Friday, September 3, 2010

Success in London

Finally, a great success in London. After doing a bit of research, we came upon a few true beer bars near Leicester Square. The first one turned us away because we didn't want to buy food, just drink. That's cool; less money for you guys.

The other however, was quite welcoming. Lowlander Cafe has a fantastic selection of beers on draughts and on bottle. I began with a taster of three (1/3 pint each.)

Affligem Blonde was delicious. Smooth and refreshing, it might have been helped by the fact that we had been walking for a while, and had yet to drink a single good beer! Anyway, a lovely blonde, not too sweet. It's what Leffe SHOULD taste like.

Next, another Affligem, the Brune. An amber, it has a taste that I've never had before. Mild caramel notes, and became moreso when it warmed up.

Next was a special wheat beer that had just became a available. Rothaus, from Black Forest is a smooth wheat beer, in a sort of typical German hef style. Tasted very similar to Franziskaner Hefeweisen.

After the tasters, I was ready for a full beer, and chose something from their celllar. Troubadour Magma is a dry-hopped amber ale. It approaches a socal IPA in terms of bitterness, but very smooth for 9%. Went so well with the double Dutch fries and spicy ketchup. Mmmm. Yeah, I am craving it now as I type this.

Lastly I mooched off a friend so that I could try his Achel Blonde, a Trappist ale. Big, bold, frothy head with wonderful lacing, it had notes of... Bananas? Sweet, but not overly so.

We ended the night elsewhere, having had my fill of some good beer (finally!). At the Absolut Ice Bar in London, they outfit you with a hooded jacket and gloves, as you step into a bar made entirely of ice. Absolut cocktails are served from cups actually made of ice. The whole thing is fun (if over priced) and I plan to do it again in Las Vegas the next time I'm there.

Tomorrow is our last day in London, then it's off to Paris. I don't have any clue as to the beer scene in France, but given the proximity to Belgium, I'm hoping it's not too bad. If I never see English beers on cask again, I think I'll be okay with that.

Until next time.

- Eric

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