Duvel Belgian Golden Ale

Brewery:  Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat
Location: Breendonk-Puurs, Belgium
Style: Pale Ale
Brewery Website
Rating: A

Today we are tasting Duvel's flagship brew, their Belgian Golden Ale. The beer pours a clear straw-gold color with a huge head of clumpy white foam. The nose has malty notes reminiscent of a European lager along with some herbal hops and a hint of yeasty esters.

On the palate there is initial bit of tartness that fades through some herbal and grassy notes and then settles into sweet wheaty malt with some pasta dough flavor. Herbal and winy notes are present and combine to give a brief impression of fume blanc. There is a touch of sweet banana esters as well. The Duvel is medium-bodied and crisp. The finish has lingering sweet malt notes paired with herbal notes that fade in and out.

The Duvel Golden Ale is one of the most widely known Belgian beers. It is highly regarded, and with good reason. This is a well-balanced beer. The Duvel is a malt-forward ale, but has a perfect blend of yeast and hops notes to support the malt and add a wealth of complexity. This beer is a true classic.

Duvel Tripel Hop

Today, Beer! reviews the sensational Duvel Tripel Hop: 

Brewery: Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat

Location: Breendonk-Puurs, Belgium

Style: IPA

Brewery Website

Rating: A+

Today we bring you something special, the Duvel Tripel Hop. Duvel is widely regarded as one of Belgium's best breweries, and the Tripel Hop is rather novel for a Belgian brewery. This beer is an infusion of a distinctly American-style hop-forward IPA with a traditional Belgian-style ale. The Tripel Hop is cloudy, honey-gold in color with a white, clumpy-foam head. The nose has fruity/citrus and spicy hops along with a background note of yeast.

On the palate there is a nice spicy (black pepper) hops note. The yeast and malt lead to some cherry and wine notes. Citrus/grapefruit hops make themselves known. The bitter hops show up eventually, but take a while to shine through the juicy malt. There is also some woodiness and a hint of sweetness. The Duvel Tripel Hop has a medium-heavy body and is on the juicy side. The finish has citrus and spice along with lingering juicy notes.

When a brewery the caliber of Duvel takes on a beer such as this, good things almost always happen. The Tripel Hop is no exception. This is a fantastic combination of IPA-meets-tripel, and Belgium-meets-US craft brew. The end result is the best of both worlds. This beer is juicy, rich and loaded with complex hops flavors and aromas. Well worth every penny, this is truly an exceptional beer.