just peachy

On the last days of Labirratorium I thought I would help lighten the load of the shelves before they got sold off.  I was later than most, so it wasn't a surprise that there was already a lot of empty space.  There were still some venerable Belgian beers left, and one a peach Lambic, which I don't mind too much.  It's been quite a while since I've indulged in a traditional fruit beer, much less a Belgian.  I remember being pleased with Lindemann's, and Kasteel has received some rave reviews on certain Youtube channels.  High hopes for St. Louis Premium Peche.  This is in spite of it being in a refrigerator door for almost a year.

It's darker than I expected, but maybe that's the aging involved.  Still good head and it didn't explode with extra gases, so that's positive.  It has an almost nostalgic beery aroma, with a touch of peach in it, for some reason it brings the old Cervezorama to mind.  The flavor is very heavy on the fruit, and the beer even feels a little thick, full-bodied and not much of a summery whisper.  It isn't just sweet peach, it's almost natural with its sourness, and maybe that is a little aging going on.  It almost has a winey quality, more of a white than a red, but the foundations of the drink still let the grain shine through to remind you what you're really drinking.

Hey, it's spring, time to clean out the fridge?

not in a box

The only thing Valentine's day is good for is the discount chocolate the day after.  And actually, I have my doubts that there are going to be huge discounts, the way prices have been going.  Maybe people will have loaded up on chocolate beforehand, being the comfort food that it is.  Wary as I am of Belgian beers, when it comes to sweet ones that aren't pastry stouts, that's the first place you should look.  And Kasteel's Barista Chocolate Quad is right there to be seen.

Somewhat startlingly, the first impression is the smell of tootsie pop.  Then, the beer pouring out like tootsie pop infused water, but once in the glass it does have a comforting brown color and reasonable head.  A good close-up sniff brings out more depth of chocolate, which I hope is a good sign.  Chocolate is front and center in the flavor, better and butterier than tootsie pops thankfully, but with that little Belgian tang at the end.  It's not actually that strong and it balances the sweeter chocolate flavors well.  There's even a little puff of smoke that seems to waft up after the swallow, so it's no one dimensional beer.  At a fairly strong 11%, it's the kind of beer that makes you want to cuddle up next to somebody and fall asleep, if you don't have a whole queue of Youtube to watch for the week.

Supplier: Lambeer

Price: €3.25