Chilly Water - home of music, beer, good food....

We stopped by Chilly Water, 719 Virginia Av, Indy, just after the big lunch rush on opening day, Friday, June 27. This new brew pub scored a home-run on beer, food, and service as far as the two of us are concerned. That was true of the folks sitting next to us from Dallas, TX. also! The Texans just happened along, scored food they devoured, sampled beer and took a growler, and after asking how long CW had been open (counted almost in minutes as that point) said they hope they can make it back.

What may be unique for Chilly Water is the music! The 60 people who get in for the first show tonight (June 29) by 7:00 will hear David Gans, famous for hosting the Grateful Dead Hour (syndicated radio) and Tales from the Golden Road (Sirius Radio). Gans is a solid songwriter and guitarist from California who may have hung around with more bands as both musician and musical journalist than any other person. Owner and veteran brewer Skip DuVall loves music so much that bartender Phil may have been hired by wearing a Grateful Dead shirt and just ask Skip about the concerts he attends when you stop in. Skip plans for Chilly Water to be a relaxed local venue that includes occasional live music. cost for this first round is $20 at the door).

The beer: If I was forced to pick the beers I'd have on my next visit I'd pick the Built to Last Pilsner (5%) or the Sweet Revenge Pale (6.6%), but maybe on a nice summers day it would be... any of them. Seriously, we thought all were very good. The gal from Dallas gave an ultimate compliment without realizing it by saying the pale reminded her a lot of Sierra Nevada Pale; I agree; gold standard reached! Of course, it is a little different to show head brewer Dan Krzywicki's take on the style. A nice hop spice with malt balance. The Built to Last Pilsner is owner Skip DuVall's flagship from previous brewing experience but executed very well by Krzywicki. This pilsner fits between an American & German style as clean and crisp without the sweetness of any corn or rice and with just a very slight bitterness in the finish. The Harmonica Hefeweizen is a sessionable 4.8% alcohol delivering a citrus flavor with hints of clove; very refreshing for summer. The 5 String ESB (5.5%) is a delicious dark offering, maybe a little toasty for the style but sure to please a lot of palates looking for that dark grain flavor. On the hoppy end is a nice Space Circus IPA with, if memory serves me, Chinook, Cascade, and Columbus hops. Nicely balanced. This is a line up where we each got a sampler and each finished all of them gladly. Samplers are $7 for 4 4 oz. pours and pints are $5.25. Growler fills are $10, with the growler itself $4. Dan was brewing with Skip previously and now has about 3 years of brewing experience.

On the food side we tried the Ring of Fire panini sandwich with sliced salami, tasso ham, capicola, provolone, and pepperoncini (I had them hold the adobo aoli as I am not much of a fan). Terrific crunch of the fine bread, a river of flavor from the combination of meat and cheese with the final spice of the pepperoncini pepper. One was fine for two of us to share and every bite was truly enjoyed. Though the beer was terrific I'd consider going just for the food! The panini can come with home style kettle chips done just the way I like. Also on the menu are a cheese sandwich that almost lured me, a gourmet cuban, a chicken all dressed up with mozzarella, feta, and sun dried tomatoes, a cheese steak with provolone, some hummus, and a delight that I did not have the room or the guts to try called Skip's Balls - apparently a dessert concoction as 'flavor of the day.'

It was a pleasure to see veteran Anna (formerly at Rock Bottom) serving as well as Phil behind the bar, known at a couple of local watering holes. Friendly staff willing to make suggestions and who know their beer and food!

As I mentioned in my earlier blog (found here) Chilly Water will be an easy walk or bike ride from anywhere near downtown and has about 50 seats inside and some outside tables.

Hours are 11AM - 10PM T, W, Th, 11AM - midnight F, S, and normally Noon-6 Sunday except for music shows (like June 29).

For those into the specifics, the brewing system is 7 bbls. with 1 15 bbl. & 3 7 bbl. fermentors leading to plenty of beer flowing. They are serving out of 7 bbl. serving tanks and have capacity to run up to 8 beers on tap -- expect five to six regularly. The next beer up will be a MILD (think English mild), a sessionable, lighter alcohol but flavorful beer!

Find Chilly Water near Fountain Square in the Holy Cross/Fletcher Place area, just a ten minute walk from downtown. Bike parking available. Cars must park on the street, which has not been a problem even when we visited just as the rush calmed on Friday lunch hour.

Chilly Water to open near downtown, Speedway July Beer Fest, GPO beer contest, and more....

Chilly Water Brewing is the brainchild of veteran professional brewer Skip Duvall. It opens today (Friday, July 27) at 11:00AM, at 719 Virginia Avenue, about half-way between downtown and the heart of Fountain Square in what is officially the Holy Rosary Neighborhood but also identified as Fletcher Place by Indy Downtown, Inc. This is a great walk to or from a many places with a bike path and wide walk in front. The starting lineup of beers will be Built to Last Pilsner, Sweet Revenge Pale Ale, 5 String Hafe, Harmonica ESB, and Space Circus IPA.
This brewery has been months (and more) in the planning for Skip. Skip has experience from the old Alcatraz Brewing Company, one of the very early downtown Indy brewpubs. Skip took over for Omar Castrellon as Omar helped found Thr3e Wise Men (Omar this year returned to Little Rock after many years in Indy). Skip then moved to Fountain Square Brewing and eventually dreamed of his own place. The dream becomes a reality today with upscale panini sandwiches MENU HERE and five beers for now. I plan to be on hand today and plan to update on the beer and the food soon!

SUN KING's big SOLD OUT Fourth Anniversary party (which we have written about several times) is this Saturday afternoon and night with headliner entertainment, food trucks, and, um, beer. While popular Grapefruit Jungle will be available in pints and cans at the event, there are no growler sales until next week when it is released on Monday to bars and restaurants. For those with tickets, lawn chairs are allowed, and the event is rain or shine.

Sun King's TASTING ROOM is only open Noon - 3PM this Saturday (no loitering acceptable) due to their Anniversary Party! If you've not tasted Laverne and Shirley (I just love those names) these are best-friend beers brewed the same except different yeasts: Laverne is spicy as a Belgian blonde and Shirley is a crisp American lager. Great summer session beer at 4.1 & 4.6% respectively. Both in the tasting room and on tap at the party.

We know some people will be downtown Indy this evening (June 27) for Party on the Plaza 3:30-7 PM with beer flowing from Flat 12 Bierwerks, Fountain Square Brewing Company, Sun King Brewery, Bier Brewery, Triton Brewery, & Outlier Brewing Company as well as wine from Easley Winery. Don't have tickets yet? Party on the Plaza Tickets

Other beer news: we don't often catch personal news, but Scott Ellis, brewer at the RAM just had a baby! I think that is worthy of a MUG at the RAM.

LADIES: Name a Beer, For Girl's Pint Out Indy's FIFTH Anniversary! Deadline is fast approaching on Tuesday July 1 ENTER HERE: http://tinyurl.com/GPO5beer
and/or Name a Cocktail. Name the Cocktail here GPO will meet at Mass Ave Pub on Tuesday, July 16, at 6PM. click poster at right for more information

Scarlet Lane Brewing is already on tap at nearly FIFTY bars and restaurants around Indianapolis, and has a Tap Take Overs on Wednesday, July 2, at Fat Dan's Chicago Style Deli in Broad Ripple, and Friday July 11, 4:30PM - 10:30PM, at DC's Pub, 6537 Whitestown Parkway, Zionsville, IN.

A NEW beer festival has been announced by Daredevil Brewing, co-hosts. Hops & Flip Flops Festival will be held at the Dallara IndyCar Headquarters at 1201 E. Main Street, Speedway, where over 20 local, regional, and national breweries will provide samples of beer along with street vendors, music, food, and more from 5:30-10:00 PM. Proceeds benefit the Speedway Lions Club. Breweries such as Founders, Jolly Pumpkin, Against the Grain, Country Boy, Bells, Flat 12, Boulevard, Stone, Rheingeist, Oskar Blues, Triton, and, of course, Daredevil, are expected to bring some prized highly hopped plus not-so-hoppy beers to share! Special food, wine, and chocolate pairings are being considered! Tickets on sale July 2, HERE

And of course, the 19th Indiana Micro-Brewer's Festival is coming up on July 19 in Broad Ripple.

Sun King 5 Year Anniversary

June 28 at Sun King Brewery

Indianapolis, Ind. - It was only five years ago on July 1st, 2009, that Sun King Brewing Company fired up our brew kettle and crafted our first batch of Fresh•Local•Beer, becoming the first full-scale production brewery in Indianapolis since 1948.  In celebration of our fifth anniversary, Sun King will be hosting a party, aptly named SKB 5, onSaturday, June 28th, 2014 at the brewery.  (135 N. College Ave., Indianapolis, Ind. 46202)

Sun King's 5th Anniversary will feature live music, Indy's best food trucks, and the release of our most anticipated seasonal beer Grapefruit Jungle I.P.A. 

Tickets are available now for only $10.00 in advance and online (http://tinyurl.com/SKB5Party) or at Sun King Brewery.  Tickets will be $15.00 day of show.  The event will take place in the south parking lot of Sun King from 4:00 PM - 10:00 PM (EST).  Event is for patrons 21 and over.

Dribs and Drams and more to come

Horray. One more step. “State Fair prepares to pop cork on alcohol sales”. article “And proponents say that makes sense with the fair’s overall agricultural theme.”

New breweries this summer:

Three Pints of Plainfield is planning to expand to Martinsville in July.

Hop Cat – Indianapolis/Broad Ripple (joining their Detroit, East Lansing and Grand Rapids breweries. Coming in August.

The Tap in Bloomington’s square is adding a brewery downstairs. They already have 50 taps. Coming in August.

New Paradigm in Elkhart has their paperwork in order and expect to open in August.

A set of investors are planning a brewpub in the old PRR depot in Richmond. This should take a while. article

The owners of Chatham Tap are planning a brewery right around the corner on College Ave in Indy. article

Also look forward to (this fall could be a busy time for beer geeks):

Bent Rail – Indianapolis Black Sail – Plymouth Chilly Water – Indianapolis Craft 41 – Schereville Crooked Ewe – South Bend Danny Boy – Carmel Donum Dei – New Albany Flat 12 Bierwerks – Jeffersonville Flix – Carmel Four Day Ray – Westfield Goshen Brewing – Goshen Happy Brewing – Daleville Highway 50 – Butlerville

New Corner - Muncie New Oberpfalz - GriffithPokro - Griffith Pour Haus – Tell City South Bend Brew Werks – South Bend Summit City – Fort Wayne Switchyard – Bloomington Tell City Beer Co. – Tell City Trouble Brewing – Fort Wayne Two Deep – Indianapolis Wabash – Indianapolis Wild Hare – Jeffersonville Wildrose - Griffith Wooden Bear – Greenfield

 

 

More Pictures: Popular drinks as seen through a microscope

Brit decorates house in beer cans. 75,000 of them. article

Beer Lollypops – non-alcoholic article
Pina Colada  and Mojito lollypops – alcoholic article

Oh, and back in Indiana . . . “Judge finds ‘rational’ reasons for restricting cold-beer sales” article

S & V Liquors Summer Extravaganza 2014 - Fort Wayne

SATURDAY,  JUNE 14

S & V Liquors (http://www.svliquors.com/home.html) located at 9960 Illinois Road, will be having their annual Summer Extravaganza from 6p.m.-8p.m.

This event will feature for your sampling pleasure over 100 different Fine Wines, Bourbon, Scotch, Whiskey, Summer Cocktails, CRAFT BEERS, and a whole lot more FREE OF CHARGE!!

Also, if you arrive early, sign up for The Big Green Egg Ultimate Grill drawing, get registered for the New Belgium Bike Giveaway, have your Crown Royal Bags custom embroidered, then sample and order some unique artisan cheeses by the Cheeseman Store!!   All this and much more will be taking place so stop by for some free sampling and find some new beers for your summer enjoyment!!

MashCraft Brewing! Greenwood's New Microbrew opens!

Craft beer expands on the South side of Indianapolis in Johnson County as Mashcraft is open (at noon on Friday, May 6). Mashcraft Head Brewer Andrew Castner brings his experience back to the Greenwood area from his brewing roots at Oaken Barrel after winning many awards at the Great American Beer Festival, the North American Beer Awards, Brewers Cup, and Indiana Brew Bracket for The RAM restaurant and brewery. Castner demonstrated great brewing flexibility and quality by knocking out mainstream beers like an amber, pale, blonde and more as well as specialty beers from great barrel aged versions to an Anaheim Chili enhanced IPA (multiple award winner) at The RAM.

Mashcraft, located at 1100 N. State Road 135, Greenwood, just South of County Line Road and across from Hal's Las Vegas Bar & Grill, offers 4 beers for their initial opening: a crisp MashCraft Gold blonde, a sessionable Scots Ale Scottish 70 with solid malt flavor and a nice layer of light roast at only 3.3%, a HopJam Imperial IPA at 7.6% using Centennial and Falconer's Flight hops, and MashCraft IPA citrus and herbal delivery at 6.4%. Coming soon will be an American Amber MashCraft Red. Castner tells us MashCraft will plan to feature several sessionable beers with flavor and promises that ultimately he will showcase his flair for the unusual with specialty beers in different categories. We found the Scots Ale a delightful beer that will likely satisfy many beer drinkers whether looking for a bit of roast, an easy drinking beer, or just an alternative to hops. Mashcraft offers an Italian style sandwich from local Zoey's Pizzeria and a beer infused chili to handle hunger.

Grab a pint in unique Mashcraft glassware, get a growler or "howler" (half-growler) filled, daily with hours M-W 5-7 P.M.
THURS 4-8 P.M., FRI-SAT 12-8 P.M., & SUN 12-4 P.M.

By locating in the Greenwood area, Mashcraft joins one of the original Indiana breweries, Oaken Barrel of East Main Street, Greenwood which opened in 1994, as well as Planetary Brewing also blocks off of East Main, Greenwood with local craft beer. Rounding out the area's beer places is beer bar Shallo's which serves Planetary's beer along with many other craft and imports plus the BJ's chain which does not brew locally but serves their own craft beer.

There was a bit of a reunion to celebrate the opening as Brewer Chris Knott, now at Scarlet Lane of McCordsville which plans to open in a few weeks, came by to congratulate Andrew. Knott was Assistant brewer to Castner as Head Brewer of the RAM. Andrew Groves of Planetary also showed up to celebrate the opening as did many, many other brewers and friends.

With 50,000 cars passing daily on Indiana S. Road 135 in front of the shopping area where Mashcraft is tucked-away called Country Center we expect many Southsiders will stop in to grab a local craft brew. Greet manager Sarah and step up to the bar, sit on one of the picnic tables or enjoy the old stadium seats rescued from the former Victory Field, where the Indianapolis Indians played!

Cheers to you Andrew and crew at Mashcraft! -- GregKitz

Dribs and Drams, Brewtour Edition

Why not take a tour. If you’re coming to Indy, you have a choice between Brewery Tours of Indianapolis and Indy Brew Bus. Both are $30, Thursdays through Sundays. Check out their support of charity events also.

To go farther afield, BeerMBA is planning a Belgium trip in July. Nine nights. Brussels, Chimay, Rochefort, Brugge, Antwerp, DeKoninck, Westmalle. You can arrange to stay later - it’s a shortish hop to Cologne and Dusseldorf. Here are pictures*:

* Not, darn it, from previous BeerMBA trips. Your mileage may vary. Do not use on exposed skin. Heating elements will be hot to the touch.

 

 

 

 

Some to try:

• 3 Fonteinen Oude Kriek - From the handpump. "Minimum 35% krieken". Pitch black with a bright pink foam. Tart, strong. An espresso of kriek. Both an aperitif and a desert beer in one.
• 3 Fonteinen Oude Kriek - From the bottle in Brugge. Even tarter than from the keg. Seemingly less black but it was dark that night.
• 3 Fonteinen Lambik - From the handpump. One year in the vat. Plain brown and cloudy. Completely flat. Vinegary sour lambic brown ale. I would have returned this had it been at an American brewpub. No doubt it's that sour in order to produce such a good kriek.
• 3 Fonteinen Faro - From the handpump. Same brown but brighter and with a foamy head. Sourest faro in my experience. Pulls at the back of the throat. The Lambik base is identifiable and it doesn't seem as much candy sugar was used. An acquired taste, evidently.
• Arend - On tap. A home blend at a small, well-known bar in Antwerp, the De Groote Witte. Too sour. Turns out it's a wit with a cheap lambic added. Dark red with a flaming pink chunky head that leaves red chunks as the foam dissipates. Very little cherry notes. Disappointing.
• Augustijn - Light amber. Smooth and understated. A sneaker-up-on. Brother to Piraat from Van Steenberge. 8%.
• Barbar Winter - Deep brown. Non-obtrusive big bruin. Nose is of a delicate alcoholic tripel, then the bruin takes over in the taste. Recommended. Worth importing.
• Barbar Winterbok - Just out. On tap. Creamy ivory head on a dark brown. Dark honey comes through strong in taste as though it were a fruit in a lambic. Not sweet though. Very drinkable. Close to a Top 10.
• Bink Donkel - Dark brown. Not notable. From Brouwerij Kerkom.
• Bourgogne Des Flanders - On tap. Simple dark brown bruin. Plum notes.
• Brugse Tripel - On tap. Strong stuff. Nice. Right tasting. Dark, dull blond. Appealing ice cream soda head. From Gouden Boom. A typical triple but at 9.5%.
• Brugs Wit - On tap. Whiter than most but not weak. No orange nor tartness. Some bitterness.
• Bush De Noel - Dull brown. (Bush is a local Antwerp brewery). Strongly alcoholic brown ale. Not as spicy as expected. Actually rather bland, maybe due to the 12% alcohol being hidden completely. Just a nice brown ale. Deceptive.
• Carolus Margriet - Strong Belgium blonde. All the tastes of a triple in a 5% size.
• Chapeau Exotic - Lambic by De Troch. Pineapple and juicy fruit. Unsweet but not tart. Iron notes.
• Chapeau Mirabelle Lambic - Plums. No really, it's made with plums. From De Troch. Doesn't taste strongly of plum or dark fruit, in fact it's just generally fruity but earthier than apricot. Not as tart as most.
• Cuvee des Trolls - Fat side of tripel. Silly side of name and logo (right). Alcohol comes through as well as the aging. 7%.
• (De Garre) Tripel Van de Garre - House beer at De Garre brewed to their recipe by a East Flanders brewery (Huyghe?). Floral petals notes and very drying. There's candy sugar evident and plenty of hops. Still, the drying is the most prominent.
• Dentengem Wit - On tap. Crisp but very light.
• De Koninck Tripel - On tap. Bright oak blond tripel with lots of basic malt and lots of hops to bitter it up. 8%.
• De Witte Van Celis - Yep, Pierre Celis's latest. A wit, surprise. On tap at DeGarre and bottled at Beertje in Brugge. Both served in an Austin glass. Thin. Something just slightly unusual about it but hard to place at this time of day. "The wheat beer, developed by the Celis Brewery (Austin, Texas) with the 500 year old brewing art of Hoegaarden (Belgium) with the modern brewing techniques."
• Dikke Mathile - Fat Matilda named for a statue in Oostende. From Strubbete Ichtegm. Crisp and sharp with a sweet peach edge. Brown amber. Nice foamy head. Half hallertauer hops. Munich malt.
• Du Bocq Triple Moin - Orange juice blonde. Right to style. Lots of barley nose. A touch of orange/tangerine taste.
• Duchesse de Bourgoene - Dark "donker" beer with lots of sourness now. It's been altered a bit from the apple tartness of last year but that's still present. Quite fizzy.
• Ename Blond - Abbey ale. From the tap. Eh. A basic blond. Hoppy enough but not at all distinctive.
• Floris Fraises - A wit with strawberry added before bottling. Fresh and fruity.
• Galgenbier - From the tap. Special beer for 't Galgenhuisje. Dark ruby with a tan head. Mild amber ale. Slightly fizzy. 7.2%.
• Gandavum - House beer of Het Waterhuis Aan de Bierkant in Brugge. Brewed by Proffbrouwerij. Blonde. Dry hopped and proud of it although there's a minimal hop aroma. The fruit comes through. Taste is very mild blonde, maybe a saison. Certainly not a tripel even though 7.5%.
• Gentse Tripel - Very light yellow, verging on green. Poured from the bottle entusiastically, giving a 1/2 glass of head. Light and fruity. Quaffable and dangerous. 8%.
• Girardin Frambous - Quite tart. Brewed in Dilbeek. 5%.
• Gordon Highland Scotch - Just because it's so good and the thistle glass fits the hand so well. "Brewed in Benelux for Anthony Martin". 8.6% .On tap. Big malt scotch. Vanilla. Roast. Concentrated. Dark brown walnut.
• Gordon Xmas - On tap. So balanced. Actually in harmony. Like butter. Wonderfully quaffable. Could drink it by the quart. OK, maybe one quart. At Peters Vaetje sitting at the entrance to the cathedral listening to a street string quartet with the sun peeking through the clouds.
• Guillotine - Blond tripel. A bit of caramel but not really sweet. A little spice of not-quite-clove in the finish. Hides the alcohol completely. It's suggested that this is a Delirium Tremens with another name and a little stronger. 9.3%
• Hommelbier - Apricot. Blonde ale. Leffe with twice the bitterness. 7.5%.
• Kwelchouffe Special Blonde 2000. Never have I before seen actual turbulence in the effervescence of a beer. This had, for 2 full minutes after pouring, eddys and flocks of bubbles going up, down, and around like geese in the fall, only faster of course. Bright apricot color. Bubbles settled down to a 2" white head which dropped quickly. The beer was brewed as a tribute to, or maybe an attempt to copy, Duvel. Logo on bottle includes a 666 above the pitchfork and the gnome has horns. Peachy, fruity, salivating without being at all salty. A top 10 beer for sure. 8.5%
• Haecht Witbier - Somehow lighter in color, body, and presence than most wits. A quick-drinking beer.
• Halve Maan Brugse Zot - Darkish blond. Their summer seasonal. Light ale. A bit grainy. Shape on the tongue but not pleasant.
• Hoegaarden Grand Cru - On tap. They distill the essence of their great wit leaving out all the unnecessary stuff. Like Colman Chapman said at Lotus, "add lightness".
• Judas - On tap. Big blond worthy of the name. Big belch too. White grape in the nose. A bit hot on the tongue but not offensive. All light malt. Dark blonde character throughout. From Maes.
• Leffe Radieuse 10° - Dark amber. Massive malt, massive bitter. Where have you been all my life? Knows its place and doesn't attack the tongue or last too long. Polite. Nice belch though. Top 10.
• Lindeman's Gueuze - On tap. Subdued tartness and a light taste for the style. 4%.
• Lindeman's Kriek - On tap. All what we call black cherry. Tart and sweet.
• Malheur 12° - Big but not as massive as other 12°s. Plenty of malt and matching bitter but just to balance.
• Museum Bier - On tap at In 't Nieuw Museum. Dull gold. Mostly bitter with some Cascades probably.
• Oud Zottegems - Peach color. Light carbonation. Apple fruitiness. From Crombe brewery just south of Ghent. 6.5%.
• Pere Abbe Bruin - Black brown with a huge head. Yeasty. Butter smooth and thick. 6.5%.
• Petrus Bruin - Dark brown and delicious.
• Radar Ambree. "Is a traditional beer brewed in an old fashioned way with bottle fermentation flavoured with a subtle malt distillate aged in oak wood casks." By Radermacher Distillerie. Good smooth dark blonde. Not spicy at all. No gin character. A good drink.
• Reinaert Tripel - Blond with constant bubbles from all parts of a very clean tulip glass. Bold and thick alcohol hit. 9%.
• Rochefort 8 - Bottled. Same as in the U.S. Delightful brown chewiness. 7.3%. Served with some Rochefort cheese.
• Rochefort 10 - Served too cold at a singles bar in Rochefort.
• Roman Christmas Bell 1983. 3€. Pure black. No head. Old, old, strong ale. It could well have been a scotch ale but it's way past that now. Still a viable drink. Some molasses, some musty aroma and taste. 7.3%.
• Petrus Blanche - Bright solid gold.
• Petrus Brune Double - Served in a proper Brit pint glass. In fact a Bavik pint glass. Deep brown. Spicy background underlies the malty, sharp-edged brown ale with some toasty character.
• Rodenbach. On tap. Deep brown, black. Sour ale. Roasty sour. Malty sour.
• Rulles Triple - Lots of candy sugar in this one. Has a 14-day fermentation using Orval yeast, then 4 weeks in the secondary. Delicate sourness with citric and a bit of honey taste also. 8.3%.
• Saint Idesbald Brune - Cordovan. Strongish brune. Big aroma and long aftertaste of chocolate.
• Saint Monon Brune - Quite dark brown. Little head but fizzy on the tongue. Scotch ale aroma but a much more bitter taste. Dark toffee and coffee notes. 7.5%.
• Saison Regal - Dark for this type. Not stronger taste though. Maybe less hoppy than style.
• 't Smisje - Very red amber beer with sweet honey notes. Pronounced Shmisee. 6%.
• 't Smisje Halloween - Pompoen bier. Dark dull orange. Is it pie with nutmeg & cinnamon? Nope. They don't know proper pumpkin pie. It's unsweet pumpkin with a slightly burnt taste. Must be pretty strong because Terry tried to rip out her tongue and stomp on it after only one sip. She doesn't appreciate pumpkin very much. 10.5%.
• Steendonk Wit - On tap. Very cloudy. Very white; more so than bottled as I remember. Plenty of coriander. Plenty of bitter aftertaste.
• Straffe Hendrik Bruin - On tap. "Strong Henry" from De Halve Moon in Brugge. Served in a glass so wide it looks like a stemmed soup bowl. Brown, bold, spicy, citric, hoppy, bitter, raisin.8.5%.
• Stropken - Brewed by Steenberge for the Hop Duvel to their recipe. Dark blond. Bottle fermented. Served in a proper Hop Duvel glass. Not blown up on the menu as their exclusive beer. Some fruit; tropical and citric. Well balanced. Spicy dry finish that still leaves the palate coated. 7%.
• Tripel Karmeliet - On tap. Blond triple abbey. Bright nose and taste. All light malt. Solid.
• Tweespan Liselote - A Snoek Blonde (7.5% brewed by Bavik) with a shooter of hop jenever sitting in the glass. Bracing and quite complementary. (Bottom picture at right).
• Ultra Des Ecaussinees - From Brouwerij d'Ecaussinnes. Very dark brown with thick ivory foam. Flavor hits the roof of the mouth right behind the front teeth. 10%.
• Westvleteren 12 - Served warmish from the bottle at In De Verde. Very malty but my gawd it's very bitter. Leviathan strong of both.
• Westmalle Trappist - On tap. Served nicely warmish. Trappist with green "fresh" distinct edges between the malt, hops, chocolate, sweet, and burnt sugar. Not as strongly alcoholic as I remember.
• Witkap-Pater Stimulo - Bottle conditioned blond double. Sugar (honey?) added to the wort. Sweet, sour, and bitter in balance. Goes down quickly.
• Wittekerke Rose - Raspberry wit from Bavik. Dark electric cranberry color. Very mild raspberry flavor. 4.3%.
• Wostyntje Torhouts Mostaard Bier. From Regenboog Brewery in Asse broek. "Mout, hop, kanij, mostardzaan, gistenwater". Your basic mustard beer. Nice but not really much mustard character.