Monky Business

Brewer: Hey, you should try my beer!

Drinker: Ooh what's it called?

Brewer: Adelardus.

Drinker: I'll never remember that. What's the label look like?

Brewer: There's a picture of a cheery monk on the front holding a glass of frothing beer.

Drinker: Oh, isn't that Petrus?

Brewer: Um...

Drinker: And St Bernadus?

Brewer: He's next to his abbey.

Drinker: Like St Benoit.

Brewer: The type-face is kind of old-fashioned.

Drinker: ...

For an industry swamped by choice, it amazes me how so many decide against sticking out from the crowd. As a consumer it can be quite difficult to remember which ones you've tried; which 'Saint So-and-So'; which 'Abbey des Whatsit'. I suppose in Scotland you might have the problem of "Have you tried Glenthingamig 12-year old?" I shouldn't grumble. It gives geeks like me an opportunity to really KnowMyShit. But I guess that it proves that many of the breweries really do 'brew to live'. Funnily enough, the Kerkom brewery's official philosophy is

"we brew it here, we drink it here and sell what's left".

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised since the Belgian beer industry is so intrinsically linked with the history of Trappist monasteries. (Maybe British ale should have images of people having a real knees-up in their local, or a good old-fashioned bar brawl on the higher strength stuff.) There is still a brewery in Belgium which won't sell it's beer to bars, shops etc. To sample its wares you'll have to take a trip to the monastery and buy a crate of the stuff. Anyway, Westvleteren beer is for another (happy) day.

Today we're drinking Adelardus Tripel, a dark gold, fairly cloudy affair reminiscent of Hoegaarden Grand Cru and Chimay White so I thought that perhaps there's a little bit of wheat involved. However, the excellent Kerkom website http://www.brouwerijkerkom.be/en/ includes ingredients for all their beers. Guess what? No wheat in this beer! Shows what I know! Other than the usual malt, hops etc. there is 'candy' and 'sweet gale', which is a blend of local spices.

The 'candy' (presumably some sugar variant) is definitely present in its sweet, slightly fruity aroma (a touch of banana) but there is an iron-like whiff that unfortunately builds to a point where it overwhelms the scent. It's not a beer that you can sit sniffing for a while before drinking, so drank I did.

As you'd expect, its got a nice smooth fizziness but contrary to the thick, cloudy appearance it's fairly thin in the mouth. The sweetness that was there in the nose is present in an initial caramel flavour but changes quite quickly to a bitter aftertaste. On further drinking (and after some grub) this develops into quite a characterful tanginess. However there's not an awful lot for your saliva to play with afterwards. The sensation in the mouth is a touch insipid and is a result of the lack of body in the beer.

So unfortunately that leaves me wanting a little. The taste is lacking the sparkle needed to lift it from the pack and its label blends in to a mush of monk-age (although he is particularly cheery). However, I will be going back to the Kerkom brewery, not just because I love their website, but because their other beers are called 'Bink'. Now there's a name you can remember.

Adelardus Tripel - 6.5