Beer Review: Blanche de Bruxelles

Last night I visited The Flying Saucer Draught Emporium in Memphis, TN. It's a beer-lovers dream. I started off with a lovely Hoegaarden on draft, which is not available in my neck of the woods. Following that, I ordered a beer I'd never had - Blanche de Bruxelles - which may just be my new favorite beer.

Similar to Hoegaarden, Blanche de Bruxelles is a Belgian witbier, produced by Lefebvre Brewery in Quenast, Belgium. The beer was served on draft and poured into a classic Belgian-style beer glass. The beer was a cloudy yellow with a little white head.

The aroma was sweet and enticing.

The mouth-feel was incredibly smooth. The taste was light and luscious. Very mellow with low-medium spices and faint orange flavor. I could drink many of these beers.

Blanche de Bruxelles would certainly be an excellent spring/summer session beer. I can only imagine what this would taste like with a bowl of curry mussels and pommes frites. This beer is highly recommended.

Beer Review: Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence

I recently had a bottle of Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence, a Belgian Strong Dark Ale, as an after-dinner drink at home. I've enjoyed Sam Adam's Chocolate Bock in the past and was excited to try Ommegang's attempt at a chocolate beer.

The beer was poured from a 750 ml bottle into a glass bourbon snifter. It had a dark, thin appearance with seemingly little to no carbonation, yet it also had serious lacing around the glass.

The aroma was (unsurprisingly) sweet and rich with hints of dried fruits. The mouth-feel was thin and silk-smooth, but was followed-up by a dryness similar to red wine or chocolate. The hops cut through the flavor along with a coffee-like bitterness. Each drink leaves you with an appropriately strong chocolate after-taste.

I would recommend splitting this beer amongst 2-3 people. Though it is excellent by itself, I suspect Ommegang's Chocolate Indulgence would pair well with roasted lamb, mushroom risotto, and a cheese plate.