Twenty Eighth Meeting

Here we are at Chef Belfry's house. As is his wont, he presents us various cheeses, preserves, and pretzels of pickled origin. Tonight's theme is "Brent A Beer," which is a nod to Brent never having given a beer an A in beer club. There will be a lot of offerings tonight all meant to tickle his fickle palate. Let's get this started.

Beer one: Belfry brings us North Coast Pranqster, which is a Belgian Strong Pale Ale. This hazy yellow brew is 7.6% ABV. This is a really solid beer, IMHO. Mike this it's good, but not great. Same with Belf. Good drinkin'. It's rating time.

BPA: 3.36

Next up is one of my personal favorites. I knew this is an A before it was uncorked. Duchesse de Bourgogne is a Flanders Red Ale that comes in at 6.4%. Corky cagey. It pours a dark red num num num num. It smells like tart cherries. Oh boy this is good. My side beer is Deschutes Dissident, which is about the same style, and I would actually say the Duchesse is better.

BPA: 3.88

Thirdly we have Lampe's offering. He brought us a beer from Odell's Woodcut Series, which is a Double Marzen, or basically an Imperial Oktoberfest. This one is 11%, which is pretty much unheard of for a lager. It pours pretty dark for an oktoberfest. It's pretty sweet, oaky, and caramelly with an alky finish.

BPA: 3.41

Brent brings us The Bruery Rugbrod, which is a rye ale. This one is a solid 8% and is the first of 2 Bruery offerings tonight. If Brent can't bring an A beer to the "Bring a beer that you think Brent will give an A" theme, he has a horrendously low self-esteem. It's hard to describe the flavor of this. On to the ratings, stupid.

BPA: 3.09

Our first and only Double IPA of the night is Boulevard Double Wide IPA. This one is 8.5%. High alcohol seems to be a common theme tomorrow. It smells like hop syrup. A nice amount of citrus and hops. Time to rate.

BPA: 2.93

Our next beer is Odell DeConstruction Ale. It labels itself a Golden Ale, but BA lists it as an American Strong Ale. It's 10.5% and is a blend of a few types of beer. It pours a cloudy yellow color. Boy, this is tasty. It has a strong, light flavor similar to that of a Belgian Tripel. Brent just called Joe a fat slob because of his attendance. There is definitely a wild yeast presence in there. Early indications are that Brent will give an A.

BPA: 3.8

The next taste is of Delirium Tremens. It's another Belgian Strong Pale Ale comin' in at 8.5% ABV. It pours a pretty light color and smells of candi sugar. In the mid-90's, one of the earliest craft beer enthusiasts, Michael Jackson, labeled this the best beer in the world. Not this Michael Jackson, this Michael Jackson. It has elements of a tripel, but it's smoother. The 8.5% alcohol is completely undetectable.

BPA: 3.29

Last up, we have The Bruery Orchard White, which is a Witbier. This one is a meager 5.7% booze. How will I maintain my buzz? This smells like pineapple k2. This is extremely light and lemony. Very carbonated and full of lavendar. Mike loves lavendar. This is a strange beer indeed.

BPA: 2.94