For the next of my beer reviews I am moving on to another excellent Belgian beer that I sampled at Chesterfield Beer Festival. This is another of my favourites and one that I have since sampled many times, both in Belgium and in the UK. I love Duchesse de Bourgogne and would like to introduce this lovely lady to you!

~~~THE BREWERY.

The Duchesse is brewed at the Verhaeghe Brewery which is based in the Flemish town of Vichte. The brewery dates from the end of the 19th Century and they pride themselves on using traditional methods to produce their beers. Their motto is “Better less But Better” ~ not got a clue what it means though I’m afraid!

~~~THE BEER.

***A Bit of Background***

Who exactly is the lady who appears on the label of Duchesse de Bourgogne and what is she doing holding a bird? The regal looking lady is actually Mary of Burgundy (daughter of the Duke of Burgundy). She was born in the 15th Century in the Flanders city of Bruges (another place I will be visiting when we visit Belgium this year). She died after a hunting accident and is now buried in Our Lady’s Church in Bruges.

She was greatly loved by the people of Flanders and they were very upset at her tragic death at the age of only 25. The painting on the label of the bottle dates from around 1485 and shows Mary with her falcon ~ apparently she was hunting with the falcon when she fell and died!

Duchesse de Bourgogne is a beer that is matured in oak casks for around 18 months before sale ~ this is supposed to give depth of flavour and the tannin in the oak gives a more fruity taste. As with other Belgian Beers the Duchesse is best appreciated at around 8 to 10 degrees Celsius and has its own unique glass ~ in this case a stemmed wine goblet with the name displayed in white script.

***Vital Stats***

Duchess de Bourgogne weighs in at 6.2% and is brewed in the style of a West Flanders Red Beer. The red colour comes from dark coloured toasted malt and they tend to be sour blends of old and new brews of beer.

***Look, Aroma & texture***

As you would expect from a Red Beer, the Duchesse has a lovely browny red colour. When poured it has a small, slightly bubbly head which lingers for a while and leaves some lacing on the side of the glass. Aroma is slightly sour and apply (a bit like the scent of cider vinegar) ~ it is quite a sharp, almost acidic smell that some people are going to love and others dislike at once! There is also a lovely cherry smell, a bitter dark chocolate aroma and a developing nuttiness as the drink warms slightly.

The texture is quite light (in terms of fizziness, not body) and carbonated. It pours to give a sparkly mouth feel and there are obvious bubbles in the glass. This makes the Duchesse refreshing and easy to drink despite the sourness. It also has a medium body that gives it a rich, smooth texture.

***Taste***

Above all the Duchesse is a sour beer! It also displays a variety of flavours that blend, develop and jostle to hit your taste buds. There is a sweet and sour element that makes you smack your lips ~ it begins as a tart, sour taste with elements of lemon and cider vinegar. As you swallow and take in more you come across soft toasty malt, more cherries and the sweetness of fruit (kind of passion fruity). There is also an underlying (but not overpowering) hint of chocolate ~ this gives a depth, smoothness and a good rich balance to the taste.

The finish becomes increasingly hoppy and slightly bitter, leading to an aftertaste that is lingering and predominantly sour and sharp. It is quite dry too with a lasting and underlying hint of chocolate.

~~~WHAT TANGE THINKS.

I love Duchesse de Bourgogne! So much so that we ordered 12 bottles for me to drink after the Beer Festival (Alun ordered 12 bottles of Rochefort 8, but that is another story) from our beer supplier. A bottle (250ml size) costs around £1.25 if you buy it by the case. At the Beer Festival (with the token system ~ 1 token equals 90p) a bottle set us back 2 tokens plus 20p, making it £2.20. Thankfully there are more online retailers that sell it (including Beers of Europe at http://www.beersofeurope.co.uk)

I am not claiming that everyone will love this beer ~ Alun tastes it and grimaces every time! He does admit that it is better slightly chilled, but he has still left all the bottles to me and kept to his own! It does have the nice chocolate element that combines well with the sourness and the fruit, but it IS an acquired taste that not everyone will appreciate. Those who like it LOVE it! Those who don’t just sip and move on….

The Duchesse and I get on really well! I love the well balanced blend of flavours and I am impressed with the way that these flavours build and work together to produce a really well crafted beer. The way that the brewers have managed to combine the sweet and sour elements is brilliant and almost reminiscent of a good quality Balsamic vinegar. Chocolate is always a bonus too!

I thoroughly recommend that you give a bottle of Duchesse de Bourgogne a try. Bear in mind, however, that it is 6.2% and thus pretty strong and potent. It isn’t as strong as some Belgian beers, but is a lot more alcoholic than most British beers. The bottle is quite small though, so you can drink a couple of bottles with not too many ill effects!

Go on….treat yourself to the regal taste of the Duchesse!


~~~BREWERY DETAILS.


Brouwerij Verhaeghe
Beukenhofstraat 96
B-8570 Vichte
West Flanders
Belgium
+32 056 77 70 32