My birthday was last week – most who know me know that beer is always an appreciated gift .  Chris and his wife (my sister) were kind enough to buy me some great new beer this year, which is always a great birthday idea.   I was given a collectors pack of Historic Ales From Scotland and and a gift pack of Budels Bier.  Obviously I am quite excited to try them all.

Budels is a family owned Brewery located in the Netherlands that has been brewing since 1870.  That is about all I can tell you about Budels.  Not a word of English can be found on the bottles – but that is how I know it is good beer.  Nothing gives beer more credibility than a foreign language!

I am very excited to try the Historic Ale’s from Scotland.  I have walked past this gift pack for years but never had a reason to buy – not that I ever need a reason to buy beer.  These ales are based upon brewing traditions and techniques that have been around well before the Reinheitsgebot (Bavarian Purity Law) existed.  Scottish Beer has always been very lightly hopped making it no surprise to find that most of these historic ales are completely void of hops.  Instead of hops, other regional herbs and flavorings are used to balance out the beer malt sweetness.

I am grilling sablefish (previously know as black cod prior to Chef Rob Feenie’s fish re-brand)  tonight for dinner – according the the bottle’s label, Kelpie Seawead Ale from the Historic Ales of Scotland gift pack, pairs nicely with seafood.  I’ll let you know if the paring is a success.

Chris and Rachel, thank you kindly for the excellent gifts.

Erik