A Liter of Stille Nacht. Sharing Recommended.

Everyone has their tastes, and mine tend to shy away from sweet beers. Another thing that everyone has: exceptions. One of my favorite exceptions is Stille Nacht. Fresher bottles tend to be honey-sweet, with great malty depth, only barely balanced by bitterness and alcoholic warmth. More balance and greater complexities emerge after a year or two of age.

Anyway: Moeder Lambic Fontainas currently has Stille Nacht on draft, along with a slew of other Belgian winter and holiday beers (including Rulles Meilleurs Voeux, Senne Equinox and Zinnebir Xmas, Dupont Avec Les Bons Voeux, Gouden Carolus Christmas, Tournay Noël, Gouyasse Noël, and more). And because I think I failed to mention it before, Fontainas also has its draft beers available by the pitcher — a true rarity in Belgium.

These 1L pichets cost the same as four 25cL glasses or three 33 cL's, so there's no deal to be had. But it's not about thrift. It's about quantity. This makes a lot of sense for beers like Taras Boulba, for example, at a refreshing 4.5% abv. My thirsty belly laughs at 25cL of that stuff and demands a half-liter. But a 1L pichet? Well, that will do. Do I have to share?

Now, Stille Nacht. It's 12% abv. A pitcher of that stuff should be just evil and wrong. Except that it's good and right. Must be one of those exception things.

Under the Weather, Yet There is 'Work' to be Done.

Back in Belgium, jet-lagged and somewhat out of sorts. Got a big fest today and a tasting tomorrow, yet I can't tell my allergies from a cold. Can't smell a damned thing. A few good beers are likely to be wasted on me. Beats staying home.

And it must be Belgian Beer Weekend, since it's raining. Oddly appropriate and I don't mind at all. I've got my gear and the wet weather seems to clear away some of the casual drinkers. Just got to watch that the raindrops don't smear my notebook.

Last year I wasn't able to talk my way into the pre-fest ceremonies. This year I had no problem. I will be there to witness the consecration of the beer at the cathedral, the knighting ceremony at the city hall, and the "solemn inauguration" of the beer stands. That last one is the best—a blatant way for us VIPs (ha!) to drink for a while before you plebes can enter.

Need ideas for what to try? The list has a lot of chaff. How about St. Feuillien Saison, a dryish farmhouse ale that's getting good reviews. Or the Bockor Cuvée des Jacobins, a reddish-brown sour ale that Bockor uses as a blend in its sweeter beers. (This is likely the same as the damned interesting Foederbier I tried last year... Seems they are getting wise and marketing it a bit, especially for export to the U.S. Yet the Bockor team still seems to think that Belgians can't handle sour stuff and would prefer the sweet fruit beers. More on that another day, hopefully sooner rather than later.)

A couple of mysteries to me: The St. Feuillien Leon and the Verhaeghe Barbe d'Or. Both unknown names from solid breweries. Meanwhile the Maneblusser from Anker, a 6% blonde ale aiming to be the signature beer of Mechelen, is getting some hype.

So there are a few interesting things to try, besides some reliable things to drink—Saison Dupont, Timmermans Oude Gueuze, Petrus Aged Pale, etc.—if all else goes awry. Just hope I can taste them. Sniff sniff BLOW. Don't drink from my glass and please excuse the used tissue poking out of my coat pockets.

Useful French Phrases: Gueule de Bois = Hangover

Not much time to blog for the next few days. I hope to resume in full force after the New Year.

Meanwhile, I thought you might enjoy this loose translation of an invitation from Moeder Lambic, received via Facebook (that name in italics because it should always be whispered, per the policy of the gents at the Brewing Network):

Between December 24 to January 1, we lack pretexts to throw a party. So the Moeder Lambic, in its infinite goodness, is organizing a soirée on December 30.

Every year we close for the first week of January. It would be a shame to waste all those open kegs! This is where you intervene: Starting a midnight, the draft beers go for €1.50! And just so the party doesn't end too soon... we'll open more kegs!

To commence the hostilities, we will hold a raffle after midnight.

The Moeder Lambic team wishes you a joyous hangover!

Want to know what's on tap? The regular stable is Senne Taras Boulba, De Ranke Guldenberg, Cantillon Lambic and Faro, St. Feuillien Blonde, Grisette Fruits des Bois, and Dupont Biére de Miel Bio. Current featured beers are La Rulles Triple and Gouden Carolus Christmas.

Speculatin' on a Hoppy Hypothesis.

I'm not a "hophead" per se. I'm not very interested in uber-double-imperial-IPAs or the latest hoppy monsters unleashed by extreme American breweries. But I did hone my palate on American craft beer. And I do pine for Belgian ales with more hop character--especially if they can also be refreshing.

Here's some welcome news then: Hoppy Belgian beers are on the rise. Anyway, they are according to all of my sloppy anecdotal evidence.

Witness the interest in products like Chouffe Houblon, made strictly for the U.S.A. but guzzled down like mad in Brussels whenever Delirium Café opens a keg. The locals also appeared to be loving the stuff on tap at the brewery's resto in the Ardennes. And it was popular enough that Moortgat rushed out its expensive and clumsy Duvel Tripel Hop to grocery stores before the holidays last year.

The small Senne brew firm exports its bitter and quaffable ales, but meanwhile its working overtime to meet growing demand in the local market. Estivale from La Rulles is also a popular choice. Géants recently hopped up its Saison Voison to nice effect.

And the last Zythos festival, a popular event to launch new products, offered a wave of hop-focused beers: Anker's Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoor, Alvinne Extra Restyled, Lupulus from Les 3 Fourqets (run by the Achouffe co-founders, incidentally), Slaapmutske Dry-Hopped Lager (made at Proef), and Cuvée De Ranke, a hoppy blonde blended with lambic. That's just off the top of my head. The next year will no doubt bring more.

Here's what I'd really like to know: Is this only because of the American export market, on which most of the small breweries depend? Or is it possible that Belgian drinkers also long for stuff that's not just sweet and strong and also isn't the same-old lager?

Guess it doesn't matter much. Long as it finds its way into our bellies. Meanwhile, feel free to blame Belgian brewers for their part in the global hops shortage.