Verhaeghe Vichtenaar

Why I tried this: I was browsing through the various beer types at World of Beer UCF, out of boredom. I came across a style known as Flemish Red, which intrigued me because it was described as sour tasting. I've never had anything like that before, so I decided to be adventurous and give it a go. Vichtenaar was the first I found in the menu under that brew style.

Smell: Wow. Sour. It felt like a blast of vinegar, with a very slight hint of sweetness, perhaps from berries. I knew I was in for one hell of a sip.

Taste: My initial reaction was that I was drinking vinegar. Several sips into it, I began to get through to the full taste of the beer, and the sourness lessened somewhat with a little sweetness. It was a full bodied taste, very strong. Not recommended for the uninitiated.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this beer a 6. Verhaeghe Vichtenaar is a sour Flemish red ale made in Belgium. With 5.0% ABV it was not very strong, but the taste was anything but. Expect a similarity to vinegar. There is little to balance this strong flavor out. It is exactly as described, red and sour. If you're looking for something interesting out there, I can say this might be something to look into, but I probably wouldn't get it again. However, this did get me interested in other Flemish Red style beers, which turned out to be a great thing.

--Jeff

Probably the most awful beer I have had in my entire life.  Still cant believe this is a beer style 2/10.

--Jon

Tripel Karmeliet

Why I tried this: By now some of the bartenders are getting to know us pretty well. One of the bartenders we get pretty often is named Logan. I asked him to recommend a beer to me and after a short discussion about Belgian beer Tripel Karmeliet is what he came back with. He told me it was one of his favorites so I decided to go for it.

Smell: grainy yeasty earthy scent, not too strong, balanced and fresh

Taste: WOW! By far the best Tripel I have had to date. This beer was extremely well balanced and an extremely tasty smooth flavor all the way down. A refreshing flavor balance between a grainy flavor, slight citrusy flavor, sweetness, hops, malts and yeast. The carbonation of this beer was interesting as well and really completed the package.

On a scale of 1 to 10 I would give this beer a 9. This beer was incredible from my first sip to the last. The depth of how well the flavors worked together was awesome. This was a great beer suggestion on Logan's part and I will absolutely be enjoying more of these in the future. Next time I run into Logan we will for sure have more discussions about more Belgian beers to try.

--Jon

Chimay Tripel

Why I tried this: I have had Chimay, all three types, in the bottle before and thought it was pretty good.  My friend Jason recommended it to me after he went to Vegas with his brother and dad.  I don't really see this stuff around very much so I don't get to drink it very often.  When I saw this stuff was on tap at World of Beer I definitely had to see what it tasted like on tap.

Smell: grainy bready yeast scent.  I didn't really detect any fruit scents as Ive seen around online, guess that's why I'm not a beer pro.

Taste: At first you get a yeasty, grainy, bready taste that is smooth and enjoyable.  It fades into a more hoppy grainy finish just before the slight alcohol finish.  None of the flavors are overpowering, this beer is smooth and enjoyable.  I could drink this beer for a good portion of the night with no problem.

On a scale of 1 to 10 I would give this beer an 8.  It tastes great, the flavors are very well blended and it makes this beer something that I know I will enjoy when I see it anywhere.  

--Jon