March 15, 2014 Show

St. Patrick's Day is upon us and while broadcasting this morning the Scranton, PA St. Patrick's Day parade was underway, but the Beer Geeks decided to take a look at quality over quantity this week!

The Belgians are coming! The Belgians are coming! Do NOT be afraid though, embrace them and partake of the fruits of their labor!  This week we take a look at Belgian beers, 2 brewed in America and 2 brewed in Belgium (and the special 5th beer of course!)

Brewery Ommegang- Glimmerglass:  Brewery Ommegang has built a solid reputation on brewing amazing Belgian beers right here in the U.S. of A.  Their has been a lot of hype around their Game of Thrones beers, which the hype is justified, however the brewery is also still putting out some other new and fantastic beers, and Glimmerglass is one of them!  This is a Saison, many are familiar with Hennepin, a beer we covered on this show previously.  Compared to Hennepin, Glimmerglass is lighter in mouthfeel and ABV and is more in line with a traditional Saison.  The yeast strain is really prevalent in this beer and is an absolutely perfect spring beer!

Tröegs Brewing Company- Tröegs LaGrave:  Tröegs Is certainly not afraid to try anything and everything.  Their take on the Belgian Tripel style is very good and worth seeking out.  The subtle fruit flavors and yeast characteristic really shine through.  The only knock it had for us was that it was a bit over carbonated but certainly did not take away from the overall enjoyment of this fantastic beer.

Brouwerij Huyghe- Delirium Tremens:  a personal favorite of Dr. Johnny blindside, Delirium Tremens Has a cult like following    throughout the world.  The Belgian pale ale style differs a bit from the others in the flavors that come through.  The Belgian yeast is very pronounced within this beer, but gives off more flavors and aroma that are similar to honey, banana, and clove. Delirium Tremens is truly a world class beer.

Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat NV- Maredsous Brune - The style for this one is a Belgian Dubbel and Maredsous Brune falls well within the confines of the category.  Strong notes of dark fruits, molasses, Belgian yeast, and rich malts come through in both the nose and taste.  If you are fan of Belgian beers this is one to seek out!

This week's special 5th beer from the dark recesses of Derek's fridge:

Allagash Brewing Company- Allagash Black: A delicious Belgian stout rounds of this weeks look at Belgian beers.  The St. Patrick's holiday is upon us and stouts are seemingly everywhere, but nothing nearly as good as Allagash Black.  The strong chocolate, coffee, and roasted malts blend seamlessly with the Belgian yeast to create an extremely smooth beer. Allagash is known for their world class beers and you can certainly count Allagash Black as another world class beer!