Where is your Westvleteren glass? 
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Westvleteren is a very good beer, but way overhyped in my opinion and because of that way too expensive and difficult to obtain. The St. Bernardus – both the Abt 12 (a Quadruple) and the Triple – is almost as good and way easier and cheaper to get.
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Interesting read (in Dutch):
English summary: The Westvleteren Trappists could not meet the demand and had no intention of further commercializing their beers. That is why they asked the brewmaster of Westvleteren to do this in Watou near Sint Bernardus. The brewmaster became a partner in the new brewery, bringing both the recipe and the yeast from St-Sixtus Abbey. At first they brewed under license, but since 1992 Sint Bernardus has been brewing the same beer independently, with the original recipe and the original yeast from Westvleteren. Sint Bernardus is not an official abbey beer and certainly does not meet the requirements for the Trappist beer predicate. But it goes without saying that the beers correspond to this common origin.
Once conclusion from this could be that if you want to be cool you drink Westvleteren and if you’re smart, you drink St. Bernardus. 
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I agree. Westvleteren is good but Rochefort 10 is my favorite of the Trappist beers and way cheaper🙂
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The first beer I brewed was a Belgian Quad based on a modified St. Bernardus abt 12 recipe. I love the holiday season and have St. Bernardus Christmas Ale, Corsendonk Christmas Ale, Delerium Noel, Gouden Carolus Christmas, and my local fav Troeg’s “Mad Elf”; lined up for this weekend.
I have been drinking Belgian beers of all types for decades and spent a lot of time searching them out. I am blessed to live in an area with a lot of opportunities to do so.
There is a pretty famous bar around here called Max’s Taphouse that has about 110 taps/hand draft kegs available. Every year they do a Belgian Fest. Link to 2023 event facebook page.
Currently the have the following kegs lined up
KEG LIST PREVIEW as of 12-19-22:
Petrus Sour Framboise
Petrus Aged Pale
Tilquin / La Rulles Rullquin 2020
Dubisson Scaldis De Noel 2021
De Ranke Saison De Dottignies
Petrus Cranberry rose
Fantome Dark Spirits
Fantome Sasion
De Glazen Toren Derpe Mere Sasion
Brasserie De Blaugies / Hill Farmstead Brewing La Vermontoise
De Ranke Guldenberg
De La Senne Tara’s Boulba
Tilquin Oude Mure 2020
Tilquin Oude Gueuze 2019
Tilquin Oude Quetsche 2020
Straffe Hendrick Xmas Blend
Blaugies/ Hill Farmstead La Vermontoise
De La Senne Taras Boulba
Brasserie Dupont Avec Les Bons Voeux
& more coming…
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If anyone is on Untapped and interested in friending, PM.
Hey Rugby, I’m a relatively new user, and have nothing interesting to offer a connoisseur such as yourself, but I’d love to see what’s in your profile.
Impressive list. I’m on Untapped too and going for all the beer badges with a couple of friends. Pumpkin beers have been surprisingly hard to come by in Europe🙂
I am taking medicine to suppress the symptoms of Omicron. I have a sore head and throat. I’ll drink Kirin beer and Johnnie Walker when I’m healed. Oh my god, I shouldn’t have opened this topic now.
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I found a hot toddy helped my covid symptoms. depending on whether you want caffeine or not:
- Tea (I find an orange flavored tea works well)
- slug of brown liquor (rum, bourbon, rye, scotch all good)
- spoonful of honey
- lemon juice
- dash of cayenne pepper
repeat as necessary.
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Hey @grump, I’ve got another drink/music rec for you. I call it Jim’s Jolt. While you can certainly season to taste, I usually do mine around half and half, but normally only in the first cup. No reason to waste good Jäger by mixing it with coffee.
Since I’m retired, and spend most of my time hanging out here with my three cats, then what harm is there in starting the day off right??
But knowing your love of Belgian beers, you might want to stick with having a Rochefort 10 or an Abt 12 or a Chimay Blue later on. 
Oops, forgot the music part.
And as far as music, I decided to put the newly-released soundtrack album for the new Avatar film on. I’ve listened to it a couple of times and like it. Plus it adds to my eagerness to watch the new film. Huge fan of the first one.
I like the Weeknd, so the first track is great, and shows off Abel’s beautiful voice, but all the other tracks are nice orchestral pieces with some interesting vocals thrown in on occasion, in keeping with the tie-in to the film.
Cheers!
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my first love!
Enjoy
Edit: Beautiful mug
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Hey Traian, I’m already outta 
for the next 7 hrs as I was trying to play catch-up in the M&G thread, but wanted to say I’m glad to hear that you’re a big fan of the ole Jäger, and thank you for the compliment about the mug. It’s the Spode “Doctor” mug.
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Hi Jim,
Thanks, but I prefer my Jägermeister (or my whisky, brandy, ect.) next to my coffee, rather than in it 
The only exception I make is for the occasional Irish Coffee. You enjoy it!
Haven’t had a chance to listen to your music recommendation yet, still busy finishing work before the holidays, but will do so one of these days, thanks!
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Sloop’s Irish stout of the year 2022 award goes to Rye River Nocturne (6.0% vol).
This epiphany came to me listening to some rocky glam from the early seventies.
.sjb
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Short vacation in Hamburg. And, as every time, we payed a visit to the Elbgold coffee roasters at Schanzenviertel. Great place!
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