OK. You’ve been to your local beer store, looked at the selection of strange labels on the imported beer wall, grabbed one, thought better of it, put it back, and then went on over to the cooler to pick out a Heineken. You congratulate yourself for trying something that’s not Budweiser.
Meanwhile, the beer gods cry.
If you really love beer, or want to develop a taste for some great beer, you’re going to have to take some risks. Taking risks also means you will eventually try beer that you will not like. The good thing about trying bad beer is that no matter what, it increases the range of your palette and that’s never a bad thing. Take heart, though: there is a reason all those strange beers are on the shelf. Most of them are good… really good.
The following four reviews are for beer from the same brewery. If you’ve been to a decent beer store, you’ve most likely seen these on the shelf and thought that maybe the Liberace lookin’ guy on the bottle just wasn’t for you. I’m here to tell you that just because someone looks like Liberace, it doesn’t mean he can’t make awesome beer.
Reviewed in no particular order, all drunk from an official St. Bernadus chalice.
St. Bernardus Pater 6. Belgian Dubbel. 6.7%ABV. Brouwerij St. Bernadus NV.
Pours dark amber when held to the light.
Smell has sweet malt, mellow incense, and rye.
If you have ever attended Catholic Mass, you will recognize the incense taste and smell. It infuses the beer wonderfully. The cloyingness of the incense is balanced perfectly by heavy caramel and rye. The mouthfeel is light and dry. Intense carbonation prickles on the tongue.
This beer is very well balanced. New complexities keep rising as the chalice is drained. It is very surprising that even though the beer has so many sweet characteristics, it is never cloying.
A word of caution: do not drink this after coffee. It tastes like barf.
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