Happy New Year! If I told you Belgium only produces 1% of the world’s beer, would you believe me? It’s a mind-boggling fact that took even me by surprise. In fact, there are more breweries in Oregon than there are in all of Belgium. Belgium’s beer is best described as a combination of innovation and tradition. One brewery, established in 1988, best represents that very intersection. Fantome brewery is known for their unique variations of Farmhouse ale/saisons and luckily for us we get to experience them together. The second beer in this month’s selection is from a Canadian brewery founded in 2004. Les Trois Mousquetaires (want to take a guess what that translates to?) produces a range of beer styles from hefeweizen, maibock and doppelbock to gose and porters. Their baltique porter/imperial dark lager is a beer that has won them very impressive accolades, some of which include gold medals from beer competitions in the U.S and Canada. Though we enjoy our domestic beer, it’s nice to see what the rest of the world has to offer.
Cheers!
Brendon
Beer & Spirits Enthusiast
Location: Belgium
Beer style: Farmhouse Ale/Saison
Hops: N/A
Serving Temp: 38-45F
Tasting Notes: A pure, classic example of a traditional Saison. Aromas and flavors of wheat, pear, lemon, orange and melon.
Les Trois Mousquetaires "Porter Baltique"
Location: Canada
Beer style: Dark Lager
Hops: Nugget & Cascade
Serving Temp: 38-45F
Tasting Notes: A robust dark lager inspired by Porters produced around the Baltic Sea. This beer is elegant and possesses extremely well integrated malt flavors of coffee, chocolate and vanilla. Hints of smoke are attributed by the cherry-wood smoked malt used during the brewing process.
