Wild West by Brouwerij Alvinne

Wild West

The Wild West brings us connotations of cowboys, wrestling cattle and long beautiful sunsets as they set across the plains.  The raw smell of the men, unbathed for days, doing the gritty work that we have dreamed of but have avoided because it wasn't really our "thing." Not the stuff of Field of Dreams.

Well, this Wild West is entirely different. It is brewed by Brouwerij Alvinne and has the flavor of plums in it to create a unique sour ale. Yes, that is right, I said plums, the forerunner of prunes, and have wrapped them in a sour ale.

The result is a great sour ale that is smooth and wickedly alive at the same time. They take oak aged barrels and add about 15 kg of wild plums to each barrel. The taste really begins in the nose of the beer. You just get a feeling that the beer is waiting for you to get busy. It is a lot less sour than the standard ale because the plums have been used to absorb that standard sour ale taste. The taste is really a mix of different flavors over the top of a distinct plum base. Nice to the tongue!

Brouwerij Alvinne is located in Moen, Belgium and was founded in 2004 and moved to a new building in 2011. The Wild West with plum is set for 2015, but the 2014 beer sold out. Grapes and Blackthorn were planned for last year and a Kriek is on for this year. If they have half the luck that Brouwerij Alvinne had with plums, they should be looking to sell out as well.

Wild West comes with a 6% ABV and no IBUs.

This beer and others from Brouwerij Alvinne are sure to rank up there when debating great sour ales. Get a bottle and try it out. I think you will find it pretty delicious too.

Skal!
Brian

Peaches! Acres of Peaches! Peche Mel Scaldis by Brasserie Dubuisson

Peche Mel Scaldis

Peaches are a sign that Spring is just around the corner and that Summer is not far behind. This past Saturday, we (Linda and I) had a chance to have dinner at a new place in Baltimore called La Cuchara. After having had a Melchior (a strong Belgian ale by Brouwerij Alvinne) and having reported back favorably, the owner offered me a taste of Peche Mel Scaldis by Brasserie Dubuisson.

Now peaches are nothing new to me and I am a little bit leery of them because they are one of the fruits that can have a great taste or can have a poor taste depending on how they are handled during the flavoring process. Cherries and raspberries are OK, but peaches are kind of an "iffy" fruit.

So, I tried a sip of Peche Mel Scaldis. Peaches! Acres of peaches! Wow! This was certainly a fruit beer that was not to be believed. It tasted like a pure peaches with just a little alcohol and it continued to taste like peaches throughout. It was so good I could not believe I was drinking anything but a peach drink. Right down to the last drop, it was a peach.

I thanked the owner and made a note that Peche Mel Scaldis will be on my list for the summer and it should be on your list as well. Peaches! Acres of peaches!

Skal!
Brian