Volume 16 Issue 6

The Spencer Spencer, Massachusetts

Monk’s Reserve

For many of us lovers of craft brewery—Spencer Brewery, which interest in brewing and trained at a , our first foray into the opened in 2013. local brewery. Inspired by him, more world of Belgium’s amazing monks began to share his interest came after stumbling So what is a “Trappist” anyway? in brewing—a tradition among across one of the famous “Trappist” is the common term for monastic communities dating back to Belgian Trappist monastery the monasteries of the Cistercian the Middle Ages. For two years they produced by Chimay, Order of the Strict Observance, gathered info and took multiple trips Westmalle, Orval, Rochefort, which encompasses dozens to visit existing Trappist . Achel, or, less likely due to of monasteries from around Starting with Westmalle and finishing its typical absence on these the world. The monks live at Sint Sixtus (Westvleteren), the shores, Westvleteren. according to the Rule of brothers toured around Belgium However, not all of the St. Benedict, which dates learning all that they could from Trappist breweries to the 6th century and their fellow monks—the producers are actually located emphasizes prayer and of some of the greatest beers in the in Belgium, and work. As such, for over world. several new Trappist six decades the Trappist breweries have brothers of St. Joseph’s Upon completion of their educational (Continued on reverse page) opened around Abbey in Spencer, MA the world in recent have produced jams & SPECIFICATIONS years. There are now jellies for sale to the Style fourteen certified public to support the Trappist Quadrupel Trappist breweries, all monastery as well as their Alcohol By Volume of which are located charitable assistance 10.2% Serving Temperature in Europe, with the to the disadvantaged. 47–53° F exception of this In recent years, one Suggested Glassware month’s featured of the monks took an Chalice, Tulip, or Pinot Glass travels, the monks of St. Joseph’s far, with fewer than 100 cases sold character. Any sweetness has been voted overwhelmingly to launch their in the U.S. this past year, most of tempered well by the fermentation, own Trappist brewery—America’s which was sold in Massachusetts. As removing any stickier maltiness and first! Following Trappist tradition, they the lone American Trappist brewery, providing enlivening carbonation named their brewery after the abbey’s Spencer’s been putting together alongside bittering elements of home of Spencer, Massachusetts. some standout Belgian styles. And pepper and soft clove. At 10.2% ABV, In addition to traditional abbey- the brewers learned from some the alcohol stays nicely tucked away style beers, the monks produce of the best—having studied from and manifests more as that rounded, styles not typically associated with Trappist breweries like Westmalle and vinous fruitiness one hopes for in Trappist breweries, including an IPA Westvleteren. these beers. With time to warm, (with German and American hops), this quadrupel gradually shows its a German-style , a darker Monk’s Reserve Ale pours a deep, full breadth of character: incredibly “Festive ”, and more. As one cola-brown color with mahogany dense maltiness that gets into plum of our featured beers this month, accents. Not a ton of light getting and currant territory, fresh-baked though, we wanted to focus on the through, and this definitely feels spice bread, a decadent maltiness brewery’s core strength, with their like a robust, burly quad from the that keeps on going. It’s probably exceptional Monk’s Reserve Ale: a initial pour. The foam feels Belgian in our favorite release ever from full-bodied Trappist quadrupel that’s execution: creamy textured, with tiny Spencer—and a world-class take on one of the best examples of this style bubbles, firm retention, and lacing the quadrupel. we’ve found. For more info about the that coats the interior of the glass. various projects the monks in Spencer The early aromatics provide a good Aging & Pairing Notes: are working on, head over to www. sense of what’s to come, packed with spencerabbey.org. And for more dried dark fruits and some subtle The brewery suggests storing bottles about Trappist beers and Trappist berry character, along with warming of Monk’s Reserve Ale upright, monasteries in general, check out the medium malt notes that range from and provides a best-by date about International Trappist Association at caramel and toffee to cola and three or four years after bottling. www.trappist.be. fresh bread. It’s a vibrant combo of Quadrupels can be amongst the most maltiness, tempered by a complex satisfying of styles to cellar: hefty in Monk’s Reserve Ale fruitiness and white pepper from the ABV, feisty when young, and built to ferment. develop some of those most pleasant One of our two featured beers this aged aspects, like sherry notes and month is Spencer Brewery’s delicious This is one of the best quads we’ve complex caramelization. For pairing: Monk’s Reserve Ale, a potent Trappist crossed paths with in a while. From the the Monk’s Reserve Ale’s emphasis quadrupel that’s a standout example first sip, Monk’s Reserve Ale offers up on dark fruit has us looking to heartier of this harder-to-find style. This beer layers of rich core malts accentuated pork and duck preparations. has seen very limited distribution so by a nicely handled Belgian yeast

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Lambickx Private Domain Zenne Valley, Belgium

Hand Selected

Lambics are essentially the don’t anticipate bringing this lambic thrilled with how this latest rendition of the Champagnes of the beer world, back into the U.S. market anytime Lambickx line turned out. It was originally and this month we’re excited to soon, so these remaining cases of brewed in 2014, then aged in 600-liter bring Rare Beer Club members an Hand Selected Lambic are rare French oak barrels before being bottled especially tasty example through indeed. There were 1,866 bottles in 2016. Our sampled batch was limited to the mysterious Lambickx brand. This produced of the newer brewed- 1,866 bottles, and these Lambickx releases brand is owned by our importing in-2014/bottled-in-2016 batch, and saw a minimal presence in the U.S. last peeps over at Total Beverage 5,579 bottles produced of the year (only 3.5 cases of the 2015, and one Solution, and the Pajottenland lambic brewed-in-2013/bottled-in-2015 case of the 2016). In addition to the 2016 barrels that go into each particular release. bottling, we’ll also be pulling from the blend are selected and tasted by a few remaining 2015 bottles to make sure team led by Roger Mussche, based The blending of , in terms that we’ll have sufficient lambic for all of upon the diversity, complexity, and of how frequently one acquires our Rare Beer Club members. We were wild nature of the lambics. (The such expertise, is probably up grateful to be able to get enough of this approach to these blends came there with professional hang- for the Rare Beer Club, as it truly is one of from Mussche and renowned gliding. Time and again we’ve the most mouthwatering and finely tuned importer Don Feinberg, been impressed with how the lambic offerings we’ve encountered in a co-founder of Brewery creators of this series take a long while. Ommegang.) Given the super- diverse set of lambic barrels limited nature of these and make something that We opted for our go-to and somehow- bottlings, we’ll be pulling feels just effortlessly not-yet-broken Riedel Veritas glasses for from both the 2016 and 2015 smooth and expansive— this one, but really anything from tumbler vintages of Hand Selected exactly what we’re to tulip to flutes seems reasonable. This Lambic to ensure we have looking for from a well- is very much sparkling, Champagne-like enough for all of our Rare blended and well-aged in regards, and a smaller glass that lightly Beer Club members. Most from Belgium. concentrates the aroma seemed to be best bottles will be from the The golden and oak-aged newer 2016 batch, the sour beers that went (Continued on reverse page) 6.5%-ABV version bottled into these bottles in by Brouwerij de Troch in particular are especially SPECIFICATIONS Wambeek, Belgium, with smooth, more malty a much, much smaller than hoppy, and a amount being sourced touch softer on the Style from the 2015 bottling sourness. We couldn’t Blended Lambic (5.75% ABV) that was ask for tastier lambic Alcohol By Volume bottled at Brouwerij blends—and we think 5.75%–6.5% Strubbe in Ichtegem, our members will agree. Belgium. These have Serving Temperature been among the tastiest Hand Selected 47–55° F blended lambics we’ve had Lambic Suggested Glassware in a long while, and the Tulip, Lambic Tumbler, Chardonnay, importer informed us they We’re pretty darn or Champagne Glasss for us. Your mileage may vary. In terms is mouthwatering, doing everything in its We hope you dig this one as much as we of temperature range: this one’s always little lambic wizardry book to make you do. Lambic is definitely one of those styles tasty, but having a slight chill to it felt most want a sip. Along with that focus on tart that, in those instances where we find refreshing while still allowing the oak’s fruit is an enormous amount of secondary exceptional examples, can push pretty toastiness out. complexity via its non-fruity elements much every single one of our happy and oak-barrel aging: hints of vanilla and buttons. There’s bracing tartness to This blend got poured gently into our almond and toasted barrel. A subtle blue- remind us we’re alive and the world’s weird glasses to avoiding rousing too much cheese and funky edge do the perfect right now. There’s immense complexity yeast, and these pours tended to have only amount of work providing that authentic and depth, nudging us against our worldly a modest haze to them. This glows in the lambic feel. We kept on going back to the cynicism. There’s the effervescence. The glass, though. With a bit of light behind aroma on this one for the good part of subtle tannins and occasional appearance them, our glasses were radiant—honey- an hour. As this warms up further, some of oak… Drink up. golden and sparkling from the steady elegant notes of fresh-cut apple and pear emergence of tiny bubbles from the emerge as well. Aging & Pairing Notes: bottom. A creamy, similarly fine-bubbled white head is inclined to stick around, And yeah...it tastes pretty delicious, too. Both the 2016 and 2015 bottlings are leaving a beautiful lacing of bubbles along (Our complaints card would be empty.) drinking beautifully at the moment, but the side of the glass and being continually Everything promised by those aromatics we wouldn’t be surprised if these lambic replenished from below. The foam from plays out in perfect measure, with that blends developed even more with some below looks a bit like the surface of the just-fizzy-enough CO2 providing lift for all additional time in the cellar. While some moon. It’s up there with the most visually of the different elements here. While the lambics could go decades, we aren’t super attractive lambics, sending out suggestions aroma tends to land more on the sour familiar with aging the Lambickx line, which of honey notes and lemon and sparking citrus side, the impact here’s a bit more has less than a decade behind it. But these bubbles waiting ahead—all of which are balanced: juicy tart lemon and grapefruit, feel primed to just keep on developing. 100% true. a toasty counterpoint of oak and white As for pairings: we’re inclined to use that It would be hard to mistake this for pepper, and the salinity and funk refreshing acidity and CO2 against fattier something other than lambic, from the combine for what’s ultimately bracing but fare, such as creamier cheeses, turkey, aroma forward. That familiar and so- undeniable refreshment sip after sip. This duck, etc. We’ll very likely set aside some wonderful salinity and lemon and funk. is gorgeous lambic: smooth, masterfully of this for Thanksgiving. The aromatics on this version of Lambickx blended, sitting in our lucky glasses and are especially focused around vibrant core being savored slowly. The blending of citrus notes of sweet pomelos and lemons, lambic is one of the world’s tastiest and that sense of full fruit: pith and zest and rarest skillsets—and it’s on world-class all sorts of accompanying tartness. This display here.

Beyond the Bottle: The Lambic Life for Me By Ken Weaver

Over the past five years or so, give or take, kettle sours have served meet an early end. And I honestly do not get the ongoing presence to shift how people think about “sour beers.” Ten years ago, sour of one-note kettle sours—which felt like a bad idea years ago. beer would more likely have been a mixed-fermentation example: a Belgian lambic, maybe, or a non-Belgian riff on lambic, probably Once I remove the kids from my lawn, and once that massive aged in oak, probably for months or years. The yeast and bacteria cartooning windfall comes in (still waiting), I plan to fill the garage involved in these complex fermentations take their sweet time. with lambic. The upside of kettle sours, for me and my wife, and But with the rise of quick- or kettle-souring techniques, in which a frankly the majority of our peeps out here, is we can now magically firm presence of lactic acid is created basically overnight (by various find lambic on the shelves of California (albeit at sub-magical prices). means, only some of which involve yogurt), brewers can churn out Some of my favorite beer experiences have been from sour beers lemony-tart “sour beers” super fast. that take years to develop and benefit from careful blending skills that aren’t on the back of a yogurt container. I hope kettle sours Except… they usually aren’t like the beers that made this space continue to improve; there are definitely some Berliner-esque interesting in the first place. weisses and pseudo-goses that come across well. But, for now, I want nothing to do with that 9% sour IPA with pluot puree. The If you dig kettle sours: that’s great. As the beer world expands, lambic life for me. there’s a beer for everyone at this point—and that part’s cool as hell. But it also means there is more stuff that’s gonna be well outside of Ken Weaver (@KenWeaver) is a beer writer, editor and cartoonist one’s wheelhouse. I love hazies, and loathe milkshake IPAs. I was based in Petaluma, California. He makes a weekly beer webcomic at grateful to see the doubly-coarse abomination that was black IPA massivepotions.com.

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