Water + Malt + Hops + Yeast = Beer: The Handlebar Pub and Grill

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

St. Louis Gueuze Fond Tradition

While vacationing and visiting with the family in Arizona over the Thanksgiving holiday, I was able to slip out and drink a couple of pints at the Handlebar Pub and Grill in Apache Junction. I had stopped by the Handlebar on my last trip to AZ and I thought they had a very good tap list for a smaller place and I noticed that they had added a few extra taps featuring beers from Belgium. There were some from Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck (Castle Brewery) and I selected St. Louis Gueuze Fond Tradition (5% ABV). A Gueuze is a blended sour beer using Lambics of different ages.

Gueuze – http://beeradvocate.com/beer/style/14 - BeerAdvocate

Photo from the Barley Blog

Appearance – It took awhile for the bartender to serve it as I am sure he needed to allow the head to reside to provide me with a proper pour. The gueuze was a golden straw color with nice carbonation.
Aroma – I picked up a musty, earthy, grassy aroma with hints of tart citrus and a touch of vinegar.
Taste – I could definitely taste the yeast and a nice bread taste that was quickly followed by tart, sour notes. The sourness was not overwhelming and was more like eating tart fruit and just a touch of wine vinegar.
Overall – B – I enjoyed this Gueuze and it was easy to drink. I enjoy sour beers and I would have this one again.

Website description - Golden-blond, unfiltered, unsweetened. An extremely pure beer with a long history. A humble nose with a lot of fruit, dominated by young sour apples. An extremely dry aftertaste, which immediately demands another sip. A delicious thirst-quencher that reminds you of its history with every sip.

St. Louis Fond Tradition Gueuze – http://www.vanhonsebrouck.be/en/sintlouis-gueuze-fond.html

Monday, April 2, 2012

You Cannot Judge a "Pub & Grill" by its Cover

During the trip to Arizona, I wanted to stop by a local establishment called The Handlebar Pub and Grill. I had completed a previous web search on “craft beer in Apache Junction” and was surprised to find the listing – with a number of very positive remarks. The building is almost non-descript and is very easy to drive by. It does not look great on the outside and is a classic depiction of the quote “you cannot judge a book by its cover”. The inside of the Handlebar is very nice with a cooler in the corner filled with very good beer for carry-out, nice wood tables and chairs, two chalk boards showing the beers on tap and the menu, and a very nice (and long) wood bar with ~15 taps on the side wall that I think connects to kegs in an adjacent walk-in. There are also a number of TVs on the walls and entertainment performs Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. I had one of the best burgers in a long time – a blue cheese bacon burger with a side salad. The burger was perfectly cooked and I informed Danny, my father-in-law, that he has to check this place out with his group of guys that check out burger joints.

One item I appreciated was Trevor, the bartender, explaining to one customer when she asked what was like Rolling Rock and his response of “water”. It was classic and I knew right then that I was in an establishment that knows and enjoys good craft beer. The other “tell” was the lack of “macro-brewer” taps and if you want one, they are available in bottles; you will most like get an “are you kidding me” look from the bartender and the other patrons as well. A further “tell” was the number of different tap handles that serve as decorations on the exposed ceiling beams – and they have ran through a large number. I enjoyed an Oskar Blues G’Knight (8.7% ABV and 60 IBU) an Imperial Red / Double IPA and a Deschutes Hop Henge Experimental IPA (8.5% ABV and 95 IBU) a seasonal India Pale Ale. Both of these were very tasty and went well with the blue cheese bacon burger. I will be stopping by the Handlebar Pub and Grill on the next trip to Arizona.