WILK Friday BeerBuzz – 5 Nov 2010 (Kasteel Rouge)

Way back in May 2010, I featured a beer on the Friday BeerBuzz that has become the most requested beer we have every featured.  Everyone I talk to about the show mentions this beer and everyone loves it.  The week was May 28th and the beer was Brewery Ommegang’s Three Philosophers.  So this week I decided to see if we can find another readily available beer, with the same flavor and complexity AND excitement of 3P.  We’ve spent the last 6-months parading great guest after great guest, and since it was just the Friday BeerBuzz team this week, I knew it was the perfect time for today’s beer.

It seemed obvious to me that I needed to reach out to the country responsible for the brewing techniques needed to produce an amazing blended beer like Three Philosophers.  It also seemed obvious that I needed to look for another Belgian Quad / Kriek lambic mix but most importantly, a beer that you can find locally on tap and in bottles…and boy did I find it.

This week we featured Kasteel Rouge (Caste Red) from The Castle Brewery Van Honsebrouck, Ingelmunster Belgium.  This is a beer that IS readily available locally, but it has an amazing brewing heritage and history.  The Castle (Kasteel) brewery Van Housebrouck has been in existence since 1900 and continues to brew some amazing beers.  Certainly not the oldest brewery in Belgium, but by far one of the easiest to buy in NEPA.

While there is considerable secrecy about the exact recipe, Kasteel Rouge, is a blend of Kasteek Bruin, a strong Belgian Quad, and a Kriek lambic (probably their St. Louis Kriek).  I’ve heard rumors of a simple sour cherry fruit infusion or even cherry brandy in the mix, but I suspect the brandy rumor isn’t true.  The beer is aged for a year and comes out typically between 8.5 & 11% ABV..and I lean toward the 11% number.  Kasteel Rouge is easy drinking and has sweet dark cherry notes ala Smith Brother’s cough drops…but in a good way.

Try this one for yourself and let me know. 
Thanks
to  John, Nancy, Joe & Bosco for yet another fun Friday. 
The Friday Beerbuzz…bringing good beers and good people together. 
As always you can check out the video on-line at the WILK Friday Beerbuzz page by clicking HERE
.