Cheap furniture, cheap dishes, cheap Swedish meatballs... what's missing?

Cheap beer!  Ikea truly does have it all.

Back in September on our second visit across the Belgian border to our favorite Ikea (all of 15 minutes away) we were walking past the little Swedish food market inside the store, and a certain green bottle caught my eye. "Well, well what do we have here", I thought to myself.  I naturally had to purchase a bottle each of their regular lager and dark lager.  However, after the bottles made it home I have to say the Triple Karmeliett, Kwak, Maredsous, Leffe and even Bofferding (local Lux brew) made the Ikea beer seem a bit, well, low brow.  So there it sat in the fridge.

Enter last weekend, at which point we were on a usual marathon shopping spree at Ikea picking up some last-minute home furnishings for Thanksgiving Luxembourg.  Naturally a trip to Ikea is always planned around lunch - who can resist a €3 euro plate of meatballs, a €4 plate of smoked salmon, a €0.50 ice cream cone?  Well now there's another item to add to the list - the €1.50 Swedish beer.  With a delicious plate of Scandinavian salmon and a bowl of frites on our plastic lunch trays we needed something to wash it all down - and there sat the bottles with sketches of wildflowers (hops?) on them.  So why not?

Ikea has two options to choose from - regular lager...

...and dark lager...

The regular is pretty light (but of course full flavored) and has a little hoppiness, a little tangyness and definitely something floral.  It's nice, but I wouldn't rank it up there as a favorite.  Perhaps a 5.0 on the 10 point scale.

The dark, however - now that was a real winner (especially considering the price).  Think of a light nut brown - such as Newcastle.  Refreshing, tasty, clean on the palate and light on the wallet.  Especially considering the price to quality ratio I'm giving this one 8.0 / 10.0.  Maybe it was just the euphoria of the fries and mayo on my plate, but I really do think this was a standup dark lager.  I'll be picking up a few bottles on our next trip across the border.  

What's not to love about Ikea?  Oh, except for the furniture that falls apart...  Maybe that's where the beer comes in to help you forget about it all?

Free beer giveaway!

One of the many reasons I love Europe... Was at the grocery store last night and upon reaching the checkout I noticed that the cashier was handing out a bottle of beer to every customer. She wasn't handing out coupons, making a sales spiel or really saying anything other than "would you like a free beer?" (Or something similar based on what I could deduce from her French).

The beer isn't exactly high end, but who can complain about FREE beer? I'd say this is a Bud equivalent in Lux (only from a commonness perspective - NOT from a quality perspective - the worst of beer here is 10x better than Bud). Oh, and it is the reserve version after all...

Cheers to free flowing booze in Luxembourg!

PS - a separate post on beers of Luxembourg will follow, and Diekirch will most definitely be included.

The French should stick with winemaking

After dinner on our last night in Nice, France last week (we were there for three nights for a long weekend) we stopped by one of the many cafes lining the Cours Saleya (flower market).  The previous night we accidentally ended up in an "Irish Pub" - the most boring of bars that exist in every city in the world - so this night I was quite set on getting something local.  Let's just say the Chimay I had at the Irish Pub (yes, Belgian beer at Irish Pub) the night before sounded really stellar after this bizarre beer we ended up ordering...

The beer we sampled is called Adelscott, and it turns out this beer is made by a brewery on the French/German border not that far south of Luxembourg (but most definitely in France).  It was the only strange name among a list of beers commercially available all over Europe, so trying this was a must.  However, after the first sip I knew this was probably a poor choice.

Confusion, shock and annoyance all in one.  Oh the French.

We've gotten in the habit of doing a quick recording on our camera of tasting notes.  They are as follows...

- Light whiskey aroma on the nose, but not much else
- Extremely sweet on the palate - sweetest beer I've ever had.  I guess it makes sense - the French do love their desserts.
- Malty, and you can pick up the intended whiskey flavor
- Very little effervescence - like a step up from a cask ale
- Sticky aftertaste - almost like you've just had a Red Bull

In short, this is kind of like Innis & Gunn (an unbelievably delicious Scottish beer that is aged in whisky barrels), but in all the wrong ways.  I noted to the camera that this beer had "all the characteristics that could be good, but it's like they didn't try hard enough."  Perhaps the brewmaster was too busy sipping coffee and smoking cigarettes?

And Emily summed it up nicely when I asked what she thought of it:  "If you had too much to drink, this would push you over the edge."

At least the people watching was good:

- Our waiter was high on something and would alternate between twitching, robotic movements and dancing
- A group of high school kids got kicked out of the bar because one of their friends was underage (bear in mind that the legal age is 16)
- Many of the women were ordering huge glasses of some drink that looked like red Kool-Aid.  I have a feeling that would make this beer taste like a 10.

Our visit to Nice was absolutely amazing - including some stellar culinary experiences.  This, however, was not one.

Price:  €6.80 for 33 cl (OUCH!)
Alcohol:  5.8%
Rating*:  1.5 (extra half a point for the effort of at least trying to make something different)


* Rating guide:

1 = Piss water (i.e. Natty Light)

5 = Take it or leave it

10 = Nectar of the gods

Bananan-weizen at Zum Domstein

Had a very delicious "bananan-weizen" at a classic German restaurant in Trier, Deutschland this evening.  On the advice of our friend, we waited until dessert to give this a try.  Out came a creamy looking wheat beer that was only slightly banana-y on the nose.  On the palate it was something like a light banana milkshake, but not sweet - more creamy.  To repeat - very delicious.  Just the right thickness, flavorful and the perfect end to a meal.

It turns out they take an unfiltered hefeweizen (I think it was Erdinger) and add a banana puree/syrup to the beer.  It tasted really fresh, so I have a hard time believing this is something the restaurant ordered - it seemed more like they made the additive on their own by mashing up bananas along with the beer in a blender.  Whatever the case, it was a real treat and something I'm definitely going to watch for.

Oh, and not to be confused with a premade banana beer I've had in the US - that was much more effervescent and was not really creamy.  The one in the US was good, but this was a really unique concoction - something I doubt could be premade and bottled.  Proscht to Trier!

€4.50 for 50 centiliters at Zum Domstein

Belgian fantasyland

As posted on Luxpatblog, we were in Antwerp this last weekend.  I'll be fully honest - this wasn't the initially intended Belgian destination.  Back in 2005 on my post-college European tour I happened to stop by Brussels and had my first Belgian beer.  It was amazing.  Life-changing (literally - I think my waistline is at least a couple inches ampler due to my appreciation of beer that can be linked to that day of imbibing).  

Anyway, I had initially planned to go to Brussels to check out some of the numerous watering holes and experience the finest Belgian ales (that we can't get just 12 minutes east of the Belgium border).  However, my Hilton Honors account said otherwise and told me that the closest hotel was in Antwerp.  Okay, I thought - never been there, never done that.  What the hell.  So to Antwerp we went - and I can honestly say it was a spectacular destination.

First stop - moules frites on the Grote Markt of Antwerp.  Beverage of choice to unwind from the 4 hour train ride and wash down the mussels...

Beer:  De Koninck

Price:  ≈ €2.50 for 25 cl
Alcohol:  5.2%

Nose:  Light caramel

Palate:  Very slight hoppiness makes this Belgian taste a bit more refreshing than others.  While not overly complex, it's a spectacular "everyday" (only in Antwerp) beverage.  Imagine all your favorite Belgian characteristics, but toned down a little so that you can actually enjoy more than one glass without stumbling home and waking up with a hangover the next day.  Said simply - quite enjoyable.

Aftertaste:  Pretty clean

Comments:  The beer of Antwerp is a solid contender to stand up against all the other brews out there.  Clean, tasty and refreshing.  Makes me want to call Antwerp home.

Rating*:  8.5

... and onto Kulminator we go.  This place is pretty unreal - a library of some 500 current and aged bears.  As shown on Luxpatblog, they have a binder of the brews you can choose from.  Every vintage of Chimay Blue dating back to 1980.  Various other ales of various vintages - most of which I had no clue about.  I felt like a real beer idiot and decided to go with current vintages (after specifically targeting Kulminator for a taste of vintage beer.  However, I did not leave disappointed.

Beer #1:

Beer:  Quadrupel Quercus

Price:  €6.50 for 25 cl
Alcohol:  10.5%

Nose:  Couldn't smell it through that mighty head (see picture below - La Trappe glass)!

Palate:  Clean caramel

Aftertaste:  Minimal

Comments:  This one was evidently hard to get and has been on back order for a year.  Or sitting in barrels for a year or something.  Point is, there was a lot of attention that went into the production of this beer - and it shows in the pricetag.  Well, worth it, though - this beer was complex yet very clean - really saying something for a 10.5% ABV brew.  Yes, clean caramel.

Rating*: 9.0 

Beer #2:

Beer:  Pannepot Special Reserve

Price: €4.50 for 33 cl
Alcohol:  10.0%

Nose:  Pecan pie

Palate:  Molasses syrup; oats

Aftertaste:  A bit of lingering stickiness - enough so that a blonde was required after to clean up the palate

Comments:  This makes me think of what you'd want to consume the evening of Christmas dinner while sitting by the fireplace.  Dessert.  Rich.  Big.  Heavy.  Sleep-inducing.  Delicious, but only in the right moment.  I don't think this tasting was the right moment, but I think other moments would be.  So, for now...

Rating*:  5.5

Beer #3:

Beer:  Tongerlo Blonde

Price:  ≈ €3.50 for 33 cl
Alcohol:  6.0%

Nose:  Nothing; like water

Palate:  Apple juice (note that this was the first tasting AFTER the big, bad Panneport)

Aftertaste:  None; like water (yes, again)

Comments:  This tasted really damn refreshing after finishing off the Panneport.  Like you've just been jogging in the heat of summer and have a glass of water.  But with the curious taste of apple juice.  Complexity increased as our palates were cleared of the previous dessert beer, so it's not as boring as my description might make it seem.  

Rating*:  7.5

Beer #4:

Beer:  St. Feuillien Blonde

Price:  ≈ €3.50 for 33 cl
Alcohol:  7.5%

Nose:  Citrus

Palate:  Pear

Aftertaste:  None

Comments:  Really enjoyed finishing off with this one.  A little bigger and bolder than the Tongerlo, but still light and refreshing.  Nice creamy head, but not too big and overwhelming.

Rating*:  

... and finally on our departure day we enjoyed lunch with two lovely ladies - a blonde and a brunette.  I'd seen a table full of big bellied Brits at Kulminator order a round of Corsendonk, and the name stuck with me.  Much to my [pleasant] surprise the venue for moules frites round two was a Corsendonk house.  Let's just say I fell in love and am not sure I can choose.  Fine.  Call me a beer polygamist.

Beer:  Corsendonk blond & bruin

Price:  ≈ €2.50 for 25 cl (I think...)
Alcohol:  7.5%

Nose:  Not much on the blonde; light brown sugar on the bruin

Palate:  I was too focused on the mussels to take notes; I just remember I loved it...

Aftertaste: None

Comments:  Absolutely DELICIOUS with mussels, fries and bitterballen.  The stars seemed to align for our final meal in Antwerp.  After having big Belgians and light ones, we came across a blonde and bruin that combined all our favorite characteristics - clean mouthfeel, full flavor, honey in the blonde / molasses in the bruin, refreshing.  Maybe it was just the place and time, but I will wholeheartedly say these were my favorite Belgians so far since being in Lux.  

Rating*:  9.5

* Rating guide:

1 = Piss water (i.e. Natty Light)

5 = Take it or leave it

10 = Nectar of the gods

Store brand Belgian Ale - welcome to Luxembourg

Price:  €3.50 for 4 bottles (approximate - threw away receipt)

Alcohol:  7%

Nose:  Caramelized wheat (Emily:  "kinda gross")

Palate:  Very evervescent; dried fruit; orange; slightly tangy

Aftertaste:  a little sticky and wheaty; not terrible, but not as clean as others

Comments:  While on a marathon shopping session a few nights back (Saturday at 7 PM before a 9 PM dinner reservation) I saw a local gentleman with a 4-pack of this brew.  Figuring when in Luxembourg drink like a Luxembourger, I rushed to the beer aisle to locate said beverage.  I was quite pleased to note the reasonable price point, so I snatched up a pack.  Upon pulling the bottle out of the fridge this evening I happened to notice a little lion logo on the top right of the label - it was the grocery store brand (Delhaize).  I was not dissuaded by this, as we've had other very good Delhaize-branded items (coffee, ham, spätzle, etc.).  However, after consuming the beverage I will say it's definitely not of the quality of other Belgians - but it does stand up pretty well.  I'm not a huge fan of the aftertaste, and the flavor isn't quite as complex as others.  So, all in all about what I'd expect from a respectable store brand.  And, I'm giving it an extra point just for being a private label Belgian - try finding that in the US!

Rating:  5.5 (Brian:  6.0; Emily:  5.0)

1 = Piss water (i.e. Natty Light)

5 = Take it or leave it

10 = Nectar of the gods

Tricky - looks like a "real" Belgian...

...and there is that goofy lion and the name of the grocery store a I just came from.

In case you speak French or Flemish or Dutch or Lëtzebuergesch or whatever this language is and would like to know what Delhaize wants you to believe this beer is all about (likely a story about some medieval monk tasting the most delicious brew on earth).

Looks pretty good, right?  Doesn't taste too bad either.  Note to Christmas shoppers - Belgian beer glasses are needed (although a direct shipment to Lux is a must - can't haul that on three flights).

Yum.  What prompted me to start this blog.  More to come as I have time (so, quite possibly never).  Check out the one on the far left.