Duvel
Style: Belgian Golden Strong Ale
ABV: 8.5%
Presentation: 330 ml brown Euro stubby bottle
Brewery: Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat
Country: Belgium
KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk
Duvel, pronounced doov’l or doovelle or doo’fl (depending on who you ask), means “devil” in a few Flemish dialects, and one thing is for sure, it is overwhelmingly deceptive at first. Considered the first of the Belgian Golden Strong Ales ever brewed, it is light, sweet, almost a golden cloud in a glass, yet delivers an almost unnoticeable high alcohol percentage that is not for the faint of constitution, or to be mistaken as a session ale. That’s something that would end in tears…..
Moving along to the brewery itself, in 1871 a brewery-farm was founded by the Flemish Moortgat family in the municipality of Puurs, Belgium, and has remained a family run operation to this day, already into its 3rd generation of management. Duvel was originally produced in 1923 as a way to commemorate the end of World War One, and as a tribute to the English and U.S. soldiers who helped fight the occupying German army. Because of this it was initially intended to be called “Victory Ale”. The now legendary story is told that upon initially tasting this potential Victory Ale an employee of the brewery exclaimed, “Da’s nen echten duvel!” which was a local slang saying that translates to, “Damn, that’s a devil of a beer!” Supposedly the comment struck a chord and stuck in the minds of the brewery’s management involved at the time, leading to a last minute name change to what we now know as Duvel.
An ale that is viewed as something as an anomaly even to this day, there was nothing like Duvel at the time of its inception. First off the higher alcohol content of 8.5% was a direct reflective response to a law passed in Belgium in 1919 banning the serving of spirits in cafes. This only resulted in several breweries producing high alcohol beers as a loophole. What started to make Duvel stand out from the rest however was the mashing of very pale malt, so pale it was steamed rather than traditionally kilned in order to produce as pale of a malt as possible. To keep things remaining light, a fair amount of corn sugar was added to the brew tun instead of more malt. Flowery, aromatic hops from both Bohemia and Slovenia were used, combined with well water drawn directly from wells sunk beneath the brewery site itself. Perhaps the most unique ingredient was the use of a distinct strain of Scottish ale yeast from the McEwan’s brewery of Scotland. Some say the Moortgat’s acquired it after intense negotiations with McEwan’s, others claim it was “appropriated” from the sediment at the bottom of a bottle of McEwan’s bottle-conditioned export Scotch Ale of the time. Regardless, the alchemy that is Duvel is completed through a triple fermentation process, including a lengthy cold lagering after the initial fermentation to round out the flavours and lighten up the body, then more yeast and priming sugar are added to aid it in bottle-conditioning after it leaves the brewery. The end result is magic, perhaps with a bit of divine contribution or, ahem, otherwise…. Thusly a new beer style was born!
Traditionally Duvel is served in a burgundy glass, however a large snifter or oversized wine glass will suffice, or better yet a Belgian tulip glass if you are into collecting proper beer glassware. If you wish to go all the way and track one down Duvel offers their own specially tailored burgundy-style glass. There is going to be an extraordinary amount of chunky, frothy white head with exceptional retention, so the extra room in the glass will be gratefully appreciated, trust me on this. It’s stated by the brewery that the ideal serving temperature ranges between 5-10 degrees Celsius, so by the time you pull the bottle from the fridge and get it fully poured into your glass it should be in this range. If you manage a pour without getting any yeast sediment into the glass expect bright a pale golden body that might be slightly hazed and bursting with active carbonation, yet can nearly be confused for a craft lager. If the yeast sediment does get poured in, no worries, it’ll just look a bit cloudy but will not detract overall. In the aroma you’ll encounter clean notes of citrus, faint spice, malt sweetness, and even some alcohol warmth. The mouthfeel will be smooth, with some more warmth from the alcohol, finishing crisp and dry similar to champagne. As we head into flavour country be prepared for a more subtle palate, mild sweetness from the malt, patches of fruit and spice from the yeast, with a lemon-rind and herbal green bitterness attributed to the hops, all rolling through your mouth in waves of intermittent harmony. Citrus and spice lingers in the aftertaste. Suddenly it’s all over and gone before you know it, like a golden cloud that briefly caught your attention in a mesmerizing moment of bliss, short and sweet, but who can decide whether it was more shorter or sweeter. You want to reach for another one. Perhaps that’s when the alcohol percentage may start to finally catch up with you. May I point out once again the 8.5% alcohol content? Deceptive indeed. The devil’s always in the details, isn’t it?
When it comes to pairing with food, Duvel is as versatile as it is deceptive, able to handle being set up with flavour profiles that are sweet, spicy, herbal, salty, savoury, creamy or fruity. It scrubs and cleanses the palate, and can act as either an aperitif or digestif. In fact there’s not much it won’t go with fairly well with, and would be worthwhile experimenting on your own with whatever strikes your fancy. But you didn’t think I’d just leave you hanging like that, did you? Duvel is great to serve if you’re planning a Thai or Cajun themed dinner. Salmon or chicken dishes would be a good place to start as well, especially if they have a prominent garlic presence to them. Yet it’s mild enough to not overwhelm shellfish either. For the cheese lovers in the crowd this beer is an ideal counterpart to strong cheeses, such as stilton or blue. Think of Duvel as the classy multitool of beers, there’s not much it can’t handle, yet remains unique and enjoyable on its own. The perfect place to start for people interested in checking out Belgian beers.
The next steps in the cooler:
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Lateral Steps:
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Chimay White
St. Bernardus Tripel
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For The Adventurous:
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Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel
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