Duvel - Belgian bottle beer

I hate to admit it but I don’t like to be beaten by conundrums, crosswords or cryptic clues. I will worry over it, sleep on it, get out my reference manuals and trawl the internet. Usually the solution will come in a flash of inspiration and then I’ll start worrying why I worried in the first place.

I was down at the local supermarket yesterday getting in the supplies for the new month (both for testing and opinionating purposes). I know I have tended to concentrate on beers from the other side of the Atlantic of late leaving the output from the near continent to other worthy and highly regarded reviewers. However as I can claim right of passage to Belgium shortly (we are taking a weekend away in Brussels) and as the bottle claimed to contain the same brew that is enjoyed on the Grand Place, then how could I keep it out of my trolley. My DK Eyewitness Guide to Brussels also gives this beer an ‘honourably mentioned’ and notes that it is as strong as some red wines.

SOME BACKGROUND

Duvel beer has been brewed at the (family owned) Moortgat brewery since 1871.

That was the year in which Jan-Leonard Moortgat established the Moortgat brewery in Breendonk as a genuine brewery-farm. After the first world war, in 1918, his son tried brewing a beer based on English ale and went to Scotland for some samples. After a real odyssey around countless breweries, he was able to obtain a jug of yeast that would form the foundation of his success. Right through to today, yeast from the same source is always used. When the first brew using the new yeast was sampled in Breendonk, it was described somewhat abstractly as "a real devil". From 1923 onwards, this beer was marketed under the name of "Duvel".

THE BOTTLE

I chose a specimen in the smaller, squatter, crown capped bottle which contained 330ml. I have seen larger champagne-corked bottles containing 750ml. The cap is a gold affair with the brewery crest (including an English shield per fess argent and sable {bands of silver and black} with three estoile or {gold stars} crested with a balloon glass mounted with one estoile or). The crest is repeated on the white front label which also bears its name in heavy red lettering. It notes that the beer is brewed to 8.5% ABV in Belgium with hops and malt using a top fermentation process. Duvel is not pasteurised and so is entirely pure and natural. It contains no additives or preservatives. Secondary fermentation and long maturation take place in the bottle, giving the beer its highly distinctive taste. The yeast created by this (secondary) fermentation forms a sediment in the bottom of the bottle.

The rear label again notes the alcoholic strength and gives a “best before” date. Surprisingly the barcode starts with the number “5”. It also contains the curious expression that I used as my title. (This mystery scribbling is missing from the larger 750ml bottles.)

The brewery web site gives the following instructions for the preparation of the perfect drink.
“Duvel is a beer that is fermented in the bottle. This beer should be treated like a fine old wine, and can be kept for years.

1. Retain the beer's perfect quality by always storing the bottles upright in a cool and dark place. (Always keep upright in the fridge, too.)
2. Pour your Duvel into the correct type of beer glass, and naturally that is always a Duvel tasting glass.
3. Make sure that the glass is clean and dry. Do not keep the glass in the freezer or rinse it with water beforehand. .
4. Pour out the beer at a temperature of 6 to 10 °C, as you prefer.
5. Hold the Duvel glass on the slant and pour from a gradually increasing distance. For a rich, full layer of froth, bring the glass slowly back upright. Make sure that +/- 1 cm of beer remains in the bottle.”

THE DRINK

I kept my bottle upright in the refridgerator as recommended. The cap came off with a loud hiss and a lot of smoke issued from the neck. There is a pronounced perfume of hops and yeast on the nose. Even at this temperature this is a very lively brew, effervescing strongly in the glass and generating a thick, creamy resilient head. This leaves a lingering tracery on the sides of the glass as you drink.

The beer pours the colour of pale lemon juice and is quite cloudy. (To the medical or nursing mind this might have rather unpleasant connotations – perhaps the “Mannequin Bruxelles” has a chill on the … er .. hurrumph!!) There is also a small amount of a dense sediment left in the bottle.

The first taste is complex: sweet, moderate bitterness, full bodied (you can sense the alcohol content). There are hints of aromatic spices and underneath it all a slight earthy, root vegetable tang – parsnip; yes – boiled (not roast) parsnip. This latter is quite delicious, not the TCP or medicinal bouquet that accompanies so many of the Belgian wheat beers. There is a rich, refreshing bitterness on the palate once swallowed – and again, the strength of this beer makes its presence felt.

This is a beer for the savouring and the drinking. I drank it on its own. I could well be tempted into having a glass or two while indulging in a “fruits de la mer” in one of those seafood cafes on the Rue des Bouchers.

AVAILABILITY

Tesco supermarket: 330ml bottle:
Sainsbury: 750ml bottle: £3.75

POSTSCRIPT:

I have found that Starköl is another word for beer. I’m not too sure what the base language is but the Swedes describe three strengths for their beer — Folkol (very low alcohol content), Lattol (medium strength) and Starkol (the strongest). I have no idea what the rest of the expression means.

BTW: Despite its colouring, technically this is an ale, not a lager, because of the method of brewing and the yeast used (top fermentation rather than bottom)