A little self education

Colette Lappin commented on Facebook about loving both Guinness and a beer called La Goudale, the latter which I have not tried.  This of course causes me to do some research to find out a little more about it.  Most of us have had Guinness before or at least have heard of it; a dark stout that is popular for it's St. Patrick's Day toast and the cool way the head creeps up from the bottom of the glass.  Goudale on the other hand is known as a 'biere de garde' or 'beer for keeping' named for this styles higher alcohol content and higher hop addition which balances sweetness and helps preserve the beer.  Biere de garde originated from northern France where it was to far north to grow grapes, but perfect for growing hops!  Another variety is known as 'biere de mars' or 'beer for March' which is meant as a seasonal brew with different characteristics.  This link to Beer Advocate has some technical specs and a bunch of reviews on La Goudale: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/813/7451.

From time to time I will drink Guinness with a shot of Chambord Black Raspberry liquor thrown in!  One St. Patrick's day I had a four pack of these and wound up sleeping on a friends couch... sometimes more than a  shot made it in to the glass.  Here's another link for the Guinness rundown: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/209/754.