Mondial Review 1: The Best of the Europeans

Insofar as three days at this year's 20th Mondial de la Bière led me to 88 NEW tastings/reviews (if I count the single off-Mondial event I made it to) not counting another 10 with guests at home during the event and a handful I re-tried, I cannot possibly write reviews of all.

Moreover, though I was very responsible (with vitamins, water, pacing myself, etc) it is a lot to even offer substantial reviews of any though I did arrive with clipboard and prepared spreadsheet that returns full of the notes becoming these posts here.

Thus, my plan is not to even attempt full reviews (in number or depth) but rather to lend my praise to those stand-outs.  I had MANY solid beers that won't even be mentioned, and MANY I would grade a B/B+/A- though I will focus on those here I would give an A or A+ (and the occasional otherwise notable A-) which is generally above a 45 on the 50-point BJCP grading schema - an excellent grade in the ranks of stellar beers.  In this sense, I will simply gesture to the strengths of the best of the best, which this global festival provides, and in breaking them down by region rather than simply style, one can use this as a (very minimal) token travel purchase suggestion!

This is the first of a planned five posts to appear over the next week or so which will wrap up my Mondial experience:

1. This post of the Belgian/French/Italian stand-outs;
2. The next post of the (new-to-me) American standouts;
3. The third post covering the Quebec marvels;
4. The fourth post addressing the discovered gems from Brazil's booming craft beer scene;
5. The final post noting the best in styles (that I tasted) and considering the single off-site event I imbibed at.

Standing out most prominently for me from Italy were the following, in particular:

Birra del Borgo's Equilibrista (a 10.9% Wild/Sour Ale) delights me in a style one either tends to love or hate.  It pours a clear red body with strongly evident bubbly carbonation presenting a nose that (following this video) I delightfully and jokingly call hideously infected!  More precisely, though it lacks the funk of some wilds, the tartness almost prickles he nose hair, while it tastes of sour tart cherries and fermenting grapes, but not at all in a wine-like fashion.  A nice full body and a tingly carbonation round out this solid sour I'd gladly seek out again, and which well hides its alcohol in flavour and feel.  Grade: A/A+

Birra del Borgo makes the cut again with their solid, if not quite legendary, Hoppy Cat (a 5.8% ABV Cascadian Dark Ale or Black IPA) which presents some light particulate chunkiness in its dark body, while offering enticing aromas of pine and resin followed by a faint toastiness.  The taste is similar with a malty toast flavour at first, but one that is rapidly dried by a fairly bitter-and-yet-balancing resinous drying finish that has a substantial linger, despite an overly light and slightly watery body. Grade: A-

Finally, I come to Baladin's Wayan (a 5.8% ABV Saison) which is certainly unique, blended with many herbs and adjuncts and less hops than a traditional saison.  Lightly cloudy amber in colour, its nose is somewhat akin to the fruitier of saisons and blends it with the blonde ale faintness, with no hint of any barnyard funk.  Despite these style-atypical aroma weaknesses, the beer offers some unique fruity-spicy notes of lychee coupled with an indescribable funk somewhat between a barnyard essence and something near indescribable (for me) akin to floral  fermentation notes.  The crisp carbonation seems perfect for the quite dry finish (especially for a low-hopped beer) while the finish doesn't linger either appealingly or otherwise.  Grade: A-/A

France's token tasted offering showed strongly as well in Lancelot's XI.I (an 11.1% ABV Quadrupel).  This annual and limited production beer looks the part of a Belgian strong dark, while likewise presenting a plums and fig-centric nose with a hint of brown sugar.  Tastewise, malty-sweet raisins dominate, alongside a delectable full body with a creamy thick warmth and a dry (more Trappist than Abt) finish despite its sweet character.  A very solid offering here, if no Rochefort!  Grade: A-/A

I didn't try too many Belgian brews at this festival, even if I had a few in Belgian styles, yet I did try an epic one I had yet to buy.  Tops for me was that long-pondered (but usually more expensive than it should be - at least here) St. Bernardus Tripel (an 8% ABV Tripel).  Though not my favourite tripel ever, it exudes notes of fermenting apples which are also present to the taste alongside a drying floral addition coupled with spicy yeast.  The alcoholic bite is a bit more present here than in many 8%ers, but it is quite balanced and enticing nonetheless, coupled with its tingly-strong carbonation.  Grade: A-

Finally, I'd add in La Binchoise's XO (a 12% ABV Armagnac Barrel-Aged Belgian Strong Pale Ale) that presents a reddish body with noteworthy clingy lacing.  Woody notes and vanilla dominate the nose, while some mildly tart cherries greet the tongue in a complex manner evolving from a tempered sweetness to a spicy-dry yeasty finish, hoisted by a full body and present warmth.  Grade: A-

Next up... the brewers of the (not so) New World starting with the American craft behemoths!  Stay tuned.

Mondial Beer Review #4: Wheat Beers and Lagers

If you know me and/or read the blog often, you'll know there aren't too many wheat beers, witbiers, hefeweizens, etc that I will rave about, nor are there many lagers.  While the wheat beers I had (just two of them) were fine, they didn't blow me away (as few of these styles do - personal preference), but there was that one legendary lager, but I am getting ahead of myself.  Wait for it!

Yes, there are numerous beer styles in each of these lists and the categories are really broad, but as I had one witbier and one hefeweizen, and just 3 lagers, amalgamation of broader categories seems useful if overly simplistic.  If this bothers you excessively, you are way more of a beer geek than I and need to chill out and realize this is just a broad way to categorize my ratings!  Hopefully they offer you something and hopefully you share your thoughts in return!

Wheats and Wits and Weizens

Personal Best of the Fest: Le Saint Bock's Pénitente (5% ABV), a 'spicy' witbier, wasn't that spicy but did offer spicy aromas of ginger and pepper alongside an orange sweetness.  It poured a cloudy light gold with a fine fizzy white head, though with moderate retention and only slight lacing.  Flavorwise, I picked up little fruit aside from the citrus, but some light spiciness though it was fairly mild.  Fairly thin in body with an average amount of carbonation that fit well with the style.  Not my favourite style, nor favourite beer in the style, but certainly drinkable and would be pretty delightful to a fan.  Grade: B+


The only other wheat-based beer I had was the UFO Raspberry Hefeweizen (4.8% ABV) from Harpoon Brewery in Boston.  Unlike your typical raspberry wheat beer, this one was more beer than sweet fruity 'near-cooler,' but had a few shortcomings despite its strengths and hype.  Despite being a nice cloudy amber, it offers little in the way of head or retention, for starters.  The nose is almost cloyingly sweet of raspberry and nothing else - as if a sparkling soda - which just makes the balanced flavour all the more odd.  That is, in taste it offers a drier tart-like raspberry flavour with a drying citrus hops presence that is somewhat unique and, if not amazing to me, much more nuanced and complex than typical of the style... but it smells worse.  Maybe I just don't get it - and I admit that is possible.  With a light-to-medium body and a similar level of carbonation, it is fairly standard here.  The taste is good if not my thing, but the nose and head are so horrific as to give this beer a hit.  Some seem to love it, so take my notes with a grain of salt.  Grade: B-

Lagers

It may be more accurate if I called this category "Two pilsners and a schwarzbier," but the schwarzbier truly is in a class of its own!

Personal Best of the Fest: I was absolutely stunned and blown away by Rogue's Chatoe Rogue First Growth Dirtoir Black Lager (5.3% or 6% ABV, sources disagree), though not so blown away by its excessive name.  It pours a fine black with excellent mocha lacing, though the thickness of head and retention were tough to gauge since the poor pourer hindered me here.  Aroma is primarily of excellent coffee with traces of chocolate and bready malts.  Bitter espresso notes in the mouth are tempered by a semi-sweet dark chocolate and toasty breaded molasses hint.  Medium full bodied with fair carbonation leads to an almost spicy crispness on the tongue alongside a lingering finish that is as delicious and complex as the beer itself.  Hands down the best lager I have ever tasted.  Grade: A+

Lagunitas makes the list again as the first brewery to show up in all four reviews thus far with its Lagunitas Pils (a 6.2% ABV Czech Pilsner) that shows the standard golden appearance with a moderate white head of fair retention and lace.  Aromas are predominantly of grass and biscuits with a fairly sweet scent, though with a touch of sweaty, piney hops.  Flavour is spicy with just enough of an estery hops finish.  Crisp and refreshing - like a lager is presumed to be - with fair degree of carbonation.  Nice, just not my style.  Grade: B+

Finally, I come to Italian Brewer, Birra del Borgo's My Antonia (not to be confused with the Dogfish Head beer of the same name) (a 7.5% Imperial Pilsner) which pours a cloudy gold with a weak head of negligible retention and lace.  Aromas are predominantly of fruity-sweet and hoppy-sour citrus in balance, while the taste is very citrusy and drying - only vaguely different from an American IPA.  With a nearly medium body and average carbonation, it is as expected on the tongue, but though decent, not quite what was expected on the tastebuds.  Grade: B-

Okay, I am finally getting there on these reviews.  Two posts to go, Sours and Oddities, and final wrap-up!  I will be away for a few days and may not get to these right away, but bare with me and share some of your thoughts on these beers or others!