Wie ich schon in einem Kommentar angedeutet hab, ist Bier in Frankreich sauteuer. Das war mir vorher schon klar, aber dass es so schlimm ist, hab ich nicht (mehr) gewusst, obwohl ich vor ungefähr vier Jahren schon einmal hier war.

In der "Bar Brasserie Le Saint André" ist Amstel das günstigste Bier. Ein Galopin (0,15l) kostet 1,70€, ein kleines Bier (0,25l) 2,20€ und ein großes Bier (0,5l) 4,10€.

Das teuerste Bier dort ist das Affligem. Da kostet ein Galopin 2,20€, ein kleines Bier 3,20€ und ein großes Bier 6,30€. (!!) Noch teurer ist das Picon Bière, allerdings ist da noch was Hochprozentiges beigemischt. Die "Bar Brasserie Le Saint André" ist jetzt aber kein gehobenes Restaurant, ich würd es eher als "Beisl" bezeichnen.

Vor wenigen Tagen hab ich in Innsbruck im Papa Joe's für einen Yard Bier (1,2l) incl. Trinkgeld 10€ bezahlt und hab mir gedacht, dass das viel ist. Im Vergleich zu Frankreich ist es das aber wirklich nicht, außerdem kommt im Papa Joe's noch der (fast) unbezahlbare Stylefaktor dazu, wenn das Glas neben dir am Boden steht und trotzdem auf Schulterhöhe ist (siehe Foto).

Vanuit Erembodegem volgen wij den Dender om in Aalst van start te gaan. Even door het centrum met zijn mooie markt en daarna opnieuw naar de Dender.

Iets voor de Wiezebrug verlaten we het jaagpad, fietsen over de brug en peddelen naar Herdersem. Hier doorkruisen we over smalle kasjekens (éénmansbaantjes) het centrum. Een hobbelige ommetje brengt ons nog eens tot aan de oever van de Dender.  Vandaar gaat het door velden en bosjes naar Moorsel.

Hier is ook een mooie dorpskom en wat verder een park met bijbehorend, maar niet te onderscheiden, Kasteel.  Wat verder sluit de route aan op het ons zo vertrouwd Leireken.

Dit fietspad aangelegd op een oude spoorwegbedding brengt ons tot aan het "Stationneke van Baardegem".

Dit mooi gerestaureerd stationneke is nu een etablissement waar je lekker kan eten en drinken.  Nog even langs de dorpskern,

alvorens  over veldbanen

te zigzaggen langs velden omzoomd door bomen, bossen en ander groen.

Dit zigzaggen brengt ons tot Meldert.

We dobberen langs de  Sint-Walburgakerk en fietsen verder nu richting abdij Affligem.


Deze abdij is zeker een bezoek waard. Wij richten echter de steven naar de Aalsterse dreef

en vervolgens het nieuw aangelegd fietspad

om zo terug naar Aalst te fietsen.    Meestal is deze route perfect bereikbaar, ook na enkele dagen regen. Maar op sommige momenten dienen er veldwegen met ruwe kassei bedwongen te worden, wat toch wat fietvaardigheid vergt. Verder is dit een mooie route met veel afwisseling. 8/10

Na W.O. II kwam het pilsbier onze contreien veroveren.  Kleinere brouwerijen konden de dure omschakeling naar de productie van dit lage gistingsbier niet financieren en velen brachten als antwoord een amberkleurig bier op de markt.  Bieren van het 'Special Belge'-type zijn amberkleurig, hebben een alcoholgehalte van om en bij de 5 vol.% en zijn door de hoge gisting in de regel voller van smaak dan het pilsbier.  "In de jaren 20 werden wedstrijden georganiseerd voor het beste 'Special Belge'-bier", zo vertelt brouwer Frederik De Vrieze van brouwerij Contreras in de krant 'De Standaard'.  Nu zit dit biertype in de hoek waar de klappen vallen.  De stijl kan niet optornen tegen het succes van bieren van dubbele gisting.

Een streekproduct moet bereid zijn met grondstoffen uit de streek,
door de bevolking aanvaard zijn als lokaal streekeigen product,
op ambachtelijke wijze vervaardigd worden,
in de streek van oorsprong bereid zijn
en minstens 25 jaar bestaan.

Bronnen:
De Standaard, katern Economie en Financiën, woensdag 9 april 2008, pag. 29
Website www.streekproduct.be.

I started off with the Holiday Porter. This was a very nice beer. Nothing special as far as a porter goes, but nice to have a well crafted porter made by a larger brewery. If there weren't other beers to try, I would have probably had a few more of these.

After the porter, I moved on to the Cranberry Lambic. My wife is a huge fan of the Lindeman's Framboise, so I thought she'd like to share this one with me. One sip into it, I knew I wasn't going to finish it. It was far too sweet and the cranberry flavor dominated. My wife took one sip and made the same comment. We passed the bottle to her cousin who confirmed our suspicions, this beer sucked. I hate to waste beer but this one got dumped in the sink.

I moved on to the Old Fezziwig. I had a sip of this earlier, and it was nice. I was drinking these out of the bottles, so I can't comment on the color, but I imagine this one being a nice ruby red, medium bodied, easily drinkable ale. The problem is the beer seems to have been brewed for the first sip, which was great, nice and spicy, lots of holiday flare. It's the second and third sips where this beer loses me. By the end of the bottle I was tired of the spice, and it was time for this beer to be done. Again, I turned to the wife to help me dispose of the beer, but this one wasn't wasted in the sink. One bottle of Fezziwig, not bad, but I wouldn't want anymore than that.

Finally, I grabbed for the last beer in the bucket I hadn't tried, the Winter Lager. This was actually a bock and again, the first sip is nice. s I worked through the bottle I couldn't stop thinking about raisins. It reminded me of a botched homebrew experiment where I tried making a quick lightly hopped dark ale. That beer never finished fermenting, was sickly sweet and Wes dubbed it "Raisin Beer." This was much easier to drink, but by the end of the bottle I had enough.

All in all, the Sam Adams beers weren't bad, and the porter was actually fairly good. I don't see myself buying the holiday pack for myself but it isn't a bad selection of beer to find when attending a party at someone else's house.

But the evening wasn't over. At dinner, I broke out the Affligem Noel and this was a very nice beer. Very yeasty in aroma and flavor, but not over the top. After 4 Sam Adams and a Celebration, I described it as "Belgian, but not too Belgian." Well balanced with subtle spice , it went well with dinner. Maybe next time I'll start with the Noel and be able to give a better description. I can say I recommend giving it a shot. Three of us tried it, me a beer drinker and a wine drinker, and it appealed to all of us.

Hope your Christmas was merry. I'm off to Disneyland for a week, maybe we'll find some Southern California beer to try while down there.

We'll tackle this list from the left to right.

Firestone Walker Double Barrel Ale-I've heard good things about Firestone Walker and it wasn't until recently that I tried their Reserve. Generally, they steal the show at festivals with their barrel aging and blending of beers. To me it seems like a wine or bourbon makers take on brewing beer and their Reserve is fantastic, so I look forward to trying this one. Big ups to "El Nacho Grande" Dan in Pennsylvania for sending me a Christmas pack of 6 beers that included this one. Also in the pack were Lost Coast's Alley Cat and Great White, Alaska's Amber Lager, St. Stan's Red Sky Ale, and Sequoia's Moto Brew Black Lager.

Great Divide Brewing Co. Yeti Imperial Stout- What can I say but "Fantastic." Black, rich, sweet, and incredibly big. I place this beer up there with the imperial stouts by Stone and North Coast. Another Christmas gift (two four-packs), this one came from Dave in Denver. Originally the plan was for the oak aged version, but Dave doesn't drink beer (I'm working on him), and made an honest mistake. Either way, incredible gift Dave.

Moylan's White Christmas Belgian Style Wit- The wife and I have friends in Novato, where Moylan's brewpub is located. We occasionally stop in for what is always good brews and good food. Unfortunately, this comes at a high price and I always felt the places came off as a little pretentious, but it is in Marin County, so what can you expect? Haven't tried this one yet, but have high hopes for it. Thankfully, Moylan's beers leave the pretension at the pub and go down smooth at home.

Affligem Noel - I know absolutely nothing about this beer, and that is why I chose it. I was talking to Wes while browsing the beer aisle and had the choice between this and Full Sail's Wrecked the Halls. Full Sail is a decent brewery but Wes didn't seem to excited about the beer when he had it so I went with something new. Seems it is brewed by the same folks that brew Heineken. I'll try not to think about that when I bring this with me for Christmas dinner to the in-laws.

Lagunitas' Lumpy Gravy- Part 2 in the 8 part Zappa series from Lagunitas. Kill Ugly Radio was fantastic, so I expect another good showing with this one. All I know is the alcohol content is labeled as 7.2%. I will share more when I know more.

Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome Ale - Always a favorite of the holidays. I don't think I really need to say more. Looking forward to see what is in store for this year. If you've never had a Sam Smith's Winter Welcome, go out and start a tradition.

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale - Now this is a beer that can spark a debate. There are some who love Celebration Ale. I know of at least one pub that stocks old kegs to drink the following year, and year after that, and year after that, etc. until, well, there are no more kegs. Others think Sierra Nevada has sold it's soul to the man, compromising quality brewing for profits. I have to admit, I fell in the latter bunch for a few years. Maybe it was overexposure to the Pale Ale, but Sierra Nevada lost me for a few years. Recently I've come back. Still, I look for other options to the Pale Ale, but I was excited to see Celebration Ale this year. My mother-in-law must have noticed and bought me a case of it. To be fair, I said we'd keep it at her house. I may have smuggled a few back to my fridge, but there are still a handful left for Christmas day.

Well, there you go. I hope you can bring home a few holiday inspired beverages and have a Merry Christmas.

Belgia szczyci sie 450 rodzajami piw, tyle jedynie (!) pozostalo po sredniowiecznych kulinarno-komercyjnych zdolnosciach. Nie znam sie za bardzo na piwach, ale te klasztorne zazwyczaj naleza do grupy Trapistow. Takie mamy z niedalekiego (posluchaj jak mnisi spiewaja) Affligem. Jest Affligem Blond, Dubbel i Tripel. Trapisty to zazwyczaj mocniejsze piwa o bardzo specjalnym, glebokim, slodowo-chmielowym smaku i bursztynowym kolorze. Ale nie tylko mnisi byli tak zapobiegliwi, bo kazdy burmistrz prawie mial swoj browar. Stad rozne rodzaje piw, ktorych nie spotyka sie w innych krajach, jak np. Geuze, ktore 'spontanicznie' dojrzewa tylko w okolicach Brukseli (czyli na powietrzu).

Te dobre czasy (choc zalezy jak na to spojrzec, wtedy woda byla trujaca) juz sie skonczyly. Browar w Opwijk nadal istnieje i ma sie swietnie, bo oprocz Affligem pedzi sie tam rowniez Op-Ale, czyli piwo typu 'ale' z Op-wijk. Moim ulubionym jest 'kriek', a szczegolnie Kriek Lindemans. Jest to wisniowe piwo, bardzo intensywne, bardzo kwasno-slodkie, z przewaga soczystych wisni w smaku. Kriek nie jest pilsem z dodanym smakiem wisni, ale napojem, ktory pedzi sie z wisni. Podaje sie go w duzym okraglym kielichu, zwezanym do gory, na wysokiej eleganckiej nozce. Zaprojektowano go, albo na przyklad drzewa wisni w ogrodzie, albo wisienki z koniuszkiem do gory nogami, znaczy koniuszkiem... Kriek jest ciemno bordowy, a jego piana rozowiutka. Mmmmmm.......palce lizac, mmmm.....