Brouwerij Het Anker Gouden Carolus Noël. Mechelen, Belgium. (Belgian strong dark ale) on tap , 10.5% – appears very dark with huge off-tan head, smell is faint malt, hard to pick up from the glass used, mouthfeel is solid but not as thick as taste suggests, quite quaffable, taste wonderful malty richness with a buttery and anise-driven finish, though it is sweet it is not tiring and it was quite enjoyable to linger over my 25 cl, that being said, that seemed to be the perfect amount before moving on to something else, as there wasn't too much of any one element, but this is still a rich and malt driven beer.
Val Dieu Grand Cru. Commune d'Aubel, Belgium. (Quadruple) on tap, 10.5% – appears apricot golden brown with huge head, smell wonderful layered complexity, fruitcake, spices, sugars, a very nice nose indeed, similarly tasted just plain delicious with tons of spiced fruit elements wafting in and out as the beer progressed with some slight creaminess, delicious through and through, yum!
Brooklyn Local 1. Brooklyn, New York (Belgian strong pale ale) mushroom cork with wire cage, 9% - appears orange clear, huge small bubble white head, smell lots of fruit, fruit cocktail, light cardamom, nicely tuned and vibrant, usually I am not the biggest fan of fruit cocktail in my beer, but this was quite nice, mouthfeel is very highly spritzed and sharp and thin underneath, taste is hoppy, sharp knife-edged, licorice intensity, the beer is interesting but overly intensive for me at first and feels like an interesting mix of ingredients rather than an integrated whole, after about two hours or so, it opens up a lot to rest on more bitter elements of rind and pith, nicely bound together. With food, specifically Bulvinai Blynai (potato pancakes) served with sour cream and Courtland applesauce, the beer took on a wonderful rich quality. This beer sings with food and I consider it a requisite to bringing out the best qualities of the beer. It has an interesting bottle shaped like a bowling pin, oddly labeled with Brewmaster's serving suggestions which only read: “Enjoy it locally or globally, as an aperitif or with your favorite dishes.” How useless. Interesting brew, worth giving some time to open up, around $8 for 1 pint, 9.4 ounces.
From producer: In Williamsburg, Brooklyn, we forge barley, malt, and hops from Germany, aromatic raw sugar from Mauritius and yeast from Belgium into Brooklyn Local 1. 100 percent bottle refermentation. Malts: two-row pilsener malt from Bamberg, Germany. Hops: Hallertaur Perle, Styrian Goldring. First-pressing Demerara Cane Sugar from Mauritius. Gravity: 18.5 Plato.