Traveller's Tales #1: Los Angeles

I feel I haven't been fair with the lot of you; as I travel the countryside, I do go out of my way to sample the best beer, wine, and spirits that I can find where ever I land. I've been meaning to keep track of these things and share them here on the blog, but various distractions, bouts of laziness, and intoxication have kept me from making the proper recordings for posterity. I now intend to rectify this tremendous selfishness on my part.

Traveller's Tales are going to be down and dirty; whatever information I can get (be it from the bottle, the wine list, or the bartender) I'll dutifully record and pass on. Otherwise, it's going to be straight up tasting notes. For the record, I'm guessing the Traveller's Tales are going to consist primarily of beer recommendations; I've seen some remarkably bad wine lists lately, while a great many restaurants have begun pushing their extensive microbrew selections.

Maredsous 10

In their words:
A full-bodied TRIPLE with elegantly balanced sweetness, fruitiness, and hopping.

In my words:
The nose comes across quite simply: rich malt, a pleasant yeastiness, and just a hint of lime. On the palate you get all this plus dried apples and fresh cut wheat, delivered with a slightly raisiny character. The finish is round and full of dry hoppiness.

Unibroue La Fin du Monde

In their words:
The excellence of triple fermentation through a special blend of yeasts gives this malt beverage LA FIN DU MONDE (The End of the World) an exquisitely robust flavour of exceptional refinement.

In my words:
Another very simple nose; smoked cedar is accentuated by a faint yeastiness. On the palate the yeastiness is a little fuller, and the taste of dried apricots rises to the surface. La Fin Du Monde is very smooth, despite the driest of hop finishes, and quite savory.

Kasteel Rouge

In their words:
Belgian ale with cherries and cherry juice added.

In my words:
On the nose, cherry flavored Robitussin accompanied by a faint maltiness. On the palate you get this in spades. Kasteel Rouge was soft and round in the mouth feel; with little ABV, it seems made for dessert or easy drinking.

Gueuze Fond Tradition Lambic

In their words:
Bier van sputane gisting. Biere de fermentation spontanee. Spontanvergorenes Bier. Spontaneously fermented beer. Birra a fermentazione spontanea. Cerveza de fermentacion espontanea. Zutaten: Wasser, Malz, Weizen, Hopfen.

In my words:
An amazingly complex beer. The nose is slightly misleading; there's a mix of dried fruit (trail mix style), slight yeastiness, and an even fainter scent of hops. On the palate, however, these aromas become the beer equivalent of a fine champagne or cremant. Gueuze Fond Tradition Lambic is crisp, tight, and bright in the mouth feel with a long, clean finish. This would make an excellent aperitif.