145917 Wed Sep 24 08:30:36 -0700 2003 15 12 Boston Area 0 782191 So my roommate just moved here (Somerville) from Seattle. She's been looking for a type of beer she had in Seattle that had a higher percentage of alcohol. Anyone ever heard of this? My beer knowledge is very limited. Thanks folks. Wed Sep 24 08:30:36 -0700 2003 0 Dani 1 782193 No doubt others (CSimon?) can chime in on this, but your roommate is probably thinking of barleywine ales. Downtown Wines in Somerville has a selection of these and has been know to hold occasional barleywine tastings, ditto Charles St Liquors in Boston. If you're looking for on-the-premises consumption, you can sometimes get them at Redbones BBQ in Davis square, especially in the winter, or at Sunset Grill on Brighton ave in Brighton. Jacob Wirth in Boston is having an Oktoberfest dinner next Monday but I doubt they will serve barleywines, although they may serve some stronger ales. Check the website beeradvocate.com for other occasional ale-oriented events. Let us know if you discover anything else! Wed Sep 24 09:06:10 -0700 2003 782191 0 barleywino 1 782194 Many, many beers have higher alcohol percentages than ASL (American Standard Lager). Kinda hard to say what she had without more description. Are we just looking to get drunk (drink a shot of whiskey before each beer), or are we looking to get into beers? If the latter, remember that all beers are either lagers or ales based on the yeast and resultant fermenting process. There are many styles and choices of both, but you might try an ale like a Pale Ale to start, or if you want even more alcohol and body, an India Pale Ale. Lagers can get quite heady as well - a German Export, for example or right now, the Octoberfest Lagers are seasonal. You don't need to try imports - there are lots of American brews that compete with the best. Sam Adams is a good lager, and their Octoberfest is fine. Sierra Nevada makes a great IPA. Just start trying them - as they say, you sound like you could use a beer... Wed Sep 24 09:20:49 -0700 2003 782191 0 applehome 1 782197 Most of the brewpubs (remaining) produce a strong IPA or pale ale (usually about 6%) and sometimes do special strong ales up to 8%. Redbones might have a strong ale or IPA on tap. David "Zeb" Cook Wed Sep 24 09:34:43 -0700 2003 782191 0 David "Zeb" Cook 2 782245 Zeb, do you know where I can find info on breweries in MA that have tours/tastings? Wed Sep 24 13:10:47 -0700 2003 782197 0 chilibug 1 782199 many west coast and east coast beers are of high alcohol content. Any barleywines or bocks, and certain breweries specialize in it. Rogue from Oregon fits the bill, as do the Unibrous from Quebec, Rapscallion in our own backyard and Omegang from Cooperstown. Sunset has one of if not the best selections in the state. Wed Sep 24 09:54:43 -0700 2003 782191 0 mike 1 782224 If any palce in Boston serves it, it would be Sunset Grille in Allston, no doubt about it. Wed Sep 24 11:02:54 -0700 2003 782191 0 AlanH 1 782270 Since this person presumably lives with you, I assume you could ask her for more information, such as the name or type of beer, for example. That would help a lot in this discussion. Thu Sep 25 07:22:22 -0700 2003 782191 0 Jim Dorsch 2 782277 I did just that. I asked her and she said they are Belgian beers and they are double and triple fermented. She thinks they are spelled Douvel and Tripel, but she's not positive. That help? Thu Sep 25 10:14:21 -0700 2003 782270 0 Dani 3 782280 If you are in Somerville, you can Find Duvel at Downtown Liquors in Davis Sq. The name tripel does not really ring a bell for me. If she likes Belgian beers,give Hoegarrden a try. My personal favorite beer. Thu Sep 25 11:24:24 -0700 2003 782277 0 ScoobieSnack 3 782284 There are some Belgian dubbels and tripels on the market. Dubbel is a brown beer, probably 7-8% alcohol by volume, somewhat sweet. Tripel is blond, 8%-10%, drier. Duvel is a strong blond beer, paler than a tripel, with a big meringue head, wonderful beer. Corsendonk Monk's Brown Ale is a dubbel. Ommegang (from upstate NY) is broadly in the dubbel style. Corsendonk Monk's Pale Ale is a tripel. Also the original, Westmalle, is great. Hope that helps! Thu Sep 25 12:25:57 -0700 2003 782277 0 Jim Dorsch 3 782294 I like Allagash (from Maine). I like it alot. Available at many stores. See link below. Link: http://www.allagash.com/ Thu Sep 25 15:07:15 -0700 2003 782277 0 Nab 3 782306 Here's a good site from the importers of Chimay - one of the original Trappist Ales to hit the US. The Grande Reserve is actually aged like wine! (Unheard of with other styles of beers) Link: http://www.mbibeer.com/beer/html/chimay.html Thu Sep 25 17:20:23 -0700 2003 782277 0 applehome 3 782359 Duvel is a specific brand of Belgian beer. However, to complicate matters, dubbel (double), and tripel (triple) are terms to describe specific types of Belgian Beer. There is even a quadrupel. To make matters worse, I believe Duvel makes a dubbel and a tripel. I have linked to an excellent beer dictionary that describes many different styles of beer. Link: http://www.ratebeer.com/BeerStyles.asp Sat Sep 27 05:46:20 -0700 2003 782277 0 StriperGuy 1 782281 For the Belgian Beers, Sunset is a good place to get them served to you, and there are a number of other bars in the area that serve at least some Belgian beers and ales. For retail, She should try Marty's in Allston or Newton as they carry a fairly large selection of imported beers, especially Belgian. I'm sure I've seen Duvel there (though I think it means Devil not double), but don't recall seeing a Tripel outside of Belgium. Thu Sep 25 11:28:40 -0700 2003 782191 0 Zatan 1 782300 i have forwarded all your great information to my roommate. Now I'll just have to go sampling with her... Thu Sep 25 15:51:04 -0700 2003 782191 0 Dani