TN: Duvel

Beer and Spirits
1

Duvel - Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat NV.
Called Golden Ale on the label, but think Belgian Strong Pale Ale is slightly more accurate - not that I would argue with them While they’re brewing this nectar!? !

From 750 into large Riedel Bordeaux

Beautiful wet straw yellow.

Huge, thick, creamy/foamy head. Leaves a ton of foamy lacing.

Aroma: Big, broad, earthy, slightly herbal. Very pale-malty - Yum!
Big Belgian yeast presence with pronounced yet subtle earthy/spicy/herbal hops.
Alcohol well hidden.

Palate: Big, round, creamy, piquant. Slightly herbal, but round. Spicy. Dry. Tons of beautiful pale malt, but not sweet.
Extended flavor shows beautiful touch of noble, earthy hops. Very long on the palate & a great finish.
Big-boned & fleshy at the same time. Elegance, grace & power.
Alcohol doesn’t stick out at all on the palate either.

Inspired, & really a lot to this.

One of the definitions of Great Beer!

I tell ya - this combination of a strong Belgian Pale Ale & hops is MAGIC!

96 Points.

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flirtysmile

Very Big Proost! for this eternal Classic!

2

No doubt it is lovely stuff.

3

Not a fan, one of the most overrated beers in the world. Just my opinion.

4

Amen. I have had thousands of craft beers and this has always stood out as a good beer, but very overrated and overpriced , as most Belgian beers are. Blasphemy, I know, but just my opinion.

5

Nice note, Rob!

Duvel = yum


Duvel Green = flirtysmile flirtysmile flirtysmile

6

loved it the first few times. Not much of a fan anymore

7

Ouch! lol

One of the great things about Beer & Wine drinking is that everyone has his or her own opinions, & obviously you are more than welcome to yours.
There is a huge difference between not liking something & it being overrated.

Just out of curiosity, what would either of you rate it in any of your preferred marking systems?

And RD, ALL BELGIAN BEERS . . . ??? Are you really a Beer Lover?

[stirthepothal.gif]

8

Brian - have not tasted Duvel Green yet.

Who needs a Bucket-List when there’s so much Great Beer & Wine in the world?!?

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9

I always try to be indifferent when judging wine and beer. If it is well made, as Duvel certainly is, it gets the appropriate score. It is just a very poor QPR and unremarkable in flavor profile. It is velvety smooth and easy drinking, especially for its abv. RDH 88 points.

To further complicate things, I think America makes the best beers in the world, but they are copies of other beer styles from other countries.

10




I think it’s a mediocre beer for my palate, but seems to have the love of most people. I prefer triples for “true” Belgian beers, but Belgian pale “style” is among my favorites. I would rather have a Russian River “Damnation” or Unibroue “Don De Dieu” if given the choice. So not my first choice, but will drink it.

11

I agree. Belgian triples are my favorite and among the finest styles in the world. And the Belgians truly make it the best. They showcase the malt, hops, yeast and brewers talent. I may have to find one for tonight. Affligem Tripel was one of my all-time favorites.

12

Rob, the Duvel Green is also called a “Golden Ale” but just as you believe the Duvel is actually a mis-labeled Strong Ale (as an aside: I totally agree with you on that!), I believe the Duvel Green is a mis-labeled Saison. The Duvel Green is definitely on the “Golden Ale” end of the Saison spectrum, but it fits more in the Saison category, for me, than it does the Golden Ale category. The Green is much lighter than the regular Duvel (iirc, the Duvel Green is a touch under 7% abv), and it’s also less sweet and has a beautiful Saison-y crispness to it. Seek it out. It is fabulous.

13

Agree completely about the RRBC “Damnation” — that beer might be my favorite example of the category. So as to not be misleading, I do think the Duvel is good, but I never buy it; I guess I think it’s good for what it is, but not excellent. Totally different story with the Duvel Green, however.

14

I’m with Joe and Hudak. Very unremarkable beer for a famous Belgian house. I tried the Green a month ago at the Hi-Times tasting and do not have fond memories.

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15

That’s a pretty good (albeit uninspired) description of the Green … not surprised it wasn’t your thing.

16

Thanks for the write up.

In summary my opinion.

  1. Duvel doesn’t move me the way it moves some. I enjoy it but never ever buy it.

  2. Give me a Don De Dieu or a Damnation any day, afternoon, night & etc.

  3. The time I had Duvel Green at Haven on tap, I thought it was excellent. If I saw it in bottle I would buy it. It is always at Haven on tap but I always seem to find something more interesting.

Jason

17

Still have a mag of Duvel from the late 90’s. Wonder how it is?

18

Very intriguing. Try it and tell us. Or better yet, send it to me and I’ll report back!

19

Was it the guy at Hollingshead that said that Duvel requires places to have a 6 month “contract” to be able to carry the Green?

I enjoy the regular Duvel a little more than I did the Green, personally. It seemed to have a green streak (pardon the pun) in it that didn’t sit with me well. And I agree with others here in regards to preferring a RRBC Damnation any day of the week and twice on Sunday over a Duvel.

20

It baffles me that you have a strong preference for the RRBC Damnation over the Duvel, yet prefer the Duvel over the Duvel Green; this baffles me because the Duvel Green is much more similar to the Damnation than the Duvel is to the Damnation. Of course, you may agree with all this and still have your preferences, but it still strikes me as weird.