#belgian strong ale

[nofatclips]

Arabier by De Dolle Brouwers

[nice-bright-colors]

When Whole Foods has a pretty good beer selection, and is next to Cava for takeout dinner.

[medinerd]

2024 Winking Lizard World Tour Of Beers #80 - Troeg’s Mad Elf Belgian Strong Dark Ale 10oz Glass (273)

I always forget how strong this ale is. Then I take my first drink and get knocked over by the flavor, which is very boozy and powerful.

[bairbrewing]

Review #16

I am quite a fan of La Choufe so I was excited to find the Belgian Dark Strong Mc Choufe. A beautifully delicious dark beer with all of the fruity ale notes I love and a malty complexity that beings it all together. It felt a bit lighter than other quads I’ve had but a beautiful beer none the less. 8.5/10

[my-chemical-rot]

maybe controversial but whenever someone tells me they dislike beer I automatically assume they’re from the US. I’m sure gross beer exists in other countries too though

[ikaikaaaron]

Last night's selections

Oracle crafted by Placencia

Toro 6 X 50

Perfectly rolled in a classic 6 x 50 size, this Nicaraguan puro blend releases warm and inviting notes of leather spice, cocoa, and cream, centered around a core of signature Nicaraguan spice. 

Unibroue Trois Pistoles Belgian style strong ale

Crafted with four types of malt and just as many exotic spices, this deep brown ale offers notes of black cherry and dark rum.

9% abv

[annachum]

Some ASOIAF/ASOMAM houses and their cultural influences HCs ( and such )

The House Mormont clearly has several Scottish and Arctic influences, with their big coats and all that shit

The House Stark clearly has Scottish, Celtic and Pictish influences

For House Manderly, I think they are more on a mix of Scottish and Viking influences, what with seafaring and Guardians of the Northern Sea and all

For House Redwyne, I can see several French, Ancient Greek and Byzantine influences ( cuz Marseille was once also an Ancient Greek colony and then a Byzantine settlement )

House Hightower clearly has a mix of Dutch, Belgian and French influences

And the House Tyrell has strong ass French influences

For House Estermont, I think there are several German and Northern Italian influences in the mix

House Martell clearly has several Arabian and Desi ( particularly West Indian ) influences in the mic

House Uller seem to have a mix of Egyptian and Moroccan influences in spades

And House Dayne clearly has Persian influences

The House Targaryen often has a jumble of Ancient Roman, Ancient Greek, Etruscan, Phoenician, Carthaginian and Byzantine influences

House Velaryon often has Ancient Greek, Ancient Egyptian and Byzantine influences

House Barlaeris often has Ancient Greek, Slavic and Byzantine influences

And House Rogare often has Ancient Greco Roman, Phoenician and Southern Italian influences

House Macklyn seems to often have a mix of Eastern Italian, Ancient Greco Roman and Byzantine influences

The House Lannister often has Celtic and Southern English influences

House Baratheon seem to often have a jumble of German and Italian influences

House Arryn has a mix of Irish and Swiss influences

And House Tully has a mix of Welsh and Dutch influences

For the House Greyjoy, it's clear Norwegian influences are present, yet there are several other Scandinavian influences in there too

For the House Seaworth, I think there are several Danish influences in spades

For the House Chen of Leng Ma in Lenghi, I can see several Southern Chinese and Vietnamese influences

The House El Martill of Rhohynar clearly has a mix of Arabian Peninsula influences

I can see the House Al Amdullah of Haqodesh having mixes of various Levantine ( particularly Palestinian ) influences in spades

And then House El Faouly of Ghiscar having Ancient and Islamic Egyptian, and Byzantine influences in spades

For the House Drumm of Summer Isles ( aka the ruling house of Summer Isles since after the Dance of Dragons in ASOMAM ), I can see them having a myriad of Carribbean influences, with bits of Aztec, Mayan and Polynesian influences too

House Marko clearly having a jumble of Italian Renaissance, Byzantine and Ottoman influences

I can see House Storm of Myr having a mix of Florentine and Byzantine influences in spares

House Richards of Pentos having a mix of Ancient Grecian and Byzantine influences in spades

House Grey of Braavos ( aka the household Jeena is from ) having a mix of Venetian and Ancient Grecian influences in spades

And House Blackfyre clearly has a mix of Papal States, Byzantine and Ancient Greco Roman influences in spades

In Mossovy

I can see House Maximov having a mix of Polish and Ukrainian influences in spades

House Nikolev having Slavic Russian influences in spades

And House Karinkov having several Cossack and Tartary influences in spades

[rhinokck]

Side by side by beers with TRIP in the name. First up was Tripel Belgian-style Ale from Allagash Brewing out of Portland, ME. Smooth & strong with a fruity flavor that ends a little biscuity, this was pretty good but I’m not sure I’d drink it on the regular. Next up was ride share Triple IPA from Abita Brewing out of Abita Springs, LA. This was great, orange flavor from start to finish. I would definitely drink this one again.

[monstersandmaw]

whats your take on satyrs and centaurs etc? do you have personal hcs on them like centaurs personalities depending on them being hotblooded or warmblooded? or social routines of satyrs gathering to braid and groom each other's fleece? they're not always a particular favorite, but it is fun to dive into lore abt them

(sorry for sitting on this for so long!)

I like to think that there are as many variations to centaurs and satyrs etc. as there are to their real life inspirations in horses, deer, goats etc.

You get tough, stubborn Shetland centaurs and big, chill Shires and Belgian drafts, good all-rounder, easy-going Dutch Warmblood types, and highly strung Anglo-Arab centaurs etc. etc. Same goes for cervitaurs - hardy red deer and delicate fallow, tiny muntjac, and small but tough reindeer, plus some really big moose folk too. Goat satyrs who have a tendency to faint if surprised, as well as some shy sheep-based satyrs who have close family units...

I have a headcanon for centaurs that it's a huge deal for someone to be allowed to sit on their back and ride them (let alone put tack of any kind on them), and for some it's taboo or just too revolting to consider, while for others it's a sign of deep honour and trust. I mentioned a story idea I had a while ago for an elite messenger corps that uses centaurs who are paired with a rider, but I never did anything with it (yet?).

I think satyrs would have very strong family units, and cervitaurs and centaurs are traditionally nomadic, though they tend to stick to one large area and roam across it. They're wary of outsiders, but if you gain their loyalty, they'll do anything to protect you. Satyrs love music, and throw the best and wildest parties and they're also good at brewing and distilling fruit wines and cider and ales etc., while centaurs are more known for their herbalist lore and skills in medicine, and cervitaurs are caretakers of the forest and are the best at woodland management and coppicing etc. :).

The quadruped species in particular are used to having family members and close friends take care of them - mutual grooming and hoof-picking and stuff is all very natural to them - so they're not generally body shy, but they're also very in tune with people's body language, and are able to read if you're not comfortable with a situation very easily.

I'm sure I've got more thoughts on them, but for now, I hope that was fun to read :). Thanks for your patience, anon.

[fromthedust]

Hergé (Belgian, May 22, 1907 - March 3, 1983)

Belgian author and artist, 1907-1983. Translated into over thirty languages, Hergé’s adventure stories about the brave and resourceful young reporter Tintin are popular with both children and adults throughout the world In twenty-four book-length comic strips, Tintin and his faithful fox terrier, Snowy, embark on a series of thrilling global adventures set in remarkably detailed, meticulously researched landscapes.

Hergé. whose real name is Georges Remi (he devised his pen name by inverting his initials to R.G.), pub­lished the first Tintin adventure in Le Petit Vingtième, the children’s supplement to Le Vingtieme Siecle, in 1929. Published in book form in 1930 as Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, this primitive work is the only one of the series that was not later translated into color, with the exception of Tintin and the Alpha-Art, a work unfin­ished when Herge died and left in sketch form at his request.

The second adventure, Tintin in the Congo (1931), reflects a contemporary European view of Africa based on ignorance and portrays the African people as gullible and naive. Neither Congo nor the fanatically anti-Communist Soviets has yet been published in the United States.

In Tintin in America (1932), Tintin takes on Chicago mobster Al Capone, and Hergé’s sociopolitical satire becomes more sophisticated as he depicts the National Guard driving the Blackfoot Indians away from their ancestral lands. But it is probably The Blue Lotus (1936) that marks Hergé’s refinement of detail and concern for accuracy.

After befriending a young Chinese student who urged him to avoid common stereotypes, Hergé began to delve further into research of the physical and cultural landscape. The story is a clear protest of Japa­nese expansionism on the Chinese mainland and of the treatment of the Chinese people by many Westerners. Hergé’s friend appears as young Chang in The Blue Lotus and later in Tintin in Tibet (i960), a story of true friendship Hergé claims as his favorite.

Ostensibly a journalist, Tintin is seen reporting to his editor only once in the series and follows his sense of adventure and justice rather than any particular assign­ment. In the course of his adventures he encounters a colorful cast of characters who become his cohorts: The bumbling, ineffectual detectives Thompson and Thom­son, the rough old sea dog Captain Haddock with his legendary penchant for drinking whiskey and hurling passionate but innocent insults, and the absent-minded but ingenious Professor Cuthbert Calculus provide both help and hindrance throughout Tintin’s travels.

All of these characters find their way aboard the first manned rocket bound, for the moon in Destination Moon (1953) and Explorers on the Moon (1954), in which Tintin, Snowy Captain Haddock, and Thompson and Thomson set foot on the moon fifteen years before Neil Armstrong landed in Apollo 11.

Hergé constructed a detailed scale model of a German U2 rocket to create the drawings, and his extensive scientific research gives the books remarkable accuracy and foresight. While most of the Tintin stories are noticeably devoid of women, opera singer Bianca Castafiore takes center stage as a strong female character in The Castafiore Emerald (1963).

Charles de Gaulle once remarked, “My only interna­tional rival is Tintin.” 

                       source: Children’s Books and their Creators by Anita Silvey.

Hergé’s Tintin books in chronological order:

Tintin in the Land of the Soviets – (Tintin au pays des Soviets) (1929–1930)

Tintin in the Congo – (Tintin au Congo) (1930–1931)

Tintin in America – (Tintin en Amérique) (1931–1932)

Cigars of the Pharaoh – (Les Cigares du Pharaon) (1932–1934)

The Blue Lotus – (Le Lotus bleu) (1934–1935)

The Broken Ear – (L’Oreille cassée) (1935–1937)

The Black Island – (L’Ile noire) (1937–1938)

King Ottokar’s Sceptre – (Le Sceptre d’Ottokar) (1938–1939)

The Crab with the Golden Claws – (Le Crabe aux pinces d’or) (1940–1941)

The Shooting Star – (L’Etoile mystérieuse) (1941–1942)

The Secret of the Unicorn – (Le Secret de la Licorne) (1942–1943)

Red Rackham’s Treasure – (Le Trésor de Rackam le Rouge) (1943)

The Seven Crystal Balls – (Les Sept boules de cristal) (1943–1946)

Prisoners of the Sun – (Le Temple du soleil) (1946–1948)

Land of Black Gold – (Tintin au pays de l’or noir) (1948–1950) 

Destination Moon – (Objectif Lune) (1950–1953)

Explorers on the Moon – (On a marché sur la Lune) (1950–1953)

The Calculus Affair – (L’Affaire Tournesol) (1954–1956)

The Red Sea Sharks – (Coke en stock) (1956–1958)

Tintin in Tibet – (Tintin au Tibet) (1958–1959)

The Castafiore Emerald – (Les Bijoux de la Castafiore) (1961–1962)

Flight 714 to Sydney – (Vol 714 pour Sydney) (1966–1967)

Tintin and the Picaros – (Tintin et les Picaros) (1975–1976)    

[nice-bright-colors]

I’ve eaten dinner 3 nights in a row at BJ’s Brewhouse.

I’ve had their Tatonka Stout, PM Porter, Nutty Brewnette (bad spelling and all), their Jeremiah Red, and now tonight I finish off with…

BJ’s 24th Anniversary Grand Cru. A 10% Belgian Strong (so they say). It’s quite spicey and slightly fruity. Not exactly sour, but not far from it. I wouldn’t call it Belgian, but that’s just me.

I never realized that BJ’s has been around for 24 years.

Luckily, The Wife’s birthday is this weekend, and her friend from Chicago is coming in. So I get to go my favorite Belgian Ale place at home…and stay at The Westin a stones throw from my apartment.

Limited Edition glassware:

Sadly there isn’t enough room in my carry-on.

[acommonloon]

My tumblr friend @russann asked me to recommend a couple of places in Bruges that would be on my not to miss list. Bruges is my favorite city in the world with London a close second.

The top pic is De Garre. It's a very old pub down an alley just off the Market Square. Their tripel golden ale is served with a bowl of wonderful cheese cubes. It's very small but has three levels. I don't recommend the steep narrow stairs unless you do them below you're drunk!

Below that is De Halve Maan. It's a brewer/restaurant and their Straffe Henrik tripel is the closest thing I have to a favorite beer. Great food and ambiance inside.

Cafe Vlissinghe is reported to maybe be the oldest pub in Europe or at least in Bruges. It's pretty magical inside with great food and a wonderful beer selection.

The beer Museum and Duvelorium are collocated on the square at the corner of the road you take to find De Garre. Having these places so close together isn't as great as you might think. The beer is so delicious but also so strong you (I) can't go from one to the other drinking or I'd soon be bloody legless! The beer museum is nice because for a reasonable fee you get to drink small glasses of the many beers they have on tap. The Duvelorium is mostly Duvel beer but the best thing is they have a large balcony over-looking the market square so you can drink and people watch in the shadow of the clock belfry.

Another very cool place is LaTrappiste. It's down under the street and the rooms are huge stone arched vaults.

I highly recommend a meal at The Pigeon House. You don't have to get pigeon but you really should, it's delicious.

There's lots of great shopping. The best liquor store ever is 2be! Also if your want to get friends and family some chocolate genitalia, Bruges is the place. They have tons of other chocolates and of course Belgian lace if your want a PG rated keepsake.

There's so many more cool places we've found while there but half the fun is just wandering and finding. Have fun!

[beardedmrbean]

1. How to survive an EU traineeship in Brussels: Top tips from previous trainees

Every year in March and October, hundreds of enthusiastic and beady-eyed young professionals flock to the Belgian capital to start prestigious traineeships within the EU institutions. But where to begin? Read more.

2. 'Could save €43 million': People living in polluted areas go to doctor more often

People living in heavily polluted areas have to visit their doctor more regularly, highlighting that air pollution not only has a negative impact on people's health but also national medical costs. Read more.

3. Tram from city centre to Brussels Airport: Flanders gives the green light

Flanders has given the go-ahead for the environmental permit allowing the airport tram to pass through Machelen and Zaventem, bringing the project one step closer to realisation. Read more.

4. Cheap train rides: €8 return ticket across Belgium on Car-Free Sunday

On the occasion of Mobility Week, national railway company SNCB will offer €8 tickets for a return journey to destinations across the entire country next Sunday (17 September). Read more.

5. Uccle looks to open its own public open-air swimming pool

The Brussels municipality of Uccle is considering opening its own public open-air swimming pool in response to the shortage of pools in the region. Read more.

6. Will Brussels soon drop the limits on rent indexation?

Brussels Minister for Housing Nawal Ben Hamou is calling for the freeze on rent indexation to be continued for energy-inefficient properties. But the measure, introduced on October 14 2022 for a one-year duration looks unlikely to be extended by the regional authorities. Read more.

7. Hidden Belgium: Het Anker

Hidden down an alley in Mechelen’s Begijnhof, Het Anker has been brewing beer since the 15th century. Its strong, dark Gouden Carolus ale has been made in this spot since the days of Emperor Charles V. Named after the golden coins minted by the Emperor, the beer was voted ‘world’s best dark beer’ in 2012. Read more.

[myhopshabit]

A late Christmas present from my BRILLIANT BIL came while I was traveling Texas & Oklahoma; a book I’ve been wanting, Trappist Beer Travels: Inside The Breweries of the Monasteries. I found it only fitting to open one of my favorite Trappist beers; a @chimay_official Grande Reserve Belgian Strong Dark Ale. Thanks Buddy!!! #beer #belgianbeer #trappistbeer #strongdarkale #goodbeer #drinkgoodbeer #beerfriendsarethebestfriends #beergifts #christmasinmarch #beerbook #trappist #monastery #beerstagram #instabeer #dcab #dcabeer #dcareabeer #beerisforeveryone #reading #beertravel https://instagr.am/p/CqRaloOJkm_/

[hollyevolving]

There's a lot of alcohol out there that is just plain bad.

There are also people who can't abide the taste of alcohol. That is fine. You shouldn't force yourself to drink something you don't like, and anyone who tries to make you is an asshole.

There are also people who don't drink because it's bad for them. That is fine. Anyone who tries to make you drink when you shouldn't is an asshole.

I, honestly, truly, enjoy the taste of good Islay single malt scotch (Lagavulin is no longer good, celebrity endorsement was bad for the brand and now they're rushing out crap to keep up with demand. Caol Isla is nice). I love Marsala wine, which is very strong (fortified, like port or sherry) and sweet. I love Brachetto d'Aqui, which is a mild sweet sparkling red wine with low alcohol content. I like a doppelbock (rich dark sweet beer) or a Belgian sour ale (doesn't actually taste sour, does taste a little tangy & sweet). I like a Belgian trippel ale but that is high alcohol content and doesn't taste like it so watch out. I like southern comfort in coke and rum in pepsi and NOT the other way around. I like regular apple cider spiked with Goldschlager. I love a bocce ball, which is amaretto and orange juice. I like hard cider, but only if it's properly balanced - too many are either too sweet or too dry - Woodchuck pear cider is nice. The ONLY vodka that has ever been worth my time is the sugar beet vodka from Orange County Distillery in Goshen, NY, which has a warm, earthy flavor. I like a Hendricks gin and tonic - Hendricks is so interesting and has so much going on that it doesn't need the lime, but that's still good if you like it. I like a 7&7: Seagram's Seven and 7up (I will drink blended whiskey but NEVER blended scotch).

And unless I am at home, with friends I trust to keep me safe, I will never have more than one drink in a 6-hour period.

tell me in the tags either the worse drink you've ever had or what you do to alcohol to make it palatable

[artabellaluna]

Barking Armadillo Brewery

Enjoyed a Morning Venom (my favorite) and a Belgian Strong Dark Ale (shown here.)