Daily Loaf

With the holidays approaching, the glorious bounty that is winter seasonal beer begins to descend upon the shelves of local bottle shops. One of my favorite seasonal offerings is the Petrus Key to Heaven gift pack, which features 6 unique brews from Belgian brewery Bavik-De Brabandere, many of which have been wood aged for at least two years. Among these fine examples of Belgian brewing are the sour lactobacillus joys Aged Pale and Oud Bruin, and the beefy, malty Dubbel Bruin.

A Blond Ale is also included in this cornucopia of Belgian funkiness. The bottle features a monk resembling pimp Santa on the label, proudly displaying his key to heaven and goblet – no doubt full of high-quality beer. Since Santa is down with snow, the North Pole, reindeer, and all that, Petrus Blond is best served cold, unlike many Belgian ales whose flavor characteristics are at their finest around cellar temperatures. Read the rest of this entry »

This Earth Day, express your support of green farming and healthy living by drinking organic brews. There’s a decent size selection available locally, all of which have been produced without preservatives, and when cultivating the grain and hops, natural techniques are applied to encourage growth, rather than chemical fertilizers or pesticides.

I’ll start with one of my favorite breweries — North Coast, a Fort Bragg, California beer sensation that produces a diverse line of impeccable beer, including two superb organics. Read the rest of this entry »

If you love beer — or even moderatly enjoy it — and haven’t been to the Oldsmar Tap House, you’re doing yourself a massive disservice. The beer-intensive, yet laid back, environment and a constantly rotating tap list make OTH one of the local centers of the beer geek universe. Coming up on the event calendar – April 23rd is Chimay Night. Explore the palatable product line from one of the world’s seven beer producing trappist monasteries, where brewing is conducted or overseen by Cistercian monks. Get a free gold-rimmed Chimay goblet with your first Chimay Premiere, Cinq Cents, or Grande Reserve (while supplies last). You can also explore another 30+ taps along with a wide selection of craft and import bottles. Live music by OTH All Stars. 300 State Street East #107. Oldsmar (813) 855-9181

If you know me on a personal basis and are planning a trip anywhere outside of Florida, prepare to be handed a shopping list and an envelope of cash. There are a few things I will need you to bring back for me. As further compensation, upon your return, we will gather with the expressed purpose of getting bombastic in celebration of beer that can’t be found at local retailers.

This is a story about beer nerds — myself and several friends — getting together with recently obtained out-of-town travel brew, along with some mail-order finds. We sat in my living room with this load of beer joy and giant plates of edam, cheddar, and wheat crackers, and surrendered to a marathon of serious beer business.

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Petrus Oud Bruin (Old Dark), 5.5% ABV, Belgium

For the salt and vinegar potato chip loving, malt vinegar French fry craving, sour apple candy enthusiasts, imagine a deeper, darker version of that tart, tangy goodness, served in a tulip glass.

Enter Petrus Oud Bruin, an ale crafted in the Flemish tradition by Belgian brewery Bavic de Brabander. Flemish ales are characterized by a mild to extreme sourness attributable to the presence of atypical brewing yeasts or lactic aids from barrel aging. In the case of Petrus Oud Bruin, it’s a little of both. After the initial fermentation process, the brew is aged in oak casks for 20 months, blended in a manner similar to Scotch, and then treated to a secondary fermentation in the bottle.

When poured, the opaque brown body shimmers Read the rest of this entry »