Rouge / Red (La Première)
(has 12 batches)

This is the first Belgian I ever had in about 1986. Discovered it at a little grocery store in a suburb of Chicago on my layover as a brakeman for BN. Rocked my world. Put the sixer in the bathroom sink and covered it with ice. Waited a while. Read the label where it says you can decant it to leave the yeast behind or drink the yeast. So I thought I would decant it for the first one and then drink the second one with the yeast. I remember I kept rereading everything on the six pack carrier in the bottles thinking this is the best beer I ever had. Never heard of anything like this. I didn't drink the whole six-pack because I wanted to take some home. Threw a couple bottles in my grip and when I got home turned a couple of friends on to it. I can't remember if I worked the engine or the way car. But I asked the other guy the engineer or conductor if they ever heard of it. They just said whatever you do make sure nobody sees that stuff in your grip. And no they hadn't heard of it and were not impressed.
Aromas are malt, toast, Belgian yeast, toffee and a bit of spice. Flavors are similar to nose with excellent balance between bitter, sweet and carbonation. I like how the toast plays off the Belgian yeast and the sweetness. Still true even after all these years.