Herevana – Emporium – Belgian Strong
It’s the day after Christmas, fatigue day, left-overs day, hamageddon, all those things, and again I’m gong to start with a strong beer. Emporium Belgian Strong. To go with this I have 2 dutch cheeses, a NZ made Brie, some pickles, some Ham (honestly), Chutney, some Cashews, Walnuts, and of course crackers, and I think my eyes were bigger than my stomach.
Emporium Brewing make the Emporium Belgian Strong in 🇳🇿 Kaikoura, New Zealand and it is, of course, a Belgian Ale – Strong Dark with an ABV of 10.5% it’s a special release beer. Doesn’t even have a label, jsut a neck hanging tag. This wold be at that ABV 3.75 standard drinks.
Brewed in July 2018, this boozy Belgian has aged beautifully and is now ready for you to enjoy at home. A nice dry finish with stonefruit characters, Belgian spice and a touch of banana from the yeast.…
Emporium make the mighty “Reuben the Red” Flanders ale, so they’ve set a very high bar.
That’s an aroma that seems to beer that’s lot fresher than it might be.
It pours a lovely golden orange with a lovely orange tinge on the head that is firm and full sitting lazy atop. In the glass you really get that familiar banana note that you were hoping for, the one that makes your eyes light up.
Its very tart, or has a very sharp alcohol tang right up front, a bit of a burn with that, and it washes to quite a nice full malty drink with a long lingering malty note.
I go on often about wanting to experience a beer that has more this, or less that, or missing this. I’ve got some of that here, that astringency is quite loud in this. and that’s a pity as you’d wan’t that at the other end after the warming notes, the little kick to reming you that with glory sometimes comes a kick, for me this is a kick and then a bit of a half hearted hand shake.
The pdubyah-o-meter says that this struggles to 7, more I think that it’s a way of an 8 really, It’s an arbitrary number to be honest. Whan I think of Belgian beers I’ve had recently then the Bootleg Brewing one was outstanding, and that Emporium beer “Reuben the Red” well that’s a differnt class from this.
I wanted to enjoy it, really really wanted to, made the biggest platter of things to sit and pontificate over. It’s not wasted there’s always more beer. To Emporium I recon I just have to say that for me “You just can’t like every beer” and so it is in this case.
Someone on the internets mentioned that I should listen to 8 Miles to Moenart by Tall Black Guy on the Spotify player, so I am, and I’m glad I did.
Herevana beers are those I drink at home, I’m not at some beer festival, like, for instance, Beervana, but am just in my kitchen, usually, dining room table, sometimes, or outside, occasionally, where I can take an average picture and write in real time about the beer that I’ve invested in, both in a monetary and emotional way.
Philip himself.
A life just as ordinary 