BELGIAN BEER SPECIAL
The detail is in the Duve
Belgium’s beer heritage is unrivalled. Duvel Moortgat’s extensive portfolio offers specialist independents a rang from the traditional to the exotic, representing a cross-section of the styles that have enthused beer lovers the wo
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uvel Moortgat is a family company, based in Belgium. It owns a glittering collection of quirky breweries all over the world. These are beers for beer lovers, beers for wine lovers, and beers for contemplation – or for food. They don’t do watery. They do balance: and the quality of their ingredients, and of their brewers, shines through. The hero of their range of beers is Duvel, an iconic blond ale with a billowing head. Since it was brewed for the first time, the recipe has never changed. Even the original Scottish yeast is still being used. At 8.5% abv, it is best served in its own Duvel tulip glass with a nucleated bottom which releases an impressive tornado of bubbles. This golden beer has both power and elegant spice, so it pairs very happily with a wide range of foods and dishes. Its backbone of barley sweetness means that Duvel is a fine contrast for cheeses as diverse as parmesan or stilton, or for tandoor curries or chilli con carne. This beer sidles sinuously beside tempura vegetables, chicken pies, apple or pear tarts and many other pastry delights. Pork of any persuasion is heroic. Duvel Tripel Hop Citra (9.5% abv), Duvel’s more exotic sibling, is based on the same Duvel recipe. The brew is then dry hopped late in the process with a third hop – the aromatic American Citra – to enrich the flavour palate with hints of fresh grapefruit and tropical fruits. Tripel Hop can be treated as a full-bodied Sauvignon Blanc, and paired with similar foods: goats’ cheese, seafood, grilled fish, veal, white or green asparagus and spicy vegetable curries.
Vedett Blond is Duvel Moortgat’s premium pilsner (5% abv). It offers full-bodied, thirst-quenching refreshment, with a slightly bitter aftertaste to keep you on your toes. This Belgian lager combines gentle malt sweetness with hints of lemon and a satin-like texture. Vedett Blond’s best food accompaniments are similarly delicate, such as salted nuts, crisps,
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humous, salads, vegetable tarts, quiches, white fish, veal, chicken pies and Thai dishes. The other three beers in the Vedett range include Vedett Extra White, a 4.7% abv wheat beer, with delicious haziness and notes of coriander and orange peel. Vedett IPA, at 5.5% abv, is a juicy IPA using three in-your-face American hops.