We’re running a bit behind for 2011 with our 1st beer club for the year only taking place on the 23rd of February, and by the good turnout our members have been hanging out for it. For our 9th outing The Belgian Beer Cafe in Kingston was selected as the venue.
The Belgian Beer Cafe, Little Brussels is a welcome addition to The ABC’s list of venues, offering a unique exploration of Belgian traditional fare. We were treated to some traditional Belgian beer and food. One small criticism of the evening is that the The Belgian Beer Cafe failed to supply a beer guru to introduce each of the beers and explain the different food combinations, that said they did come up with a very creative menu that really combined well with all the beers sampled.
Our 1st beer for the evening was meant to be a “Belgian Real Pils” but due to a technical mishap this beer was unavailable and we were served a “Stella Artois” (5%) instead. Belgians have been making beer since the 14th century and Stella Artois reflects this tradition of finely crafted brewing. The world 'Stella' is Latin for 'star' and Stella was originally a limited release Christmas beer. The word Artois comes from the surname of the master brewer, Sebastian Artois. This golden Belgian brew is a signature blend of premium malt and Saaz hops. Quite malty on the mid-palate, Stella Artois is a full flavoured, superior quality beer with a rich, estery, creamy aroma a fine clean bitterness and a hint of citric fruitiness.
We were served up a small but very tasty “Truffled Chicken & Nori Roulade” which was served cold and even though we were meant to be drinking the Belgian Real Pils, the Stella really went very well with this dish.
The 2nd beer was the “Hoegaarden” (5%). Hoegaarden (pronounced whogarden) is a white beer which is brewed in the Belgian town of Hoegaarden by the De Kluis Brewery which is now owned by Interbrew, the brewery that also owns Stella Artois. The white beer is brewed to a traditional recipe which dates as far back as 1445, although the beer Hoegaarden has only existed since 1966. Hoegaarden gets its great taste partly due to there being special ingredients added during the brewing process, such as - wheat, coriander and curacao orange peels. Also the pale, cloudy appearance of this mysterious looking drink is all thanks to an additional second fermentation in the keg. This beer was accompanied with some “Hoegaarden & Dukkah Battered King Prawns” which were absolutely beautiful and a perfect match to this beer.
The 3rd beer was a “Leffe Brune” (6.6%). Leffe Brune (brown) is an authentic abbey beer, brewed according to the traditional recipe of the Abbey of Leffe. Leffe Brown has a delicate taste of vanilla and clove the full aroma of toffee and caramel with a dark-brown appearance due to the use of darkly roasted malt; it has a medium body with a good foamy head and a very well balanced bitterness. A very pleasant beer to wash down a serve of “Grilled Lambs Tongue, Haloumi, Oven dried Tomato and olive salad, the toffee and caramel flavours of the Leffe Brune combined very nicely with this dish.
The final beer of the evening was the “Belle-vue Kriek Cherry Beer” (5.1%). This beer is actually classed as a fruit beer; it is created with the addition of two important and unique ingredients, ripened Morello cherries and elderberry juice. It is then left to mature in oak casks, where the ageing process can last for 2-3 years before the beer is ready for drinking. The result of all this is a truly beautiful tasting fruit beer with a distinct tartness. Belle-Vue Kriek is a Lambic style beer which traditionally are only brewed in Belgium. Lambic beers are fermented differently to conventional beers using a process called spontaneous fermentation. This unique process gives the beer a distinctive flavor which in this case is very true. Not only is the taste of this beer unique but so is its appearance. It is a cherry color when poured along with a creamy full head and a pleasant fruity smell. What a perfect way to finish off the evening with a serve of Belgian Chocolate Mousse Tartlette with liquored Cherry Griottes, the beer & mousse were made for each other.
Our little club underwent a small name change from “The Australian Brew Club” to “The Australian Beer Club”, which seems to fit a little better given the fact that we don’t brew much beer ourselves, we certainly do enjoy drinking it though. The four letter word for grape juice continues to be a good money spinner for the fine bucket (just ask Oners). The raffles were again very popular with some nice little prizes won by some lucky attendees.
A big thank you to all the staff at “The Belgian Beer Café” for their hospitality and service and very creative menu.
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