Achouffe - McChouffe Brown Ale

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McChouffe Brown Ale

Brasserie D'Achouffe

Rue du Village 32

6666 Achouffe, Belgium

Est.late 1970's

(2006 as part of Duvel-Moortgat)

www.achouffe.be

Brain Damage Quotient = 8.0 % ABV

Fluid Oz. = 25.4

Postmortem Brew Review

Hazy, dark brown color.

Notes of Belgian yeast, dark breads and fruits. Some alcohol noticeable.

One finger, tan head. Disappears quickly leaving little lacing.

Tastes slightly spicy, peppery. Dark fruits; sticky raisin tastes predominate.

Soft carbonation.
Light to medium bodied. Nice flavor complexity.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy

Brasserie D'Achouffe is a Belgian brewer that has been around for several decades. Recently they came under the arm of Duvel-Moortgat, a fine purveyor of Belgian ales. This brown ale (Scottish ale/Abbey ale) is made with spring water from the Ardennes region, long known for their refreshing and restorative powers. English Golding and Saaz hops are combined with pilsener malts and top fermenting Belgian yeast to produce this hand crafted ale. The final touch is double fermentation (bottle fermenting) that features a soft, natural carbonation.

Their gnomes embellish the bottles of all the ales produced from the Brasserie giving its branding a cute and impish playfulness. I was inspired to try this brown ale after not being able to help but notice the decoratively painted bottle. I was hooked on the taste. Since it is a large bottle with a large amount of ABV, you will make many friends with this one!

Don't think you like Belgians? Try McChouffe and see the difference hand crafting and fine ingredients make.

You can catch up with me later, frolicking with the gnomes...

Maredsous - Brune 8

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Maredsous Brune (Bruin) 8

Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat

Abbaye-Abdij

Breendonkdorp 58
Breendonk-Puurs, 2870 Belgium

Est. 1871
www.maredsousbieres.be

Brain Damage Quotient = 8.0 % ABV

Fluid Oz. = 11.2 

Postmortem Brew Review

Dark brown pour.
Malty sweetness and dark fruits on the nose.

Light brown head that produces one and a half fingers of head. Sticks around a while.

Draped lacing on glass.

Roasted malts and caramel with some dark frutiness. Tastes consistent with the aromas.

Lightly carbonated. Thin drinking quality with dry malt aftertaste.

Medium bodied. Alcohol is nicely masked.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy

Maredsous is brewed under the Duvel Moortgat family of beers. The tradition of monastic brewing goes back to the 6th century, where St. Benedict encouraged monks to contribute to the local communities and their brewing processes were used. Because of disease and other epidemics, the practice of boiling water had become common and was used in the production of their beer. Yes, the Reaper was on hand during those difficult plague ridden times. Ah those were the days. But I digress...don't hate the player...after all, they learned to survive on beer making practices. So there you have it. The Reaper was the impetus behind beer's ability to flourish. Winning!

At that time, these beers were likely to be low in alcohol as a result and reserved for fasting monks that often made their entire diet on these brews. More enjoyably for us now, they are available in higher ABV percentages.

Be sure to also visit the Abbaye's webpage for Maredsous. Beautiful ale with a beautiful website, as a bonus. As if we need a bonus beyond the beer.

Maredsous - Tripel 10

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Maredsous Triple (Tripel) 10

Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat

Abbaye-Abdij

Breendonkdorp 58

Breendonk-Puurs, 2870 Belgium

Est. 1871

www.maredsousbieres.be

Brain Damage Quotient = 10.0 % ABV

Fluid Oz. = 11.2 

Postmortem Brew Review

Deep golden color. Translucent.
Malty sweetness and dark fruits on the nose.

Smallish, light white head. Dissipates over time.

Surprisingly it has long stretchy lacing on glass.

Higher amount of malt than other Tripel's. Fruits flavors seem all over the map; cherry, apple, raisin.

Medium amount of carbonation.

Light/medium body. Alcohol is noticeable from middle of sip throughout finish.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy

Maredsous Triple is like none other that I've tasted in the Tripel style. There is a more pronounced malt presence and the fruits are coming in from all over. Not to say that this is a bad thing.

The alcohol is high at 10% ABV and this ale makes no bones about it. About midway through the sip it comes bang on and sticks around with warmth and booziness. Again, not a bad thing.

Maredsous Tripel/Triple 10. A different Tripel. Not a bad thing!

Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat - Duvel Belgian Golden Ale

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Duvel Belgian Golden Ale
Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat
Melle, Belgium
Est. 1654
www.duvel.be

Brain Damage Quotient = 8.5 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 11.2

Postmortem Brew Review
Deep golden color.
Clove with peppery smell. Bread and fruits, like apple and lemon.
Two finger near tan colored head that dissipates rapidly. Spotty lacing.
Apple and grain taste with a tart finish, not unlike that of champagne.
Abundant carbonation.
Light to medium bodied mouth feel. A bit boozy.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Well done, well done, well done. Here's to a beer that can be drunk on any occasion. Great for an everyday try or at special celebrations. Its a beer that is comfortable to enjoy at a fine restaurant or even, dare I say, after mowing the lawn. You might want to cut the lawn first, becasue it's not advisable to operate dangerous machinery in the presence of 8.5% ABV.


So relax. What ever you are doing is worth doing with a Duvel. Once you try one, you'll know for yourself, just what I'm talking about.