Monster Beer Posts

Tripel Karmeliet

Our local Waitrose has recently been rearranging their already rather good beer section. This is broadly a good thing, because they seem to have expanded the range of good beers (Meantime now appear to have half a shelf to themselves!) at the expense of the duller, more mass market offerings. They've also improved their ...

Guinness Foreign Extra

Given that it's Saint Patrick's Day this weekend, it seems appropriate to seek out an Irish monster. So when I spotted this in the supermarket, it seemed like a clear sign from the beer gods. Here we have Guinness Foreign Extra. Unlike (I believe) the regular Guinness we get here in the UK, this ...

Chimay Blue

This week I continue my search for a readily available monster beer. While I try to maintain a cupboard full of big, interesting beers to enjoy I'm very aware that I spend an unhealthy amount of time in specialist beer shops and buying too much beer online. Less beer-obsessed people may be more ...

The Kernel IPA 2010 Centennial

This week, I opened a bottle that I'd been looking forward to for quite a while – the last Kernel Brewery beer in the cupboard, and possibly my last for a while. I have always had a soft spot for The Kernel. I love the big flavours they pack in. I love the branding. ...

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

This week's review is something of a last minute rush, as I left everything to the last minute (as usual!) and then found myself in an excellent pub instead of at home with my beer supply. Happily, The Bull has a wonderful beer list, including plenty of tasty monsters. And so, with apologies to ...

Barbar & Barbar Bok

What's better than a monster Belgian beer? Two Belgian beers, obviously! This week I have a pair of beers from Brasserie Lefebvre, a family brewery in Quenast which is currently in it's sixth generation. They have quite a selection of big beers in their traditionally Belgian range and the bottles I have are both honey ...

Duvel

Since I started this series, it's become a bit of an obsession of mine. Every time I walk into a shop that sells beer I find myself scouring the shelves looking for any offering that crosses that magical 7.5% ABV barrier. Specialist beer shops are definitely my Achilles' Heel but just occasionally I ...

Espresso Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout

After missing last week's Monster Beer due to the curse of a head cold I wanted to find something a bit special to get back on course, so I dug to the very back of my cupboard and came out with a deliciously huge bottle from the Great Divide Brewing Company of Colorado. As ...

Hogs Back A Over T

As regular readers may remember, Hogs Back have been the subject of a previous Brewery Tour-At-Home but that didn't include this particular beer – the strongest of their range. This is A Over T, a 9.0% Extra Strong Ale. The name obviously stands for Aroma Over Tongham (the village in which Hogs Back are ...

J.W. Lees Moonraker

So, after last week's rather special but also rather hard to obtain beer, it seemed right to go to the other extreme. While it's hard to find any strong beer in supermarkets, a visit to my local Morrisons did turn up one candidate. This is Moonraker, which just about qualifies at 7.5% ABV. ...