Tales of ales from the heart of Ohio to the ends of the Earth
Does the cold weather and the pandemic quarantining have you dreaming of travel and adventure? Does the prospect of crisscrossing a foreign country in search of one of the world's most sought after beers sound enticing? If so join Mark, Pat, and our Belgian-beer loving friend Hans Gorsuch, as we embark on a virtual tour... Continue Reading →
In yet another episode without a proper guest Mark, Hans, and Pat take a deep dive into the world of Trappist Tripels and Belgian Golden Strongs. They start with the progenitors of the two closely related styles, Westmalle Tripel and Duvel. Having paid homage to these trailblazing examples, they look at the way Italians treat... Continue Reading →
Belgium is formally divided into three regions, Dutch speaking Flanders in the north, French speaking Wallonia in the south, and bilingual Brussels lying roughly in the middle. Setting the capital territory aside, the other two regions are separated by more than just language. Each has its own parliament, political parties, religious preferences, and of course... Continue Reading →
Last month I completed a week long, beer-centric trip around Belgium. What an amazing trip and not just because of the beer. For a country with the second highest population density in Europe, it has a surprising amount of green space. We encountered vistas as diverse as the wooded hills of the Ardennes, the verdant... Continue Reading →
After spending a few enjoyable days in Amsterdam, today I leave the land of tulips and windmills, Rembrandt and van Gogh, Heineken and Grolsch. My destination, Belgium, has long been at the top of my list of dream travel destinations. The anticipation is palpable, and for good reason. In Belgium brewing is elevated to an... Continue Reading →
After a few months of the dark, damp English winter my wife was pining to head south to reacquainted herself with the sun. A few destinations were discussed, and eventually Rome rose to the top of the list. With all that the Eternal City has to offer—unrivaled history, inspiring architecture, amazing food, babes suckling on... Continue Reading →
Many people practice some form of abstinence during Lent, giving up things like chocolate, coffee, social media, or alcohol. One year during Lent I tried giving up beer during the work week, but it just led me to drink more beer on the weekends. Maybe that form of abstinence is the wrong way of approaching it,... Continue Reading →
If you follow the happenings of the beer world on social media, every once in a while you realize you’ve stumbled onto a beer holiday without even realizing it. I’m not talking St. Patrick’s Day or Thanksgiving weekend either. I’m talking about little known days like IPA Day (Aug. 7), Stout Day (Nov. 3), Sour... Continue Reading →
Even though the final round of quadrophilia wrapped up last week, once I got going I couldn’t control my urge to add more raisin soaked 11% abv beers to the list. There are after all only a finite number of quads out there, so by adding a few more one can start to approach a... Continue Reading →
In Round 1 we compared four American brewed quads, with Three Philosophers coming out on top. In this round, we move across the pond to Belgium and the Netherlands where this style of beer originated. There are two Trappist beers (Rochefort 10 and La Trappe Quadrupel), one abbey ale brewed with the old... Continue Reading →
Pat's Pints 