Imported Beers and Fine Wines

It's awesome. Very good. OOOHHhhmmpp. Out of this world!

12 oz bottle of black oil. More after I enjoy this treat!

This 1 PT. 9.4 fl oz, 14% Alc. by volume from Austria is awesome! Since it was about 105 degrees in here earlier - I am not joking - I chilled down this flip top in the fridge for an hour prior to opening.

When they say, the "World's Most Extraodinary Beverage" they may be exaggerating, however, they are more correct than wrong.

A taste Avalanche careened through Austria straight to Gold Hill! Hold on to your hats and your palates!

The color of this bottled in 2007 delight captures the wonderful rays of Rah through the roof of my yurt. Explosions of neon orange, a few bubbles to accent, mired in a amber/gold base.

Only if the eyes could taste... the could appreciate the flavors of this fine brew racing around my tongue like a fit relay team in 1986 (which was the last year this particular beverage was bottled.)

This brew is brewed only once a year on December 6, and is aged for 10 months before bottling - that's like waiting for an Alaskan winter to end for goodness sakes!

As my mind starts to wander due to the %14??? I mutter to myself, why did I ever even consider buying a brew from Milwaukee in my past life.... this is the life.

Thank the Castle Brewery out of Eggenberg, Austria. If I make it Europe next summer, be sure that I will darken their door for a beer that hasn't had to travel....

Is it worth the price? Don't let the price work into the occasion... purchase it as a gift as it had been given to me. Chances are they'll share and frankly, one bottle is a bit too much for one person on one afternoon....

Briefly, I'll mention a fine beer that I sampled this week called the Abyss - by Deschute's Brewery - a fantastic malty/scotchy brew. More on that later...

A fine imported Ale available at Gold Hill Store, Ester, Alaska

The first blog entry is dedicated to a Belgium Ale, Tripel Karmeliet. Brewed by the Bosteels Family, brewers since 1791.

At first glance, the green tinted bottle looked a bit flat and pale. I quickly learned, when the cork flew across the yurt upon releasing the metal wired cork holder, that this is quite a bubbly brew of three different grains - Oats, wheat and barley.

The 3/4 litre bottle has 8.1% alcohol content, which I believe makes it ale. I am no expert, this is just a blog about beer on a small town grocery/gas station website. (By the way, the number of beers and wines to choose from at Gold Hill is stunning.)

Back to Karmeliet. It reminds me of champagne, but with a hoppy kick and a sense of roasted caramel climbing up the roof of my mouth. Sugary sweet aftertaste. Very pleasing. The second tast was the same. Same with the third.

I've heard that carbonation forces alcohol into the blood stream faster than if there were no CO2 in your stomach. It must by true, because I am starting to lose my balance and it doesn't even look like the bottle has been dented. Hopefully a friend will stop by and help drink it as I know that I don't want to do that myself.

When you pour the ale, the bubbles reach the top of the despite the fact that is less than half full. Sweetness.

A winner of the Gold Medal, World Beer Cup. Brewed in Buggenhout, Belgium.

Would I recommend this Ale? Yes, I would - when you are in a sweet mood!