SBS Imports is pleased to announce the arrival of the two newest beers in the De Proef line-up, Van Twee Belgian Ale (collaboration with Bell’s Brewery) and Witte Noire Imperial Amber Wheat Ale.

Van Twee (From Both) is the third beer in the Brewmaster’s Collaboration Series. Previous collaborations included Signature Ale with Tomme Arthur of Port Brewing/Lost Abbey and Les Deux Brasseurs with Jason Perkins of Allagash. Van Twee was co-designed and brewed by John Mallet of Bell’s and Dirk Naudts at De Proef. It is a deep amber-chocolate colored porter-dubbel hybrid, with Michigan sour cherry juice and brettanomyces in the secondary fermentation. Layers of rich chocolate and coffee notes are followed by underlying sweet-sour cherry fruitiness with a long finish. It is reminiscent of the famous filled chocolates of Belgium. It is available in cases of 6/750ml cork-finished bottles and 20L kegs. Suggested retail price is $16.99 per bottle. Alcohol 7.5% by volume.

A recent vacation to Worcester, Massachusetts to visit my mom also included a visit to Armsby Abbey. The quaint setting located at the corner of Main and School Street in historic downtown Worcester offered up friendly service not to mention a wide selection of tasty brews. The Abbey features 22 rotating taps (with 6 dedicated to Belgian beers) and some 140 bottled beers from all over the country. Recently having celebrated their one year anniversary Armsby Abbey has received a plethora of “Best of Worcester” awards including “Best New Restaurant”, and “Best Beer Selection”. Speaking as a recent patron, the place did not disappoint. Wanting to try a local New England brew, I went with Allagash Brewing of Maine’s White; a perfect beer to combat the traditional muggy weather outside. Bartender Kyle Warren offered up his knowledge of Abbey selections to help this beerdrinker’s wife choose a smooth St. Bernardus Wit Bier. It is my recommendation that whether you hail from central Mass, or are visiting the area you be sure to wet the palate with an artisan brew oasis otherwise known as Armsby Abbey.

Deschutes brewmaster, Larry Sidor, has a background that may surprise some. For someone who has come up with such boldly innovated recipes at Deschutes such as The Dissident and The Abyss, many may not guess that Larry got his start at the Olympia Brewing Company.

“I spent 23 years at Olympia. You name it I did. It started as a journeyman situation after I graduated from OSU with a degree in the food sciences. From there I did a six-month brewing apprenticeship and performed every aspect in brewing possible. After that I was sent to Siebels, and back at that time it was a four-month course. When I returned I was named project assistant brewmaster at Olympia.”

From there Larry was promoted to Operations Manager for the entire brewery and during that time Pabst bought out Olympia. Larry remained with the company and became the R&D Manager, QA Manager, wrote and developed contract brewing situations and even brewed in Japan and China. Larry brewed such brands as Stroh’s, Lone Star, Lucky Lager, Brew 102 and even the Beer Beer (the can just said “Beer” on the side) and of course all the Pabst’s Brands.

This post really has nothing to do with Northwest beers, Oregon, or the West Coast, but it sure does make me reminisce about my home state, the White Pine State, the State of Maine.  Maine was right there with Oregon as one of the pioneers in the craft brew revolution during the 80s and 90s and, today, per capita, still possesses the most breweries.  Growing up I first experienced craft brew in the two Sams…Samuel Smiths and Samuel Adams.  I remember the first time I tasted the Triple Bock from Sam Adams and not knowing exactly what to make of it except the fact that it was a hair bending beast of a brew.  When I got a little older, I had the occasional Sea Dog beer, which I never really became totally enamored by.  But Geary’s London Porter and Shipyard’s Export Ale still remain fond in my heart to this day.  It wasn’t until I lived in Northern California and Oregon in the late 1990s that I really got a sense of what an area’s agriculture could mean for a brew.  Full Sail, Deschutes, Anderson Valley, Lagunitas, and BridgePort were among the first beers from this region that really captivated my palate.  It wasn’t until after I’d moved to the Pacific Northwest that I even tasted Allagash’s amazing Belgian lineup of brews.  I remember seeing the Dubble and Trippel at a Wild Oats market, recognizing the name “Allagash”, a notable river in my home state, and thinking, “that’s a potent brew from Maine, sold.”  Today, I have enjoyed more beers that my Mickeys-drinking teenage mind could have imaged looking ahead with a greater appreciation for the vast brands now available on the market.  In 2007, I returned to New England to visit family and friends, and even was fortunate enough to attend game 7 of the American League Championship Series with my dad at Fenway Park in Boston to see my beloved team, the Red Sox win the pennant.  On my trip, I distributed a suitcase full of beer magazines for a start-up Northwest publication.  This was also a great opportunity to visit several beer hot spots in the region.  One of my favorite aside from Portsmouth Brewing (Smuttynose) was The Great Lost Bear in Portland, Maine.  A British-styled pub with about fifty taps of amiable micro and import brews, the Lost Bear was definitely the place to be.  Pictures of the late, great Michael Jackson upon his visit there, adorned the walls alongside Horsebrass-esque breweriana (except with a distinct Maine flair).  My only regret is that I did not have more time to spent there.

Geoff enjoys a weekend snifter of Curieux

The weekend has finally passed.  Okay, it’s Tuesday, and you extended it a little longer than planned perhaps.  It was a great weekend.  Lots of merriment while enjoying the remaining nice days of summer blend into the briskness of autumn.  Here in the Pacific Northwest it is still quite warm during the day and perfect beer drinking and beer brewing weather.  Here’s a look at some of the beers that I was fortunate enough to quaff over the extended weekend.  All of these I recommend you experience if you haven’t already.  And if you have, why not go back for another round to refresh your palate.

Snoqualmie Falls Harvest Moon Ale: This beer is described as “a smooth, Oktoberfest-inspired festbier.” Using Munich, Two-row, and light Crystal malts, this robust, flavorful beer could possibly be one of the best fall beers I have ever tasted (no joke!) A marzen amber-dark copper-orange body besets a thick beige head.  A nose of nutty, spicy flavorsome delight makes this 5.3% ABV beer unbelievably delicious.  Finishing off with a bite of German noble hops and waves of chewy grains.  Try it today.