Duvel

Name: Duvel
Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale
ABV (%): 8.50
Brewery: Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat NV

The famous Duvel!  I have high expectations for this guy!  If it doesn’t rank an 8+, it will be underperforming!  I grabbed this guy on sale at Trader Joe’s.  It’s one I’ve been meaning to try for quite some time.  This was poured from a 1 pt. 9.4 oz. (750 mL) bottle into a freezer-chilled pint glass.  Best before date is 07/08/13.  Instructions say “POUR UNHURRIEDLY.”  I chuckled at that.

I don’t spend a whole lot of time with pilsners, because…well…they’re terrible.  And this is colored like a pilsner.  Scary!  But I do love watching the insane carbonation fly up the glass in this beer.  And holy cow, what a head!  On the pour, it didn’t go out of control and start to climb out of the glass, but it was quite formidable in size.  When it died down, the foam was clinging to the sides of the glass the way it does when you take a swig out of a root beer float.  The foam sits on top of this beer like it’s a cappuccino.  Yum.

The smell almost reminds me of chardonnay.  Distinctly citrus.  I smell apples, with some faint yeast.  This is clean and crisp.  It smells fresh, even though it’s been bottle conditioned.

I apologize for comparing this to a pilsner.  Yes, it has pilsner malts, but other than that, it was an insult.  This is delicious.  Mild yeast, not too overwhelming.  A perfect combination of citrus, hops, and carbonation to give this beer a gentle bite.  It has a great flavor and a shockingly mild aftertaste.  It doesn’t linger in the mouth.  It’s not incredibly complex, but there is a perfect marriage of ingredients.  You can definitely tell they’ve been brewing this beer forever.

It dances on the tongue, for lack of a more concrete description.  This beer is crisp, clean, and perfect for spring.  It doesn’t linger on the tongue any more than it should, it doesn’t leave your throat feeling sticky, and it’s not dry.  It is incredibly refreshing.

This beer has some solid drinkability.  It’s not particularly heavy, and the second I put down my glass, I want another taste.  That may all be by design.  This beer certainly did not disappoint.

Look: 9
Smell: 8
Taste: 8
Feel: 9
Drink: 9
Overall: 8.4