Nogne 0 has gotten some nice attention lately here in New York City where their portfolio of available brews is increasing and more people are taking notice of their excellent takes on almost any style imaginable.  When I noticed that they threw their hat in the Saison ring and was simultaneously encouraged by Stinky to check it out, I knew it was probably going to be a winner.  Nogne’s Saison pours a deep Orange color, closer to red than blonde, which right away gives it a distincitive look.  A large amount of crackling off white head is evidence of a lot of carbonation, which continuously releases a lot of great aromas for a long while after the beer is poured.  There’s apparently no extra spicing in this beer, only the aromas and flavors lent by the Saison style yeast, and that’s quite an accompilshment because there’s a lot of complexity in both departments.  Even though this is an appropriately dry Saison, there is a decent amount of maltiness and body, and the herbal and citrus notes do a lot to compliment that and prevent it from overwhelming the beer.  One of the better Saisons to come from anywhere outside of Belgium, Nogne scores again with this very balanced, very delicious version that would go very well with almost any food imaginable — I’m thinking a nice Steak, but I’m usually thinking about Steak these days, so that doesn’t say that much.

At an event at Spuyten Duyvil a little while back, I had the opportunity to sample some of the beers of Brasserie De la Senne, a Belgian brewery in the Senne Valley, where certain Belgian beer styles are said to have originated.  The beers are difficult to find in the United States, and as it was a joint “event” with the greatest brewers in the world (Cantillon), I was more than pleasantly surprised to learn that Senne’s Saison is actually blended with some of Cantillon’s young Lambic beer.  This Saison pours a pale golden color with a slighter quantity of carbonation than the Nogne version, but still enough to keep the drinkability nice and high.  There is a tartness in both aroma and flavor here, in addition to an array of sweet, spicy, and citrus notes which all come together in one of the more complex variations on any style I’ve ever had.  Easier-going than a Lambic, more adventurous than the average Saison, Senne’s version hits so many notes that really all you can say is that once again, Life is Beautiful.  Also check out Senne’s website for some of the best beer label artwork ever.

I’ve been on a straight up Bock kick, as is evidenced by the goat illustration that recently appeared, and the fact that I’m clearly alluding to Double Bocks/Doppelbocks and Bock beers in general when I talk about how much I’ve gotten into German Lagers.  The logical correlation to intense hoppiness or complex sourness is deep and rich maltiness, and Doppelbocks offer this in spades.  Celebrator is the absolute prototype for the style, offering a dark, ruby red pour with a tan head, and an immediate smell of chocolate, roast, caramel, and just plain savory depth.  The beautiful appearance is matched by a depth of flavor that is unparalleled in most other styles of beer — a killer texture that ends smooth, a lot of body that dries up enough to make it drinkable, and the right amount of carbonation and bitterness to keep everything balanced.  It’s the yeast-scent free, deeper version of a great Porter, the weird German cousin to the heavy stout, or any kind of German Lager gone horribly wrong, to the dark side.  Intensity and balance in one package is difficult to acheive, and Ayinger Celebrator is as sure to please as the plastic goat that adorns each bottle.

When Russian River Beers make it to New York city, they’re always savored.  It’s really the best brewery that makes it out here in trades in many ways, and one of the breweries that, thanks to brewer Vinnie Cilurzo, maintains the bar-raising status of American Craft Brewing on many fronts. We’ve covered some of the IPAs and Sour beers here, and we drank Damnation at our first (and only) tasting, but it hasn’t been written about.  Damantion is Russian River’s “Devil Beer,” or Golden Strong Ale, a style created in the name of Duvel, the famous Belgian Ale with darker roots.  Duvel used to be more of an amber color, and turned Golden to battle the Pilseners — winning by all accounts and forging its own style, leaving a legion of worshippers in its wake, and creating an invincible brand all in one stroke.  Russian River’s size and expertise allow them to maintain Damnation as a more rustic, unpredictable, yeast forward take on the style that Duvel has become famous for.  Pouring a more orange like color with a huge, chunky white head, Damnation is extremely fragrant and bubbly.  There’s honey, orange, and resiny pine on the tongue, and each sip ends nice and dry, making for a dangerously drinkable beer.  There’s a great mixture of yeast and hops on the nose, and the subdued richness of the beer in general is one of its most favorable qualities.  If you can split a botle of this with someone, it’s perfect — just the right amount of evil, but not enough to push you too far.

I’m quite happy to report that life here just got a bit easier, thanks to the genius of 12 Percent Imports, a dedicated and local beer importer who has amazingly wrangled more than a dozen new Belgian beers into distribution deals which bring them exactly as far as…Brooklyn, New York, where I live, and where they are only currently available, to my knowledge, at one shop, and one bar.  Say what you will about the exclusivity, price, or mechanics of this operation, but they are bringing in a range of brews so mindblowing that even though I’ve consumed 8 or 9 of them so far (in the two or three weeks they’ve been available), I’ve only managed to cajole myself into writing about this one.  These beers require a lot of attention and consideration, and I should actually apply the “Life is Beautiful” tag to the whole damned operation.  Shortly enough, I’ll be conducting an interview with the main importer, and we’ll get a chance then to talk about the beers more specifically.

Until then, I’d like to mention the beer that was the original inspiration behind the whole operation — ‘t Gaverhopke’s Extra.  A 12% beer produced in frighetningly small quantities in a West Flanders brewpub, this beer could be considered a “quad” or a “Trappist style” dark strong ale.  It pours a beautiful, turbid brown with a beautiful head and an insane amount of complexity in the nose.  I recently broke my favorite tulip glass and decided to pour this into an oversized Cabernet wine glass I had, which was an unintentionally inspired choice, as this is one of the most “winey” beers I’ve had in a long time.  It may have a lot to do with the high alcohol content, which is hardly hidden from the nose when you first start dealing with this gigantic beer.  It smells like a mythical glass of dark wine, maybe the sinister twin to some leathery red you’ve had, or the evil counterpart to a fruitier, dryer white wine.  The mouthfeel and carbonation level are perfect — balanced with the right amount of sweetness and thick body with moderate bubbles to keep it sippable.  There are sour, chocolate, and dried fruits in the palate, and all together, this beer is just plain magic.  I’m hoping to buy some extra Extra and keep it around, as I have a feeling it will age well, if I can manage to hold onto it.  Extra (or “12″) is a beautifully balanced beer for its strength, and it gives you a peak inside the Abbey walls without having to bootleg some Westy or settle for something handled without the care that 12 Percent is putting into its operation.  Amen to 12% and Amen to Gaverhopke — welcome to New York City!

After trying an Alpha King, TF’s American Pale Ale that I got as an extra in a trade a while back, and reviewing the Double IPA, Dreadnaught shortly thereafter, I knew I had to get my hands on some more.  I was introduced to the Gumballhead, after hearing a lot about the beer, and the bad ass cat that adorns the label (brazenly stolen and pasted above), at the Ommegang “Belgium Comes to Cooperstown” event, where Gumballhead was flowing from the tap and was easily one of the more popular beers there, amongst many greats.

So of course, having sampled the sweet nectar of these two session brews, I quickly arranged a trade with an amazing dude who lives in Chicago that likes Captain Lawrence beers as much as I like Three Floyd’s beers,  — and the rest is history.  Delicious, delicious, history.  I recieved one six pack of each which I was careful to share as generously as I could, although many of the 12 became quick out of the bottle brews while brewing, right after work, or at band practice.  Awesome.

Alpha King is an indredibly floral and delicious Pale Ale that keeps it balanced while pushing one of the headiest hop aromas I’ve ever experienced.  There’s really solid malt in this beer, a sweet and almost bready base that supports the awesome bitterness and insanely complex nose.  Lots of citrus, a little bit of pine, well shit I can’t even accurately describe it — the smell is amazing and must be experienced.  A low alcohol session beer that is so flavorful and balanced that you can’t believe it.  Obviously I’m not saying very much that’s original or even insightful about this beer — I tend to lose my words when I’m so in love with a beer.  This is Life Is Beautiful — just drink it, don’t ask questions.

Gumballhead is an American wheat beer that pours a beautiful clear golden color and has the perfect amount of yeasty smells to keep it authentic.  There is a formidable hop presence to this beer as well, which gives, with its bitterness and slight hop aroma, a nice American Craft twist on the classic wheat beer.  Out of the bottle or into any kind of glass this beer will completely satisfy you and amaze you with how deep the flavors can get.  I prefer this one on the colder side, as when it warms up it becomes a bit too much with the nose kicking you in the face (hm?) but for real, you can’t go wrong here.  Grab as many of these as you can and drink them fresh like they want to be drank.  And if you can get this on tap, I officially hate you!

Orval is such an intense experience that it truly reminds you that Life is Beautiful.  A stink forward Belgian Trappist Ale actively brewed with Brett yeasts which make the overall experience that much more fun and drinkable. Orval is relatively light in body, color, and ABV, and it comes packed with a good amount of bitterness.  The ability to produce a beer that has such a pleasurable, complex, and balanced flavor is a secret from the Belgian countryside where wild yeasts produce totally fucked flavor profiles.

Orval drinks like … well, it drinks like Orval.  Lucky us. Ideal drinking instructions: Go get one tomorrow after work, put it in the fridge as soon as you get home, and drink it as your night cap.  You can’t go wrong.

Still Nacht comes from the De Dolle brewery, which is a relatively new (in terms of Belgian Brewers) brewery which was resuscitated by two brothers in Essen, Belgium after a brewery dating back to the early 19th century closed down.  They decided to brew some very distinctive and impressive beers, ranging in style from traditional to completely wild.  They are now a very well renowned brewery and I’m actually quite surprised that none of the dogs have written them up yet!  I have sampled most of their beers at this point, and I believe the Stille Nacht is my favorite, though I’ll have to give them all another shot.  I’m going to try to space these reviews out so that I don’t drop 10 LIB posts in a row.

This brew, whose name means “Silent Night” is a Christmas beer which is rated at 12% ABV and the De Dolle website claims that it is “the highest density” of any Belgian Beer.  Brewed with a seemingly unreasonable amount of malt and Belgian candy sugar, this brew is extremely strong, while remaining pretty drinkable, all things considered.  There is such an enormous complexity to this beer that you should really try to take an hour or so to drink it, as it warms up, it changes so many times that you (almost) don’t realize how hot it’s getting you.  There is fruit, booze, and all kinds of other sweet and tart flavors, with only the slightest hint of bitterness.  Sure, my American mouth wants MORE HOPS but really, does it belong in a beer like this?  This is one of those bottles that distracts me so much from everything around me that I have to restrain myself from buying it too often.  Life is Beautiful, indeed.