It seems we only just put away our cannons and doubloons from last year, but International Talk Like a Pirate Day has come around again. This September 19 is the holiday that seemingly sprang out of nowhere, but actually became popular after columnist Dave Barry wrote about it, as you may have suspected.
So mateys, if you’re in a mood to have yer timbers properly shivered, and a barrel of rum seems like a bit too much Yo Ho Ho to handle, then you would, of course, want to kick yer boots off with a pirate-themed beer.
Browerij Van Steenberge of Ertvelde, Belgian is known for its Piraat beer, a strong and complex Belgian strong ale. In 2012, they introduced this triple-hopped version. Now, I called “shenanigans” when Miller Lite proudly boasted that it was triple hopped, since every homebrewer adds hops at three times during the boil to get bittering, aromas, or flavors out of hops. But Van Steenberge’s website explains that this beer starts out with the Piraat recipe, but adds Saaz, Tetra and Aurora hops twice while brewing, then dry hops after starting fermentation, with Cascade hops, the basis of U.S. hoppy beers.
A bit of advice for the newbie: Belgians often have extra yeast in the bottle for secondary fermentation. This could leave you prone to the dreaded “gusher,” but I didn’t suffer from that. Pour just 3/4ths of the beer down the side of your glass to leave the yeast behind.
In this case, I got a big, puffy head over a sort of ocher beer body. The smell shows the sweetness of a Belgian ale with extra sugar, with a fruity note that would seem to come from hops. My first taste has plenty of big American hop bitterness, but with a big malt taste and a slight edge of sourness. I would even says it has a bit of of “savory” and spiciness, the mark of a complex brown beer. You don’t taste much of the 10.5% alcohol, so much you feel its burn a few minutes later. The taste of yeast from the bottom of the bottle does not sit well with the hops, so do be sure to leave a bit behind. Protocol says you then offer the last yeasty dregs if your guests wants it.
Like most strong Belgian beers, this will make a fine dessert beer for any holiday feasting you might have coming up.
Disclosure: My Piraat Triple Hops was complimentary from Van Steenberge’s U.S. PR reps.
(Looking for some piratical family fun? Lookingglass Theatre Company is hosting an ITLaPD celebration Saturday, from 10 am to 1 pm at its home on 821 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago. This free event includes a family-friendly treasure hunt with prizes and giveaways. Of course, it’s all tied in with their production of Treasure Island, starting October 7. No RSVP needed.)
