Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen Hommage Fruited Lambic, Far West Cider Co. 'You Guava Be Kidding Me' and Brouwerij der St. Benedictusabdij de Achelse Trappist Achel 8° Blond Bier
This video was inspired by an impromptu visit to the small beer shop Ale Tales in Albany, CA. They have a lot of rare and unique beers, so it’s easy to get carried away in there! My boyfriend instigated the trip since he wanted to pick up some Original Pattern brews on our way to sunset at Albany Bulb. I wasn’t planning on buying anything, but I saw a few things that struck my fancy. One was a gigantic Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen from Beersel, Belgium. It must’ve been a magnum (1.5L) and was selling for $99. I spotted a much smaller bottle of Fonteinen Hommage quickly after and knew it was time to revisit this legendary lambic brewery.
Far West Cider Co. is one of my favorite cideries period! They source their fruit from a 4th generation farm in San Joaquin County, just east of the East Bay and ferments their products at Rigger’s Point in Richmond, CA. ‘You Guava Be Kidding Me,’ has an addition of Brazilian pink guava after fermentation.
Lastly, I picked up a bottle of Trappist Achel 8° Blond by the famous Brouwerij der St. Benedictusabdij de Achelse. I had heard recently that there are no more Trappist monks in the area. Since the abbey will now fall under the jurisdiction of the Trappist Abbey of Westmalle, the beer will continue to be brewed. There are other rules and regulations regarding Trappist products, so this brand may have to adjust the labeling and remove the Trappist wording to reflect the recent change. I was eager to grab a bottle before the classic labeling is gone.
Once I made it to the cash register, I realized that the Fonteinen had no price tag. It ended up being a whopping $29.99 for a 375ml bottle of lambic! That is similar to buying a half bottle of Champagne! I went with it considering it’s quite rare to find and I was excited to taste it. This one was Hommage which was brewed with 30% whole fresh raspberries and 5% sour cherries. When I finally opened the bottle on camera, I noticed a beautiful bright ruby/orange color and very minimal mousse. The nose was impressive with a rich scent of stewed cherries and raspberries. Surprisingly, there was no vinegary VA or brett funk. The palate is where things got interesting. I knew this was a sour beer by nature, but it was completely dry and SO sour! Maybe the most sour beer I have ever tasted. The only beer I can remember being this tart is Jolly Pumpkin’s Madrugada Obscura ‘Dark Dawn’ from Dexter, Michigan. It’s a totally different style, but the sourness hit me just the same. These beers are so intense they put Warheads to shame and it feels like they’re splitting your soul in half.
You guava be kidding me. Seriously! These jars contain the same cider from the can in the middle! Silly me did not realize I should tilt the bottle to and fro beforehand. Give it a light shake!
Putting Far West Cider Co.’s guava cider right next to one of the most celebrated and high quality lambics (that can also rip your face off) wasn’t really fair. I couldn’t assess this one accurately with such an esoteric beverage before it. The bubbles were bigger and more abrasive. There was only a hint of sweetness which complemented the guava and apple tones. When I finished the video and poured the rest of the cider into small jars to drink later, I realized that most of the guava purée had fallen to the bottom! I had two jars of cider from the same can that looked completely different. One was golden in color and the other dark pink!
When I got to the Belgian Blond, I was in beer heaven. These three beverages had such varying bubbles, it was incredible! I poured the Achel 8° Blond on its side and I still had half a mug full of foam. The foam itself was soft and pillow-like. It had very subtle aromas of malt and sugar. The malty character of this beer inspired me to suggest it to Budweiser drinkers who want to upgrade. The low hop content with beer-like essence and a touch of banana was super pleasing paired with its frothy medium body. I love this beer and I am so glad it will continue to be produced, even without the Trappist labeling! By the way, there are only five official Trappist breweries left! Those are Westvleteren, Orval, Chimay (the most famous), Westmalle (my favorite) and Rochefort (my other favorite!). Seek these gems out! They are truly amazing quality beers with reasonable craft beer price tags.
This entire video was a lesson in knowing what you are buying and why. Watch it here on Youtube and experience what it's like to pick out rare and reputable products then be surprised by them! Prost!