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.

I admit, I'm a beer snob. Surely you knew that before you started reading this. It's hard for me to even try something with the name Budweiser on it, let alone admit that it's not terrible.

It is with great difficulty, therefore, that I admit that the Budweiser American Ale is anything but skunk urine.

To be completely honest, when I tried it, I wanted to like it. I wanted to believe that, even Budweiser, if they put their mind to it, could make a good beer. Sure, they mass-produce swill, and mislabel it "beer", for the ignorant crotch-scratching football-watching hordes to guzzle on their quest for oblivion. I can't really fault them for that. It's a business, and every business sometimes has to make what the customer wants, even if they know it's not the best that they could do. But after a century or so of making that, have they forgotten how to make the real thing? I wanted to believe that they hadn't.

So we got a sixpack of the American Ale. It wasn't colored like a Bud. It didn't reek like a Bud. There was hope.

And, lo and behold, it wasn't terrible. In fact, it was quite tolerable. Even, dare I say it, something I might, in a pinch, order at a restaurant, if it was the only thing on the menu with some color. I'd put it in the same class as Sam Adams or Killians. Admittedly, at the lower end of that class. Not something that I'd order at The Pub, but something I'd order at Applebee's, or in a restaurant in the airport between flights.

So, congratulations, Budweiser. You have demonstrated that you haven't, in fact, forgotten what real beer is. Granted, this makes that other swill you pump out pretty inexcusable, but I suppose that if there's a market for it, someone has to fill it.

I used to know how to talk about wine - finish and mouth feel and legs and aromas - and am rather out of practice now. Even less do I know how to talk about beers. I would like to learn more, but haven't found anybody around here who seems to know enough to teach me. Or perhaps I am asking the wrong people.

Having said that ...

The first beer that I got on my new Pub Passport was the Chimay. I had had Chimay before, and enjoyed it. It has an interestingly bitter flavor, somewhat herbal. It's very light, and has a very short finish. I honestly don't know if I'd ever order it again, but I might.

On my usual scale, I think I'd give Chimay 30 bottles of ringboree. Certainly not one of my favorites, but, still, very pleasant. I'm glad I tried it.

• Chimay website