Brewed by the St. Louis Brewery, delicious Schlafly beers have been served up in Missouri's first brew pub (The Schlafly Tap Room) since 1991*. The company also boast St. Louis' first new production brewery since the end of Prohibition in 1933*.
But, who cares. Here in Ohio we get our beer the same place any sane person does. In Kentucky.
We started this epic beer adventure several months ago, when money was good and times were warm. Ahh, the good old days. As always, when superior beer is desired (or at least superior looking bottles), The Party Source** in Newport is the place to be.
I (Laura) picked the Grand Cru based on it's bottle. It is one of a set of 4 beautiful bottles featuring variations on a Fleur de lis in epic Art Deco style. I learned later that they are a complete set of "bottle conditioned beers" offered by Schlafly. I guess I must be really new to this, because that means nothing to me.
Update: I looked up bottle conditioning, which now makes perfect sense. Yeast is stored in the bottle with the beer to prevent it breaking down and tasting like ass, thus allowing it to survive for years. This is very useful knowledge as now I know how to make long lasting beer for when the apocalypse destroys all the crappy beer.
But let's get to the important part.
The Schlafly website lists the Grand Cru as:
Fruity, spicy aromas and flavors contribute to the complexity of this golden-colored Belgian ale. Medium body and effervescence contribute to a light, dry impression, despite its strength and sweet, smooth finish.
ABV: 9%
OG: 18.3
IBU: 20
OG: 18.3
IBU: 20
(No, we do not understand any of those numbers)
We tend to agree. Although I couldn't tell a Belgian Ale from my elbow, JonMikel informs us that this is an excellent example, going as far as to claim it the equal of the Brew-master in Lander, WY.
Personally it not only met my criteria of not tasting like butt, but far exceeded it with a smooth taste that was neither bitter nor harsh. It did, as promised have have a pleasant spicy, fruity flavor that hid the large alcohol percentage nicely.
Epic Beer Blog gives the following ratings:
Magical Rareness: 3- found at The Party Source
Deliciocity: 8.5 - Delicious in general (this number is the average rating given by 4 tasters)
Aesthetics: 4 - Beautiful and large enough to be reused in case of emergency
Thank you to our guest tasters Jonmikel and Kat.
All photos taken by Kathryn Byerly.
1 comment:
Hey look! I contributed to something cool! Thanks!
Also, Belgium ales tend to be sweeter and sometimes smokier than other ales, definitely less hoppy (bitter). They also, for whatever reason (perhaps the bottle conditioning instead of cask conditioning? I dunno) tend to be pretty strong. Glad you liked it!
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