Thursday 11 February 2016

Random Dutch beers (part seventeen)

It's early Saturday afternoon. The kids are still in bed. Dolores is fiddling with something in the kitchen. And I'm a bit bored. I know - let's do some more beer reviews sketches.

Dolores has picked me up some more beers from Deen, one of our local supermarkets. They've suddenly started selling beer from small breweries in Noord Holland, where the chain is based.

I'm really getting out of touch. This is from a brewpub in Zaandam.Which is just over the water from Amsterdam. Had no idea there waas a brewpub there.


Brouwerij Breugem Saense Bock 7.4% ABV (€1.50 for 33cl on special offer, usual price
€2)

Just about broewn enough for a Bok. Pretty sludgy - like hot chocolate. But not hot, obviously. Smells pleasantly malty like a straightforward, old-fashioned Dutch Bok. Though I note that they spell the word the German way with a "C". Quite sweet, but nothing wrong with that. But there is something wrong with the cabbage-water finish. Not so nice. With an unpleasant edge of non-hop bitterness. Mister Sink will be having a drink.

Speaking of Deen, the next one was brewed specially for them by Jopen.


Cornelis Donker 8.5% ABV (€1.50 for 33cl on special offer, usual price €2)
It' a lovely deep coppery red, with a decent enough head. Smells like caramel and US hops. Quite an odd combinarion. It's sparkling clear which has me wondering if it's been pasteurised.Mmm. Not sure what to make of that. It's got quite a spicy character, with a background of toffee-like malt. Then there's a scrap of cirtus hanging around embarrassed in the background. According to the label, in contains oats as well as barley malt. Could I spot them? No. Then gain, I'm crap at that sort of thing. I find it strangely perfumy. Tastes like Christmas. Nothing wrong with it, but not really to my taste. Mister Sink will have to stay thirsty.

There you go. Another post from nothing other than the beer I'm currently drinking. Piece of piss.

1 comment:

A Brew Rat said...

"But there is something wrong with the cabbage-water finish." As a homebrewer, that has been the scourge of my attempts at brewing bock beer. For some reason I get that when I use high percentages of dark Munich malt. Other brewers report they don't get that flavor. I wish I had an answer for that.