Leffe: Vladimir's Beer Thread

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@Andres

TRUTH

Heineken is ok, not the best not the worst, a fine drink.

https://img411.imageshack.us/img411/...uldendraak.jpg

It has arrived. I found a place close to work that sells this stuff on draft and in the bottle but now I finally have a case of my own. I've never paid $100 for beer before. I used to drink $50 at the bar (Tennessee prices), and $100 for scotch, but never for beer.

Fragony, I love ya, but I also love this beer. Please don't make me choose....

If you go broke before you get drunk, you are a fool. Maybe it's just my southron blood, but honestly, cheap beer tastes better by the simple fact that it's cheaper.

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Originally Posted by Vladimir

https://img411.imageshack.us/img411/...uldendraak.jpg

It has arrived. I found a place close to work that sells this stuff on draft and in the bottle but now I finally have a case of my own. I've never paid $100 for beer before. I used to drink $50 at the bar (Tennessee prices), and $100 for scotch, but never for beer.

Fragony, I love ya, but I also love this beer. Please don't make me choose....

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You paid $100 for Gulden Draak!? That's just mad. While I'd agree it's more than decent beer, I've yet to find a beer that is worth $100. I think a large bottle of Gulden draak costs a mere 3-4€'s or something over here.

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Originally Posted by Moros

You paid $100 for Gulden Draak!? That's just mad. While I'd agree it's more than decent beer, I've yet to find a beer that is worth $100. I think a large bottle of Gulden draak costs a mere 3-4€'s or something over here.

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A case people, a case. That's less than 4 and a quarter per.

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Originally Posted by Vladimir

A case people, a case. That's less than 4 and a quarter per.

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While that's still alot for small bottles, it isn't insanely high priced anymore.

It will still set you back a pretty penny. For example at http://www.rusticorestaurant.com/bar.htm you can get it on tap for about twice as much of you can buy a bottle from the late 90's for $27. I'm not sure how well it ages in a bottle but the standard stuff is pretty good.

If I could find a job in Belgium that pays just a little better than my current one I'd take it. And it's not just for the beer.

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Originally Posted by Vladimir

It will still set you back a pretty penny. For example at http://www.rusticorestaurant.com/bar.htm you can get it on tap for about twice as much of you can buy a bottle from the late 90's for $27. I'm not sure how well it ages in a bottle but the standard stuff is pretty good.

If I could find a job in Belgium that pays just a little better than my current one I'd take it. And it's not just for the beer.

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Well if you ever come by Belgium let me know and we'll go beer tasting together!

A lot of nice tips on this thread.

I love the Leffe and the Duvel, they are rich special occasion beers for me. The Leffe is a bit fruity to be sinking regularly. Is there really cardamon in it?

If you made me choose one beer, I'll take the Guinness on tap in Dublin (in particular the tap down the brewery) over anything anywhere. I am a stout fella with Irish heritage, after all.

I wish our Aussie beers kicked English arse like we do at everything else but sadly we have been corporatised and while there are some decent micros and a few good big brand beers (esp the clean Tasmanian beers) there are a host of fantastic English beers better than ours. Our stuff has to be drunk cold, or there's a problem. The poms can be done cold up to cellar temperature with no effect on the enjoyment.

I love the handful of German beers I have had too (that 16th century purity law is a wonderful thing), and to be frank there's nice products from all over. I recall fondly a brown scots beer that tasted like burnt wholemeal toast, but in a good way (yes I am a Laphroaig man too).

Best thing I had recently was a James Squire (Aussie micro) Golden Ale, nice and rich. I'm not drinking like I used too, but i like to spend the same amount so its smaller amounts of more expensive stuff. Still gets me shitfaced so I pass out on NYE, just the puke smells classier :sweatdrop:.

What's cardamon?

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Originally Posted by Moros

What's cardamon?

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Cardamom.

I don't know. It's possible as I detect a taste similar to cloves without the numbing effect. That's one reason why I love it so much. Fruity? :no:

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Originally Posted by Vladimir

... Fruity? :no:

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Yeah I'd say fruity. Definitely a spiced taste and a sweetness I'm not expecting from a beer.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it, in fact its delicious, I just find German beer more...beerish.

Leffe tastes a bit Early Modern Europe/fat bloke in a Brueghel painting/chestnuts and butter in heated ale/FATW to me. Nice for a special occasion, but I wouldn't drink it every day.

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Originally Posted by Cyclops

Yeah I'd say fruity. Definitely a spiced taste and a sweetness I'm not expecting from a beer.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it, in fact its delicious, I just find German beer more...beerish.

Leffe tastes a bit Early Modern Europe/fat bloke in a Brueghel painting/chestnuts and butter in heated ale/FATW to me. Nice for a special occasion, but I wouldn't drink it every day.

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I'm not faulting you either. Since it's an ale, not a beer, it is sweet instead of bitter. Germans turned ale into beer by adding hops. The hops add a bitter taste and act as a preservative. I can't stand bitter drinks; personal choice.

Not sure if this is the right place, but I had a negative beer experience recently. I love New Belgium beers, not least their standard "Fat Tire". Bought a mix pack recently, which had among either styles their Organic Wheat Beer. I like some wheat beers so I tried it with an open mind. Even took all three in the variety pack I split with my father because he hates wheat beers.

It's the worst beer I've had in recent memory, which may no mean much since I tend to buy brands I like over trying new things. Maybe it's that I don't add lime (reccommended, but I can never put fruit in beer). Whatever the reason I strongly dislike this beer, which is too bad as I have no problems with the idea of an organic beer... It manages to both be unpleasant in taste and in another sense tasteless. For the price I could buy twice as much Budweiser, which would be just as bad but cheaper...

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Originally Posted by Vladimir

I'm not faulting you either. Since it's an ale, not a beer, it is sweet instead of bitter. Germans turned ale into beer by adding hops. The hops add a bitter taste and act as a preservative. I can't stand bitter drinks; personal choice.

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The tripple is rather sweetish, not really my thing, the dubbel is fantastic though.

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Originally Posted by Zim

Not sure if this is the right place, but I had a negative beer experience recently. I love New Belgium beers, not least their standard "Fat Tire". Bought a mix pack recently, which had among either styles their Organic Wheat Beer. I like some wheat beers so I tried it with an open mind. Even took all three in the variety pack I split with my father because he hates wheat beers.

It's the worst beer I've had in recent memory, which may no mean much since I tend to buy brands I like over trying new things. Maybe it's that I don't add lime (reccommended, but I can never put fruit in beer). Whatever the reason I strongly dislike this beer, which is too bad as I have no problems with the idea of an organic beer... It manages to both be unpleasant in taste and in another sense tasteless. For the price I could buy twice as much Budweiser, which would be just as bad but cheaper...

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Bad beer stories are welcome. I’ve thought of trying that brand but now I’m glad I didn’t.

Stick to the Kwak, Leffe and Chimay perhaps?

:bow:

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Originally Posted by Caravel

Stick to the Kwak, Leffe and Chimay perhaps?

:bow:

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But then I would have never discovered my 10.5% Gulden Draak. :laugh4:

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Originally Posted by Vladimir

But then I would have never discovered my 10.5% Gulden Draak. :laugh4:

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Percent volume != quality. Not suggesting for one moment that you thought it was, but I thought it worth pointing out.

They have some awful stuff over here that is about 9 or 10 percent and it's cheap and nasty.

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Originally Posted by Caravel

Percent volume != quality. Not suggesting for one moment that you thought it was, but I thought it worth pointing out.

They have some awful stuff over here that is about 9 or 10 percent and it's cheap and nasty.

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Are you from the states? Becuase "malt liquor" made either for or in the states does not count as beer. Oh and everyone should try homebrewing. My dad have been at it since December and we've managed to turn out an American Brown that was okay for a brief couple of weeks and then turned nasty sweet (our first batch), a Belgian Strong which exploded but is decent, a passable Hefeweizen, a fairly good Saison, and most recently an excellent Dubbel that I personally find acceptable as a Chimay or Allagash substitute, and it costs only $35 bucks per five gallons!

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Originally Posted by Uesugi Kenshin

Are you from the states?

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No.

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Originally Posted by Uesugi Kenshin

Becuase "malt liquor" made either for or in the states does not count as beer. Oh and everyone should try homebrewing. My dad have been at it since December and we've managed to turn out an American Brown that was okay for a brief couple of weeks and then turned nasty sweet (our first batch), a Belgian Strong which exploded but is decent, a passable Hefeweizen, a fairly good Saison, and most recently an excellent Dubbel that I personally find acceptable as a Chimay or Allagash substitute, and it costs only $35 bucks per five gallons!

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My father used to make some pretty good wine and beer when I was a lad. In fact I recall my uncle falling into a stream after a beer or several. It was pretty potent stuff. I also remember the exploding bottles and huge mess etc. :2thumbsup: