Try?
What was
Nostradamus favorite beer? I for one don’t know. Maybe he knew what my
favorite brew would be, though. The famed 16th century seer seemed to know a
lot about what was in store for the world, at least if you believe those who
swear by his prophecies. In my opinion, his predictions were so vague you
could drive a truck through them, had they had trucks in the 1500s. Maybe he
predicted there would be some day.
The beers of Nostradamus day were not so diverse as they are today. Many of the styles we take for granted (porter, lager, and more) would not have been around. And in any case, Nostradamus lived in France, so he probably preferred wine to beer anyway.
Still, he got a beer named after him, the lucky dog. It’s brewed by a small Belgian craft brewer named Caracole. Their importer, D & V International, describes them as Truly artisanal Brasserie La Caracole is located in a small village Falmignoul, Province of Namur, Wallonia in southern Belgium, close to the French border.
Nostradamus is described as a strong Belgian brown ale. When I think of strong Belgian browns I think of something in the line of a dubbel. These are usually potent enough brews at about 8% alcohol or so by volume. Nostradamus is a bit stronger, though, at 9.5% alcohol by volume. Drink enough of a beer that strong, and I predict you’ll have a headache the next day.
My bottle of Nostradamus was a 750ml corked bottle, plenty for one person to drink over the course of a night, perfect for two to share over a meal. Or perhaps after one. Ladies, you simply must pop open a bottle for your beer loving partners. Extra points for them if they can then guess what’s for dinner.
Nostradamus also comes in 11.2 ounce bottles, as well as monster 50 ounce containers. It is brewed with dark specialty malts and hopped with the Saaz varietal. I allowed my bottle to warm to just under room temperature before drinking. Cool, but not cold. I drank it from a wide-mouthed Belgian glass for best effect.
Nostradamus pours to a brilliant russet-mahogany color with a light creamy head formation and a spicy sweet malt nose. The palate is immediately complex, sweet with rich dark malt notes. Then the complex spicy notes hit you: candied fruit, sweet dark fruitcake, licorice, molasses, chocolate, raisin, caramel.
In the finish, more of the complex dark fruit emerges, and you won’t really get a lot of the hops here. You will get an impressive alcohol warmth, though, and it helps to balance the sweetness of the beer. Still, the finish is sweet overall.
What an incredible brew. I absolutely love its complexity and rich warming notes. Enjoy it as an aperitif before dinner or as a digestif after. Or just enjoy sipping a bottle on a cool evening. Either way, I predict you’ll love this beer.
The beers of Nostradamus day were not so diverse as they are today. Many of the styles we take for granted (porter, lager, and more) would not have been around. And in any case, Nostradamus lived in France, so he probably preferred wine to beer anyway.
Still, he got a beer named after him, the lucky dog. It’s brewed by a small Belgian craft brewer named Caracole. Their importer, D & V International, describes them as Truly artisanal Brasserie La Caracole is located in a small village Falmignoul, Province of Namur, Wallonia in southern Belgium, close to the French border.
Nostradamus is described as a strong Belgian brown ale. When I think of strong Belgian browns I think of something in the line of a dubbel. These are usually potent enough brews at about 8% alcohol or so by volume. Nostradamus is a bit stronger, though, at 9.5% alcohol by volume. Drink enough of a beer that strong, and I predict you’ll have a headache the next day.
My bottle of Nostradamus was a 750ml corked bottle, plenty for one person to drink over the course of a night, perfect for two to share over a meal. Or perhaps after one. Ladies, you simply must pop open a bottle for your beer loving partners. Extra points for them if they can then guess what’s for dinner.
Nostradamus also comes in 11.2 ounce bottles, as well as monster 50 ounce containers. It is brewed with dark specialty malts and hopped with the Saaz varietal. I allowed my bottle to warm to just under room temperature before drinking. Cool, but not cold. I drank it from a wide-mouthed Belgian glass for best effect.
Nostradamus pours to a brilliant russet-mahogany color with a light creamy head formation and a spicy sweet malt nose. The palate is immediately complex, sweet with rich dark malt notes. Then the complex spicy notes hit you: candied fruit, sweet dark fruitcake, licorice, molasses, chocolate, raisin, caramel.
In the finish, more of the complex dark fruit emerges, and you won’t really get a lot of the hops here. You will get an impressive alcohol warmth, though, and it helps to balance the sweetness of the beer. Still, the finish is sweet overall.
What an incredible brew. I absolutely love its complexity and rich warming notes. Enjoy it as an aperitif before dinner or as a digestif after. Or just enjoy sipping a bottle on a cool evening. Either way, I predict you’ll love this beer.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
