Home Brewing Project #27 Enchanter De L’ambroisie Du Crépuscule by Nubis Sanctum Ales

December 20, 2016 by cloudx30 tagged anise, Belgian Dark Candi Sugar, Belgian Dark Strong Ale, bitter orange peel, Dark Candi Sugar, Enchanter De L'ambroisie Du Crépuscule, Golden Syrup, Legend of Zelda, LOZ, Midna, Nubis Sanctum Ales, The Bewitching of Twilight's Ambrosia, Trois Pistoles, Twili Midna, Twilight Princess, Unibroue, Willow | Leave a comment

Rating: 5/5

Home Brewing Project #27 Enchanter De L’ambroisie Du Crépuscule by Nubis Sanctum Ales is a 9% ABV Belgian Dark Strong Ale brewed with Golden Syrup, Dark Candi Sugar, Anise and Bitter
Orange Peel.

Label:
Enchanter De L’ambroisie Du Crépuscule
The Bewitching of Twilight’s Ambrosia

Belgian Dark Strong Ale brewed with Golden Syrup, Dark Candi Sugar, Anise and Bitter
Orange Peel.

Magic is the bloodstream of the universe. Forget all you know, or think you know. All that you require is your intuition. ~High Aldwin. Willow The Movie

Across time, people have sought for many gifts such as the Philosopher’s Stone, the Holy Grail, Pandora’s Box, Excalibur or even the Necronomicon. Yet, mankind as curious and as ignorant as they may be, have never laid eyes on such things.

Myth, Legends and Folklore seem to have a way of providing wonder to those who seek the power of knowledge from the unknown. Yet many do not know of the Twilight Princess’ potion. Definitely something that came not from such tales but from other dimensions. For you don’t need to search over the ages and realize you have something special in hand.
Cheers!

Ingredients: Water, Hops, Malt, Dark Candi Sugar, Golden Syrup, Anise, Bitter Orange Peel & Belgian Abbey Yeast.

==Introduction==

Project #27 was inspired by the need to create my second mos favorite beer in the World, the Trois Pistoles. Yes, it is a somewhat common Belgian Style from Canada, but when I first started my craft beer journey, this was one of the brews that had quickly became the best beer I have ever had. Later on, I would try many more Belgians like that of St. Bernardus 12abt and Three Philosopher’s and even Judgment Day from Lost Abbey. Yes, this beer has been an important staple in my journey through craft beer that the day I finally decided was versed in the brewing arts, I could make a delicious clone of the fabled Trois Pistoles. In tribute to the original, I had given it a French name which means, The Bewitching of Twilight’s Ambrosia. The reason for the name I will describe in detail in my anime section but just know, this was for a very magical brew. Now that I have it ready for the site, let me tell you a story about it. Also, to commemorate the occasion, I will also give my thoughts on the side to side comparison of the Trois Pistoles to my version of the brew. Join me in the art of darkness, cheers to all!

Aromas:
Anise, dark candi sugar, rye bread, mild port wine, mild cola hints, dulce de leche caramel, dark fruit raisins, prunes, plums, figs, dates, dark cherries, peppercorn hints, Belgian chocolate, vanilla, piloncillo sugar cone, clove spice and banana hints.

Flavors:
Rich dark fruit raisins, prunes, plums, figs, dates, dark cherries, anise, rich dark candi sugar, sugar cane, piloncillo sugar cone, rock candy, bananas, clove spice, molasses, orange notes, coriander hints, port wine hints, raspberry, cola, dulce de leche caramel, vanilla, grapes, brown sugar, pecan pie, Belgian chocolate, mild coffee hints, coffee cake, raisin bread pudding, stone fruit peaches, ripe apricots, peppercorn spice, maple hints, apples, butterscotch, tangerine preserves, rye bread, sweetened condensed milk, honey and waffle cone.

Aftertaste:
Finishing with rich dark fruits, dulce de leche caramel, stone fruit, vanilla, earthy notes, anise, mild citrus, chocolate and port wine hints. No alcohol in the taste. Dark Amber brown full body, smooth, creamy, velvety and chewy mouthfeel along with a sipping drinkability.

Enchanter De L’ambroisie Du Crépuscule (Left) Vs. the Original Trois Pistoles (Right):
The aromas between them is definitely different. It has more of the cola and port wine forward along with what I believe is their specialty house yeast. Mines breaths more of the anise, citrus and dark candy sugar and mild port wine. The flavors are nearly identical except for the Trois Pistoles which leans more toward that port wine, chocolate, and cola flavor and mines leans more toward citrus, anise, dark candy sugar, mild cola, chocolate and dulce de leche caramel. The colors are nearly identical even under the light but Trois Pistoles is slightly darker. Carbonation is more on mine but head retention is greater on the Trois Pistoles. The aftertaste is more of that specialty chocolate, cola and port wine house yeast flavor but both end on strong Dark candi sugar.

Overall:
While I do believe my beer is on its own a perfect example of a Belgian Dark, I still agree Trois Pistoles is much better. It is definitely their in house yeast and specialty spices as well as the “on lees” process which definitely gives them only a slight edge over mine. I really, really loved how close this was to Trois Pistoles. It was definitely a better brew just on its own that when I took it out of the fermentor to bottle, it was practically ready to drink. Everything about this beer from the specialty yeast and rich dark fruit flavors matched to that of Trois Pistoles. Specialty house yeast they use of course is hard to find but it is definitely that which I consider that beer to be one of my top in the world right next to St. Bernardus 12 ABT. Am really happy with how this turned out that it is definitely up there with my best brews I have ever made, right next to my Belgian Quad, Sangri Leche, Diablita Del Leche, Raging Passion Lactus Raspear Dragons and others. A recipe worth brewing several times over. Now if I can only get a hold of their house yeast.

Anime Corner:
Midna from The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess was the chosen character for this pairing as I wanted to use a character that was both dark and mysterious but also magical and in essence. A dark sorceress but also into the whole nun/monk aspect which would fit with the Belgian abbey style of beers. The story of Trois Pistoles reflects the use of the Lucifer to do God’s biding in the creation of the creation of Our Lady of Snow’s church. Lucifer, in the form of a horse which was bridled and made to carry stones for the construction. This was carried out by a priest who summoned it to do the work. Unfortunately, a worker released it feeling sorry for it and the beast horse disappeared and the church was never finished. In my pairing, Midna wears the chains like that which the horse wore but her appearance similar to that of the dark version of the Virgin Mary also represented the church and its ties to the Vatican. Essentially, in Zelda, Midna is not an evil character, she just looks that way. She helps pay that tribute to the Trois Pistoles brew in the dark magical potion which is still as holy as the ambrosia of gods, hence the name, The Bewitching of Twilight’s Ambrosia.
Sources:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CskbYxBWIAA0Sg4.jpg
https://cdn3.patreon.com/1/patreon.posts/LtIYhP7FvNFFJmYSrV1JyyKN5mRHlegqU8LXSFrgz3PC5IgfYHRWIlLiEUJWzZcV.jpeg?w=1600&v=He_jk21e3WjlLrtL2pS3ga-vFLrqcKOjJg8NBtoyk34%3D
https://cdn3.patreon.com/1/patreon.posts/13276149709785426563.JPG?w=1600&v=9J0FQMJeEqwM7xulHoNYFEdGzyaKatPppRtXB2r2ehQ%3D
https://brewerianimelogs.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/ecadd-midnahoneymoonb2.jpg

Anomaly by Monkish Brewing

August 19, 2013 by cloudx30 tagged Anomaly, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Belgian Style, California Beers, chocolate caramel, city of torrance california, Evangelion, Los Angeles, Mari, Mari Illustrious Makinami, monkish, monkish brewing, Neon Genesis Evangelion, raisin bread, Trois Pistoles, west coast california | Leave a comment

Rating: 4.8/5

Anomaly by Monkish Brewing is a 8.5% ABV Belgian Strong Dark Ale made with oats and wheat

Description:
A strong, dark ale with tastes of chocolate, caramel, and dark stone fruits along with a silky mouthfeel from oats and wheat.
___

This is the first time I do a review for a draft only beer. Monkish is a pretty new brewing company in the city of Torrance California (Los Angeles county) specializing primarily in Belgian style ales. They have been active creating many different beers using many unique ingredients such as hibiscus, rose hips, pistachios, vanilla beans, Sichuan peppercorns, elder flowers, chamomile and many more. They mainly distribute kegs locally and other parts of the state so trying their beers might be difficult to find. Hopefully if you live in the south land part of California, you may want to give their beers a go.

Aromas of the anomaly are of dark chocolate, coffee, dark fruits like plums, raisins, cinnamon, port wine, slight cola notes, candi sugars, caramel and raisin bread

Flavors are of plums, dark chocolate, figs, raisins, mocha coffee, slight oak, wine notes, cola, molasses, anise, licorice, brown sugar, caramel and hints of banana and cloves.

The aftertaste remains with some notes of plums and figs and raisin bread. The booze is not present in the taste and gives a warm feeling after every taste. Also, it is quite smooth for a Dark Belgian.

I love dark Belgian beers and this one, aside from their new beer Seme Della Vita, is one of my favorites from this brewery. Reminds me of some of the good Dark Belgian flavors from beers like Trois Pistoles. They only recently started putting this one in growlers. So if you are ever in Los Angeles Area, check out Monkish Brewing, definitely a unique set of beers.

Site: http://www.monkishbrewing.com/beers/

St. Bernardus Abt 12 by Brouwerij St. Bernardus (Redux)

April 18, 2013 by cloudx30 tagged Beers of Belgium, Belgian Abbey Quadrupel, Belgian Quad, Belgium, belgium beers, best beers in the world, Bleach, Brouwerij St. Bernardus, Kos-MOS, kosmos, Naruto, Province of West Flanders, Quad, Quadrupel, Quadrupple, St. Bernardus Abbey, St. Bernardus abt 12, Temari, Temari Sabakuno, Trois Pistoles, Watou Belgium, westvleteren 12, World class, Xenosaga, Yoruichi, Yoruichi Shihouin | Leave a comment

Rating: 6/5 *Like Trois Pistoles, this is a very common beer. Since my seek for the Holy grail of Westvleteren 12, I realized, that this beer is the closest but because of its commonality and its availability, it has become my favorite beer in the world right next to Trois Pistoles. Forget all the worldly hypes because this beer is truly from God!!

St. Bernardus Abt 12 by Brouwerij St. Bernardus is a 10%ABV World Class Belgian Abbey Quadrupel.

Label:
Brewery St. Bernardus was founded in 1946 in Watou, Province of West Flanders in Belgium. These exceptional quality ales are brewed by using only the finest malts, local grown hops, yeast and artesian water pumped from a depth of 500 feet. After the brewing process these traditional ales are matured in tanks for three months, before being bottle conditioned. The results is a naturally carbonated ’living ale,’ which can be aged for up to 15 years and will satisfy the taste of even the most discriminating connoisseurs.

“Bringing heavenly nectar within reach”

Abt 12 – abbey ale brewed in the classic “Dubbel” Style of Belgium’s best Abbey Ales. Serve this noble and wonderfully balanced brown ale at 52-56 degrees Farenheit in a goblet glass to best enjoy its delicate bouquet
___

Here is some history from the Abbey and why it is very close to Westvleteren even without the “Trappist name”:http://belgianbeerspecialist.blogspot.com/2010/09/westvleteren-and-st-bernardus-real.html

I can give several reasons and do many more reviews of this beer’s grandeur. However, it would be nothing short of what I haven’t already covered in the past. I will be doing another review, in 15 years 😉

Past Reviews: https://brewerianimelogs.wordpress.com/2012/10/17/st-bernardus-abt-12-by-brouwerij-st-bernardus/

UPDATE:
I changed my mind, lets have at it. I still have some left over but also I still have one cellaring for the next 15 years. More than likely, as the earthy hops go down, this is gonna literally be a complete caramel sticky mess but so good I might give it a 7/5 ;). I realize my previous review may not do this enough justice. Fragrances are of raisin bread pudding, very rich dulce de leche caramel, earthy mild hops, apples, slight apricot, slight chocolate, more dark fruits like figs, grapes, slight cherries, banana, cloves, sweet bread, candi sugar, slight peppercorn notes and spices. The flavors are of rich liquid dulce de leche caramel, apples, banana, raisins, cherries, figs, raisin bread pudding, slight Leche Nestle (Sweetened Condensed milk) sugary notes, candi sugar, raisin bread pudding, pecan pie, brown sugar, clove, bubble gum, slight earthy hop notes, stone fruits, fruit cake, currants and slight wood oak like the dulce de leche they sell in Mexico that comes in wooden boxes. So there you have it. Now go get this one. Every craft brew place has this, it is hard to miss 🙂

Trois Pistoles by Unibroue

March 27, 2013 by cloudx30 tagged Belgian Ale, belgian ales, Belgian Chocolate, Belgian Dark Ale, Belgian Strong Ale, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, best beers in the world, Best Belgian Beers, Bleach, Canada Beers, canadian beers, Kos-MOS, Naruto, Port Wine, Temari, Temari Sabakuno, Trois Pistoles, Unibroue, world beers, World class, Xenosaga, Yoruichi, Yoruichi Shihouin | Leave a comment

Rating: 6/5 *This and St. Bernardus are my top favorites in the world, so please advise as it maybe bias or ambiguous to your decisions… never the less, this one still world class and a common beer at that.

Trois Pistoles by Unibroue of Canada is a 9%ABV Belgian Strong Dark Ale. The ultimate in best beers in the world at a very common distribution.

Label:
Trois-Pistoles is a remarkably mellow dark ale. To complement its aroma of ripe fruits, it has a pleasant aftertaste that lingers on like old port wine
___

Enough said, this has been one of my favorite beers ever since I started this hobby. I’ve had this beer over and over again. In fact, this beer can age for at least 7 to 9 years. So definitely will do another review then.

The aromas are of Dulce de leche caramel, Belgian bread, dark cherries, figs, plums, raisins, pears, apples, apricots, chocolate port wine, grapes, vanilla, pecans pie, candi sugar, almost like a coca cola scent, rum, earthy, brown sugar, and whole sugar cone. The flavors are just epic!!… A major rush plum, cherry, raisins, dark and sweet chocolate, port wine, raisin bread pudding, dulce de leche caramel, Belgian bread sweetness, candi sugars, rum and some maple notes. The ale is almost like a Rum and coke but if they were baked in a chocolate cake with fruits and lots of caramel all over and ofcourse the cake batter was made with port wine. While I have had other extremely awesome beers that are super rare and hard to find, this one never let me down, even since the beginning. That is why this beer and St. Bernardus will always have that special place in my heart. This is a world class beer, look it up its awesome!

2011& 2012 Reviews: https://brewerianimelogs.wordpress.com/2012/10/17/trois-pistoles-by-unibroue/

About the Legend: http://www.unibroue.com/en/beers/18/history

Trois Pistoles (Three Coins) is named after a small village of Quebec. Founded over 300 years ago, Trois Pistoles gave birth to several legends, including one about the Black Horse. It involved a local bishop who conjured up a good devil (appearing in the form of bridled black steed) to haul large brick stones to construct a new church. When someone accidentally removed the bridle, the black horse suddenly vanished just as the last remaining stone was to be set. This stone is still missing, as can be seen when visiting the local church.

Art of Darkness by Ommegang (New Label)

February 27, 2013 by cloudx30 tagged Art of Darkness, Asuka, Asuka Langley, Belgian Dark Ale, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, belgian style ale, best beers in the world, Dark Phoenix, Evangelion, Jean Grey, Marvel, mystical incantations, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Ommegang, three philosophers, Trois Pistoles, X-men, Xmen | Leave a comment

Rating: 5/5

Art of Darkness… new label by Ommegang. I have already done several reviews for this beer to know this beer is not an ordinary beer. One of my most world favorites along with Trois Pistoles, St. Bernardus, Black Xantus, Three Philosophers, Black Tuesday, Chocolate Rain and others.

Label:
Ommegang Art Of Darkness unites barley and wheat malts, flaked oats, Ommegang yeast, and noble hops in a bewitching demonstration of the brewing arts. Yet there are no secret ingredients nor mystical incantations.

There is only the highest realization of the art of brewing a dark Belgian-style ale of extraordinary flavor, aroma, and balance.

This ale walks the line between being savored now, and being cellared to relish later. As a discerning patron of the dark arts, you an make your own choice.
—-

Tread carefully…this one is evil >:)

https://brewerianimelogs.wordpress.com/2012/11/05/art-of-darkness-by-ommegang-6-month-version/
https://brewerianimelogs.wordpress.com/2012/10/22/art-of-darkness-by-ommegang/

Art of Darkness by Ommegang *6 month version

November 5, 2012 by cloudx30 tagged Art of Darkness, Asmodeus, Belgian Strong Ale, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, belgian style ale, best beers in the world, bottle aged, bottle conditioned, mystical incantations, Ommegang, Shinra Bansho, Shinra Banshou, three philosophers, Trois Pistoles | 1 Comment

Rating: 5/5 *6 month version2012 (6 months later)

Art of Darkness by Ommegang is an 8.9% Belgian Dark Ale. What can I say, this is the third time I try this beer. I enjoyed it so much I took 2 bottles and started to aged them. I have one aging right now but decided to try the 6 month version. As I had mentioned before, this one is on my list of favorite beers ever. Reminding me of the Thirteenth Hour Stout. Taste more like Stout if it was hybrid with Troise Pistoles and St. Bernardus. Now the thing is, now the chocolate and dulce de leche bread are pushing through further and further. Looks like maturation is starting to make the ABV higher but also bringing forth more sweetness along side with the dark Belgian fruits like the plums, raisins, prunes and cherries. I will probably hold off on this beer for several years and see where it goes. 2012 (Earlier Review)

So it comes down to this huh?? Dabbling with things that should not be dabbled with. But what can one achieve with finding something beyond the taboo of brewing?? Well if anything, hope you don’t get cursed along the way >:)… So for those that may not want to dabble in darkness… I took it upon myself to try this beer before it hit the stores. In fact this beer isn’t even set to release until April 2012. Let’s just say I got the hookups. This is … Art of Darkness Belgian Dark Ale. It is a brew at 8.9% ABV made by Ommegang brewing. A homage to the dark arts of brewing some of the best dark beers in the world. A la Troise Pistoles, Thirteenth Hour Stout, Terrible, St Bernardus 12, Westvleteren, etc. Baler and wheat malts combine with flaked oats, Ommegang yeast and noble hops. Even though the beer is has no secret ingridients like eye of newt or special incantations. The theory is simple, the flavor is complex and delicious. I think I shoul start by mentioning that this beers is much like the Thirteenth hour stout, devils chocolate cake/bread.It follows vanilla and faint grassy citrus bitterness. The sweetness overwhelms both the the after taste and the boozy alcohol feel.Some raisins and licorice flavors are present in there as well. Overall it wants to fit somewhere in the middle of the triangle that composes the best beers in the world for me, Trois Pistoles, St. Bernardus abt 12 and Thirteenth hour. However, it does go toe to toe with the Three philosophers as well except one is cherry bread and the other is chocolate. This Devil’s water is damn sweet, and if you would want to dable at this fine masterpiece…well…good luck >:]

Art of Darkness by Ommegang

October 22, 2012 by cloudx30 tagged Art of Darkness, Belgian Strong Ale, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Belgian Style, best beers in the world, Dark Phoenix, Jean Grey, Marvel, mystical incantations, Ommegang, three philosophers, Trois Pistoles, X-men, Xmen | 1 Comment

So it comes down to this huh?? Dabbling with things that should not be dabbled with. But what can one achieve with finding something beyond the taboo of brewing?? Well if anything, hope you don’t get cursed along the way >:)… So for those that may not want to dabble in darkness… I took it upon myself to try this beer before it hit the stores. In fact this beer isn’t even set to release until April 2012. Let’s just say I got the hookups. This is … Art of Darkness Belgian Dark Ale. It is a brew at 8.9% ABV made by Ommegang brewing. A homage to the dark arts of brewing some of the best dark beers in the world. A la Troise Pistoles, Thirteenth Hour Stout, Terrible, St Bernardus 12, Westvleteren, etc. Baler and wheat malts combine with flaked oats, Ommegang yeast and noble hops. Even though the beer is has no secret ingredients like eye of newt or special incantations. The theory is simple, the flavor is complex and delicious. I think I shoul start by mentioning that this beers is much like the Thirteenth hour stout, devils chocolate cake/bread.It follows vanilla and faint grassy citrus bitterness. The sweetness overwhelms both the the after taste and the boozy alcohol feel.Some raisins and licorice flavors are present in there as well. Overall it wants to fit somewhere in the middle of the triangle that composes the best beers in the world for me, Trois Pistoles, St. Bernardus abt 12 and Thirteenth hour. However, it does go toe to toe with the Three philosophers as well except one is cherry bread and the other is chocolate. This Devil’s water is damn sweet, and if you would want to dabble at this fine masterpiece…well…good luck >:]

St. Bernardus Abt 12 by Brouwerij St. Bernardus

October 17, 2012 by cloudx30 tagged belgian beers, Belgium, best beers in the world, Best Belgian Beers, Bleach, Dulce de leche, Kos-MOS, Naruto, Quadrupel, St. Bernardus, St. Bernardus abt 12, Temari, Temari Sabakuno, Trois Pistoles, Watou, world class beers, Xenosaga, Yoruichi, Yoruichi Shihouin | 1 Comment

OMG!!!…put it simply, like drinking dulce de leche with a nice bread. The St. Bernardus Abt 12 is rated one of the best quad style ales in the world. It is up there next to the westvleteren 12, but not as expensive and recently easy to find at the local Bevmo. I got this one in Wally’s Wine house but say it at the Bevmo in Manhattan beach. Quite frankly, one of the best trappiste Belgian ales I have ever had. I will soon be trying the Westvleteren but this beer is by far really good. There is Belgian yeast, some roasted malts, what I believe caramelized sugar, no hops,dark fruit, raisins, cherries, and fig flavors. The sugar rush hits you instantly but it feels really good. Alcohol is there but you honestly cannot tell as it is extremely well masked by that caramelized Belgian yeast combo. This reminds me of the time I had the Black Xantus. However with this one, no chocolate dessert needed. THIS IS YOUR DESSERT!!. Right next to franzy dark, my next favorite beer 😀

REVISIT: Hands down, truly the best beer in the world in my opinion, right next to the unreachable westy 12 and the common Trios Pistoles. Ahh Quad ales…simply the best in the world. I read more about this beer. These ales are brewed with the finest malts, local grown hops, yeast and artesian water pumped from a depth of 500 feet. Truly monks beer…as brewed in those Belgian monasteries. The ales are actually “alive” mainly due to the yeast strains that consume sugar to produce the alcohol and carbonation. If the nectar of the gods was truly this, this is it and its very easy to find thank fully :). Wonder if Jesus ever had a go at beers aside from turning water into wine :P.