Trois Monts, Old Stock Ale, and Bam Biere

So today is my birthday. I am not one for grand gestures, but I am all about grand beer. As a birthday treat to myself, I wanted to share with you, all of the beer that we have had recently that was truly above and beyond our expectations. Happy birthday me, and enjoy reading about beer! 

Brasserie de Saint Sylvestre, Trois Monts 8.5% abv Bière de Garde, brewed in the Flanders region of France where such beers are traditionally termed Bière de Garde. The name of the beer refers to three hills in Flanders, Mont Noir in Belgium and Mont Cassel & Mont des Cats both on the French side of the border.

The flavor is amazing; it reminded me of apples on a warm fall evening. Nice hops taste, light, and refreshing. Buttery taste...  it was wonderful. I do love a good yeasty beer.

The color was almost gold. I think that this will be one I keep an eye out for in the future. The more of these Belgian style beers, the more I fall in love with them. Simple ingredients, making a complex beer.

 

North Coast Brewing, Old Stock Ale 2012

This beer had a darker more rich color than I was expecting. Old Stock Ale has an alcohol per volume of 11.7 %, so it is more of a sipper. This beer has won many awards over the years, and has been highly regarded as a sophisticated and fantastic beer. There isn't much that I can say that hasn't already been said... but I will try anyways.

The rich malty flavor is wonderfully balanced, not a bitter beer at all. All of those chocolate flavors from the malts don't over power the fruitiness you get from the hops.

I didn't know before I opened it, that this beer is one that you are supposed to age... I guess I was too excited. The next bottle I get, and I will be getting one, will be stored for a while. I can't believe I just said that! I almost sound like a connoisseur. This was just an all around beautiful beer.

Bam Biere, Artisan Ale from The Jolly Pumpkin

Farmhouse style ale, bottle conditioned and dry hopped. This beer won a  bronze medal for Session Beer in 2009 at the Great American beer Festival. It is easy to see why. It was light, and mildly spiced. The mouth feel was refreshing, it didn't linger at all. At only 4.5% alcohol per volume, this would be a beer that would be extremely easy to drink for hours.

The story on the bottle said the brewery made this beer in honor of a Jack Russell that got hit by a car, and got back up like nothing happened. This was a fantastic beer. If you are looking for a good session beer, this is a good bet.