Brewery News: Proef, Hair of the Dog, and Samuel Smith's

Fascinating developments. First, Yeager with the good news:

For the last five years, much-decorated Belgian brewmaster Dirk Naudts, who develops beer recipes for brewers throughout Holland and Belgium, brings an American brewer over to his village, Lochristi, to collaborate. The chance to work with Naudts at his Na De Proef Brouwerij is much sought.... This year the honor goes to a Portlander, Alan Sprints from Hair of the Dog.

Now to Daily Mail (hat tip BeerNews) for the bad:

A pub landlord and landlady face losing their jobs and their home after brewery bosses accused them of serving too much beer in their pints.

Pete and Debbie Gibson say they were forced to close the Junction Inn pub, on New Year's Eve, following a surprise visit by millionaire Humphrey Smith, owner of brewing firm Samuel Smith, who in front of shocked customers said he was shutting it.

The couple, who have run the pub, in Royton, near Oldham, Greater-Manchester for 12 years, have now been told they owe the company £10,733 in lost stock for topping up people's pints.

Of course, the extremely secretive brewery refused to comment. Having been a close follower and sometimes blogger of politics over the past decade, I have learned to identify coverup spin when I hear it, and there are a few things in this story that just don't add up.

First, while Samuel Smith's has a reputation of treating tenants and employees poorly, they are extremely solicitous to punters. They proudly serve their pints at rock-bottom prices--like, 1970s prices. It seems odd that they'd slam a pub for topping up; that is, after all, a nice service to the punters.

Second, Humphrey Smith is so reclusive I didn't even know his name. During my visit, the brewery would only mention "the family" (la cosa nostra resonances abounding). So why does he show up, on New Year's no less, to shut down the brewery himself? This looks like a case of using the proverbial tank to kill a fly.

My guess--and perhaps the lads across the sea can comment--is that the Gibsons committed some other crime, one so severe it warranted not only sacking, but a public hanging (in the commercial sense) as well. Of course, we'll never know.

I should also add that this is all pure speculation and in the absence of real data, we have to take the case at face value. Maybe the Gibsons had regularly flouted instructions not to top-off the pints (an obscure dictate, but not inconceivable) and the sacking was richly deserved. Another caveat: I have written about the old Victorian brewery and the beer it turns out, which I admire enormously, but that doesn't mean it is exempt from public scrutiny.

A Weekend of Exotic Beer

Once a year, I retire to a remote location with a group of friends to tell lies and behave badly. I abandon vegetarianism and drink more than I ought. This year's edition took place in Central Oregon (review of Three Creeks Brewing forthcoming), with the surprise attendance of a crop of lovely foreign beers brought secretly by a friend. A partial list, by memory: Hitachino Nest Red Rice and White, Grain D'orge Belzebuth, Steenberge Gulden Draak, (De Proef) Reinaert Flemish Wild Ale, Corsendonk Pale Abbey, St. Sebastian Dark, Castelain St. Amand, Huyge Delirium Tremens and Nocturnum, O'Hanlon's Thomas Hardy, and Samiclaus. What's really remarkable is that the friend who delivered this bounty isn't even a beer drinker: he picked them up at a beer store in California on the advice of the salesperson. Not bad.

We didn't drink all of these, and some are old standards. Some, like the Corsendonk, is one of those famous beers I've never tried (for shame!). But there were also some discoveries, and I'd like to share three. Consider these strongly recommended.

Castelain St. Amand
An authentic French Biere de Garde is a rare bird. Of the several companies making versions, I have been thrilled by few (Jenlain in particular leaves me cold). I find that most of the examples I've tried--including those brewed by US breweries--tend toward heavy sweetness. Castelain's is exquisite. Just 6% (the low end for style), it nevertheless tastes drier and more substantial, like a more fortified ale. It was a friend who identified the key element of the beer when he asked if it was a lager. Not exactly. It is an ale, but it's cold-aged. The result is a silky, dry beer with lovely warm undertones. Wonderfully drinkable.

Hitachino Nest White
Although I've tried a number of beers from this brewery, I've somehow missed the White. A mistake. While some of their other experimental beers achieve a quality one might dub "interesting," White is flat-out tasty. It takes as its inspiration Belgian wit (wheat, coriander, orange peel), but departs pretty sharply from the originals. The nose is almost exactly like lemon meringue pie. Like the nose, the beer is a balancing act between sour and sweet--though nothing like actual lemon meringue pie. It finishes crisply, with a lip-smacking flourish. To achieve this, the brewery adds orange juice and nutmeg. Wait for a hot day and track down a bottle.

Reinaert Flemish Wild Ale
I regret to say that I didn't take notes on this beer, from De Proef. Brettanomyces can do a lot of things--make a beer funky, sour, or bone dry. In this case, it's the latter, which is what I mainly recall. Despite this, it was on the straightforward side of wild--not too funky or unapproachable. An inverse of the Castelain, it is light and suggestive of modest alcohol. Resist the urge to quaff it like a session, as I did. You'll come back to the bottle and discover it's 9%. In my case, too late. Ah, but my punishment wasn't too objectionable.

Of course, there were other great beers in that batch, including world standards. You may not have tried all of these three, though, and I hope you will. Big fun.

Andelot and the - "-ique" Belgians

No doubt you have seen their iconic labels at the grocery store--primary colors, with a single word in gothic script: Angelique, Euphorique, Diabolique and Mystique. For those of us who are admirers of Belgians, this was a mystery: a newly-distributed old classic, a new producer, or something else? Someone brought a bottle of Mystique to a party once, and it did nothing to solve the mystery. What's an "ABT style Belgian ale?" people kept asking me (that's all it says, by way of description, on the label). To this I offered a helpless shrug as my credibility dwindled. It was a tasty beer, though, and I filed it in my mind to learn more.

Last night, for Valentine's, Sally and I shared Euphorique, with the more clearly descriptive "Abbey style golden ale." (It wasn't but more on that in a moment.) It was also tasty, and finally I have decided to crack the mystery. Here's what I've learned.

Andelot - Belgian Macro?
The brewery listed on the label is Andelot, but this is a slight misdirection. It's the De Proef Brewery (ProefBrouwerij), which makes a number of brands (their own, Beersel, Vlaamische Leeuw, Vicaris, and tons of other, unidentifiable labels). In this way, the brewery reminds me of Rogue--not so hot on impulse control. Andelot is apparently like "St. James Gate"--a specific reference to the facility rather than the company.

Angelique and Diabolique originate from the East Flanders village of Lochcristi, Belgium. Famed brewing engineer and professor, Dirk Naudts, brews this set of stylish ales at his Andelot Proefbrouwerij “Proof Brewery.” Dirk founded the brewery in 1996 after gaining experience as Brewmaster at the Roman Brewery in Oudenaarde, Belgium and most recently at the prestigious St. Lieven brewing program in Gent, Belgium.

The line of beers is designed to appeal to a more mass market, though I think "mass" here is a relative term. The importer, SB Northwest (from which the above quote comes), is trying to build a market around beers of this genre--familiar, but mass market. They are also behind the De Boomgaard "fruit beers," which are produced by Liefmans. They are less-sour imitations of lambics made, I am fairly sure, unspontaneously. Finally, you'll have seen their domestic offerings around Portland--FireStation5, Elk Rock, Metolius, and Fiddler's Green. (The first three are brewed by Pyramid/MacTarnahan's, and the latter by Saranac in New York.)

Here's Ron Seid, the President of SB Northwest: "Much like in the premium wine industry, consumers are wanting premium quality Belgium beer at a good value price point. We have responded to this increased consumer demand by over-delivering on quality for value in this segment."

The "-ique" Beers
But who cares if they're contract brewed for an American market, right? The proof's in the bottle (pun somewhat intended). It was some time ago that I tried Mystique, and I took no notes, so the most I can say is that I liked it. I recall being surprised that such a big beer (8.5%) could be so smooth. Now I see why it was.

The Euphorique was also a crowd-pleaser. It is a cloudy golden with a silky white head and a rousing effervescence (bubbles cascading up like bicarbonate). Brewed in the methode champenoise style, so perhaps this is expected. The aroma and palate were soft, sweet, and gentle. It didn't have the complexity or character of an abbey--instead, it seemed equal parts Belgian strong (like Duvel) and a German Weisse. You begin to notice quite strong phenols, with notes of smokiness and bubblegum. Despite the pronounced sweetness, it finishes drily and tartly. (I'd probably rate it a solid B).

The real issue isn't that it's not a respectable Belgian--it is. It's that it's seven bucks a bottle, which other Belgians also sell for. Confronted with an array of more complex, interesting examples of the country's amazing range, I don't know why I would be motivated to grab a bottle of slightly subdued brew. In fact, I'd much prefer something from Unibroue or Ommegang--they are slightly less expensive than their Belgian counterparts, thanks to proximity, but delightfully richer.