Today on the patio were chillin’ some brews. A couple of Belgian beauties.
Belgium is our favorite beer making country, followed closely by Germany and the good ole USA. Today, we’re trying an abbey brewed reserve ale and a Lambic. Both are readily available, today’s bottles came from Trader Joe’s.
The Lambic is Lindemans Framboise raspberry Lambic and the ale is Chimay Grande Reserve.
First the Lambic. These are mainly sour beers often fortified with fruit. Letty loves the sour Belgians, I think they taste like vinegar. It’s an acquired taste for me but some people really love it. This one is not sour, though. It’s actually pretty sweet and tastes more like a raspberry soda. Not sour enough for Letty and too sweet for me. The raspberries give it a deep red color and it looks like punch.
The Chimay is a rich, brown, smooth tasting beer. It’s not very clear, almost a Guinness like thick brown that blots out the sun. It is very smooth, like you’d expect a Belgian to be, and tastes just a little hoppy and a lot nutty. Not a bad brew but there are better out there, although they are not as readily available.
The Lambic is $8 and the Chimay $9 for a 750 ml bottle at Trader Joe’s.
Cheers!
Darryl
