Roundtable #29 - Looking for trouble..from the beer, not each other.

Apparently, all the Knights were in a good mood because this is the first time in a while that we didn't go into great debate over anything pop culture, though we talked about a lot of different things. But we did find a trouble of another sort.

9%, 10%, 7%...those were the ABV's of the three beers I enjoyed at BadaBoomz last night. The trouble is that all three were extremely drinkable with little hint as to how powerful they are.

I warmed up with a Frosty Frog from Rogue's Issaquah Brewhouse. This has become a favorite of mine and is found on tap. It is a winter seasonal American Strong Ale and it is like buttered rum in beer form. It smells like butterscotch. It tastes like butterscotch. It has a light mouthfeel that doesn't stick around for all that long. Easy to drink, in my opinion. Now we aren't officially reviewing this particular beer tonight, but if we were, I'd probably give it a 5 mugs rating. I love this beer. I put it up there with Bell's Hopslam, Founder's Kentucky Breakfast Stout, and Dogfish Head's 90 Minute as my favorites.

I finished with a bottle of Ara Bier from Belgium's Brouwerij De Dolle Brouwers. This is an interesting Belgian Strong Pale Ale. It pours out cloudy and gold with a fizzy head. The smell was of fruit that was teetering on the edge of going from ripe to rotten. But in a sort of good way, if that is possible. It tastes a little of fruit, a little of spices. A very unique beer that deserves further exploration. Plus, it looks like the bird on the label is some terrible parrot/rooster hybrid. Prooster? Rarrot? Who knows.

And in between was our center stage beer: Konings Hoeven Quadrupple Trappist Ale from the Netherlands' Brouwerij de Koningshoeven. It poured from the bottle with a thick, foamy head. The beer was brown and cloudy, appearing almost like apple cider. In the scent, you can pick up a variety of things, as the reviews here show. I found apples and pears with a little ting of alcohol. The alcohol was nowhere to be found in the taste. Instead, I found a lot of sweetness. Brown sugar, pop rocks, caramel maybe? A fruit medley was also to be found. It left a sugary, chewy feel in my mouth.

This stuff is drinkable. Incredibly drinkable. Too drinkable. You could easily go through 4 or 5 bottles before realizing that you are toast. But I'm giving it a 4.5 mugs rating, making it the best toast you'll ever be.