Gueule Cassée Beers

These beers were bought in Pierrefonds in September 2013, the last time we were in France and I think they were on sale then. One of them was drunk in May 2014 but the other two in May 2015 and they were six months out of date by then. I have no idea why it took this long to drink them but I think it has something to do with the stroke I had not too long after I bought them.

Gueule Cassée, Ambrée from France

 

6.0% slightly hazy amber colour with a good head, slightly sweet aroma, dry sweet but also bitter malty taste.

Gueule Cassée, Blond from France

 

5.0% gold colour with a very thin head, sweet aroma, strong tasting but nice blond.

Gueule Cassée, Triple from France

 

8.0% pale gold colour with a nice head, bit of a scenty aroma, very strong and fizzy taste.

All of these beers were a lot better than I make them sound and they were out of date.

The Last Couple of Weeks

It's getting on for a month since I last posted a beer, it's not because I have been ill again, just been busy and away for a while. Anyway here are two cans that I had during that time, not the only beers I have had but most have just been repeats. Both of these beers are from Poland.

Perla, Chmielowa Pils from Poland

6.0% gold colour with a thin head, very typical aroma and taste for a strong lager.

Zywiec, Tatra Mocne from Poland

 

7.0% gold colour with a nice head, sweet malt aroma, slightly sweet malt and alcohol taste, not too bad. I have had this one before and may have posted it but they have changed the label.

Petrus Beers

I have covered a couple of these Belgian beers before but not as a group just for them, so please bear with me.  I can not think of a order to do these in, so how about by strength, starting with the weakest first.

Petrus, Speciale, Belgium

 

5.5% deep gold colour with no head, malty aroma, slightly fizzy mellow taste.

Petrus, Oud Bruin, Belgium

 

5.5% deep brown in colour with a good head, aroma is of deep fruits and the taste is sweet but tart.

Petrus, Dubble Bruin, Belgium

6.5%, dark brown with a good head, aroma of roasted malts and fruit, sweet caramel with a bitter aftertaste, good.

Petrus, Blond, Belgium

 

6.6% golden with a good head, sweet aroma, nice crisp taste, was very good with a BBQ.

Petrus, Gouden Tripel, Belgium

 

7.5% cloudy gold with a good head, sweet yeast aroma, slightly bitter but sweet fruity taste, nice but not the best Petrus beer.

Petrus, Aged Red from Belgium

 

8.5% deep red in colour with a nice head, cherry aroma and a cherry flavour and not as acidic as it is supposed to be.

My Book

Well I started to write a book before my stroke, and have only just got around to finishing it yesterday.   The story is ok but as for the English, spelling and maybe the odd repeat, I think that I have done fairly well.

The book is a SF inspired story, about a couple on holiday in France who find a device that allows them to jump almost anywhere on earth.  It also includes drinking tips on the beers of the continent.

I would be pleased if you could take the time to have a read.

The Cool Artifact

Very Strong Beers in Cans

I have had eighteen beers (well photos of eighteen beers anyway), that have 10% or more alcohol in them. I have covered the Top Ten on here before but here are the strongest ones you can get in cans.

John Martin, Gordon Finest Titanium from Belgium

14% deep gold colour with no head, sweet malt aroma, sweet warming alcohol taste.

This is the strongest beer I have had to date, it was more like having a whisky than a beer, I will not be buying it again.

Grolsche Bierbrouwerij, Amsterdam Maximator from Holland

11.6% , good head, not much aroma, don't remember much about it but I do not think it was that unplesent.

Got it just because it was in the fridge in the campsite shop.

Grolsch, Kanon from Holland

11.6% gold colour with a thin head, grass aroma, sweet malt taste and a very strong alcohol and slightly sticky mouth feel.

John Martin, Gordon Finest Chrome from Belgium

10.5% gold colour with a very thin head, sweet aroma, sweet and fizzy strong alcohol taste.

The photo was taken on the 6th of July 2013 but I have only just opened it, over a year latter on the 19th of July 2014. Had it again last night.

Faxe, 10% Extra Strong from Denmark

10% gold colour with a thin head, sweet fruity (apple?) malt aroma, strong carbonated alcohol taste.

A big can full of very strong beer.

Gulpener, Gladiator from Holland

10.0% gold colour with a nice head, malt aroma, malt and strong alcohol taste.

Point Beers

Stevens Point, make many many beers in the USA but in the UK they are not that easy to find, here are the three that I have had.

Stevens Point, Point IPA from the USA

 

5.6% amber colour with a nice head, nice aroma with some toffee and liquorish but mainly hoppy taste.

Stevens Point, Point Amber Lager from the USA

 

4.7% amber colour with a nice head and it had a nice aroma and taste.

Stevens Point, Point Pale Ale from the USA

 

5.4% gold colour with a thin head, with a nice bitter citrus aroma and taste.

Although I am still useless at describing the taste of beers, these were not bad at all and this is true of lots of beers from the USA.  The USA beers gets some bad reviews from Europeans but I find them to be really nice.

North East Beers

We had four relatively big local breweries, Nimmo in Castle Eden, Vaux in Sunderland, Camerons in Hartlepool and Newcastle in (yes you are right) Newcastle.  All of them were sold off at one time or another and Vaux and Nimmo are now closed down completely.

Saying that you can still get all of their top selling beers.  There are other brewers in the North East but they are relatively new, this is for the older beers that where available when I was a kid on Teesside.

Here are the top beers from these four brewers, of course the reviews are on the beers as they are now.

Camerons (Nimmo's), Castle Eden Ale from England

4.2% pale amber with a good head, some fruitiness in the aroma, an average bitter beer but not bad at all, now brewed by Camerons in Hartlepool.

Maxim (Vaux), Samson from England

4.0%, good head, fruity aroma and a sweet fruity malt taste, was one of my favourite draught beers, until the Vaux brewery in Sunderland was closed and demolished in 1999. It was resurrected by a company called The Double Maxim Beer Company now just Maxim and is sweeter than I remembered.

Camerons, Strongarm from England

 

4.0% ruby red colour with a very good head, fruity malt aroma, fruity caramel bitter taste, also good in bottles. My hometown beer, you love it or hate it, I love it.

S&N, Newcastle Brown Ale from England

4.7% brown in colour with a thin head, no detectable aroma, slightly sweet with a hint of caramel, over carbonated and for me has an odd after taste, not quite as bad as I remembered but not worthy of its reputation, I will not be buying it again, only bought this one as it was on offer and for the photo. Shame to slag off a local beer but then again it isn't local any more, now only made in Tadcaster, Yorkshire