Duvel Tasting: January 27-29

An all-time classic. My review and rating many years ago was 4.73. I stand by that.

 

I’m in. And it’s the rare branded glass that I own aside from the same Lagunitas wide mouth and Sierra Nevada pint glasses that everyone owns.

 

This beer was purchased today as a 4-pack in cold storage. The side of the can states: "Brewed by Duvel Moortgat, Puurs, Belgium" followed by "Imported by Duvel Moortgat USA, Cooperstown, New York. Packaged by Duvel Moortgat, Kansas City, Missouri."

The bottom of the can reads: "L032422 15:48 24MAR2023G"

Not picking up much of an aroma at all. There is a very light hint of clove that is barely there.

Up front there is a light earthy flavor which becomes much stronger towards the middle of the palate. Towards the center it also picks up a strong bay leaf flavor mixed with burnt herbs. Some noticeable alcohol comes through during the first sip but it is quickly eclipsed by the herbal notes. The alcohol only resurfaces again from time to time to be driven out once more by the strong herbal notes. There is a mint note that follows.

A touch of a skunky flavor in the middle which also only pops up from time to time making it difficult to pinpoint where it creeps in on the palate. Clove presents itself on the center of the palate which becomes stronger with subsequent sips. The clove lingers a bit in the aftertaste but mostly it is strong burnt cooking herb flavor. The glass was not large enough to hold the entire pint of beer, and the pour towards the bottom of the can delivered a bit of bubblegum.

The beer feels medium-light when it first hits the palate, but it finishes in a much lighter state. Carbonation is high. Bitterness is on the high end.

 

I figure I'd start with a Duvel-ishly lower ABV offering from the brewers of Duvel, Duvel 6,66%. The aforementioned posts and linked posts indicate a 30-month best by date for regular Duvel, which I have to wonder if it applies to this beer. If it is still accurate for the regular beer, mine have a little age on them. This one "expires" a couple months earlier in September of this year.


Carbonation is unaffected by whatever age this bottle is. The pale yellow body glows when backlit by the sunlight penetrating our house. A bright white head billowed to prevent me from getting the bottle in the Duvel glass in one continuous stream.

Sea foam remained as I swirled the glass for my first sniff. A familiar Duvel aroma was joined by a moderate grassiness at first blush. A bit of sweet bread, some unripe nectarine and a thin slice of banana, and a hay strewn barn with the door opening to a field mowed a day or two ago.

First sip hits my palate with a minor carbonation attack and a dry bitterness. It's pretty cold, still, but as my mouth warms the beer, it sweetens a bit, but falls short of letting any of the fruits from the nose develop.

Eventually, the banana starts to come out first, but clove develops faster. The beer continues to follow a pattern of a dry, bitter-leaning start with a sugar-dusted banana sweetness backing things until the beer warms to the point of not quickly chilling my hand when I pick it up.

It works closer to what I recall of regular Duvel over time, but still seems to be drier and a little more bitter. I'll likely have them together at some point this weekend to see if my thoughts hold true. Cheers!

 

Just finished my first of two for this tasting.

Duvel



My OG review was one of the first I wrote, with minimal text or information as I didn't really know how to write a proper review.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/222/695/?ba=ChicagoJ#review

I'd say the primary differences I noted tonight are as follows:

• The head was significant, requiring several pours into my chalice.
• The clove in the aroma was stronger than the taste, both were consistent in terms of the clove, flavor and aroma were mild.

I believe my bottle's best by is September 2023, not sure when it was bottled. Here are the codes someone may better decipher to help others.

09 2023
L01407 0919

Bottom line, this beer was OK, and while I would have enhanced my review notes, I think my scores were on point to perhaps overly generous. I enjoyed the beer, and look forward to my 666 version tomorrow.

 

Best by of 07/2019. The aroma gives off a strong apple pie vibe — the apple, the crust and all that. In the taste it continues, but isn’t as vibrant. No skunkiness, no barnyard, no pepper. Not sure I’ll finish this. Drink it fresh.

 

When this thread came to be, I realized that I didn’t recall ever doing a Duvel and Single blind tasting… and this needed to be rectified. I picked up whatever my usual store had in stock - which meant the inclusion of Tripel Hop but no 666. I had all of the pictured beers in a blind comparison and here is my reaction:

The regular Duvel was the clear favorite. I have never loved this beer, but I always admired its punch to drinkability ratio. This tasting made me appreciate it more… which is as good as one would hope for with these tasting threads. Compared to the other beers, it was nuanced and subtle but layered - a showcase for subtle complexity. Very fruity but with a bitter finish and a lemon and baguette taste.

Single was really lackluster compared to the others - surprisingly so. It was the closest to the “best by” date. While I think the age had an impact, I doubt it was the biggest influence. This beer clearly had the worst head. The carbonation in suspension was relatively terrible. The beer felt flat in comparison to the others. It was much less fruity than regular Duvel. This beer is dry-hopped with Citra and I wonder if this was done to compensate for the lack of bottle conditioning. All the edges of Duvel were sanded off for this beer. I was surprised by how unenjoyable it was.

The label states that Tripel Hop is an “India pale ale” and they aren’t kidding. The aroma and taste explode with hops. The beer is orangey with a lot of tartness and a bitter finish. It feels more like a modern IPA with tropical fruit flavors than a retro craft IPA with some malt balance. I wonder how it would compare to certain American IPAs. Compared to regular Duvel, it feels like an assault. It also feels like a waste - with the hop character covering up the character of regular Duvel. I am shocked to see the elevated ABV of 9.5%.

In my mind, Duvel is the ultimate “mess you up quick” beer (and I don't mean that as an insult). Has drinking these three beers in the span of one hour changed that impression? No, it certainly hasn’t. I am surprised by how wide the gap is between these three beers regarding my enjoyment level though.

 

Where are you seeing this? Their website states 18 months.

 

From a post where @ChicagoJ pointed to another thread back on post #11. But if you want to believe information directly from the source, go right ahead

 

The standard Belgian strong pale ale is outrageously good. So drinkable… especially at the masked 8.5%. Lightly bitter, hoppy, the delightful effervescence. It truly has it all. I know I’m preaching to the choir, but it is one of my desert island beers. Defying some beers that I love but might need to be in the mood to drink, this beer is always welcome in my glass. Cheers!

 

From Tuesday's promise, I'm back. But because I often get distracted by all the options in a store, I forget why I go in there. So, I only bought Duvel's 6.66 and had it with appetizers tonight and confirmed it is best and great with summer fare.

However, I want to talk more about Duvel-Moortgat. Much of the chatter in our movement is about crafters selling out to macros and brand managers. But Duvel provides a totally different model: they were a family-owned crafter 150 years ago and they are today. In the meantime, they purchased Vedett and Maredsous from Belgium (hard to find here in the Midwest) and Chouffe (easier and very good to find) while picking up major North American innovators Ommegang, Firestone Walker and Boulevard. Because Duvel is a crafter, they seem to let these other crafters do their own thing... instead of setting performance criteria typical of brand managers.

There is more to Duvel's management style, but the end result is better crafted ales get better distribution. And that is better for all, but particularly for the American palate.

 

I really can’t tell much difference between this and regular duvel. The carbonation turns me off from really enjoying this one.

 

Greetings all, I'll be away this weekend so I'm getting at least one variant tonight and it's the og:


It's even better than I remembered. I really must drink this more often!

Peppery spice hits me first, but backing it up is cookie dough, a pineapple-kiwi-lemon drop fruitiness, fresh hay, and a smidge of earthy musk. Extremely well balanced and drinkable. Some hints of its strength are barely noticeable, though it's a welcome sense of heft as well. Initially sweet, but surprisingly crisp and dry on the finish, with a clean carbonic bitter bite.

It's a classic for a reason. Thanks for starting this one @FBarber , and I look forward to following along with the thread. Cheers!

 

My first Duvel in probably 15 years. Thanks for hosting @FBarber ! Best by 09/2023



If ever an 8.5% ABV beer can said to be refreshing, this is it. The esters and cloves are light while citrus is light and zesty. Been too damn long.

 

Does any beer have better PGW than Duvel?

 

Hey! That glass was designed by a student at Rochester Institute of Technology.

https://graphicdesign.cad.rit.edu/graphicdesign/student-spotlights