Absalom Jones and Belgian Style Golden Ales

Today is the feast of Absalom Jones who died this day in 1818.  He was the first African American ever ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Church.  He was born a slave in Delaware, but went on to found the first African congregation in the Episcopal church, St. Thomas in Philadelphia.  His road to becoming a priest was not an easy one, full of prejudice and bigotry.  Because of his work as an abolitionist, whites accused him of having supernatural demonic powers to sway crowds of people.  That's just a mild example of what he went through.  

Yet somehow, someway he stayed faithful to God and continued in the church.  His dedication, not only to justice, but also to faithful discipleship is an example for everyone.  God willing we will have the same passion for justice, and for sharing the Gospel, and for following Jesus.   Read more about him here.

Yesterday I got to visit my watering hole an extra time and tried two Belgian Style Golden Ales.  Both were delicious but in definite contrast to each other, even though they are the same style.

First up was the Pranqster by North Coast Brewing.    The aroma was fruity; so I was expecting a hoppy bite.  However, it is as smooth as polished marble.  It's medium body is flavorful without being heavy and its clean finish is quite satisfying.

I followed it up with Old Soul by Crazy Mountain  which is a Belgian Strong Ale.  Don't let the 'strong' mislead you, however.  The ABV is only is 7.5% actually lower than the Pranqster.  Unlike the Pranqster it leads with a spicy bite before the smooth body takes over.  The bite comes from juniper berries instead of hops; so the bite is more spicy than bitter.  Their website recommends pairing this with cajun food, which really intrigues me. 

My watering hole doesn't serve food, which most of the time I like.  They know who they are and what they want to do.  They aren't trying to be all things to all people.  They passionately pursue and succeed at doing  beer and cocktails really well; so there is no need for anything else.  That said, I often turn down a glass of something interesting because I think it would be better paired with food then just drinking it solo.  The Old Soul worked fine without food, but I might have to have some for my next dinner party to see how it rolls with some blackened catfish.

By now you might be wondering why I, who loyally consumes stouts and porters was flirting with two blondes yesterday.  It is especially odd since it was a cold and windy day in Omaha yesterday.  On some level, I am just longing for spring, but more than that I like to try new things.  If I don't occasionally, if not regularly, challenge my palate with different styles of beer it will become dull and obtuse.  Nothing makes winter longer than a dull an obtuse palate.

Oak Aged Old Rasputin 2011, and the need for Courage

This is the 2011 Oak Aged Old Rasputin from North Coast Brewing.  It's about 12% ABV so not for the faint at heart.  However its aged in bourbon barrels and the depths of flavor just keep unfolding with every sip.  Now, while I really love my watering hole, it really needs a fire place for this beer.  Not only would the warmth of an open hearth with hard woods crackling be nice, the smokey aroma would complement the beer very well. The aroma of the beer is liquorice and the middle is full bodied with a hint of coffee.  There is a bit of alcohol burn in the finish, but that is to be expected with this high an ABV.  I won't be having two of these tonight, but this one is mighty fine. 

I'm preaching on the courage of Mary and Joseph this Sunday.  We had a lot of people at church last Sunday, and I am hoping for a repeat.  The Church of the Resurrection is a special place and the more people we gather around the altar for God to feed, the more people we can feed out in the world.

The barkeep at my watering hole just gave me a fantastic piece of news.  During Beer Week in february they are doing an O'dell Brewing Cask day.  One cask will be a Peanut Butter Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout.  The Lugene is one of the few beers I have had more than once here at the waterhole.  I can't imagine what a peanut butter version will be like. Stay tuned folks this is about to get real!