Brasserie Beck visit, 11.20.07

1. St. Feuillen Noel (brown) - This is a good Christmas ale, roasted and malty. I would also call it raisiny. It has a sweet but not too sweet taste and a mildly interesting finish. I have trouble distinguishing it from other good (but not spectacular) Christmas ales; it's a step below the Corsendonk, that's for sure. 7/10.

2. Scotch de Silly (brown; "Scotch style" belgian ale) - This is ok but it's not that interesting. It has the mouth feel of a Stout, which is probably why The Beer Guy said it's phenomenal when it's on tap, and why I found it unimpressive and lacking in finish when it was poured from a bottle. It has a balanced malty sweetness to the taste, and I expect that English/Scottish beer drinkers would like it quite a lot. Me, though... not so much. 5/10.

3. Zinnebier - This is another dark-ish Christmas ale, with a little bit of dark fruit flavor and a lot of hop. It has a simply phenomenal nose, very herbal and floral, because of all the hops, which are different from the American-style hops that I'm used to, because of my U.S. microbrew drinking. I picked this beer, with the assistance of The Beer Guy, to be paired with a Bibb lettuce salad with beets and a vinaigrette dressing. I was trying for something that was a little malty and a little sweet, definitely dark and roasted, but not too potent. I think that in most ways it was a good pick - the only problem is, it was too hoppy to be served with food. According to The Beer Guy, this brewery hops everything a lot. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of hops. But they wash away the taste of the last bite of food you ate, completely. Beets and vinaigrette are both potent enough that you'll still taste them, but the flavors don't mesh at all, they just sort of take turns. So, a couple sips into it, I finished the salad with water and then enjoyed the beer. Overall, 6/10. If you like hops, definitely give it a shot.