This post is a part of the 2015 New Beer Every Day Beer Diary Challenge, #ottbeerdiary. Over the course of 2015, I will be trying a new beer every day. Please read the background in the link above, and enjoy reading about the most recently tasted beers below. If you’d like to join the challenge as well, let me know in the comments below, and be sure to check out Grown-up Travel Guide and his #grownupbeerdiary, where Andy Higgs came up with the diary format in use below. You can catch up on all of our posts as part of the challenge under the tag ottbeerdiary.
Day 192: July 11, 2015
Diary entry:
A fun day today. Made plans yesterday at Van Moll to head to De Caigny in Essen, Belgium with my friend John from work to do a little fresh stocking for the challenge. Still plenty of bottles left from the earlier runs to De Hopduvel in Ghent, but that was a winter run, and I have mostly heavy stouts and barleywines left from then, so needed to pick up a few more lighter beers as well.
After picking up our beers (I was shocked, he actually wound up with quite a bit more than I did!) we pondered on where to go next, and I saw some nearby checkins of a beer produced by Abbaye des Rocs for a cafe at an old windmill, so we decided to run over to check it out. Bakkersmolen Wildert had both a blond and a bruin, and both were rather tasty, very similar to the normal bruin and blond from the Abbaye des Rocs label. They also had a cafe and bakery on premise, and you can visit the windmill, even going up to the top of the windmill itself! That was cool!
Heading back to Eindhoven, we realized we’d be hitting Breda right at the time the Bierproefavond at Het Visserskot was supposed to begin. As that was my original plan for the day, we decided to pop by directly and taste the beers on offer before heading back.
There were five breweries present at the event, each with two beers available on draft:
Brouwerij Bliksem with Saison In the Abyss (7% Saison) and Pale Rider (6% Pale Ale)
Brouwerij Frontaal with Tomahawk (7.8% Rogge Saison) and Tankard (3.9% American Session Ale)
Brouwerij Halve Tamme with Zwarte Koffie Batch #2 (8.4% Black IPA) and Hopgesodemieterd (8% IPA)
Dorpsbrouwerij de Pimpelmeesch with an Experimental Saison made for the event and the Chaamse Dubbel (7% Dubbel)
Jopen with Life’s A Beach (4.5% Session IPA) and also bottles, such as Holy Smoke #2 (9.5% Smoked RIS) and Librije Bier 2014 (10% gruitbier, brewed with ‘trekdrop'(licorice), juniperberries and chillipepper from De Librije, a three-Michelin-star restaurant in Zwolle)
It was great to see a couple of new, young, smaller, local microbreweries like Bliksem and Halve Tamme, neither of whom I had tried before.
The Beer:
Name: Saison In the Abyss
Style: Saison
Producer: Brouwerij Bliksem
Alcohol content: 7.0%
Bottle size: 0.2l Draft
Purchased from: Het Visserskot Bierproefavond
My first beer at today’s tasting at Het Visserskot in Breda. Bliksem has been high on my wish list of newer Dutch breweries to try, and I was especially thrilled to see them on the list for this event. And they did not disappoint. Both Saison in the Abyss and their new Pale Rider were near the top of my list of the beers I tried today. I’m looking forward to seeing what else they come up with at upcoming festivals or in bottles as they continue to up production.
The Saison In the Abyss from draft had a crisp, citrusy bitterness. Very refreshing.
Commercial Description: Slightly bitter, fruity and continuously hopped with American hops. A delightful through drinker for sunny days or for relaxation after hard work on the land. Tasting Tips 8 ° Slayer: Seasons in the Abyss. Ingredients: water, barley malt, wheat malt, hops and yeast.
