BTN: 12 percent at the Jug Shop

A recent tasting at the Jug Shop featured the beers of Twelve Percent Imports, a pretty impressive portfolio. First off had to be one of my favorites of the tasting, the Hof Ten Dormaal Blond (8%), but I am always super excited to discover a new saison--one of my favorite styles. This one appears pineapple gold with a thin white head, quite reflective, smell a beautiful really deep nose and taste tasty bread, full and flavorful, lots of delicious fresh toasty notes, quite bitter lovely finish, great fruity element, spectacular. I could drink a beer like this all night or every night. The Het Alternatief The Bitter Truth (11%) is a Belgian IPA that appears bright orange brown with a bubbly white head and smells of fruity lifesaver, not ipaesque, more like really interesting vanilla ice cream. The taste is very clean, with opening flavors of pear, yeast and caramel without stickiness. This beer has a very individual profile, bright but sugar-like without notable sweetness, not precisely to my style, but interesting nonetheless. The 't Gaverhopke Kerstbier (6.8%) is a winter release that appears brown with tan head, smells strongly of cardamom, pretty cool, pretty awesome spice, damn interesting nose, perfumey in cardamom content (the last time I had this beer I though cinnamon, but someone suggested cardamom at the tasting and, indeed, it was a spot on descriptor). It tastes of a blend of dried and fresh peaches, simple tart and dried combination with spiced accent, this beer is more about the nose for me, the taste is pleasant, but not as addictive and interesting as the nose. The 't Gaverhopke Singing Blond (9.8%) was a real trip to the movie theater! Appears bright gold, lots of bubble movement, smell really buttery toast, wow very different nose, the mouthfeel is really out-of-this-world, elegant, soft, layered, superdelicious feel, taste rich gulpable, pure buttery drinkable goodness, yum! Movie theater popcorn in beer form! Fun! The 't Gaverhopke Extra (12%) smells very ale-like with ripe fruity flavors, taste tart vibrant fruit, very fruit oriented, slight caramel/sugar accent, meh, very fruity. For a quadruple, this doesn't excite me as much as it could--bit too ripe in the fruit flavors. The De Dochter van de Korenaar L'Enfant Terrible (6.5%) is a great gueuze that appears cloudy brown with a huge tan head, smell tons of sour milk, almost nothing else, taste pointed, precise, suggests cheese as pairing, light elegant burnt flavors, smoky, nice. The sour milk notes weren't as complex as some other noses on beers like this, but the balance and smoky complexity made the beer work very well for me. The De Dochter van de Korenaar Noblesse (5.5%) smells toasty, dusty, yeasty, lots of pastry, taste light marble (?), very fun, bright and swinging, I rather like! Clean refreshing, and good flavor--great qualities for a Belgian pale. For a strong wheat, the De Dochter van de Korenaar Courage (8%) offers fantastic cocoa nose with notes of dried raisins, perhaps currants, plenty of anise. It tastes rich and delicious, spiced, super fun to drink--suggestive of an outrageously expressive beer with nonhop characteristics playing the role of hops. An anise beer that is delicious. This would be a fun beer to pair with food, but I'm not sure what I'd go with. The De Dochter van de Korenaar Embrasse (9%) incorporates its eight malts deliciously. It appears dark brown with dark tan head, smell dark raisin and sweet earth, wonderful wonderful roast, complexity and fantastically entrancing nose, delicious malty goodness taste. Yumilicious. The Brasserie de Cazeau Tournay de Noël (8.2%) really opens with air and develops in the glass--would be an interesting beer to age. A superb nose of spiced pineapple, dark dried citrus, tangerine, slight licorice (sans anise), very silent, taste beautiful rounded interesting tart raisins, dark but very clean roast, earthy playground, opens up quite a bit as it warms. Pretty awesome lineup!