Lips of Faith Vrienden a Allagash & New Belgium collaboration is what bees drink

So I'm loving the Family Guy Star Wars episodes. Also, beer. This brew is a collaboration between the almighty Allagash and New Belgium, which they released in their limited run Lips of Faith series. Vrienden is "Friends" in Flemish and apparently you welcome your friends with hibiscus and endive because that's what they made the beer with. 

It has 8.5% alcohol and tastes like I just licked a spring meadow. Obviously, there are strong floral notes that dominate the beer but the sweet malty Belgian base serves the flavor profile well. The first couple sips surprised me in a good way, but the more I drank the sugary floral notes became too much. Like bad accents, it's good in limited doses; so when you distract your friend by yelling in your worst East German accent, "There's Hans Gruber and he has the detonators!", I would only take a sip of your gullible friend's beer and not chug the whole thing. ARMAGEDDON rating.

Would C-3PO drink Lips of Faith Vrienden?

Back to work, and it was a pretty long one today. Bluh, came home and sat down to watch Chopped (I'll fight anyone who hates on that show) and then the Family Guy Star War series, we're in the middle of Something Something Something Dark Side. Good shit.

I grabbed this over the weekend at Whole Foods because most of the Lips of Faith beers have been good. It's a New Belgium/Allagash collaboration. Allagash-good, New Beligum-fingers crossed. I STILL can't smell that well thanks to my annoying cold, but I can smell this, and it's a little sour, funky, a little like a saison. Maybe that's coming from the hibiscus or endive? What does endive smell like? Isn't hibiscus a flower? What's going on here? It also tastes sour, fruity, though not as bad as a saison. A slight bit of smooth malt right at the beginning, but then its all sour from there. Finishes pretty nicely, sour/tart doesn't stick around too long, unlike...

Anthony Daniels. Kinda fruity, but overall a good thing. That is, a good thing if you can stand his odd mix of Star Wars sentimentalism (endive) and English manners (hibiscus). A fair match of personal qualities and beer flavors . Not really, just go with the "fruity" thing and it works.

A tribute to Allagash

Kicked this thing off right with a tasting session at the Lincoln Rose Whole Foods, hosted by a Allagash helmsman Rob Tod. I went with Sir Karl, who is a gentleman.

Allagash doesn't make my favorite beers, but they make really, really good ones. Plus 5 pours, a tray of meats, cheeses and bread, $15, awesome deal. Since none of these were full beers, I'm not counting them, but my actual review of beer #1 follows.

1. Allagash White - not my favorite, but obviously a hit with many others. After trying this, a guy at the tasting asked, "Are there hops in this beer? I have a friend that makes beer and he puts hops in it. Does that make it a pale ale?" Rob then explained hops. Rob was very nice.
2. Allagash Fluxus 2009 - Rob explained that this beer changes every year, and that the 2009 is loosely based on the saison-style. They also brewed it with sweet potatoes and black pepper. Couldn't find the sweet potatoes, but the pepper was there, created an interesting dryness that I liked. Rob also noted that they donate some of the profits from this beer to support pediatric nurses, I liked that too.
3. Allagash Black - a maltier dark beer, much more subdued chocolate and coffee notes that usually hit really hard in this style. Rob said it sat somewhere between a dry Irish and a Russian Imperial. It was just OK.
4. "Four" - After my first sip, I didn't like this. I don't like fruit-infused beers and this tasted like cherries. But Rob explained that the 3rd fermentation of the "Fuckin Four" (as their brewers call it because of the difficulty posed by 4 fermentations) adds this fruit flavor - it's not from actual cherries. That made it more interesting, but I still couldn't imagine drinking a full glass of it.
5. Curieux - this had a big smokey, wood taste that I liked very much. They use their Tripel as the base, then age it in Jim Beam barrels for 2 months to create the Curieux. It kicks butt, I wanted more.

I wasn't going to drop $18 on a bottle of the Curieux, so I got the Tripel instead. It was a good choice. Karl elected to continue the evening (with a 4-pack of Pranqster) back at Club PlattiBrooks. So we put on Black Dynamite, popped bottles, and infused our evening of cinematic blacksploitation with a Belgian-inspired, bubbly American delight. I really like the relative simplicity of Allagash's Tripel. It's strong, crisp and pitch-perfect Belgian, with a balanced bitter/sweet/full flavor. Party. It is strange that I'll associate this beer with Black Dynamite the next time I pick it up, and I'll be a jive turkey if that isn't soon.

The Beginning: Allagash Tripel Reserve

Well, well, well, and so it begins. Not with a whimper, but with a slam dunk. Couldn't have picked a better beer to set sail with (credit to David). A Belgium style brewed in Maine, Allagash Tripel is a golden nectar, smooth and rich. It is a full bodied delight that delivers a head two fingers thick and tastes of banana, butter(scotch) and a dash of spice. And at 9.0% alcohol, taste is not the only benefit received. Allagash Tripel is a gentleman's beverage that one may enjoy at home or paired with an fine meal. It's an all-star. I bestow my highest rating, reserved for the most celestial of beers: BAD BOYS.

"Drink Allagash Tripel you jive-ass motha!" - Black Dynamite

 

I'm incredibly excited to begin this commitment and am certain the next 365 days will be an eye-opening experience. Every day is a different adventure into the world of beer, exploring what began in some monks bathtub (*citation needed) and quickly became the fuel that continues to nourish humanity's soul, making life just that much better (*citation unnecessary).

“Milk is for babies. When you grow up you have to drink beer.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger