hell, i love american ales to the end. i live on the west coast and drink maybe too many west coast delights, of all varieties.
i usually don’t care for the yeasty or fruity flavors/notes of their beers. however, in an effort to expand my palate, i tried the chimays recently. i really love the blue/grande reserve best.
can you please point me in the direction of more of the malty/sweetish belgians out there?
also, just in case i get bold, maybe point me in the direction of the yeast(s) used for this style of malty goodness.
what can i say? i like what i like; but i love learning more about beers.
There are some American breweries that make outstanding Belgian styles… Victory’s Golden Monkey tripel, Great Divide’s Hades golden strong, North Coast’s Pranqster, and Avery’s Salvation, to name a few. Canada has the Unibroue brewery, and I really like all their beers, like La Fin Du Monde, Don de Dieu, and if you like them dark, Trois Pistoles. Belgian beers really vary greatly from brewery to brewery, so if you start trying different ones, you’re bound to find some that suit your tastes. Malheur 10 and 12 are two of my faves, along with A’Chouffee. La Trappe (or Koenigshoven) make a pretty decent line of beers, (but they’re Dutch, not Belgian). This is just the tip of the iceberg. There is a whole new world for Belgian beers out there.
As far as yeast goes, I like the wyeast 3787 or wlp530 (Westmalle) the wyeast 1388 or wlp570 (Duvel) and if you liked Chimay, try wyeast 1214 or wlp500.
Chimay is kinda like the gateway beer. Kinda like a Blonde Ale for BMC drinkers. Try the westmalle and St. Bernardus beers next and see if your palate has expanded.
Duvell is another great one to try if you are just getting into Belgians (it’s a great beer, period). The new Duvell Pale is also excellent, though I have only ever seen it on draft.