I try a lot of different beers for the Brew Dork Times. I try small batch beers, beers from breweries that are younger than I am, beers that are made using unusual ingredients, and by non-traditional methods. I try local beers from Arizona, beers from breweries across the country, and beers made by guys named Stew who had a little extra room in their garage and a healthy curiosity about home-brewing... Today however, I tried (or rather 're-tried') a beer that has none of these characteristics. Today, I had a Duvel Belgian Golden Ale!
After having Duvel again for the first time in a while I have only one thing to say. If you have never tried it go buy a bottle. Don't finish this blog, don't wait until the laundry is dry, your work day is over, or the kids are fed. Go to the nearest craft beer supplier, buy a bottle, and drink it.
I'll get into the flavor description in a minute, but in all honestly, it doesn't matter what I say. Regardless as to whether you read my impression of this beer as having a hearty and uber-yeasty mouth-feel and think, 'boy that sure sounds tasty' or 'yuck, I'll have none of that!' you should still go out and try it. I don't want to imply that Duvel is Belgium's greatest beer (it's not by a long shot). The reason I'm so adamant about you trying this beer is that it is a quintessential example of what a Belgian Blond Ale should be. For that reason alone, you need to know it!
Okay, I'll probably rant and rave about the greatness of Belgian beers a whole lot from time to time, but for now I'm going to reign it in and get back to the matter at hand.... how it tastes!
Duvel exits the bottle with a bang. The brewery recommends you enjoy the beer from one of their signature tulip shaped glasses, and that you pour the beer to the bottom of the glass at an angle that allows a rich head to develop. The beer is bottle aged which means that the co2 (bubbles) are not pumped into still beer, but rather enriched within the bottle. This creates an intense effervescence similar what you get with a true Champagne. The color is a beautiful rich golden-lemon color. It literally shimmers in the light. The bubbles are (I know, I know I'm a little 'hung up' on the bubbles but they're really quite fantastic) tiny and amazingly persistent.
The aroma as I mentioned earlier is hearty and yeasty (is someone baking bread in here or is it just the beer?) There's also a sour note on the nose. The flavors are rich, creamy, and smooth. The high alcohol level (8.5% ABV) is well balanced and doesn't take away from the taste.
This is definitely a food beer and although I'm sure you could get extremely creative with food-pairings, to me this beer just begs for a decent cheese plate.
Overall, is this my favorite beer? Most certainly not. Is it a damn good beer? You bet your ass it is! Enjoy!
-Prost!
D.Lux
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