August 4, 2012 - Beer Mistress

I am a very happily married woman.  However… I may have met the man of my dreams on Saturday.  He was a bartender named Dave, and he works at Eulogy Belgian Tavern in Philadelphia.  Forget Match.com.  I will submit that his talent is way better than finding you a spouse.  You describe for Dave your ideal beer… and he’ll find it for you amongst their many draught and bottle options.

 

When I told him that I like dark, unfiltered, and full-bodied, the first thing that he pulled out was this beautiful half litre bottle of Schneider’s Aventinus.  Go ahead- check them out on Beer Advocate.  A and  A+ ratings all around!  Obviously I am not alone in loving this beer!

 

Impression #1 is the pour!  Aventinus provides some amazing glasses, which in my opinion look to be somewhere between a hurricane glass and a pilsner glass.  Definitely beautiful, and give the beer a chance to shine.  I feel like I can take a good whiff of this new beer as I’m sipping it, which is nice when you’re trying to fully experience a new brew.

 

So, this beer is an unfiltered, wheat dopplebock ale.  It clocks in at 8.2%, ABV, and the head is a light brown, thick creamy addition to my beautiful beer package.  The smell brings through a strong clove scent with hints of banana.  I also smell a little (just less than burnt) caramel, with a subtle alcohol finish, a blend very much resembling a Belgian.

 

Upon sipping, I found this beer so very fulfilling.  It is well-balanced and meets all of my personal taste buds’ needs.  There are no wheat or hops flavors that knock you over, and yet there is this beautiful match up of herbs, citrus, and bitter that all balance out.  What a fulfilling and tastebud satisfying beer!  I have to admit, there are certain flavors I love in beer: cloves, coriander, sweet citrus, and strong-but-not-quite-knock-you-over hops.  This beer is a balanced version of many of those.  I don’t  necessarily taste the caramel that I smell, but there is a pleasant bitter taste that finishes the experience.

 

The carbonation is very evident but doesn’t come on too strong.  I wouldn’t call it effervescent, but it’s notably carbonated unlike some cask conditioned microbrews.  The flavor is complete and complex and it’s creamy and smooth.  Yes Yes and Yes.

 

I have to admit, until now, I’ve been declaring Dogfish Head’s Sah’ Tea as my favorite beer of all time, and I’ve only had it once about 8 months ago.  I found out that this beer is not released again until May, and I have to be honest, I don’t remember anything about it other than finding it immensely enjoyable and meeting my beer needs.  Until I get to honestly and creatively meet that beer again, this amazing beer might easily be my favorite beer.  There’s just something about the unfiltered, dark, complex tastes, and dominant flavors that all meet my taste buds exactly!

 

Hello Dave, I’ll have another round or two please!  Glad I met my match.