Hip Hops

I have a summer project. It stems from when I was 16 and going to the National Hotel in Calgary to see my friend's band play. I didn't have an allowance, so had to watch my pennies, and the beer was cheaper than pop at this particular establishment. So you can imagine how good it was. As a result, I came to loathe beer. Since I was having some success overcoming my distaste for white wines, I decided it was time to take on my long-time palate nemesis.

My pal Suresh was very excited to hear about this and offered to take me and some other folks out to Beer Bistro for a tasting flight. For $6, you can choose any 3 of their extensive draught list, and the servings are quite generous. Since I've determined that the bitter hops is the flavour that turns me off beer, I tried to choose ones that downplayed that element.

1. From lightest to darkest, first up was the McAuslan St-Ambroise Apricot Wheat Ale from Québec:
   
   
   
   • very pleasant apricot nose
   
   
   • lovely tawny colour
   
   
   • full bodied
   
   
   • strongish bitterness at the back
   
   
   • silky mouth feel
   
   
   • fruity at the tip of the tongue
   
   
   • still too beery a taste for me
   
   
   
   


2. Next was Blanche de Chambly from Québec
   
   
   
   • light, floral nose
   
   
   • golden, straw colour
   
   
   • no bitterness, but not much of anything else, either
   
   
   • that it's unfiltered contributes to the trace of weight
   
   
   • hint of pear, lemon on the outside
   
   
   • This beer definitely got more complex the longer it sat. Perhaps it needs to oxidize, like a wine?
   
   
   
   


3. I ended with Koningshoeven Dubbel Trappist Ale from the Netherlands
   
   
   
   • This was definitely my favourite of the three
   
   
   • gorgeous ruby colour
   
   
   • deep, sweet caramelly nose with hints of berries
   
   
   • perfect amount of bitterness - dark chocolate?
   
   
   • molasses prevalent to balance that bitterness
   
   
   • very rich, so definitely a sipper
   
   
   
   

While I was happy to try these beers, and learned quite a bit from doing so, my real goal is to find a brand more readily available at both liquor stores and restaurants/pubs that I can be consistently happy with. The quest continues. What's your favourite brew?