March 4, 2015
Instagram Diary: Craft Beer Tasting at Belgian Beer Cafe NoMad
On Monday night, we were lucky enough to attend one of Belgian Beer Cafe NoMad‘s tastings from the Perfectly Paired Series, lead by Master Beer Sommelier Marc Stroobandt. The theme of the night was Belgian craft beers, and both the menu and Stroobandt’s knowledge were extensive.
We started light, with a glass of Stella Artois. Stroobandt demonstrated the proper pouring technique, which everyone did their best to replicate.
They weren’t exaggerating when they named the series “Perfectly Paired.” Every beer was matched with a delicious item from the menu, such as the saison paired with spicy, citrusy hummus and the Rodenbach Grand Cru Flemish sour red ale paired with frites and beer-marinated beef stew.
The evening included some classics, such as Hoegaarden, and some surprising new favorites, such as the (according to Stroobandt) “more difficult” and very sour lambic blanche.
The tasting ended on a sweet note, with the rather beautiful and equally delicious Timmerman’s Strawberry Lambicus.
Throughout the evening, which included over two hours of sipping and snacking, Stroobandt was entertaining, informative and contagiously passionate about the small batch brews that were being served. We left with full stomachs and a much more robust understanding of Belgium’s influence on craft beers past and present.
Amazingly, we only covered nine of Belgian Beer Cafe NoMad’s stock of dozens of Belgian brews. We might just have to come back. For education’s sake, of course.