Monday 6th November 2023

Monday.

Back to work day.

My I don't have to work day.

He lied.

Yes, back to work after an all too short weekend,

We were both up and about quite early, outside there was clearing skies giving the promise of a fine and maybe even warm day.

But first there was coffee.

Jools is a blur of activity again, so I stay out of the way, lazing around, while the cats eat and go back to bed.

The whole department is back to work again, but Rune and Henrik are both dealing with the deaths of their mothers. Rune's passed a couple of weeks before Henrik's, clearly, none of this is ever easy, all we we can do is be there and to listen.

The day has meetings, and spaced close enough together not to allow time to get out even for a short walk. But by mid-morning, it was warm enough to have the back door open with the heating off. If not like summer, more like late spring or early autumn.

I put the moth trap out, as others have been reporting some interesting migrants, and as we live near the coast, might get lucky.

And as it was Monday, Jools was going to aquafit, I invited Steve from next door to a little beer testing.

In 2002 and 2007, beer writer, Michael Jackson, declared Westvleteren 12 “The Best Beer in the World”, and since then the beer had earned legendary status among beer addicts.

Not only is it a great beer, but it is very hard to get hold of, until recently the bottles could only be bought by arranging a time at the monastery at which you in your registered car could turn up to buy a case.

It seems some is now being released, and I found two shops in Denmark selling small quantities of the beer at 144DKK a bottle!

Now.

In 1945, Mathieu Szafranski left the St. Sixtus monastery with the recipe and some of the yeast used, St. Sixtus is now Westvleteren.

Online there are several videos and articles comparing the two quads, both at or near 10%abv, so now I had a bottle of Westvleteren 12, I could compare with St. Bernardus 12, and for a laugh I also opened a bottle of the Chimay Grande Reserve 2020 vintage to really make an evening of it, and invited my neighbour round to take part.

He brought some Stella as a starter before we got down to the tasting.

I have always wondered was it the fact that one was so hard to get that made it taste better, or that Jackson declared it the best in the world that made us want it, or was that demand and title well earned?

The result:

St. Bernardus 12.

Pours dark with light fermentation, the beer itself almost black.

Aromas of dark roasted malts and fruits.

On the palate, big hot of flavour that stays bitter, but lasts.

Chimay Grande Reserve 2020 vintage:

Pours well with medium fermentation, beer again almost pours black.

Aroma; slightly sweeter than of St. Bernardus.

And on the palate, the finish is smoother, sweeter, slightly than St. Bernardus and is an overall more enjoyable drink.

Westvleteren 12.

Again pours with medium head and near black body.

Aroma much more obvious of dark roasted malts and fruits.

On the palate, an intense hit which turns into a long sweet, almost caramel finish, making it the most satisfying enjoyable of the three.

All three are good beers. Great beers. St. Bernardus is the lightest and easiest to drink, meaning once can have more than one, though be careful at 10%. Chimay (Blue), has the lowest strength at 9%, offers the drinker more in flavour and the 70cl means one can happily share a bottle with a (good) friend. Westvleteren 12 was our favourite of the three, in a straight taste comparison, though the finished beer is strong, complex, but heavy, like a warm hug on a cold night. Reminded me of Hardy Ale (barley wine).

Is Westvleteren 12 worth the extra money over the other two?

Probably not.

Is it the better beer? Two of us, yes.

Before the football started, Steve left for home, glad that I had invited him round to share the beer, had I have tackled it alone, it would have been messy.

Jools came back with KFC, while I watched the mad game between Spurs and Chelsea on the tellybox: Spurs had two players sent off, there were 5 (five) goals chalked off and Chelsea won 4-1 after being one down early on.

It was mad, but entertaining.