17 April 2012
Starting this week off with a beer review. I like to try different types of beer, especially craft beers or microbrewery beers. It can be pricey but for me, buying a bottle of well-crafted quality ale for around 6 dollars is not considered too much of a strain on my wallet.
Today I am checking out a nice organic saison from Belgium. The DuPont Brewery, located in Toupes, Belgium, produces many fine ales and beers for local consumption and for export. They do not license brewing in other countries, keeping the brewing process a local effort. This Saison, named “Foret”, is an organic brew meaning brewed from organically grown hops and malts and is also brewed with artesian well water. I like that it comes with a cork top!
I like Saison Ales. They are a nice refreshing Spring/Summer ale and I love the spiciness that you can find in these ales. I am not a fan of this one though, at least not for drinking. It is light and I can sense that it could be refreshing on a hot day to drink, provided it is served cold the way we like it here in America. It has the quality of “light” beer and I get its spiciness and the tartness from the hops but it is not pronounced enough for me. I think this beer would be well enjoyed by those that drink a lot serious wines or even champagnes. It has a curious after or under taste that for me, kind of turns me off. It’s like if you ever stand next to a horse and he urinates, the smell of the horse urine is almost the taste of this beer. That was my first thought when I drank this ale. Nonetheless, I finished the bottle as I do not throw away beer. The more I drank, the better it seemed. It is a smooth ale almost like a Krolsch fashion (Stella Artois) and I think that cooking with this beer would be better.
I also rate beers with what I call the “2 beer buzz” scale. How much of a buzz do I get from 2 beers? Foret comes in a 1 pint 9.4 ounce bottle. I got jack from this one!!! Its alcohol content by volume is listed as 7.5% so ideally I should have gotten a little twinkle in my eye. Again, I got nothing! Squat!! At $10.86 for the bottle it was in my range of what a good beer should be priced considering, I was able to fill my mug up to where I like it, about ¾ full, twice.
When I talk about beers and ales, I don’t typically offer up pairings suggestions or advice. That’s because I am a firm believer that, like wine, you should cook or drink with food whatever style and brand of beers and ales you think taste good to you. I can see cooking with DuPont’s Foret. In particular I could see cooking poultry or even some fish with it. Chicken and vegetable dishes braised in Foret Saison I think would be exceptional. But for drinking, I won’t be buying this one again.
Have A Blessed Day Ya’ll!
Today’s “Did Ya Know?” It’s National “Blah Blah Blah” Day!!!! Somebody talking too much? Give them the old “Blah Blah Blah!” Somebody blogging about nasty beer? Blah Blah Blah!!!! Wife telling everybody you don’t do nothing and are worthless? Blah Blah Blah!!!!! But whatever you do, don’t act like a cheeseball! Because it’s also National Cheeseball Day!!!! Is this a day for people that just seem to act like real dunderplusses all the time??? Hence the term “Sheesh, That guy is such a cheeseball!” because he was acting like a dunderpluss!! Or it could be for those great party snacks, where someone got the idea of taking a big glob of cheese, coating it with nuts and serving it with chips or crackers. Whatever your idea for Cheeseball is, it’s the day for it!!!! Blah Blah Blah.
Related Links:
About.com/Beer article on Saison ale:
DuPont Breweries Official Website (English):
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