This beer over delivers. That is all. Walk into a good beer shop, and pick the buyers brain.  Ask that person about “Bang for the Buck Brews.”  Sooner rather that later the discussion will lay itself  directly at the door of this under valued super star of beer geekdom. This is a dark, expressive beverage that will at once appeal to both the imbiber of grape, and grain.  You’ll be hard pressed to find a wine at this price range (around 12 bucks) that delivers this much flavor, and most of all complexity.  The pour is deep mahogany. Used to have a piano this color. There is ample lace and good head retention.  The head never gets in the way of what lies below it, the beer.  Aromas hint of dusty cocoa, dark fruit, sweet malt, candy sugar, and pruneaux. (That’s French for prune) The texture here is nicely creamy and warming with subtle carbonation.  The show really gets underway on the palate.   Here one finds mildly sweet dark, dark fruit-again, pruneaux. A tease of Vahlrona bittersweet chocolate.  An impecable hop bitter cleans things up, balances the implied sweetness and provides a welcome counter to the rather large malt bill.  Here hops are less flavorings, and more balancing agents. Consider the very best bittersweet chocolate melded with grain, then converted to a beverage. Or how about a chocolate fruit cake?  It does not exist.  Or does it?  Voila! Gouden Carolous “Cuvee Van De Keizer” Blauw 2009. We’re talking about flavors and levels of  complexity found in a 30-40 dollar bottle of wine.  But this is beer.  No wonder the craft beer scene has exploded here in the US.  The geeks are catching on here in the states.  Go find this one while it is still around 12 bucks for a 750ml bottle.  The alcohol registers in at around 10%.  You get the picture. Don’t let the beer geeks be the only ones in the know.  Get this!  Sample it with some high octane, dark, textured, malty sweet blues brewed up for the common man.  Here’s a taste to accompany the taste! Rare Jimi doing Gloria!

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