Beer Discovery: DeuS Brut des Flandres

Beer: DeuS Brut des Flandres
Brewery: Bosteels
Country: Belgium
Style: Champagne Beer / Brut
ABV: 11.5%

Champagne Beer!?

yes, you heard that right!

DeuS is one of the few beers belonging to the Champagne/Brut beer style, and what a fantastic beer it is!

Me, enjoying a 2014 bottle of DeuS

This fantastic beer was introduced in 2002 by Brewery Bosteels, the same brewery which makes the outstanding beers of Pauwel Kwak and Tripel Karmeliet.

The beer is initially brewed by the master brewer at Bosteels, after its initial fermentation and maturation stage, the beer is actually transported to the Champagne region (yes, thats where champagne comes from..). This makes it unique even amongst other champagne beers!

There the beer undergoes the famous method de champenoise, a method for used for making sparkling wines. There, amongst bottles of Champagne, the beer slowly develops into an amazing fusion of beer and champagne.

Method de Champenoise. Source: Bloomberg

After enough time has passed for the beer to ferment a second time, the bottles are stored horizontally to mature for a minimum of 12 months. After such time, sediment has formed in the bottle, this sediment is then propelled toward the neck of the bottle by method of remuage.

The bottles are then placed in stillages, where they are turned around and brought from a horizontal to a vertical position. These turns are made every eight hours, for approximately 3 weeks. After such time the bottle will be standing upright, and the sediment which has formed during re-fermentation will have gathered in the bottle neck, from there the sediment is expunged and the bottle resealed.

So all in all, a very easy and simple beer to create…….

Appreciate that a whole lot of work went into creating that glass of DeuS, next time you're drinking it!

Enjoying a DeuS (2011)

There are some discussions around this beer regarding its ability to age, and become better over time. My own opinion is that this beer definitely does improve over time, i enjoyed the 2011 variant much more than the recent 2014.

DeuS definitely has some similarities to champagne, but has a much softer taste. Fruity yeast flavors coupled with a smooth light sweetness, the flavor of this beer is just awesome. Light in color, bubbly, with a medium amount of head. Enjoy by drinking from a champagne glass. Be careful with enjoying it too much though, it still packs 11.5% ABV.

Cheers!

My Rating:
2011 5/5*
2014 4.5/5*

Beer Style Discovery: Dubbel, Tripel, Quadrupel. What's the difference?

Style(s): Dubbel, Tripel, Quadrupel

Dubbel (Double), Tripel (Triple), and Quadrupel (Quad). These are familiar terms to beer lovers all over the world, but what does each style represent, where does it come from and what are the differences?

I have had my own answers to these questions, but i have never taken the time to really find out where they come from, and their exact definitions.

So if you were wondering the same thing, this is your lucky day!

Trappist Ales

So, lets start with the Dubbel.

A Dubbel is a trappist naming convention, the first to use this term being the Abbey of Westmalle, all the way back in 1856!

The monks of Westmalle originally brewed a light beer (which nowadays is often referred to as patersbier). Later on, the monks started brewing a stronger variant which was brown in color but still retained the sweetness of the original flavor. Later on, in 1926, the brew was altered and became stronger and more like the dubbel style that we know today.

The first recorded sale of the "dubbel" beer of Westmalle was back in 1861, but in terms of popularity, the beer really took off after World War 2. Due to its popularity, the Westmalle Dubbel was copied by other breweries (independent and trappist alike). This popularity and the following imitation led to the emergence of the style "dubbel". Dubbels are now characterized by being fairly strong in terms of alcohol percentage (6-8%), having a brown colour, and a fruity character.

Me, enjoying a Westmalle Dubbel!

So lets move on, time for the Tripel!

Our friends at Westmalle were at it again, they too were responsible for the emergence of this style of beer!

The Tripel was a naming convention used by the monks at Westmalle to rename their strongest beer, back in 1956! The original name of the beer was "Superbier" or "Superbeer", so lets all be glad that they changed the name. 

Is it a bird?, is it a plane? No!…. its SUPER BEER!!!

Source: Incrediblethings

Once again, the popularity of the brand Westmalle, ensured that this term was copied by other brewers, and once again led to the emergence of a new beer style. The Westmalle recipe was changed in 1956, and has remained essentially unchanged ever since. There were some recorded beers using the name tripel, prior to 1956, but low awareness caused these to have faded away into history (apparently some were also dark in colour). 

Enjoying a Westmalle Tripel

Last but not least, lets talk about the Quadrupel!

And no, it wasn't invented by Westmalle..

The Quadrupel is intended to be stronger than the Tripel, and as such should be stronger than the average Tripel. This is pretty much where the guidelines for the style end, making this the least defined beer style of the three. So a Quad will usually have an alcohol percentage of 10% or more. 

Therefore, Quadrupel or Quad is an umbrella term used to usually describe a (trappist) breweries strongest beer, the term Quad has become quite popular to describe such a beer. The term Quadrupel is used by La Trappe, a trappist brewery in the Netherands, as a name for their strongest beer. 

Me, enjoying a La Trappe Quadrupel

So, there you have it, the history behind each style and its notable differences!

Go out there and enjoy these great beer styles!

Cheers!