beech Smoked Bock, mostly because of the label.

I've never smoked beech myself, but hey, Dutch...

It's a collaboration between two proven breweries: La Quince and Uiltje Brewing Company.  According to the label, the beer was actually made in the Dutch facilities, probably just with input from La Quince.  It seems they were tickled to find they had the same mascot.

It's kind of a watery brown, which makes me pause, but the head is abundant and fluffy, and the smell hints at something memorable.  The taste of smoked meat, bacon or some similar, greasy cut, is evident from the first sip.  There's a mild bitterness too, but mostly smooth smokiness.  As a bock, I expected a little more sweetness, but that beech smoking outweighs any of that.  Some smoked beers rely a little too much on the meatiness, but this one stays smooth and easily drinkable.  Probably not the best choice solo, but accompanied by some salty snack, or with a grilled meal, it could be an excellent choice.

Supplier: Cerevisia
Price: €3.70

always something new

I have not been keeping up with my beer store obligations!  There are two that I never saw before, one of which already closed.  But, the other is a Belgian specialty store, La Maison Belge, filled with beers of the low countries, several shelves of wine, and a table of chocolate.  It's a little too hot for me to risk the chocolate, even Belgian chocolate (drool), since I had other errands to run.  But, the helpful shopkeeps found me a stout to take.  It's actually a Dutch beer, Maximus Stout 8, but close enough to Belgium I guess.  They must have the Dutch beers for the people who aren't quite sure about the typical Belgian sour.

Something wicked?

First impressions: stouty smell, sweetish but earthy, fine and resistant head, dark brown rather than black color.  Going well so far.  The taste is bitter at first, but with a hint of sweetness, shifting quickly to a dark chocolatey flavor.  In spite of the obvious stoutiness, it's a rather light beer, with the taste clean and unlingering, and delicate to begin with.  The head holds up, reducing but not disappearing, and the taste stays pretty much constant.  It does lose a little bit of sweetness and start tending to sour towards the end, but still a fine summer stout overall.

Supplier: La Maison Belge
Price: ~€3.40 (someday asking for receipts will be a habit)

Beermas Day 4

On the fourth day of Beermas I poured out for me
Four calling birds
Three speckled hens
Two flightless non-doves
And a pear cider fresh from the tree

Hah!  There's no cheating at all with this one!  Look at that label and tell me that's not a calling bird!  I did hesitate a little before snatching up the orange and coffee oatmeal stout, mainly because of the orange.  Real oranges are good, orange soda is good, but orange in the vicinity of anything even remotely chocolatey puts me off.  Still, how can you resist that name?  F*ck The Christmas Tree Is On Fire!!!  That's a Christmas for the movies.  I hope it's not something the Dutch have to put up with regularly.

It has an exciting consistency, strong color, and thick head.  It looks just like a stout should look, and while there is a noticeable orange perfume, it's not as overwhelmingly citrusy as most craft IPAs.  At first I get a light milk chocolatey taste, but it's quickly overcome by bitter orange.  Yes, the orange is there, but heavily influenced by coffee.  I'm not displeased by it, as I feared I might be, in fact it is a festive little beer without making too much of the unusual citrus addition.  It's smoky like a good stout, too.  It's got something for everyone!  Well, ok, not so much for teetotalers.  I would not be upset to see a couple of these under the tree some Christmas morning.  Wait...

The what tree??

Supplier: Espuma
Price: €3.95

Beermas Day 2

On the second day of Beermas I poured out for me
Two flightless non-doves
And a pear cider fresh from the tree

Ok, so an ostrich isn't a dove of any kind, nor is it a turtle, but they lay their eggs in a dirt nest like turtles do!  So there, a connection.  There are actually a lot of birds on beer labels, but not so many that are exactly the same as in the song.  There's certainly no ostrich, but it's just such a fun bird.  Several types of the Dutch Struis were hanging out on the shelves, but I picked up the one that was among the stouts, for obvious reasons.  I don't see it call itself a stout or porter anywhere, but I'm willing to give it a chance.

The scent of chocolate is strong, but the brown is a little lighter than is comfortable for a stout or porter, at least for me.  The head is fluffy and off-white, and resistant.  Once in the glass, the smell is closer to typical Belgian beers, being sweet and identifiably fruity.  I believe I detect some apple in there.  The taste is also Belgian, with a fermented but candied fruitiness that goes down quickly, but leaves a little bit of sourness that intensifies a few seconds later.  It doesn't seem quite right to call it an aftertaste, as it feels almost like a different taste altogether, appearing in the front of the mouth like it does.  While not the smoky or bitter stout I was hoping for in the back of my mind, there is a certain holiday cheer to the Struis flavor, not as deeply alcoholic as a glühwein, but certainly spicy sweet.  Kind of a fruitcake in a glass.

Supplier: La Tienda de la Cerveza
Price: ~€3.50 (Christmas surprises...)

breakfast in a bottle

Craft beers do have a way of creating memorable names and labels.  I can't help but pick them up, even the silly ones.  Or is it especially the silly ones?  Full English Breakfast Ale looks to be at least something you don't have everyday.  It lists tea and beans among the ingredients, which might make some people pause, but at this point, I say why not?  There's a rather complete suggestion label on the back, urging the buyer to drink up if the bottle contains an ale, but saying a stout or barleywine would be fine hanging around for a while.  Since this is an ale,  I better get to it.

You can ask how many sips to the bottom of the glass, but he won't tell you

The first whiff is all ale, sharp and slightly citrusy.  The beer has an orange tint and a rather fluffy head, very resistant.  It starts out quite bitter, much like the majority of craft IPAs, but there's an undercurrent of sweetness with a floral touch.  I wait expectantly for more of the breakfast to make its appearance, and maybe the tea contributes to the bitterness while the marmalade is responsible for the following sweetness.  The beans are probably too subtle to notice, being eating beans and not coffee beans.  A pleasant beer, although I expected a little bit more extravagance.  Can't have everything I guess, and I never have heavy breakfasts anyway.

Supplier: The Beer Garden
Price: €4

blackened breakfast

Who can resist an oatmeal stout?  It's breakfast and dinner at once!  They also tend to have a distinct sweet bent, which is often something I'm looking for in the evening.  This one had a label that provokes curiosity.

It's a flaming smile, right?

It's like chocolate syrup coming out, with a slight fuzzy head.  The sweet chocolate smell wafts out too, as soon as the bottle is opened and taking a whiff from the glass.  It has a sweet first taste, somewhat syrupy, but with a bitter undertone.  The bitter never takes over, it remains essentially a sweet beer.  After a while the taste gets sharper, with just a bite of sour, but always smooth and easy going down.

tiny differences

Jopen's RPA has a colorful, happy label, and was the first RPA I remember seeing.  Always gotta try new things!  It has a little bit of a sour smell, reminding me of many Belgian beers, and comes out looking herbal.  Deep tan and a slightly dirty looking head.  The taste is just like an IPA, except for some high note that hits the palate and lingers.  Maybe influenced by the color, I keep thinking of grasses or health juices.  Very satisfying flavor, probably more like Flipa than anything else.  For me, it provoked a craving for something savory and spicy, so a little chorizo was a nice makeshift tapa tonight.

Chorizo not shown, sorry