Falling short

You may not have heard of the Huyghe brewery but if you're into your beer you've probably tried, if not at least heard of Delirum Tremens. Who could resist the ceramic style bottle and those quirky pink elephants? Ok maybe you hate them - it's your choice. I personally think, whilst also being an excellent (and unique) beer, it's a perfect example of how you can position yourself ahead of others in the market. They're out to sell beers after all. What's the harm in trying to charm a few people along the way?

This post, however, is about St Idesbald Dubbel, a different family of beers from the Huyghe cupboard, which couldn't be more traditionally presented. It's clear that they're keen to serve all corners of the market; they bought this 'brand' in 1992, along with 'Campus'. This beer, along with its Blonde, Tripel and Rousse siblings have not a sight of a pink elephant anywhere upon them; a crest with a latin motto enables them to cover the Abbey beer market without rocking any boats.

So how does it match up to its step-sister, the mighty Delirium? Well, it's a mixed bag...

Despite being sat in my fridge for well over 24 hours there was nothing short of an eruption when opened, with both bottles I had. Even when prepared for the second bottle I lost a load of beer, such was the fervent frothing. It was so prevalent that once I'd managed to pour the glass there was still 2 inches of foam left in the bottle. I'm not one to practise my cocktail shaking with bottles before opening so perhaps they added too much priming sugar in this particular batch (sugar added when bottling feeds the small quantity of yeast left in the beer and by-product is carbon gas, i.e. head), but who's to know? Not a great start, though.

Then, in the glass, once again, (i feel like a bloody broken record) the scent is ruined by iron presence in the nose, though not as badly as other previous culprits. However, to stain the aroma so much so soon robs you of one of the simplest pleasures. Yes, it's there to be drunk but a good old whiff whets the appetite beautifully. What's worrying is that I've noticed it's really prevalent in Belgian beers. For a country which I hold in the highest esteem I'm starting to worry if enough breweries have control over their beer. I can't imagine it's anything to do with being out of date because pretty much every example has been a Dubbel, a beer which you would usually associate with improving as it ages.

This is all a bit of a shame really, because St Idesbald is a hidden gem. It has one of the most balanced flavours I've tasted in a while, for a Dubbel. It's pleasingly gritty with sediment simply piled up at the bottom of the glass. The texture is wonderfully light (what do you expect with all that foam) and the finish is lovely and sweet, with just a hint of spice. It gives you something to chew on between sips. On winter nights, it's a charming little late night beer to warm yourself, without being obviously spiced or seasonal.

There are others who do it better (Petrus Dubbel Bruin is a shining example) but after drinking LOTS of Dubbels over the last few months this really is a tasty example, which after initial failings, is a very solid example of how a simple Dubbel can stick to task and still be very enjoyable to drink. Lets hope the iron and foam was just in this batch...

St Idesbald Dubbel - 8.5/6.5 (batch dependant?)

http://www.delirium.be/bier/4/0/st._idesbald.html

First Impressions Last?

Sight and smell aren't to be underestimated when concocting a brew, smell most of all. Sniffing beer like a ponce is something I try to do surreptitiously (or at least in private) to try and avoid the comparison with winos but hey, I'm only kidding myself. The other weekend I met a chap at Meantime who proudly announced he was going to become the UK's first beer sommelier. There's no going back.

But lets face it, our noses are there to be trusted. If somebody gives you a glass of what looks like muddy water (which some beers do), you might want to give it a sniff to check it's not going to be riddled with cholera. Thankfully, no pathogens can live in booze so once you smell alcohol you can be assured that you're safe. Whether it'll taste good is another matter.

So there's my excuse, anyway. I'm only thinking of my health.

Kapittel Watou Pater is another beer adorned with a picture of monks. But this time it's a whole gang! It's as if they're in a little club where they play bridge and quaff beer and they've kindly posed for a picture for the local rag. Anyway I shan't rattle on about labels too much. Today it's about odour.

I use the word odour specifically, instead of something pleasant like aroma, because this beer don't smell right. Once again, we've got iron filings and loads of it. I may as well be sniffing the beer through a rusty old pipe. All the 'plums, banana bread and sweet burning wood' (their words, not mine) are locked away in a metal box and may as well not be there. Someone more learned than myself should be able to confirm but I think it's the mineral content of the water out of kilter that causes this. Too much calcium if I'm not mistaken...

So I'd basically written off this beer before drinking it. To be honest the first impressions were so poor that it was going to take a lot to change my mind. Saying that, it looked the part; it had the murky charm of Rochefort 6 which is one of the world's greatest beers from, in my opinion, the best Trappist brewery out there. I like lots of micro flotsam in my drink, it reminds you that it's made from stuff of the earth, hearty and good for you. But looks don't amount to much, there's a certain amount of time before you're going to have to drink it.

The first half of the glass was fairly uninspiring but not unpleasant to say the least, but the further I got the better it became. I'm fairly convinced it's because the temperature starts to rise. The warmer it becomes the more you can taste (hence Carling is served extra cold). So as I was was finishing the glass there was plenty going on. It reminded me of a warm, spicy, delicate whisky (Highland Park 18yr to be precise). Where the whisky gets its nuance from nearly two decades in wood, the beer relies on malt and a mix of spices and they finally come through, delivering taste like the postman delivers mail: late. 

However, it's just a little too late to save the beer in my opinion. There's just too much enjoyment to be savoured in the first moments of a beer that are ruined in this instance. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't slap you across the chops if you returned from the bar with a glass for me, I just might hold my nose.

Kapittel Watou Pater - 6.5

http://www.brouwerijvaneecke.be/en/assortiment/kapittel-pater-1

As an addition I not long ago tried Van Eecke's Hommel Bier - it was fine, if not a bit uninspiring but bizarrely tasted horrific when accompanied by food.