So this is from Brasserie D'achouffe, from Belgium. There's an interesting story about this brewery, I'll give a shortened version, but you can find a longer version online. The founder of this brewery was on a nature hike when gnomes appeared to him and told him to make beer. Hence why all their brews have a gnome, paying homage to the friendly wood creatures who helped find his way. Me personally, I've always been drawn to gnomes. For a while, I ran a website called Lawn Gnome Kingdom (you can still find the Yahoo Group of it, although it's been horrifically over run with spam). Oh, the gnomes and I have been very close throughout the years, which makes me excited to try this for the first time. A Belgian IPA with a gnome on it. Game on. I've had other selections from them (La Chouffe, Mc Chouffe and N'Ice Chouffe), so I'm excited to try this.
And before we begin, yes, "Bizarre Love Triangle" is on constant repeat, blaring through the ear buds while my female counter part is chilling with our neighbor, waiting her turn to embrace the Gnome.
The pour on this is a very light straw color, almost what American piss lagers try to look like, but fail. Very farmhouse/saison in color. Decent amount of stark white head that lingers on this 9%, 59 IBU beauty. The nose on this is heaven. There's light citrus, some spice, earthiness and faint sweeter malt. No one characteristic sticks out in the nose, melding in a perfect harmony, but nice and light, not assaulting on the olfactory senses. The initial sip on this is that I just walked through a field with gnomes. Playfully dancing on my taste buds, playing gnome games in my mouth (that's what she said). This is very light for a 9% brew. Initially there is Belgian yeast strain taste (the spice, the light banana), which builds while the hops make their citrusy presence known. Some slight grass taste makes the journey, from time to time, reminding you of the gnomes dancing. The mouthfeel is slightly creamy, yet, this finishes dry, making you long for more. This is good, no, this is damn good. So good, it makes you long for more on the taste buds. So good, you switch to A7X "Unholy Confessions," as this seems like something you'd confess to at your church. It makes me feel slightly dirty for liking it so much, as it's not one of my Flying Dog flavors, but I swear i'm not a whore for cheating on FD.... God damn it. I'm finger drumming to the Rev's amazing drumming.... If you've heard "Unholy Confessions" you know the part I'm talking about.
I seem to be getting sidetracked as the 9% makes the journey into the sweet foggy haze that loosens your mind and allows the creativity to flow. Yes, it's that good. Happy Gnome Week and YARRR! Ye best be celebrating the day of scalawags and plundering. I hand over control of this ship to my main wench.
5/5 caps
-Nathan-
Ahoy! The Wench speaks!!!! My First Natey now has shoulder cat (his Gia is literally sitting and riding around the house on his shoulder), a la a parrot on his shoulder -- according to him, she ate the parrot, so maybe I should check out this amazing beer again. You see, I first encountered this at a beer training program, a year and a half ago. One whiff, and I was in love like Keira Knightley was in love with Orlando Bloom during the first couple "Pirates of the Carribbean" movies. My sample was gone faster than some booty that had been plundered. Not mine, though. Oh no, First Natey, not mine. For a change.
It's a lovely golden straw color with some white head that remains, even after an hour-ish of sitting at room temperature and with the 9% ABV. The nose is freshly mowed grass or perhaps lemongrass and caramel-y notes. A perfect balance of hops and malts, if you will. Taking a sip, there's a faint banana/clove hint at the front, followed by a vaguely toasty note, followed by that lemongrass sort of flavor. It's like a gnome skipped across this IPA after frolicking in the fields with Bacchus. Dionysius. Ninkasi. Insert beer god/dess here. It's perfectly carbonated, light-bodied, and an all-around great beer. Later, much later, there may be an earthy note that creeps across the palate to remind you of the grassy fields where the brewer met the gnome that begat this beer.
This is such a great summer sipper, it's perfect to enjoy on those last few days of official summer, when the early-autumn chill is affecting the weather. The daily high might be mid-80s, but it drops well into the 50s at night. The daily high temperature might hit for a minute or two, instead of for hours on end when you feel like your skin and internal organs are melting from a hot flash. And ten minutes later, you're freezing from the temperature drop to the point where you don the penguin-adorned fuzzy pants, as Mr. First Natey has done. Sigh. Midwest pirate problems. Yarrrrrr. Avast, mateys! Find me more of this!!!!
4.9/5 caps
-Jennie
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