If you were to mix one part Belgium, one part Scotland, with one part Tennessee, the picture in your head might be somewhat blurry. After drinking Heavy Blend, a new 12.5 percent ABV beer from Left Coast Brewing in San Clemente, you may need to visit a drunktometrist to get your beer goggles checked. Turns out, my taste buds have 20-20 vision and can see through this mysterious dark brown liquid, and came up with some interesting observations.
Heavy Blend is truly an intense family tree of grains and wood coming together like an episode of “My Big Redneck Wedding.” On the left side is a fruity/spicy Belgian Tripel (Left Coast Asylum) that swamp-buggy races across a dense and malty Scottish Wee Heavy bog. The wedding, as it were, takes place in Tennessee Jack Daniels barrels where the honeymoon takes place for several months. How romantic!
At cellar temp, the beer jumps out of the glass with big Belgian chocolate notes, followed by a luscious kick of maple syrup. Oak, sweet alcohol, toffee, and dark fruits round out the parfait of flavors, making this a true winter sipper. I paired the beer with homemade fried chicken, but I could see it working well with a myriad of desserts like creme brulee, peach cobbler, or bread pudding.
The beer will be available at Left Coast’s San Clemente tasting room on Thursday, Feb. 1, with the initial first run going to beer club members along with barrel-aged Old San Clemente Doppelbock and a fresh can-run of Galaxy Supernova, a beer I reviewed some time ago that is perfect for the big game (spoiler alert: I loved it).
Stay tuned for more Left Coast news as they’re in final stages of planning an Irvine tap room and BBQ establishment, opening sometime in May and somewhere near the 405/5 split.
Check out Left Coast and grab yourself a bottle of Heavy Blend at its San Clemente taproom, 1245 Puerta Del Sol, San Clemente // leftcoastbrewing.com
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