A week of wonderful Beers!!

  This week seems to be about the holidays and beer. Saturday we went to Monk’s Café in Philadelphia to try some of the wonderful beers they have on tap. We had heard about this place for a while and it’s rated one of the top places for beer. So off went. When we arrived we were a bit surprised at how small the place actually was. There is a small bar in the front with a few tables than another bar in the back also not very large. But all the different beers on tap and in bottles certainly made up for size. 

 

   We tried the Corsendonk Christmas Ale, from Belgium. It’s a rich dark brew with aroma of chocolate malt and spices. The spices are wonderful in this beer making it a joyous brew which to celebrate the holiday season.  

    We also had the Noel de Greants- Amber color.  Medium body.  A bit of fruit in the nose (from the yeast) and spice from locally harvested herbs,  Not one of those sweet holiday ales. This finishes on the dry end of the spectrum.

     But the one I liked the most was the Brasserie Cazeau Saison – This beer comes from Templeuve, Belgium and monk’s gets one keg which was tapped just before Thanksgiving. It has a medium body, hazy golden color with a good amount of hops & a delicate fruitiness from the yeast. It was just yummy.

All About Beer magazine lists this as one of the Top 10 Places in the World to have a beer before you die. I guess we have 9 more to go.

   http://monkscafe.com

One Monday we were out doing some Christmas shopping and were close to another place we have wanted to try Sly Fox. Sly fox is located in Phoenixville & Royersford, PA. They are a brewpub with some wonderful crafted beers.  We tried 3 of their beers today and enjoyed all of them. We will be back.

             Christmas Ale

This malty, full-bodied red ale was made with traditional mulling spices: Ginger, Clove, All Spice, Cinnamon & Nutmeg. If this one doesn't get you into the Christmas spirit, you truly are a Scrooge.
              Rt. 113 IPA
A big, flavorful IPA for all the hopheads out there, brewed with imported Pale and Crystal malts, and hopped with Centennial, Cascade, Columbus, German Northern Brewer, & UK East Kent Goldings. Bold and spicy.
                Oatmeal Stout
An English sweet stout to compliment our standard Irish dry stout. It is brewed with English pale, caramel, and chocolate malts. All English hops were used: Target for bittering and a small East Kent Goldings addition for aroma. 55 lbs. of flaked oats were added to the mash giving this full-bodied beer its silky texture, smooth taste and delicate finish.

http://www.slyfoxbeer.com

    The best was yet to come. After watching the new show Brew Masters on discovery channel we learn about Bitches Brew. This is a newly created ale from Dogfish Head Brewery in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

  This beer was made in honor of the 40^th anniversary of the original release of Bitches Brew album by Miles Davis in 1970. Bitches Brew by Dogfish Head was first unveiled June 5, 2010 at the Savor, An American Craft Beer & Food Experience hold at the National Building Museum in Washington DC. Since then this beer has been in high demand. With only a limited amount made only a few wholesalers were able to get a case or two. Somehow we were able to find one and waited all day Tuesday for its arrival. It was tree trimming night which is always a festive occasion but once the case arrived it made it so much better. We couldn’t wait to try it and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Bitches Brew is a bold, dark beer that’s a fusion of three threads of imperial stout and one thread of honey beer with gesho root. It was delicious! What a great beer to commemorate Miles Davis 40^th anniversary of Bitches Brew. 

Thank you Dogfish Head. 

 

 http://www.dogfish.com