I recently had a conversation with Joe, a fellow beer geek (yeah, I'm a bit of a beer geek, dork, snob, nerd; choose your label, I just really dig beer) and author of Thirsty Pilgrim (go on, check it out!) about one of our mutually-favorite Belgian beers: Rodenbach Grand Cru. This is a fantastic tipple with a deep amber/brown color, fruity-oaky aroma, mild bitterness, malty-sweet and characteristic sourness on the pallet. It's this sourness that generally puts people off.
It's strange that this beer is pretty readily available, yet I haven't met a single Belgian who actually likes it. I know they must be out there. There was a time not long ago when the non-grand cru version (sweeter, less sour) was enjoyed by many, often with a shot of grenadine added. Maybe these people grew up along with their taste buds and enjoy the occasional Rodenbach Grand Cru when they want a hit of nostalgia. They just haven't revealed themselves to me.
Now back to that conversation among beer geeks... besides just drinking beer, we both really enjoy pairing food with beer (or vice-versa). That's how the subject of the Rodenbach Grand Cru was brought up. It's an extremely difficult beer to pair with food. I would usually drink it on its own on a warm summer's day, as it is a highly refreshing beer. It was on a recent warm-ish autumn afternoon when I decided to quench my thirst with a Rodenbach Grand Cru. I was also a little bit hungry, so I grabbed a bag of Hot Sweet Chilli Crac-A-Nuts (Crac-A-Nuts - a worthy subject on its own). Time froze and a glow from the heavens fell upon me. Thai food! Of course! The Rodenbach perfectly complements the florally-sweet/sourness of the tamarind and lime flavors while the beer's slightly roasted malty sweetness cuts through the fiery spice. I think Pad-Thai would be a perfect dish, especially with shrimp (Joe likes his Rodenbach with shrimp). I made a stir-fry seasoned with tom-yum paste that worked extremely well with the beer.
I can no longer imagine Thai food or Rodenbach Grand Cru on their own. To me, they should be enjoyed together. It's a good thing there are plenty of very good Thai restaurants in the Brussels area.
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2 comments:
Hi, like your blog.
We are going to a beer party in Munich and our German/Danish friend there asked us to bring some Belgian beer. To be precise he sent us a list of the 50 best beers in Belgium http://ratebeer.com/Ratings/TopBeersByCountry.asp?CountryID=23 according to RateBeer.com and asked us to bring as many as we could. We have about 30 of them now. My question is where do yu get your beer from? I was recommended a shop called something like "400 Artisanal Beers" near the corner of Chausee de Wavre and Rue de Trone (400 Bières Artisanales, 174 Chaussée de Wavre) where the beers were fairly cheap (1.99 a bottle) and the owner a real enthusiast - he brews his own beer and also sells kits. The guy that recommended me to this shop was serving at the 250-Beers shop off the Grand Place.
Concerning your strange Stares and Welcome Course guy, you have to remember that the world is a strange place and you sometimes do met the exceptions to the rules! I have been confronted by polite and considerate Belgian drivers - always an unnerving experience!
You are lucky to be living with a native! My frau is German and so we are two ducks out of water (I am a Brit) but at least we are both EUers and so don't have to put up with all this foreigner nonsense. With the bi-lingual telephone helplines, etc, we always pick the Dutch/Flemish one and speak English to them - nearly always works!
Cheers and good luck!
Nick und Agnes
Evere
Thanks for the comment! I'm glad you enjoy the blog. I promise I'll have some new entries up soon.
Yes, I know that there are always exceptions to the rule, but they're not as much fun to write (or read) about.
To answer your question, if I'm not getting beer at various supermarkets, I usually get it from the Prik-en-Tik on DE LIMBURGSTIRUMLAAN 13 in HULDENBERG. I've also been recommended De Bierschuur in Groot-Bijgaarden. I'm not sure what to tell you if you don't have a car. Good luck!
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