Duvel Groen

Origin: Belgium

Type: Strong golden ale

Color: Straw/pale gold

Alcohol content: 7.5%

Recommended serving temperature: 10ºC/50ºF

Brewery: Duvel-Moortgat

I spent last weekend in Brussels visiting friends and family (seriously, that was the primary motive for the trip, don't laugh!). While there I paid a visit to (okay, raided) one of my favorite beer stores in the city, Beer Mania, searching for things not readily available to me in Spain. 

Among my many discoveries, I found a curious 25 cl. bottle of Duvel with the name printed in green (groen is green in Flemish) on the label. It turns out that it's a lower alcohol (7.5% ABV) and filtered version of the traditional Duvel, only available in Belgium.

I had seen it before in passing, I can't remember where, but I had never gotten around to trying it, probably because it's lower in alcohol than the original and smaller in size. This time around though I felt that it was time to give it a shot.

It is light gold to straw in color, with a shocking level of clarity, as you can tell from the fact that you can see the counter through it in the picture. It appears to have a little less carbonation than the original, displaying a slightly smaller white head when you pour which still leaves behind an impressive amount of lacing as you drink. The bubbles emanating from the bottom of the glass are still there, just like in the regular Duvel and if anything are even more noticeable given the filtration. 

Duvel Groen starts off with a slightly sulfuric smell from the yeast. Once this dissipates you get through to some soft bread from the malt and a lot of fruitiness. The wide array of fruits is really amazing here. Mild whiffs of peach coexist with light and sweet citrus and some pear to finish off, a mix of the esters produced by the yeast and the European hops. These hops also provide herby and floral touches, making for an overall very enjoyable aroma that I just can't get enough of.

These same factors are also carried on into the taste of the beer, with the yeast yet again at the forefront. The earthy and sulfuric yeast flavor quickly gives way to the same fruitiness, accentuated in this case with a more prominent hop flavor. This slightly shifts the balance towards citric and floral flavors, without losing a certain stonefruit flavor. The latter is somewhat spurred on by the sweetness of the malt, which tends to marginally beat bitterness in the balance.

This sweetness however is very restrained and quickly fades with the help of the prickly carbonation that characterizes Duvels, giving way to a dry end with a very mild warming senstion from the alcohol. I posit that the only reason this alcohol is even slightly noticeable (other than the fact that there's a very healthy 7.5% that is) is the filtration, which thins out the body and somewhat lulls the flavors compared to the original.

It is no secret that I really admire Duvel Moortgat for the beers they produce, however what they have done here is borderline magic. It's impressive how the yeast character shines through for such a filtered beer, keeping it distinctly Belgian. As a homebrewer who enjoys brewing Belgian ales, this is what I tell my yeast they should aspire to when they grow up. 

Food pairing: Try this with a fillet of hake, baked in the oven with a few slices of lemon and sprinkled with herbs.