Forty Bottles of Ringboree

I had a teacher in third and fourth grade named Mr. Bruce. He claimed that he was a direct heir of Robert The Bruce, and told stories, whenever given the opportunity, of the exploits of his famous forebear. Mr. Bruce didn't much like to teach, as far as I could tell, but rather preferred to tell stories.

Come to find out, his stories stuck with me more than anything else from those years of school. He also introduced me to Tolkien and Kipling, and thus was very instrumental in forming my view of good literature. So it seems that he did in fact like to teach, and perhaps had a better view of what was useful to teach than some of the other folks.

So, naturally, when I saw the Robert the Bruce ale at the store, I picked it up. If nothing else, it was an opportunity to write something about Mr. Bruce.

So the ale? Well, it's very nice. I always find myself at a loss for words when it comes to describing beers. I try to approach it like a wine, but the words are all wrong.

It's dark, but not black, with a deep brown gold color against the light. It's full bodied and earthy, with a long finish and a silky mouth feel. And it's yummy. Recommended. Will get this again. 28 bottles of Ringboree. Maybe more as it grows on me.

La Fin Du Monde, triple fermentation ale. 9% alc.

I expected something more like the Sam's triple bock, and it was very much not like that at all. Although very high in alcohol content, it tasted pretty much like a IPA, and so a 750ml of it was a bit on the dangerous side.

I have no idea where they came up with the name. I'm sure it seemed terribly clever at the time. That sort of thing always does.

As I said to my Beloved when I was done with it, I enjoyed it, but it's not the sort of thing that I'm likely to buy again. At $7 for a 750, it's not exactly cheap. And since one got dropped in the driveway, it ended up being twice that price. Sort of.

Anyways, it's worth trying, but it's not going to be a regular.

22 bottles of ring-bo-ree.