Good beers cheap: Grimbergen

Trip to Dave's BrewFarm this weekend.  So much fun, even though I was running absolutely on empty from the start.  By the end, the only thing keeping me up was the accordion player behind my chair at the German restaurant... but that's a story for another post.

A second in an occasional series that I always meant to be a little less occasional.... And I've been meaning to do this one for some time too.  One thing that beer nyerds -- excuse me, craft beer afficionados -- tend to fetishize is the Trappist style of beers.  There's the great photos in the brewing books of Rochefort's grand cathedral of a brewhouse, the pictures of monk-robe clad brewers there and at Westvleteren.  And of course the history and lore of Westmalle, the crazy deco ruins of Orval, and so forth.

And there is the fact that many of the classic abby styles of beer are very straightforward, simple recipes that are for many homebrewers awful hard to replicate.  It shouldn't be the case, but there it is.  It seems like there's magic in there somewhere.  (I actually think it's just proper yeast handling, but then again I've never made a dubbel that would hold a candle to Westmalle's, so I should talk.)

Hiding out at Thomas Liquor.
Good beer, budget price.

Anyway, three things should be kept in mind.  One is that, gorgeous as they often are, the Trappist appellation doesn't come cheap.  Chimay has wide availability I guess, but pick up a (small, 330 ml) bottle of Rochefort and it's going to cost you.  Less than it did a few years ago admittedly, but it will cost you nonetheless.  Second, while the Trappist beers are produced actually in the brewhouses of the Trappist monasteries, they are often produced by lay brewers rather than the monks themselves.  Third, there is a whole range of often really very nice "abbey" beers that fall in the same style range that are worth trying.

The abbey beers are affiliated, or licensed by, Belgian abbeys -- just not the Trappist ones.  Generally brewed off-site, this takes some of the "magical" aura away from them I guess.  Still, they can be gorgeous.  Maredsous in particular is one of my favorites.

For some reason, it recently hit me that Grimbergen (produced for the Abdij von Grimbergen by Alken-Maes) was becoming widely available around here, and way cheap by Belgian beer standards.  Like about half the price of cheap Trappist.  The Blonde and the Dubbel are the two I see in bottle shops, so I decided to pick them up and give them a formal tasting.  So here with it:

• Grimbergen Blonde (6.7% abv).  Light golden in color, with a dense white head.  Really full carbonation, but not as outrageous as some Belgian beers, and less central to the overall character as with some Belgian blonde beers in particular.  Bouquet is somewhat restrained, slightly fruity and spicy.  It smells a bit like cut apple, with moderate acidity and ester coming through the carbonation.  In flavor, the spiciness comes across as white pepper along with some restrained sweetness from the alcohol.  Full, prickly carbonation.  There's a hint of apple-like pils malt in the flavor too -- almost like a Chardonnay -- and a little hop bite at the end.  The alcohol to me seems a little to forward for a 6.5% beer in this style.  The yeast-derived spiciness is nice but just a touch high and and there's a little harsh, astringent note at the end that mars it.  Overall, a really nice beer, though not outrageously good.  
• Grimbergen Double (6.5% abv).  Very pretty brown with red highlights, and astounding clarity.  Lowish tan head.  It has a sweet malt aroma, with a prominent caramelized sugar character that's classic for the style. Faint hop.  Fruity esters -- fig, plum.  Full carbonation gives way to hop bite and tannin, then a hint of fruity/spicy Belgian yeast character.  In both the flavor and aroma, there's a floral rose petal note and black pepper, both driven up by full carbonation.  The finish seems hoppier than the initial taste -- this is definitely more bitter than some dubbels.  Really good.

Overall, these beers stack up well.  They are not as good as some of the best in the style -- in particular, there's a bit of a harsh tannic bite in both that I don't see in the best examples.  On the other hand, the dubbel in particular I think is still really good, and at about $2.50 in these parts, well worth having around.  Scenario: you're having a party.  You're known as the "beer guy."  Friends expect you to stock impressive beer, but you're unwilling to throw down $6 per bottle for Trappist beers only to see some fools pop the cap and swill from the bottle.  What to do?  Grimbergen, baby.  That's what.