Enjoy watching a Belgian bike race with a bottle from Hops & Barley

We’re in the heart of the 2015 Belgian cycling season, where hard men hammer up steep cobbled climbs to the cheers of hardy fans who, like the riders, are often at the mercy of harsh elements.

It’s a blend of performance, panache and pain that’s without parallel.

Fortunately, for us cycling fans, several of the upcoming races will be shown on the NBC Sports Channel. Paris Roubaix, which takes place on Sunday, will air at 7 p.m. on Monday, 13 April, and Fleche Wallonne and Liege Bastogne Liege will be slotted into the schedule later this month.

It would be nice if they were aired live, but, the later times will allow the consumption of some topflight Belgian beer during the broadcasts.

You can, of course, take the easy route and put down a few Stellas or Hoegaardens, but why not roll with a little more style. Hops & Barley, a recently opened beer retail store at 412 MLK Jr. Blvd., has a stellar selection of Belgian Beers.

Based on a couple of visits, here’s three recommendations: White Gold Belgian Ale from Hof ten Dormaal, Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel, and Saison d’Erpe-Mere from Brouwerij De Glazen Toren.

The IPA and the Saison have rock-star rankings from beeradvocate.com, but I was tantalized by the White Gold Belgian Ale, a complex and lusty combination of styles and flavors. It’s neither an ale, nor a Saison, but it melds components of both, with notes of herbs and fruit, along with bites of pepper, and the toasty taste of chicory, not surprising since one of the ingredients is chicory root. It also has an element of champagne: Don’t look down on the cork when you’re pulling it out.

In addition to the wide selection from Belgian, British and other foreign breweries, Hops & Barley also has a wide and imaginative range of domestic beers. If proprietor David Barker still has any on the shelf, check out Clown Shoes’ Chocolate Sombrero.

For more information, go to www.hopsandbarleysav.com.

Stone makes the decision on buying a mixed 12-pack easy and the drinking delightful

We’ve all been there, standing in the aisle, looking at a mixed 12-pack, and wondering why that one beer, the one that you don’t like or don’t want any more of, is included. Well, Stone Brewing Co.’s new mixed-12, introduced in January of this year, eliminates any hemming and hawing. It contains three established stars from Stone’s stable – Cali-Belgique IPA, Ruination IPA, and Arrogant Bastard Ale –  and a dynamic newcomer, Delicious IPA.  Stone, which produces the best-written, most-informative bottle labels in the business, succinctly summarizes the pack’s bona fides by listing ratebeer scores on the top of the box:  98 for Cali-Belgique, 100 for Ruination, and 99 for Arrogant Bastard. The Delicious IPA, also introduced in January, is labeled as new.  For a concise description, let’s look at the bottle which calls it a “pleasantly bitter, deliciously citrusy, hop-driven IPA.” If you like a cold, crisp lemonade, or even Lemonhead candy, you’ll enjoy this beer’s citrus-centric flavor. It’s also important to note that Delicious can stand on its own as a damn-fine IPA, one with 80 IBUs, an exotic mix of hops, and the brewing expertise that comes with Stone’s honored heritage. 

North Carolina brewer invites you to raise a glass to a Savannah hero

Gen. Nathanael Greene, the Rhode Island native whose wily tactics and adroit leadership played an instrumental role in the American victory at Yorktown, is a big name in Savannah. There’s the massive obelisk to his memory in the middle of Johnson Square, along with Greene Square and Greene Ward. Mulberry Grove, his plantation along the Savannah River, is world famous as the site of the invention of the cotton gin. Yet, you can’t buy any products here from Natty Greene’s Brewing Co., a history-conscious craft-beer business in Greensboro (named for guess who!), N.C.  On a recent trip to Charlotte, I came across a 12-pack of Natty’s, stylishly labeled as a Battalion. Inside were four longneck bottles each of Buckshot Amber Ale, Southern Pale Ale and Wildflower Witbier. There’s also a nifty quote from Natty himself on the side of the carton: “Without spirits the men cannot support the fatigues of a long campaign.” As for the beers inside the carton, each was a solid representative of its respective style. I was particularly impressed by the pale ale, which I found to be medium bodied, with fine tones of pine and fruit, accented by an easy malt finish. Other Natty offerings include Freedom American IPA, Flintlock Double IPA and the soon-to-be-released Hessian Hefe-Weizen. For more information on Natty’s, go to www.nattygreenes.com.