Cheers!
After a quick Hoosier Beer Geek introduction, the first beers started to arrive. We would get a few bottles to share at the table, and they just kept coming. Here they are...
First up, was White Ale, a product of Japan. All I can say - sour.
Breakfast Stout was second - and I loved the label. Beer was good too.
Good old Kosher love - I really enjoyed the date flavor!
From what I was hearing, the Chimay Ale was the favorite among the group. It was definitely good, but I still leaned towards the Hebrew a bit more.
We never really took a break from tasting, but at this point, we got what I heard only great things about...the food! Now, if you have never been to Brugge, I recommend you hit them up fast for some mussels and frites. Delish. Options are endless. So good. Anyway, we had an option of crepe with fillings OR steak and eggs. I was debating between the two, and then I found out frites were served with the steak & eggs. So that right there made my decision!
As we continued/finished eating, we were back to the beers. Now, the whole theme of the event was Bacon. I love bacon. But bacon beer? Well, let's give it a try! We had two beers brewed especially for this event. First up, Sun King's Baconator:
The slight taste of bacon made it great for tasting.
Not sure I would drink it on a regular basis, BUT I did tell Clay from SK that it would make an AMAZING marinade. Can you imagine? Bacon beer marinated pork loin, wrapped in bacon?! Oh vey. He did mention he would make a barbecue sauce out of it, but my marinade comment made him excited. Sun King has brewers dinners, which I am now jonesing to go to, and I hope they capture this in food!
Up next: Brugge's Bier du Lardons. They used the fat of bacon as well during the process, which you could definitely taste. Unfortunately, because of this, all I could taste was that. People definitely liked it, but I (with most of my table) could only taste fatty creaminess wrapped in smoke. Is this a good taste in beer? Maybe, but not on my palate. But I can't say WOW enough for their creativity in the process!
No, that is not chocolate milk - it's Bier du Lardons (and yes, that does say it all!)
And no my friends - the tasting wasn't over. We were also given...
Sorry for the photo quality..
I normally adore raspberry, but the tart was overwhelming this time...
The CBMTCBL was over at this point...but they did give us the opportunity to try a few beers they brought in on our own. With that, the taste continued...and my friends, I found a beautiful concoction. If you are like me, and love all those spices that wrap you in fall love (ie. cinnamon, ginger, pumpkin, etc.,) you may need to try this:
Seriously, it was like Christmas in a glass!
Come holiday time, you know what I'm getting....A BIG thank you to Hoosier Beer Geek for this event, and another BIG thank you to Brugge for hosting, the food, and great service that we received. Rumors this may become a biannual event...if so, you can count me in!