Blue Moon Winter Sample Pack 2014: Blue Moon Mountain Abbey Ale

Brewed By: Miller Brewing Company (MillerCoors) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin   

Purchased: 12oz bottle from the Blue Moon Winter Sampler 2014 bought at Jewel-Osco in Chicago, IL; 2014 

Style/ABV: Abbey Ale, 5.6%

Reported IBUs: 16

DAE Macro sampler packs?

Over the past few years of penning horrible blog reviews, I have never actually reviewed one of America's classic beers: Blue Moon Belgian White. I did review their god-awful Grand Cru once upon a time, but how about some of their more seminal releases? I couldn't pass up on the Winter Sampler Pack for 2014. This thing cost about $15, and comes with five unique beers. Well, five really, because who hasn't had the Belgian White? About MillerCoors aka Blue Moon:

Blue Moon was first brewed in 1995 at one of MillerCoors' R&D arms; in a sandlot, in Denver, Colorado, by Keith Villa. Keith Villa is an OG player these days. He's off judging beer, and talking about his PhD in brewing from the University of Brussels. There's a PhD for everything these days. Seriously though, it's Blue Moon. Read the Wiki. 

This is where things probably start to get weird....Blue Moon doing an Abbey Ale? Eh? The Mountain Abbey Ale is brewed with pale, "winter white wheat," and chocolate malts; this uses Mittelfruh hops, and features some dark Belgian candi sugar because DAE Belgium. 

This beer pours into a pretty nice reddish-brown body, kicking up a finger of brown-tinged head. The beer is carbonated well, but appears filtered...and yeah. Calling this an abbey ale is about as nebulous as calling this a Belgian Ale....so I'm not sure what to expect, but let's see.

The aroma is pretty mild and smells like a Brown Ale...I'm getting some toasted and nutty notes. When I swirl the beer, I'm starting to get some of the candi sugar, with some plums and dark fruit sweetness. This also has a saccharine sweet caramel presence, which seems characteristic of all these Blue Moon beers.

This is like a Belgian Ale light...really, it drinks much like a malty Bock or even a Brown Ale with some hints of sugar. This mostly dials up caramel sweetness, with some light toasty notes and some nuttiness. The kiss of candi sugar suggests some dark fruits and sort of legitimizes this, but this mostly tastes like a solid Brown Ale.

This is pretty solid as far as Brown Ales go. The candi sugar does add a nice dimension to the sweetness, and the toasty and nutty notes all work well together. It's not particularly complex or interesting, but it has reasonable depth. It seems very average, if not a bit outside the typical abbey ale guidelines. Up front is a nice dose of caramel, faint hops, and toast; the mids roll into more toast, some nuttiness, and hints of sugar; the back end drops candi sugar and some dark fruits. Overall it's pretty decent and hard to hate. 

Rating: Average (2.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Average on this. This almost falls into below-average territory because honestly, this isn't a very inspiring Belgian Ale and I really have to work hard to dig out the nuanced and rewarding flavors. Having said that, this is probably an average or average+ Brown Ale thing. It would certainly pair well with the cooler weather, minus that weak ass ABV. I'd treat this like the many Winter brown ales that inevitably sit on shelves come November. 

Random Thought: My Garmin watch won't turn on and my life is in ruin. 

Affligem Dubbel

Brewed By: Brouwerij Affligem / De Smedt (Heineken) in Opwijk, Belgium

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at Friar Tucks in Urbana, IL; 2014 

Style/ABV: Belgian Dubbel, 7.0% 

Reported IBUs: ?

TIL Affligem is Heineken's bitch....about Affligem:

Affligem has a long history as an Abbey, going back to 1074 when six knights quit their day job of kicking ass, and traded their swords for a more peaceful life. Ten years later, and the Abbey was born. Like most Abbeys, Affligem was subject to numerous take downs and rebuildings. In 1796, the French state shut down the Abbey. It was not restored until 1887.

The Monks at Affligem were brewing beer since the early days of the Abbey. During World War II they handed over their recipe to sustain/preserve the business. The brewery is located in Opwijk, Belgium, and is owned by Heineken. For more info, check out the brewery's website. 

The Affligem Dubbel is an...Abbey Dubbel. This one really needs no explanation. Described as dark and spicy, this one should feature lots of clove, spice, anise, raisins, molasses, and bananas. The bottle is cool, and the glass is no slouch...let's see how she stacks up.

Affligem Dubbel

Wow...this is a raw, rustic Dubbel. I'm digging this from the onset, with the beer's dark reddish-brown/orange body. The body is hazy, and you can see yeast suspended in the beer, along with a stream of carbonation rising upwards from the chalice's nucleation point. This one kicks up one to two fingers of thick, bready, caramel-tinted head. This just looks the part of an Abbey Ale, all rustic and conditioned...nice. [there's good, clingy head retention/glossy alcohol legs]

The aroma is even better than the appearance. I'm getting some apples and wheat up front, with some caramel sugars. If you dig deeper you get rich raisins, breads, brown sugars, bready desserts (I think raisin bread is a safe call), mild anise, clove, green bananas, perfumed dark fruits...it's just deep and layered, and goes way beyond the apple and wheat notes you initially get.

The taste follows through with the nose, almost spot on. That's not a bad thing, as you get blasted with sweet caramel, raisins/molasses, apples, and wheat up front. There are figs and stone fruits abound in here, with perfumed dark fruits firing on all cylinders across the tongue through the beer's velvety-smooth and perfectly carbonated body. I'm getting some hints of bread in here, brown sugar, raisin bread, dark fruits, dried dark berries, and tons of spicy phenols ala clove and cinnamon. Finally, I'm getting a dash of light anise/licorice.

This is classic Abbey through and through. Maybe it plays things a little safe, but the execution is flawless. And this feels rustic and vintage. I wonder how old this recipe is. I'm not getting any of the beer's 7.0%, but this is full-bodied and authoritative. The mouthfeel is perfect, with great duration, and tons of creamy, carbonated goodness. Complexity is fairly high as well. This expands in layers, with apples, raisins, wheat, caramel, and molasses up front; the mids hit carbonated figs, dark fruits, perfume, clove spice; the back end has malts, with breads, cakes, raisin bread, brown sugar, cinnamon, clove...the finish is dry and lightly dusty. This is well-balanced, and big. Nice... 

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I can't believe I'm saying this about a Heineken-owned product, but this is a Light Divine Brew and one of the better Abbey Dubbels I have had. What pushes this beer over the top is the absolutely PERFECT and MEMORABLE mouthfeel, and the layers of complexity. This beer is also perfectly balanced, with good bitterness, tons of spice, lots of malts, and a dry clean finish. As this warms up the spice and malts are popping, and adding the yeast from the bottom of the bottle seems to add character. I'm just enjoying the heck out of this beer, and I could see myself buying this beer again in the Winter months. I feel like this is the perfect beer to pair with a meat and cheese tray, preferably during a football game. You could also pair this beer with stews, hearty soups, grilled meats, and ham. This is just some rustic and refined goodness. I'm surprised...I'm intrigued...I give this a VERY STRONG RECOMMENDATION, especially at around $10 a bottle. Check it out. 

Random Thought: I feel like classic Abbey/Belgian Dubbels are quite different from the candi sugar overload American counterparts. There is nothing wrong with that, but surely this style distinction is worth noting. Compare something like Solemn Oath's Big Box Make Magic to the beer that we have in front of us, and yeah. Two awesome beers with completely different experiences. 

The Bruery Autumn Maple

Brewed By: The Bruery in Placentia, California  

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2013 

Style/ABV: Spice/Herb/Vegetable, 10.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

In keeping with the Fall and Autumn beers, I thought I would deviate from the pumpkin beers for a bit and try a beer brewed with another Fall staple, yams. But first, about The Bruery: 

The Bruery are based out of Placentia, California. As with many craft breweries, The Bruery began as a homebrewing adventure when Patrick Rue, his brother Chris, and his wife Rachel brewed their fast batch of beer. Patrick Rue continued to homebrew during his first year of law school, until he decided that he had a passion for brewing beer. The Bruery opened up in 2008, and since then, they have built a reputation around their experimental, and wild ales brewed with a Belgian flair. To read more, check out the Breuery's website.

The Autumn Maple is an Autumn seasonal brewed with 17 pounds of yams per barrel. In addition to the yams, this beer features cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, vanilla, molasses, and maple syrup, and is fermented out with a Belgian yeast strain. 

The Bruery Autumn Maple

The Autumn Maple pours into a dark, brownish/amber body, and kicks up two fingers of thick, bready, Belgian-esque head. The head is khaki/tan in low light, and an amber color in bright light. The beer is a deep, hazy orange color in bright light, with nice streams of peppery carbonation. Head retention is good, there is some lacing, and there are some alcohol legs. 

You get a lot of spices on the aroma...nutmeg, namely, along with some allspice, clove, and cinnamon. There's a mulled wine thing going on with the spices, and beneath all that is some Belgian funk and band-aid/vanilla/clove. There's a vinous quality to this beer, and I'm picking up on some vegetal tannins on the aroma...you definitely get some of the yams on the aroma. It's a strange, spicy aroma.

As this beer warms up...it really progresses. You get a lot of fruity bitterness and spices in the mix, but there's also a lot of sugars in this. I'm getting molasses, yams, allspice/nutmeg/cinnamon, clove, and some vanilla. There's some shades of fruit, grass/lemongrass, and Belgian funk in this as well. 

This isn't bad...but it's not blowing me away. This beer is full-bodied, but at 10% the alcohol is well hidden and drinkability is good thanks to the high levels of carbonation. Palate depth and complexity are both okay. You get some Belgian yeast funk, molasses, and nutmeg/cinnamon/allspice up front; that rolls into clove, more molasses, big yams, maple syrup, vanilla; and the back end lays on some trailing sweetness. Some fruity and bitter hops show up from time to time.

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this. I really want to love this beer, but I feel like it's kind of just doing the style justice. That's not a bad thing by any means, but this isn't blowing me away at the moment. I'm also hesitant to age a beer like this, because I feel like the big yam and spice character is going to drop off unfavorably. At around...what was it? Ten, maybe fifteen bucks a bottle, this is a tad bit pricey, but what can you do. I'd pair this beer with turkey, Thanksgiving dinner, sweet potatoes or yams, or a hearty beef and potato dish or stew. This is good stuff, and would taste good on a Fall/Autumn evening.

Random Thought: I'm really pulling for the 100 games lost for the White Sox, but they have some work to do if they are going to suck that much over the next few games. They are off to a good start after tonight's game, but we still have a few more to go. 100...come on, baby!!!

He'Brew Rejewvenator Dubbel Doppel (2013 Limited Release)

Brewed By: Shmaltz Brewing Company in Brooklyn, New York  

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2013 

Style/ABV: Belgian Dubbel/Doppelbock, 8.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

As a gentile, I have to give props to He'Brew for taking their beer names and sticking it to all the folks that can't enjoy an awesome name like "Rejewvenator." I say that as a gentile, though. About He'Brew:

He'Brew is part of the Shmaltz Brewing Company. The Shmaltz Brewing Company has two lines of beer: their He'Brew The Chosen Beer, and their Coney Island Craft Lagers. Shmaltz Brewing Company is a craft brewery based in San Francisco, California, founded by Jeremy Cowan in 1996. The company previously contract brewed most of their beer through the Mendocino Brewing Company, while operating a small brewery in Brooklyn, New York. After 16 years of having their beer contract brewed, the Shmaltz Brewing Company opened its own New York State microbrewery in Clifton Park, NY. The new location features a 50-barrel brewhouse, with 20,000 barrels of annual capacity, and began production April/May 2013, officially opening July 2013. The company is known for its innovative beer, eye-catching bottle artwork, and sense of humor. For more information, check out the Shmaltz website HERE. Don't be a schmuck!

The 2013 Rejewvenator is all kinds of crazy. The bottle states that this is a "Belgian Style Dubbel Ale" AND a "Doppelbock European Lager." How can that be, wondered no one reading this crappy blog. According to my bottle, this beer is brewed with Lager and Belgian Ale yeast, in addition to some 2-row, Munich, CaraVienna, and Dark Crystal malts, and some Warrior, Cascade, Amarillo, Crystal, and Goldings hops. Oh, and this beer tosses in some dates and figs because why not! You can also check out the 2013 Rejewvenator at the Shmaltz Brewing website. 

This one gushed a bit upon opening, but I assume this is bottle conditioned so blah blah tread lightly. The beer pours into a reddish-brown body that doesn't look half as murky as most Belgian Dubbels, and I kicked up a finger of bready, tan-colored head. In bright light the beer is a clear, transparent, SUPER CLEAN, reddish-orange color. Maybe it isn't conditioned? I don't know how they worked the Lager yeast and Belgian yeast. The beer has a hazy cauldron effect, and swirling the beer kicks up some healthy carbonation, along with some lacing and legs. It's a good looking beer.

He'Brew Rejewvenator 2013

The aroma on this beer is super weird...I'm getting big plums, figs, and clove...but it's clashing with dates and apples (and apple slaw salad), and a clean (but slightly spicy) Lager yeast. There's some candi sugar and musty funk on the nose as well. I'm also getting some faint toast/chocolate...hmmm...

If you drink a lot of Belgian Dubbels, you will immediately know that something is amiss here. You get plum and clove in this, along with some musty Belgian funk, but that transitions to a sharp Bock-like cleanness with fruity and malty flavors. I'm picking up some apple, berries, and lighter caramel. You do pick up on the dates and figs, and there's lots of shades of purple grapes and plums and dark fruits in this. You also get some hints at toast, and the finish leans towards a Bock.

I'm inclined to say this is more of a Bock than a Dubbel, as this drifts towards malty sweetness. It's good though. The mouthfeel is medium-full, and super clean. The beer is supported by good carbonation, and a malty-sweet body. There's a touch of booze in the back, but it's like a subtle kiss in a good dessert wine...so drinkability is high. Palate depth and complexity are both alright. Up front is big clove, Belgian yeast, and some plums/figs/dates; that rolls into some malty sweetness, a hint of bitterness, some musty funk, and some burnt sugars; the back is dry malty sweetness, some toast, and a very Bock-like finish.

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this. This was a fun experiment, and this beer reads like a Fall/Autumn beer. Which is perfect, because Autumn is around the corner. Having said that, I kind of feel like a beer brewed with dates, figs, and fermented out with two types of yeast should blow me away. This works nicely as a good, solid Doppelbock...I wouldn't call it a Dubbel. Though, there's a lot of nods towards plums and clove in this, and perfumey candi sugar. It's a fun beer for sure, and I look forward to seeing what the 2014 Rejewvenator will be. I'm going to pair this beer with a brat and some salads, but the malty sweetness and kiss of booze you get in this beer would go well with desserts, creme brulee, or even a burger/steak with caramelized onions and a nice dark, sweet sauce. 

Random Thought: What is up with people photographing/recording their wedding proposals, and then posting that shit on Reddit, YouTube, and Facebook. First off, how creepy is it to have a camera person hidden in some bush 500 yards away from where you are proposing. Even if that person is your friend, it's still fucking weird. And then you have to make sure the camera person doesn't blow your cover, or you don't give their position away when you keep stealing glances in their direction. And then to top it all off you are going to post what is supposed to be one of -- if not THE MOST -- romantic and intimate moment in your life so all your dumbass friends can see it on Facebook? I guess. Whatever floats your boat, honky. 

Val-Dieu Brune (The Brown Val-Dieu)

Brewed By: Brasserie de l’Abbaye du Val-Dieu in Aubel, Belgium 

Purchased: 11.2oz/330ml bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Belgian Dubbel, 8.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

Ah, the infamous doubleheader. Much more enjoyable when your team isn't the 2013 White Sox and they don't suck. About Val-Dieu:

The Cistercian Abbey “Notre Dame du Val-Dieu” was founded in 1216 by monks from Hocht, near Maastricht (the capital city of the Dutch province of Limburg) and the county of Dalhem. The legend goes that the uninhabited valley into which they settled was so hostile the locals called it the "valley of the devil." The monks renamed it "Valley of God," or Val-Dieu in French. Val-Dieu was the only Belgian abbey to survive the French Revolution. Today, the abbey is still linked to the Cistercian Order, and the abbey of Lérins.  

According to Wikipedia, the abbey's original church was destroyed in 1287 during the War of Limburg Succession, and again in 1574 during the Eighty Years' War, and again in 1683 by the armies of Louis XIV. Under Abbot Jean Dubois, from 1711 to 1749, the abbey flourished, until the church was destroyed again in the French Revolution. 

The brewery (Brasserie de l'Abbaye du Val-Dieu) was established in 1997 at the abbey farm. Originally, the monks of Val-Dieu brewed beer to make the water drinkable and to avoid diseases like dysentery, cholera, and typhoid. The beers brewed at the abbey today are inspired by the original recipes of the monks. The abbey emphasizes basic ingredients, a rigorous brewing process, and straight up legit water from the regional Gileppe dam. For more info, check out the abbey's website, or the Val-Dieu website.

The Brown Val-Dieu is described as having a coffee/mocha character, with some roasted malt character and spice.

Val-Dieu Brune (The Brown Val-Dieu)

Like the Blond, this beer was eager to leave the bottle, and poured with crackling, cackling carbonation. The beer pours into a cola-black body, and a centimeter of head quickly peaced out like some Date Sugar Yeast Magik shit. In bright light this beer is a hazy raisin-purple, and there's a brown ring of carbonation clinging to the edge of the glass. Agitating the beer does kick up some head.

The aroma here is more of the same stuff you get on the Blond: lots of wheat, perfume, fruity esters, and Belgian phenol stuff. There's a heavier chalky aroma coming from this, along with some hints of underlying booze, roast, and dark fruits. I'm getting some grapes, plums, raisins, and hints of rum.

You get a lot of chalky dark fruits in this, with some big boozy phenols, and some smoke and roast in the back. The surprise twist in this? The blast of mocha and chocolate towards the back. I'm getting rum, grapes, plums, perfume/phenols, hints of pepper, boozy depth, some powder/dust, and that malty blast of anise/smoke/roast/mocha/chocolate. The depth of flavors is nice.

It's apples and oranges to compare this Brown to the Blond, but the Blond was middling compared to similar beers. This beer is a legit contender in the Abbey Dubbel ring. The mouthfeel is medium-full to full-bodied, with creamy carbonation smoothing everything over, and chalky density with some hints of powder/dust and spice in the back. Palate depth is outstanding, with each sip taking you on a journey, and each journey lasting 15-30 seconds. Complexity is also good. I'm getting a blast of wheat/stone fruits, and then dark fruits up front with some rum; that rolls into boozy perfume and phenol, peppery spice, chalky density; the back has chalky malts, anise, smoke, roast, mocha, chocolate, and finishes seductively boozy with lingering spice. At 8.0%, this has seductive booziness, but drinkability is high.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. Hot damn, this is a good Belgian Dubbel. The expansion of flavors across the palate is top notch. I would buy this beer in a 4-pack or 6-pack format, or by the bomber. Like the Blond, this has a vinous quality that might work with Parmesan chicken and spaghetti with a red sauce, anything with a red wine sauce, purple potatoes or potatoes in general, rustic dishes, and meats and cheese, of course.

Random Thought: Does anyone else remember the second Sox game in that double header that went until 1am? No? I don't either, and I doubt the 7 people that were left in the stands at 1am remember either. 2014, baby.