Steven Albright
#1 Reviewer
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Sunday, 02 March 2008
Average user rating: 4.6
1 User reviews
Brewery Type: Commercial Brewer
Brewery Homepage: http://www.duvel.be/
Year Released: 1871
Recommended Temp: 60 - 70
Alcohol by Volume (%): 8.500
History:
Duvel was founded in 1871 by Jan-Leonard Moortgat, who was descended from a family of brewers that lived in Steenhuffel, Belgium.[1]
In the 1950s, the third generation of Moortgats took control of the brewery.
In the early 1970s, when the company was struggling financially, Moortgat bottled and distributed the Danish beer, Tuborg. This arrangement resulted in a continuous traffic of the large Danish trucks (carrying the beer in bulk) through the small town of Breendonk. A major disagreement between the two companies ended this arrangement in the early 1980s, but it did save the brewery who, by then, had managed to also set up massive distribution channels for their flagship beer, Duvel.
In June 1999, Duvel Moortgat NV went public on Euronext Brussels.
Duvel Moortgat was an original investor in the Brewery Ommegang craft brewery founded in Cooperstown, NY, in the late 1990s. More recently, the Belgian company took over complete control of the brewery and founded a stateside sales organization Duvel USA to handle both Ommegang and Duvel Moortgat brands and others (including Rodenbach).
In September 2006 Duvel Moortgat bought fellow Belgian brewery Brasserie d'Achouffe.[2]
Duvel
To commemorate the end of the First World War, the Moortgats named their main beer Victory Ale. But during the 1920s, an avid drinker described the beer as "nen echten duvel" (a real devil) - perhaps in reference to its formidable alcohol content (8.5% ABV) - and the name of the beer was changed to Duvel. It has become the brewery's flagship beer.[3] Considered by many the definitive version of the Belgian Strong Golden Ale style, Duvel is brewed with Pilsner malt and white sugar, and hopped with Saaz and Styrian Goldings.
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| Overall rating | 3.6 | |
| Aroma | 3.0 | |
| Appearance | 4.0 | |
| Flavor | 4.0 | |
| Palate | 3.0 | |
| Overall | 4.0 | |
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Maltiness: Medium
Sampled: Bottle
Sample Temp: 50 - 60
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| Overall rating | 4.6 | |
| Aroma | 5.0 | |
| Appearance | 4.0 | |
| Flavor | 5.0 | |
| Palate | 4.0 | |
| Overall | 5.0 | |
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Edited by Jay Spies - View all my reviews - Top 10 Reviewer
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| Overall rating | 4.6 | |
| Aroma | 5.0 | |
| Appearance | 4.0 | |
| Flavor | 5.0 | |
| Palate | 4.0 | |
| Overall | 5.0 | |
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That being said, to drink a Duvel is to walk a razor's edge. The beer is at once delicate and demonic. The best examples are served in a 750 ml wired-down bottle, and the beer presents with a tremendous pop, as it's usually carbonated to well over 4 volumes of CO2 (your average beer is maybe 2.5). Serve this beer in a tulip glass. If you don't have one, use a white wine glass. The head, when you pour it, is densely rocky, thick, and smow white. The head will easily take up half the glass space, and that is for good reason - the aromatics are half the pleasure. They nose is initially spicy, with dramatic overtones of white pepper, coriander and bready yeast. No spices are added to Duvel - this magic is brought to you solely courtesy of the yeast. Hops are nonexistent in the aroma, and as the beer warms in the glass, a grainy cereally malt flavor emerges, as does the bready yeast aroma. These intertwine to produce an aroma of freshly baked bread and pepper spice. Wonderful.
When you take your first sip, be prepared for the carbonation. It's intense. It's reminiscent strongly of Champagne. The carbonic acid from the CO2 assaults your palate, but in doing so spreads the flavor around. Duvel is all about being a transport mechanism for yeast flavor. The white pepper notes from the Moortgat yeast strain are unmistakable, and they carry with them the typical Belgian spice notes that you commonly find in other Belgian beers. Duvel is lighter than other Golden Strongs in body and mouthfeel. Compared to other examples like Piraat, Lucifer, and even North Coast's Pranqster, it seems thin and perhaps even watery. However, by the end of the glass, you'll know why it was made like that. The Devil didn't get associated with these beers coincidentally. They are very easy to drink, and Duvel perhaps one of the easiest to drink of them all. By the end of the sip, the carbonation has dissipated, and you're left with a clean, spicy bready body that finishes crisp and enlivening. The beer presses you to take another sip.
It's here that the low gravity of the beer comes into play. Duvel has almost no residual sugars remaining in the finished product. It's what brewers call a dry beer. Since the finish is clean and crisp, it doesnt coat your palate snd discourage further drinking, as other styles may do. The finish is short, but snappy. This beer is a great accompaniement to an appetizer like a goat's cheese salad or fresh seafood.
All in all Duvel is a wonderful experience, not to be missed in the Belgian lineup of classics. Try it and you'll see why. Cheers! Jay
Maltiness: Medium
Sampled: Specialty Bottle
Sample Temp: 40 - 50