A Happy Mistake at the Bier Markt

Tonight is kind of my Friday night as I am off tomorrow at 11AM heading to Ottawa to fence in the Nationals.

I stopped off at the Bier Markt on King. I was going to start with my usual there, a Dommelsch Pilsner but, OH NO ... they are out and will no longer be carrying it. Too bad. It is a very enjoyable pilsner. I do recover well, though, and instead had a Palm Ale, which I've had before. I like to start with something familiar while I search for something new and unique.

I am currently reading Beer (Eyewitness Companions) which was put together by famed Michael Jackson AKA The Beer Hunter. I went from book to beer menu, then beer menu to book before arriving at a decision.

St Christoffel Blonde. Both book and menu called it a pilsner with the book describing it as "Golden-amber and cloudy: sulfery-hoppy nose; the very bitter (almost salty) palate becomes drier and assertively hoppy in the finish."

The bottle came and look at that! It wasn't something new and wonderful. I have had it before as The Beer of the Week! Well, it turns out that I liked it then and loved it now. It was cloudy and yellowish with what seemed like layers of flavour. I found it more sour than bitter and thoroughly loved it. I think that as it calls itself a "Double Hopped" that the first time I was expecting an IPA style of bitterness. No, instead this was a nice refreshing beer more sour than bitter.

Did I say I enjoyed it?

Well, I did. It was a happy mistake.