Max's Belgian Beer Festival is this weekend

Top Photo: Much of the Max's Taphouse crew, including, from left: Jamie Ritter, owner Ron Furman, Casey Hard, Jason Mislan and Jessica.

One of the best Belgian beer events in the country is this weekend, right here in Baltimore, Maryland. The Sixth Annual Max's Belgian beer fest runs Friday to Sunday at Max's Taphouse in Fell's point.

I have been to every edition of this fest and plan to be there all day Saturday and much of Sunday.

Max's General Manager and Festival Director Casey Hard told me this recently: "We will have 120 authentic Belgian beers on draft, and over 175 in bottles over the course of the weekend. It's going to be our biggest and best Belgian fest ever!"

Here's Friday's Tap List, below.

The taps lists for Saturday and Sunday will be announced on those days. Who knows what special brews Casey and the Max's crew have stocked away!

Achilles Serafijn Pale	6.20%	Pale Ale
3	Achouffe Houblon Chouffe	9.00%	IPA
4	Achouffe La Chouffe	8.00%	Golden Ale
5	Achouffe Mc Chouffe	8.50%	Brown Ale
6	Achouffe N' Ice Chouffe	10.00%	Barleywine
7	Alvinne Bathazar	9.00%	Spiced Ale
8	Alvinne Gaspar	8.00%	Bitter Ale
9	Alvinne Melchior	11.00%	Ale w/ Mustard Seeds
10	Alvinne Oak Aged Bathazar	9.00%	Oak Aged Spiced Ale
11	Alvinne Oak Aged Podge	10.50%	Oak Aged Imperial Stout
12	Alvinne Podge	10.50%	Imperial Stout
13	Barbar Winterbok	8.00%	Dark Ale
14	Blaugies La Moneuse Special Winter	8.00%	Winter Saison
15	Blaugies Saison D Epeautre	6.00%	Saison
16	Bockor Cuvee Des Jacobins Rouge	5.50%	Flemish Red
17	Brugse Zot Dubbel	7.50%	Dubbel
18	Cantillon Gueuze	5.00%	Gueuze/Lambic
19	Cantillon Iris	5.00%	Fresh Hop Lambic
20	Cantillon Rose De Grambrinus	5.00%	Raspberry Lambic
21	Cazeau Tournay	7.20%	Blonde
22	Cazeau Tournay Black	7.60%	Stout
23	Cazeau Tournay De Noel	8.20%	Dark Saison
24	Chimay Cinq Cents	8.00%	Trappist Triple
25	Contreras Valier Blonde	6.50%	Blonde
26	Contreras Valier Divers	8.50%	Triple
27	Contreras Valier Extra	6.50%	IPA
28	De Dochter Van De Korenaar Emblasse	9.00%	Strong Dark Ale
29	De Dochter Van De Korenaar Courage	8.00%	Dark Wheat
30	De Dochter Van De Korenaar Noblesse	5.50%	Pale Ale
31	De Glazen Toren Angelique	8.00%	Historic Recipe
32	De Glazen Toren Jan De Lichte	7.00%	Imperial Wit
33	De Glazen Toren Ondineke	8.50%	Triple
34	De Glazen Toren Saison De Epre mere	7.50%	Saison
35	De Proef Van Twee	7.50%	Wild Dubbel w/ Cherries
36	De Ranke Noir De Dottignies	9.00%	Special Dark Ale
37	De Regenboog Catherine the Great	10.00%	Imperial Stout
38	De Regenboog Guido	8.00%	Ale w/ Honey & Raisons
39	De Regenboog T' Smisje Triple	9.00%	Triple
40	De Regenboog T' Smisje Dubbel	9.00%	Dubbel
41	De Regenboog T' Smisje Kerst	11.00%	Winter Ale
42	De Regenboog T' Smisje Speciale	10.50%	Pumpkin Ale
43	De Regenboog T'Smisje Plus	10.00%	IPA
44	Delirium Tremens	8.50%	Strong Golden Ale
45	Dupont Avec Les Bons Voeux	9.00%	Saison
46	Duvel Green	6.80%	Golden Ale
47	Ellezelloise Hercule Stout	9.00%	Stout
48	Ellezelloise Quintine Blonde	8.00%	Blonde
49	Geants Gouyasse	6.00%	Blonde
50	Geants Urchon	7.50%	Brown Ale
51	Gulden Draak Vintage	7.50%	Dark Triple
52	Het Alternatief Piet Agoras	9.00%	Special Ale
53	Kerkom Bink Blonde	5.50%	Blonde
54	Kerkom Bink Bloesem	7.10%	Ale w/ Pears & Honey
55	Kerkom Bink Bruin	5.50%	Bruin
56	Kerkom Bink Triple	9.00%	Triple
57	La Rulles Triple	8.40%	Triple
58	La Trappe Isid 'or	7.50%	Trappist Ale
59	Lefebvre Floreffe Dubbel	6.30%	Dubbel
60	Lefebvre Floreffe Triple	7.50%	Triple
61	Silly Enghien Noel	9.00%	Winter Triple
62	Silly Saison De Silly	5.00%	Saison
63	Sint Canarus Pere Canard	9.00%	Winter Strong Ale
64	Sint Canarus Triple	7.50%	Triple
65	St Bernardus X-Mas	10.00%	Dark Ale
66	St Feuillien Blanche	6.30%	Wit
67	St Feuillien Saison	6.50%	Saison
68	Strubbe Ichtegems Grand Cru	5.00%	Flemish Red
69	Struise Tsjeeses	10.00%	Special Winter Ale
70	Timmermans Bourgogne Des Flanders	5.00%	Flanders Red
71	Van Honsebrouck Bacchus	4.50%	Flemish Red
72	Van Honsebrouck Gueuze Fond Tradition	5.00%	Gueuze
73
74	CASKS
75	Brewers Art Green Peppercorn w/ Peppercorns(Cask)	9.20%	Peppercorn Triple
76	De Regenboog BBBourgondier (Gravity)	12.00%	Barleywine
77	De Regenboog Catherine The Great (Wooden Cask)	10.00%	Imperial Stout
78	De Regenboog T' Smisje Calva Reserve (Gravity)	12.00%	Strong Ale Aged In Calvados
79	De Regenboog T' Smisje Kerst (Gravity)	11.00%	Winter Ale
80	Stillwater Artisanal Ales Stateside Saison in French Oak & dry hopped (Cask)	6.80%	Saison
81	The Bruery Two Turtle Doves (Cask)	12.00%	Belgian Style Dark

De Proefbrouwerij article in Celebrator Beer News

Well, back after just a week this time.

It's been a crazy week, as over 2 feet of snow fell in Baltimore this past Friday and Saturday.

10 to 20 more is on the way tomorrow and Wednesday. I feel like a live in the frozen tundra now!

I am happy to say I have a 1,200 word article on De Proefbrouwerij in the February/March issue of Celebrator Beer News.

As far as I am aware, it's the first interview with brewmaster/owner
Dirk Naudts that has ever been published in the U.S.A.

In fact, it took several years to arrange a tour of this very difficult to
visit brewery, and interview with Dirk.

I delve into Dirk's background, philosophy, and the history of
De Proefbrouwerij, which is often referred to as "The Taste brewery."

I mentioned the visit in this earlier post:

De Proef Van Twee

I hope you enjoy the article!

Stillwater Artisanal Ales to debut at Max’s Belgian Beer Fest in Baltimore

There’s a little bit of Belgium coming to Baltimore.

Stillwater Artisanal Ales, a new brewing venture headed by Charm City native Brian “Stillwater” Strumke, will debut its first beer, Stateside Saison, at Max’s Belgian beer fest on Saturday, February 13.

I sat down with Brian for an informal interview a few days ago. He describes Stateside Saison as “An ‘American Farmhouse Ale.’ It’s a Belgian-inspired brew that uses a combination of European malts, hops from New Zealand and the United States, and a classic farmhouse yeast to achieve a fruity, yet spicy, melange of flavors and aroma.”

Brian took the big step from accomplished homebrewer to professional brewer on January 14, when he brewed 30 barrels of the Saison.

Formerly a renowned techno D.J. and producer, Brian spent years traveling the globe spreading his unique sounds. He remarked: “A lot of my touring was done in Europe, so I had fairly decent exposure to good beer over the years. After my last tour, in 2004, I returned home to delve into a new passion: homebrewing.”

Perhaps an unexpected shift, but one he states was actually inspired more by his time at home in Baltimore: "When I was not traveling, my friends and I spent a lot of time at the Brewer's Art drinking their Belgian-themed house-brewed ales."

He now credits the Brewers Art as not just an inspiration, but also an "invaluable resource" when it came to putting together the Stillwater Artisanal project.

Brian cut his teeth by ranking in some local homebrew competitions, which eventually led to wins in both the Sam Adams Longshot and Holiday Competitions, as well as the AHA (American Homebrewer’s Association) Nationals.

Above photo: Tim Webb, the Internationally renowned Belgian beer expert and author of the “Good Beer Guide to Belgium" shown sampling one of Brian’s wild ales at the 2008 “Weekend of Spontaneous Fermentation” in Buggenhout, Belgium.

About his brewing philosophy, he told me: “I have never been good at staying within guidelines. In fact, I only like to use them as reference points. My tendency has always been to stray off course and pick up bits of inspiration from here and there. This is just as much an artistic endeavor for me as it is a business.”

"Distribution throughout the mid-Atlantic region will begin by mid to late March. Stateside Saison will be available in kegs, casks, and 750ml bottles through Twelve Percent Imports" Brian mentioned.

“I hear you just bought a plane ticket to Belgium” I remarked, as we concluded our talk.

“Indeed” Brian said.


Things could get interesting.

Above photo: Brian Strumke, aka Brian Stillwater.

GABF article in Taps: Canada's Beer magazine

I just received the Winter issue of Taps: Canada's Beer magazine, and I'm happy to say that I have a 700 word piece on the 2009 Great American Beer festival.

In addition to discussing America's great beer festival, I also mentioned some other events that occur during GABF week, such as Dr. Bill Sysak's legendary tastings at Falling Rock Taphouse.

Taps is available at: www.tapsmagazine.com.

An on-line version of the magazine is available, as well as the print version.

"Going Sour at GABF" article in Celebrator Beer News

I have an 800 word article about what I call "Sour beer Rampage

II" in the December issue of Celebrator Beer News.

I wrote about many of the great sour beers (and breweries producing

them) that were available at GABF in 2009. The breweries were

Cascade Brewing, of Portland, Or.; Upstream Brewing, of Omaha,

Neb.; Trinity Brewing, of Colorado Springs, Co.; and the always

superb Russian River, Lost Abbey and Port Brewing.

I focused on sampling sour beers at three of the four

festival sessions.

Yum. It was great!

Belgium, trip number 20

A round of Orvals at Biercafe De Kluis.



Urbain Cotteau and Carlo Grootaert at Brouwerij De Struise.



Annick De Splenter at Gent's Stadsbrouwerij Gruut.



Sofie Vanrafelghem.



Stefanie de Vos and Christophe of De Bistronoom, Oostende.


Three weeks without a post.

Eight days in Belgium, a major snowstorm, a head cold, and
two big articles with looming deadlines have sapped all my
extra time away.

I know. Excuses, excuses.

I visited Belgium for the 20th time from December 6-14.
I toured seven breweries that were new to me (really eight;
I'll explain below) as well as Westvleteren, for a (great!!!) fourth
time.

It was the first time I had visited the brewery since I got
my new digital SLR, and the photos are very good.

I visited Brouwerij Sint-Canarus in Gottem, East Flanders;
Haacht in Flemish Brabant; and Smisje in East Flanders
(the new brewery of Johan Brandt, formerly called Regenboog.)

I also went to De Struise Brouwers in Oostvleteren, at their
new brewery, "The Schoolhouse." Believe me, this is a place
you WANT to go and learn. Sit down and study brews like
Aardmonnik, Black Albert, Black Damnation, Dirty Horse,
Pannepot, Pannepeut, and more under the teutalege of Carlo,
Phil, and Urbain.

You just want might stay after class...no, you WILL want to stay
after class!!

I also went to the new location of De Vlier, which moved into a
larger building in the suburbs of Leuven. I had gone to the first
location, in Kessel-Lo, in April. As the brewery has the same name,
and same equipment as the first location, I'm only counting it as
one visit. Also on the agenda was a visit at Brouwerij St-Jozef in
Opitter, in Limburg Province. Opitter is the home of tennis star
Kim Clijsters.

Additionally, I went to Brouwerij Hof ten Dormaal, a new
farmhouse brewery with several interesting beers. The farm
is located in Tildonk, Antwerp Province, and most of the brewing
equipment comes secondhand from the U.S.A.

I also had a great time visiting Gents Stadsbrouwerij Gruut,
where no hops are used in any of the three brews crafted by
Annick De Splenter. Annick is Belgium's newest female brewmaster.
Her family used to own the now defunct Riva brewery in Dentergem.

There was a press release party for the new book "Proeven 100x
van straffe streekbieren" at Gruut on Tuesday, December 8.
Several brewmasters and many beer lovers were on hand. The
book, which covers 100 great Flemish beers and great cafes to
taste them, was co-authored by Bruno Loockx and
Sofie Vanrafelghem.

I also visited many great beery cafes on the trip, including the
new beer restaurant, De Bistronoom, as well as 't Botteltje in
Ostende; 't Brugs Beertje and Erasmus in Brugge; Aba-Jour,
Bierhuis Castel, and Het Waterhuis aan de Bierkant in Ghent;
Zaandvlooi in Kruishoutem; De Molen in Bierbeek; Ons Te Huis
and Het Haasken in Diest; Demervallei in Aarschot, a great place
with 450 beers; Herberg in de Ster (aka De Boeres Krant) in
Wezemaal; Herberg Piet Konijn in Booischot; Biercafe de Kluis
in Herenthout; De Stroopop in Zoersel; Oud Arsenaal and
Bierhuis Kulminator in Antwerp; Delirium Cafe and Moeder
Lambic Fontainas (the new Moeder Lambic) and Restobieres,
all in Brussels.

"Belgium: The World's Beer Country" article in Beer Connoisseur magazine

The Inaugural issue of Beer Connoisseur magazine has arrived.
I'm very happy to say that I have a 2,500 word feature article,
"Belgium: The World's Beer Country" in this, the first issue of
what I think is a great new publication.

I am very pleased about the high production value of the magazine.
Beer Connoisseur uses very high quality, glossy paper stock, with
numerous high-resolution images within. I think beer lovers will
find it is very polished, especially considering it is a first issue!

My article is an overview of many of the great breweries and cafes
in "The Beer Country."

Quite a few of my photos are used with the article. You'll notice
a number of images of well-known personalities in the Belgian beer
world.

Many thanks to Founder/Publisher Lynn Davis and Editor Nick Kaye
for publishing my article, and for helping to promote Belgium's
beers, breweries and cafes.

Beer Connoisseur will be available in many Barnes and Noble and
Borders stores beginning Tuesday, December 8.

Subscriptions can be purchased here:

http://www.beerconnoisseur.com/The-Beer-Connoisseur-Magazine

Cheers!