Leffe Blonde

Perspicacious.  That’s an interesting word.  I used to know what it means, I think.  I should look it up before it drives me crazy all day.  Un momento…  Ah, there we are!  Perspicacious: having keen mental perception and understanding; discerning.  Okay, I’m back in the knowing-what-perspicacious-means game!  Hold on, what’s this?  Often confused with perspicuous.  Hmm…  Perspicuous: clearly expressed or presented; lucid.  I can see how those are similar.  Most perspicacious people are likely also perspicuous.  Of course the former is more difficult than the latter.  Someone who is perspicuous could be clearly expressing drivel.  Or is it?  Someone with a connection to the autistic spectrum would probably disagree.  And I have witnessed very thoughtful people with keen insights get crushed in debate by deft rhetoric.  I guess we should strive for them together but be content with either and hopefully never fall short of both.

I should just let my musings sink in and then apply them to my reviewing and writing styles but I like to use them directly in a kind of zymurgic personification.  How does Leffe’s Blonde exhibit keen mental perception and how does it lucidly express it?  Concretely it doesn’t.  It’s water and sugar and alcohol after all.  But I can imagine.  If a baby can recognize faces on inanimate objects, I should be able to assess the cognitive abilities of a drink!  If it doesn’t work, no harm done.  If it does, I can call a psychiatrist.  Either way I get a beer.  Here is Leffe Blonde.

Well the color is clearly expressed!

That aroma does not beat around the bush.  It pops up right away saying “I’m Belgian and you love me!”  Sure there’s complexity in the nose between mild notes of astringency and banana, but they all point with one hand.  The flavor speaks of the joys of non-fruit Belgian beers.  It briefly mentions alcohol bite, yeast funk and horse blanket but never delves into any on them.  It even gives a small hint of that quintessential dry mouthfeel in the aftertaste.  Definitely perspicuous.  Short winded and prosaic.

As for its perspicacity, I’m drawing a blank.  It could have just hobbled the flavors together and chanced upon a good combination or it could have very particularly chosen every ingredient so as to exemplify the beer making tradition to which each is wed.  If I had to choose one I’d go with the latter simply because it’s more optimistic and optimism always makes life happier.  But I can’t seem to get inside the head of Leffe Blonde.  I guess my psychiatrist will have to spend today alone, sitting on the couch perspicaciously thinking about other people’s problems.

Vanilla Stout, Big Muddy Brewing

A common exercise among aficionados of either food or drink is to pick out optimal pairings of the two.  White wine with fish, IPA with Thai, etc…  It’s really the same game brewers play within their recipes.  “Would fuggles work with crystal?  What about centennial with black patent?”  By discussing pairings you get to talk in analytical terms about your meal without having to know every ingredient that goes into each piece (though it does help).  Today’s beer, like any adjunct reliant brew, is a pairing in itself.  Big Muddy’s Vanilla Stout is a combination of, well, vanilla and, well, stout.  The vanilla is pretty straight forward.  We know what that’s gonna taste like.  But will the stout counter it with coffee or dark chocolate?  Either could work, just like multiple pairings for the same dish can be made depending on if you’re complimenting or contrasting the beverage.  Anyway, on to the beer!

Creamy.

Sniff sniff, yep.  There’s vanilla.  Nice creamy head too.  Feels like it could almost form a mustache.  To be alliterative, this beer is very vanilla.  There’s a little bit of coffee, but it’s mostly vanilla, as if you added the french vanilla creamer to french vanilla flavored grinds.  Or maybe it’s more akin to vanilla flavored soft drinks.  Now that I think of it, the nose gives that impression.  The mouthfeel leaves a sweet coating reminiscent of root beer.  It has its merits but I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.  Though I am a guy who, given a blind choice between chianti and pinot noir, will always go with the chianti.  If you’re into sweets like caribbean rum drinks, it may be right up your alley.

Big Muddy Vanilla Stout doesn’t strike a perfect pairing between its own component parts.  The vanilla overpowers the rest in an act of ruthless domination.  But how did it do with dinner?

Quesadillas!

Definitely went with contrasting tonight.  The jalapeños and tapatio work to clear out the sinuses so you can taste every little detail.  The stout shoots back by relieving the heat.  The eggs help ward off hangovers.  Everybody gets along in a meal brought to you by random chance.  Pairings are a lot of fun and can add quite a bit to your culinary enjoyment, but you’ll still be happy if you eat and drink whatever you want at the time.