Style: Belgian Golden Strong Ale
ABV: 8.7%
Presentation: Single 330 ml white enamel bottle, blue foil around the cap
Brewery: Brouwerij Huyghe
Country: Melle, Belgium

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

What’s more intense than a lone beer that is not only named after a morbid medical condition that it can induce through excessive consumption, but also has an official public fellowship?  Throw in some pink elephants to seal the deal and what you have is a force to be reckoned with.  A delicious force to reckon with, no doubt, but a bit of caution would be wisely in order.

Released upon the world on December 26^th, 1989 Delirium Tremens needed less than a decade to be nominated for “best beer in the world” in 1997, and lived up to that recognition the following year in Chicago by earning a gold medal at the World Beer Championships.  Perhaps some of this was drawn about with the assistance of the “Confrerie van de Roze Olifant” that was formed in 1992, in English known as The Brotherhood of the Pink Elephant.  Far from having sinister intentions, this group has taken up the charge of promoting Delirium Tremens and other local beers of Melle, Belgium, along with more altruistic pursuits within the community.  It is said that to become an honourary member of this order you have to swig back your first glass of Delirium Tremens in one shot.

Now as you know by now I’m not a doctor, but like to play one on television, and as a result would have to advise you to do such a thing at your own discretion.  This Belgian ale is a formidable 8.7% in alcohol content after all.

Speaking of overindulgence, delirium tremens is the Latin term for “trembling madness”.  This affliction of the mind and body is what may take hold of an individual who’s been overindulging with alcohol for a period and then suddenly stops, a sort of severe shock from withdrawal.  It may constitute uncontrollable shakes and seizures, and may even lead to fatality.  Based on that sort of prognosis consider yourself lucky if you merely get away with hallucinations of pink dancing elephants.

With all that out of the way we can get back to the beer.  Even without all the aforementioned brouhaha this fine golden ale speaks for itself and stands on its own.  Triple fermented with the aid of three separate yeast strains, it unravels itself as complex yet refined.  Ideally it is served in a tulip or burgundy glass, although a trusty large brandy snifter is just as good.  Trust me, it just won’t be the same in a pint glass or something similar.  Plus in order to release some of the complexity allow Delirium Tremens to warm up at least 15 minutes before opening and pouring.

Once in the glass you’ll discover a dense white meringue-like head resting upon a hazed yet bright golden body in appearance.  The nose will pick up grainy and light bready malt, with floral notes and a mild orange citrus.  A few sips will reveal a mellow crispness of malt up front, spicy pepper notes which immediately follow, with a graceful zip of citrus hops on the finish, which dries out very quickly within the aftertaste.  This is all accompanied by a dry, lightly carbonated mouthfeel.

If you are planning on becoming an honourary member of The Brotherhood of the Pink Elephant it would be a good idea to have a bite to eat with it at some point along the line.  It’ll accentuate a serving of steamed mussels if you’re looking for some light fare.  Either seared or grilled salmon and Ahi tuna are some other good seafood selections.  Baked poultry or braised beef are more heartier options.  For a more authentic pairing some Belgian cuisine highlighted by some sort of game meat and thickly sliced frites will offer a well-rounded experience.  However when you find yourself surrounded by dancing pink elephants, it’s a pretty good indication to call it a night already, especially to avoid the tremens.

The next step in the cooler:

From This Brewery:
Floris Kriek
Floris Ninkeberry
Fruli

In-Style:
Duvel
Piraat
Pranqster - North Coast
Affligem Blond

Lateral Steps:
Konig Ludwig Weiss
Augustijn
Gouden Carolus Tripel

For The Adventurous:
Lindemans Gueuze Cuvée René
Le Merle - North Coast
Petrus Oud Bruin

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 3^rd 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:

In-Style:
Delerium Tremens
Brooklyn Brewery Local 1
Affligem Blond
Don De Dieu - Unibroue

Lateral Steps:
La Fin Du Monde - Unibroue
Chimay White
St. Bernardus Tripel
Corsendonk Agnus Pale Ale

For The Adventurous:
Mikkeller  US Alive
Le Merle
Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel
Petrus Aged Pale Ale

Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale
ABV: 8%
Presentation: 750ml green magnum & 330ml green bottle singles
Brewery: Brasserie d’Achouffe
Country: Belgium

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

This brewery is found in the Belgian region of Ardennes, a picturesque area of green mountains and fairy tale valleys, although to some known best unfortunately as the location where The Battle Of The Bulge took place during World War 2.  The labels from the Achouffe Brewery are also easily recognizable with their trademark gnomes cavorting and residing on them.  No small surprise about that little marketing tidbit when you discover that “Chouffe” means gnome in the local Walloon dialect.  What started as a hobby of two brothers-in-law, the Achouffe Brewery has been producing tasty and accessible beers since 1982, although it’s been owned by the Duvel Moortgat brewery group since 2006.

With La Chouffe we have their flagship beer, it’s a golden yet higher alcohol ale, unfiltered and bottle conditioned which helps add extra flavour to the overall experience, most notably some subtle fruit and spice from that extra yeast presence left in the bottle, not to mention gentle additions of coriander and hops.  What we have here is something that ends up as a big shiny gold happy face in your mouth, and chances are it’ll transfer externally and produce a smile on your own face too.  Really, I don’t even like gnomes, yet La Chouffe somehow cheers me up every time.  If you still need a bit more convincing from your own personal experience La Chouffe is now available in single 330 ml bottles, before you choose to upgrade with a 750 ml magnum of this gem.

It’s fine to imbibe La Chouffe at the temperature right out of the fridge, it’ll be clean with a bit of orange and faint grassy hops on the finish, however as it slowly warms far more character will present itself in the flavour.  Ideally this is best served in a Belgian tulip glass (in fact when they’re available the Achouffe gift packs come with their own gnome logo tulip glass!), however a large snifter or oversized wine glass will do just fine, stemware is preferred for this style.  Expect to possibly take 2 or 3 attempts to empty the bottle into the glassware, as you’ll be greeted by a billowing spongy white head that has exceptional retention, you might start wishing one of those gnomes on the label could lend you a pint-sized shovel to make your way through it.  However try to leave about the last quarter inch/one centimetre left in the bottom of the bottle, that’s the yeast sediment from the bottle conditioning, and although it’s not harmful in any way (in fact it’s bursting with B vitamins!), it may detract from the overall flavour.  Once it’s finally all in the glass, you’ll find a hazy golden ale, that still has quite a brilliant lustre for an ale that isn’t transparent.  Now the aroma is somewhat mild, however you might notice some lemon and tangerine zest, and perhaps some wet green grassy hops, and even some spice.  I’ll confess that the texture of La Chouffe is one of my favourite aspects, offering up a light and effervescent mouthfeel, nearly champagne-like with a dry quenching finish.  The flavour does not disappoint either, starting off with light wheat grains, followed by something of an orange sweetness, coriander building to a finish blended with mild grassy hops and some spiciness, then some spice lingering in the aftertaste joined by a well masked alcohol warmth.  Not too complex at first it seems but there’s enough goodness there to keep one coming back for more as this golden ale presents itself in several thin layers.  In the end greater than the sum of its parts.

The subtle complexities of La Chouffe also come out and shine in attempts to pair it with food.  It’s a definite winner to serve first with appetizers or hors d’oeuvres, and shines with cheeses, especially smoked, woody and hard cheeses.  Even alone before the meal as an aperitif.  Pairs well with white fish such as sole, tilapia, cod or monkfish, and will surprise you along with your next batch of fish ‘n chips (including the malt vinegar on the chips).  Holds its own with anything from duck to old world sausages, and has enough backbone to compliment Cajun and Thai dishes that aren’t too overtly spicy.  A fairly versatile strong golden Belgian ale, and the magnum bottle is a great option to bring along to dinner parties.

The next steps in the cooler:

From This Brewery:
McChouffe
N’Ice Chouffe
Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel

In-Style:
Duvel
Don de Dieu - Unibroue
Delerium Tremens
Affligem Blond
Brooklyn Local 1 - Brooklyn Brewery

Lateral Steps:
Konig Ludwig Weiss
Erdinger Weissbier
Hacker-Pschorr Hefe Weisse

For The Adventurous:
Deus
Malheur Brut
La Fin Du Monde - Unibroue
Le Merle - North Coast Brewing

Style:  Fruit Lambic
ABV:  4%
Presentation:  355 ml green bottle
Brewery:  Brouwerij Lindemans
Country:  Belgium

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

In the early 1800’s the Lindemans family of Belgium started brewing large amounts of Lambic ale during the winter time on a large farm they owned in the area of Vlezenbeek. This was a financially sound decision as they already produced barley and wheat during the growing seasons, which are necessary for this style. In fact Lambics are traditionally brewed with a malt bill of 30% wheat and 70% barley malt, seasoned with hops, and left to spontaneously ferment by wild yeast, while fruit is at times added later for flavouring. It was in 1930 that the Lindemans family made the decision to focus solely on the activities of the successful brewery. They started brewing the Peche Lambic style in 1987.

Honestly folks, you are in for an absolute treat here, I practically envy anyone who’s yet to try this treasure of a Peach Lambic, it’s one of my own personal favourite beers. It even stands out from among the other types of Fruit Lambics. Really, the only thing that will get in the way of your bliss will be some sort of individual abhorrence to peaches (and if that’s the case you should probably just stop reading here and tune in next week). For those of you who are still raring to go, let’s get to the good stuff.

Good things come with some effort, so you’re going to have to prepare for this one. Not only are you going to require a bottle-opener to unearth this treasure, but also a corkscrew, as there is a synthetic cork hiding underneath that foil and bottle cap. As well I would recommend stemware for this ale, a chalice ideally, however a snifter or an oversized wine glass will do just fine. If you want to get really fancy a champagne flute is even recommended by the brewery itself, especially when pairing this with food, ideally with dessert. In a pinch you can get away with a wide-lipped mug or a pint glass.

This Peach Lambic is best served chilled, however as it slowly warms the fruit flavours and aroma will become more pronounced. It pours out a bright hazy marmalade colour, and the aroma of sweet peaches is immediately present the moment the bottle is uncorked. There is a little bit of head on top of the ale at first, but it disappears rather quickly, however you’ll notice a lot of bubbling carbonation action within the beer itself. The flavour itself is a straight-forward peach, as if sweetened by icing sugar, with a little bit of wheat grain noticeable in the background, and is delivered by a medium-bodied mouthfeel with a bit of tingling carbonation. Yet it truly is greater than the sum of its parts.

It’s no stretch of the imagination that this Peach Lambic would be able to substitute for dessert itself, and would easily compliment some cheesecake. Also with chocolate or any sort of chocolate dessert. Food pairings suggested by the Lindemans Brewery are as diverse as the likes of sorbet or peach cobbler, to egg rolls, Waldorf Salad, or even Belgian Waffles.

The next steps in the cooler:

From This Brewery:
Lindemans Cassis (Blackcurrant) Lambic
Lindemans Framboise (Raspberry) Lambic
Lindemans Kriek (Cherry) Lambic

Other Fruit Lambics:
Boon Framboise
Mort Subite Kriek

Other Fruit Beers:
Peaches N’ Cream Okanagan Fruit Ale - Tin Whistle Brewing
St-Ambroise Apricot Wheat Ale
Aprikat - Alley Kat
Melbourn Bros. Apricot
Black Berry Porter - Cannery Brewing
Pump House Blueberry Ale
Ephemere Apple - Unibroue

Lateral Steps:
Le Merle - North Coast Brewing
Mort Subite Gueuze
Duvel
La Chouffe

For The Adventurous:
Petrus Oud Bruin
Duchesse De Bourgogne
Rodenbach Grand Cru
Malheur Brut Reserve