Ava Lee Belgium Style Triple

Jon Lee one of the brewers at the Utah Brewer's Coop, has brewed a special, one-time beer in celebration of his first child. The Ava Lee Triple dials in at 9% ABV, but will only be available in bottles at Squatters' three locations. This is a one time batch and will never be brewed again. Ava Lee Triple is available today. Friday May 23rd. and will probably go fast. I hear very good things about this one. Thanks to Andy, for helping to get the word out!

Ninth Beer of Xmas Delirium Noel

It's day nine. At this point you should seeing pink elephants. If for some reason your not, beer number nine will cure that visually and mentally. So, with that, The Ninth beer of Xmas is Delirium Noel.

Pores a slightly hazy dark amber color with a solid head that dissipates into a thin cap of foam. The nose is of toasty malts with a boozy perfume of peach, prune, nutmeg and clove.
The tastes starts sweet with honey, dates and nutmeg. Oak and vanilla finish it out, with burnt cherry and cinnamon notes carry you into the finish. Smooth, sweet malt body with just enough of a hint of hop bitterness to keep it from becoming cloying. A very nice holiday brew that goes down as well as any high ABV Belgian brew. The 10% abv is well hidden, opening the door for the pink elephants to sneak-up and molest you with they're trunks before you even know what's happening. So stay on your bar stool and beware.

Cantillon Iris

Let me start out by saying that don't have much experience with true lambics. I never know what to expect from these extremely wild beers they range from the sweet to the acerbically tart. I've never had an unblended lambic before. The closest I've tried is the gueze style(blended). Iris comes from the Brasserie Cantillon in Brussels. Pours a hazy honey orange with a moderate off-white head. The nose was sour with green apple and grapes and cheese. The taste is wildly tart and funky. Starting with an assertive sour mustiness then dry oak. The end is of citrus peel and sharp cheddar cheese. The finish is old and dry. Far too tart for my taste, however, it is complex and intriguing. This an interesting lambic to reflect over.

De Ranke XX Bitter

Home brewers are some of the most innovative and passionate people on the worlds beer stage. Some of the best beers/breweries in the world got a kick-start from a local guy or gal doing something unique in their kitchen or garage.

That's the story behind XX Bitter. Nino Bacelle and Guido Devos, two friends turned a weekend obsession into a classic, craft brewing story. For a few hours on Friday and Saturday; every week, the marvelous turn-of-the-century Deca Brewery in West Flanders is turned over to the De Ranke brewers, who make small batches of what many consider to be one of the best specialty beers of Belgium. Their beers are robust and flavorful, and famous for their massive hoppiness.

Poured a creamy off white head that caps a hazy gold color. The nose is moderate blend of grassy/floral hops with a slight honey/grain character beneath. The taste has a nice sharp bitterness to it that turns a little astringent. Grassy hops are very prominent. Not much in the way of malt character; maybe a little toasted biscuit. The beer is pretty dry with a light feel. Overall I am a little torn by this beer, I love hoppy beers but lack of malt character left it a little stale at the end. Maybe it's just not as fresh as it should be. If you like Orval Trapist Ale; you'll find this similar. Think of it as Orval on steroids. 6.0% abv. Available at The Bayou in 330 ml bottles.