Friday, December 4, 2009

Trader Joe's Vintage Ale 2009

Trader Joe's Vintage Ale, the grocer's annual foray into the world of Belgian style beers, is now available at the two Albuquerque locations. At $4.99 for a 750 ml bottle, this is the most affordable Belgian style beer out there right now. The beer, which is described as a Belgian Strong Dark Ale though I couldn't tell it from a Dubbel, is made by Unibroue for Trader Joe's and is always a big seller. I thought the beer was a little thin on the mouthfeel, but the flavor is there, along with the expected high carbonation from the bottle conditioning. There was a LOT of foam, so much that I almost dumped the beer into a decanter to get rid of some of the bubbles. This beer makes a nice gift for people who think they are getting something really fancy when they see the bottle. And the beer is said to age well; I wouldn't know because I still haven't opened my aged '06, '07, or 08. For five bucks you could do way worse!

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