Hey chumps! As the title for this post concisely explained this post is about some of the tasty beer that I've been able to track down this side of the world. Keep your peepers peeled for further entries on this as the beer situation is rapidly improving and expanding.
This weekend I had a chance to sit down and get in some good quiet time with a few of the brews that I was able to pick up at Carrefour.
For those of you that don't know, about once a year Carrefour will get one big pallet or so of imported beers and stock them until they're gone. Usually they don't last long and for some reason they still haven't really stocked any from past years! Things are a little better than when I first arrived here, though, as there are a few Belgian beers to be had. But, I digress. So, here's some fancy pics and a few notes on each brew that I snagged from the Crafty Dan Microbrewery.
Hoppy goodness.
Triple C Golden Ale
Wonderful hoppy aroma. Deep gold color and a crisp edge. Excellent hoppy-bitterness up front and a smooth finish. This is one of those beers where I can taste the tannins when I lick my teeth. Love that!
Hop combination provides a nice bitter depth that IPA and pale ale drinkers will enjoy, but could also deter you from having more than say two or three.
Taiwan needs more beer like this on the shelves.
Big Ben Brown Ale
Slightly nutty smell, and super dark brown color as a brown ale should be. Nice head retention. This beer has a pretty balanced profile, without hops or malts crashing to the forefront, though there is a slightly bitter finish. Overall I'd say this guy is tasty, but otherwise not memorable.
Blam. Blam. Blam.
13 Guns American IPA
Anyone that has sat and had a few cold ones with me knows that the hoppier a beer a is the happier I am. Obviously I was super stoked to have my favorite beer style in the fridge! I've spent the last few minutes just smelling it. None of that wafting bullshit, either, I'm about to pour this stuff out on a mirror and do a line. Wonderful aroma that is grassy with light floral notes and a hint of bitterness. The 13 Guns isn't as dark as the Big Ben, but it's certainly gotten a bit more sun than the Triple C. However, it is slightly less hoppy and I find that a touch disappointing. Now, I do like a nice bitter-as-all-hell IPA, this one lacks the punch of a Dogfish Head or a Smuttynose, but still manages to be pretty damn tasty. So for you hop-heads in Taiwan, grab those Triple C while you can, but stick to the Guns if you plan on tossing more than a few back.