Beer Anyone?

A wine blog titled ‘Beer Anyone?’.  Darlene, what’s up with that?

Regular readers of this wine blog will know I am very close to my quest to becoming a certified Sommelier.  As part of the Sommelier program, you study beer and spirits and last Sunday, I spent 7 hours with the very talented certified Cicerone Angeline MacLennon learning about beer.   A Cicerone, is a beer Sommelier, and this lady knows her beer.

We covered a wide variety of styles and flavors, and I thought I would share a few.

This was one of the most unique styles I tried that day.  The Lindeman’s Belgian Framboise Raspbeery beer, with raspberry juice added to the beer.  Apparently before hops were added to beer, fruits were added for flavor and the acidity of lambic beers pair well with raspberry.  While regular beer is fermented using brewer’s yeast, lambic beers are produced by spontaneous fermentation, being exposed to wild yeast strains.  This beer was very unique and full of flavor.

Another unique beer we tried was the La Saison du Tracteur ale.  Loved the citrus flavors of this beer and the carbonation was well done.  This beer has won a ton of awards like “World’s Best Bière de Garde” at the 2012 World Beer Awards, and a silver medal from the European Beer Star Competition.  Started in Quebec, Canada by a group of beer-loving friends, it originated with the friends taking classic beers and adding a New World nuance.

But for this wine-loving gal, I think the beer I enjoyed the most was a pilsner.  I don’t drink a lot of beer but I like the crisp style, and I like it ice cold.  I do enjoy a cold beer on a hot sunny day.   I encourage everyone who says they don’t like beer, to wander outside the box of everyday lagers, and try something different.  You may surprise yourself.

You needn’t worry about me ever straying from wine, and so I bring you my new wine of the week.  And I apologize for the blurry picture, believe me, I took this picture before I started drinking the wine.  However, I tried this great Pinot Noir in the past week.  From the Williamette Valley in Oregon, makers of fantastic Pinot Noir, the Cloudline Pinot Noir is one every wine lover should try.  It’s a treat, and if any reader of this blog is a white wine lover, but would like to delve into the red, this is your wine.  Gorgeous flavors of cherry and cola with hints of spice, make it way too easy to drink.  It’s a winner.  I love the clean Burgundian style of Pinot Noir and I think that’s why I live Oregon so much.  They are doing a great job of making those clean classic styles of Pinot Noir.

Well, that’s it for me this week.   This coming Sunday I learn about spirits, so I will be sharing some of that with you.  Till next week, Cheers

Darlene