Jack Curtin’s LIQUID DIET

I noted last Sunday that, with my son in town on Saturday night, I brought out a couple of bottles I’d been saving for a special occasion. The header and the photo at right offer clear evidence of just which beers were in those bottles. Both of these were sent to me as samples weeks and weeks ago; both, of course, are not the sorts of beers for whom aging is a bad thing.

We opened these after dinner (which was accompanied by Sly Fox Saison Vos) and drank them unaccompanied by any foodstuff. Not the best approach, I admit, but then, neither is doing a tasting during a catch-up evening with out-of-town family. I work with what I got.

Van Twee Belgian Ale (7.5%) is the latest collaborative brew in the annual series done between Dirk Naudts of De Proef and a noted American brewer, Bell’s John Mallett in this instance. It’s a dark Belgian ale made with Nelson Sauvin hops from New Zealand, juice of sour cherries from Michigan and fermented with, what else, a Brettanomyces yeast strain from Belgium, plus Belgian candi suagar and bottle conditioning with sugar from Michigan sugar beets. Collaboration all ’round, for sure. It is complex beer (y’think?) which pours with a big tannish head and a cherry and chocolate nose. Nicely balanced flavors, although the brett and sour cherry are stronger up front. Smooth and very easy to drink with the alcohol nicely hidden. Van Twee is up to the high standards set but this series and I suspect it will be even better with age.

I kind of knew what I’d be getting from that one, but I was really curious about the Dock Street Barley Wine, which came listed on the label at a formidable 10.5%. Curiosity did not kill the cat in this instance; what it did do was reward my interest with a very good beer (although it too will likely get even better). It poured a reddish brown color with a small and fast-fading white head, fruit and oak and vanilla in the nose. Nice flavor overall, with a tad too much sweetness that should fade some with age. It is hoppier than one might expect, which leans it more toward the American than the British standard, but it still had a sense of the classic about it. Quite good, I thought, and nice way to spend an evening. Kudos to Ben Potts and crew. I really get the impression of late that Dock Street Ver. 2.0 has really found its groove.

Tags: Tasting //