I wandered into the Most amazing Belgian pub today.
Kulminator in Antwerp.
They have a profound array of beers, the twist is they are aged.
Well worth a visit.
I love that pub. Their selection is ridiculous
If you're in town tomorrow afternoon you should check out den angel on the main square. Not a beer bar but a good pub all the same
Visited the Kulminator earlier this year for first time. It's a unique place for sure. After you've had lunch at den Angel head over to 't Antwaerps Bierhuiske for a great selection of beers. Enjoy!
Maybe its me, but Buffalo Stout is billed as sweet and I was picking up sour.
Maybe my buds were off after a 2011 'avec les bons voeux' or the Triple d'Anvers.
All server in the correct glasses 8)
Quote from: johnrm on August 13, 2013, 05:25:20 PM2011 'avec les bons voeux' or the Triple d'Anvers.
Nice.
:'(
Just thinking, johnrm, if you're going to be back in that part of the world again you should probably look in to getting some of this:
(http://www.candico.be/img/products/fr/sirop-de-candi.png)
It's the special sauce in a lot of Belgian beers and of course readily available in any supermarket / cheap as chips over there, but it's impossible to get the real thing anywhere else.
Is it something similiar to dark liquid candy syrup (http://www.thehomebrewcompany.ie/candy-syrup-liquid-dark-1lt-135kg-expire-may-13-p-365.html)?
(http://www.thehomebrewcompany.ie/bmz_cache/5/5dc1942c0c8e2af787c24d6399e128e1.image.148x213.jpg)
Yep, except it's the exact product that the likes of Rochefort etc. use.
It's nice in BBQ sauce as a sub for molasses as well. :D
Just wait till the "Seabury Sugar Refinery" is up and running.
My beets are comming along nicely - pics to follow"
Is the Meth lab going? :o
Watch this space!
Me Chemist: You User!
Hope the price stays the same.
TT
Quote from: mr happy on August 24, 2013, 01:05:00 AM
(http://www.candico.be/img/products/fr/sirop-de-candi.png)
It's the special sauce in a lot of Belgian beers and of course readily available in any supermarket / cheap as chips over there, but it's impossible to get the real thing anywhere else.
How much of that stuff would you use in a typical 20L batch?
400 - 800 gs - with the higher end of the range for stronger beers like the one I gave you! :D
Quote from: mr happy on August 26, 2013, 09:52:55 PM
400 - 800 gs - with the higher end of the range for stronger beers like the one I gave you! :D
There is a taste of more of it. I went to the off licence Saturday night and found a bottle of chimay red. Nice drop but not up to your one :)
Try Rochefort 6, 8 or 10 - I used their yeast and they are amazing beers. St Bernardus Abt or Pater are really good as well.
I'm sure there is a thread here about making candi sugar.
If not, try googling it, this is doable.
Oh, heres a link... (spotted on Beoir)
http://ryanbrews.blogspot.ie/2012/02/candy-syrup-right-way-hint-weve-been.html
I'm not sure about bringing back a load of this stuff from BE if its available in HBC.
Don't get me wrong I'm just recommending a product I like - I think I've 5 kilos of it lying around at home and I've been very happy with the stuff: plus it's dirt cheap over there (about 2.50 a kilo) readily available (baking section in any supermarket) and it's the actual brand used by the various trappist breweries. There's a granulated product called Cassonade Brune as well which is supposed to the same although I've not tried it.
Will D is spot on when he mentions sugar beets. Candico's product is a by-product of producing beet sugar, and particularly considering the very distinctive flavour profile it gives the beers it's used in as compared to simple sugars, I'd be skeptical of simple stove processes that start with refined sugar. They are pretty finicky, and there's no consensus that they are effective at replicating the flavours in commercial Belgian dark strongs.
I see the Brewferm product says it's the real deal although it's colour is 180 - 220 EBC whereas the Candico product doesn't actually add that much colour in my experience - Belgian homebrewers say about 32 EBC (from memory) so I'd be curious about a side by side.