Paul Arthur (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} flowerysong) wrote,@ 2008-05-02 19:30:00 |
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| Entry tags: | ale, beer, dubbel, new york, ommegang, the session |
The Session #15 - Begin at the beginning
The mission: "How did you get into good beer?"
Now that's an interesting question.
First off, the phrasing is interesting. I've never been into bad beer. I've never even been into light lagers, which is what all too many beer elitists mean when they refer to bad beer. I would think that one wouldn't "get into" something unless it was felt that that thing was good. So why specify good? Shouldn't the question simply be, "How did you get into beer"? Well, I guess it's not really that important.
I remember the first time I drank an alcoholic beverage. A couple of months prior to turning 22, I had some wine. I don't recall the year or the producer, but I know that it was a single-varietal Greek wine made from Moschofilero. I didn't care for it. I also remember the second time I drank an alcoholic beverage. About a month later, I tried Glenfiddich. Now this was something I could get behind, as it didn't taste like spoiled grapes. In fact, it tasted downright good. Being the highly logical person that I am, this caused me to embark on a mission to become a connoisseur of non-distilled alcoholic beverages derived from Vitis vinifera. Yes, that's right: I went back to wine and began amassing as much knowledge as I could about how it was made and how it was supposed to be approached. A couple of months later, having gained a new appreciation for wine, I went back to whisky and other distilled spirits and read voraciously about them.
What does this have to do with beer? Well, it seemed only natural to me that I should give it a try; after all, it was a fairly major division of alcoholic beverages. Having two introductions to disparate beverage families under my belt, I determined not to make the same mistake with beer as I had with wine--it seemed to me that I could do this by learning something about it ahead of time. Sadly, I'm much better at determining that sort of thing than I am at following through. A few days later I was perusing the shelves at my local Trader Joe's and saw beer! Right next to the wine! So I grabbed a four-pack and put it in my cart. Tried a couple of the bottles over the next week, but found it unimpressive. Then I did the voracious reading thing again, tried a few more beers, and haven't looked back since.
So I suppose now is as good a time as any to do some looking back. That first beer was Ommegang's Abbey Ale, and I just so happen to have the fourth and final bottle from that original purchase cellared.
Ommegang Abbey Ale
Background: Dubbel-style bottle-conditioned ale from Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, New York. Non-vintage, and no age code on the bottle; purchased in 2006.
Appearance: Seal is still good and the cap hasn't rusted. A bit of foaming even before the pour. Pours a brownish burgundy with a cap of red-tinted foam.
Nose: Sweet and sour cherries, burnt toffee, plums, and a bit of spice.
Taste: Rich, malty, and fruity, with a lot of spiciness on the high notes and a somewhat wine-like impression overall.
Mouthfeel: Smooth and silky, a bare hint of alcohol.
Overall: Definitely good. Really wants to be paired with food, though; I'd like a nice leg of lamb right now.
