To maximize the beer drinking pleasure I developed a plan: start with lighter fare, working my way to the heavier beers, with three stops along the way. All were good, two were new to me, and one was a surprise. In order I drank Ommegang Witte, Unibroue Trois Pistoles, and Rogue Mocha Porter.
The surprise beer for me was the Ommegang Witte. I’m not a big fan of the white beers, but that only comes from my negative opinion of the Allagash White, which has some unpleasant flavors, in particular a weird aftertaste. Well, that Witte went down real good: nice flavors, clean, but also some complexity. This would make a good accompaniment to most seafood, but probably not salmon. I can picture it going well with a turkey burger too.
Trois Pistoles is a beer I’m quite familiar with, and I tend to enjoy many of the beers that come from its brewer, Unibroue. It’s a beer that has some sweetness on the initial attack, but that quickly leaves and is replaced by a more complex taste. A dark beer, the mouth feel is lighter than you might expect. For the life of me, I can’t think of what food I would enjoy with a Trois Pistoles. Maybe some sharp cheddar and plain crackers?
Finally, another beer that surprised me, though not as much as the white. Rogue Mocha Porter shocked me a bit because it wasn’t overpowered with mocha, which I find sometimes with the flavored beers (in particular chocolate beers). The mocha in this Rogue beer gives it an interesting subtext, and combined with it being one of the lighter porters with a less heavy mouth feel, I wasn’t distracted by a full feeling in my stomach. I don’t know why, but I thought a fatty hamburger would make a good meal with this beer.