It recently dawned on me that, despite the fact that I drink beer every single day, I have been really bad about writing about the beers I drink.

Bad Beer Wench.

Last week, I had the opportunity to shadow brewmaster Steve Altimari as “Brewer For A Day” at Valley Brewing Company. The experience was tremendous and I look forward to writing about it shortly.

Steve was kind enough to send me home with a couple of samples. I figure it is only nice of me to talk about them, right?

Today I popped open a bottle of Decadent Evil. According to its label, Decadent Evil is considered to be a Belgian Style Golden Ale. Valley used local organic pomegranate honey in a secondary fermentation. This beer originally debuted as part of the 2009 Collaborative Evil GABF project.

DECADENT EVIL

Specs: Pilsner Malt, a little Cara malt, Oatmeal (3%) and Wheat (9%). Mt. Hood hops,
32 IBU’s calc., only one bittering charge. 1.084 starting gravity. Organic pomegranate honey added in secondary fermentation.

Appearance: Deep marigold, excellent clarity, relatively thin white head that dissipates quickly.

Aroma: Significant fruity esters reminiscent of banana-nut bread (dead serious on that one), sugar cookies and honey. Moderate pepper notes. Spicy & floral hop aroma. Very light malt character, aroma is dominated by hops & yeast.

Taste: Sweet and slightly “winey” with hints of honey. Extremely fruity with a noticeable hop bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Moderate carbonation, smooth, medium bodied, slightly vicious, noticeable alcohol warmth. Dry, bitter finish.

Overall: Complex, well-balanced and very fruity. Its fruity ester dominated aroma in combination with its bitter, dry finish is very reminiscent of Duvel. The main difference, is the honey addition and its winey like character.

For me, this beer was both Decadent and Evil. The organic pomegranate addition in secondary fermentation gave it a unique complexity that I really appreciated. Since I have had the opportunity to spend time with him, I know personally that Steve likes to use pomegranate in his beers. He is pretty dedicated to putting his own “Central Valley California” touch on all of his beers — which I think is awesome.

This is definitely a perfect beer for my wine friends. And my beer friends. Well heck, all my friends.

Cheers!

Disclaimer: This beer was given to me as a free sample from Valley Brewing Company. (Stupid disclosure laws…)

True story: France isn’t really known for its beer.

Gourmet cuisine? Yes. World-class wines? Yes. Art? Yes. Architecture? Yes. History? Yes. Beer? NO.

However, Flanders IS known for beer.

The Flag of Flanders

Not quite a country, Flanders is a geographical region consisting of parts of Belgium, France & the Netherlands.

Map of Flanders

Today, the French region of Flanders lies in the modern-day region of Nord-Pas de Calais, on the Belgian border.

Nord Pas-de-Calais is home of France’s only native style of beer – Bière de Garde. Bière de Garde literally translates into “beer for keeping” … or “beer for storage.” Like the saisons of Belgium, bières de garde were originally farmhouse ales brewed for the farmers and their fieldhands. However, they were vastly different in flavor profile from saisons. Whereas traditional saisons were lighter bodied and lower in ABV, traditional bières de garde were known for being intense, invigorating & strong. They are typically stored in traditional champagne bottles.

Unfortunately, this post is NOT entirely about bières de garde. Sadly, I am not in possession of a Flemish bière de garde. However, I do have a bottle of Jolly Pumpkins La Roja … an American craft beer brewed in the bière de garde style … in a box hidden in my closet somewhere. But we are not going to be tasting that beer at this time, either. FYI: La Roja is one of my FAVORITE beers and I highly recommend it.

Mmmm Wenchie Love La Roja

Alas, for this post I will be tasting a French beer brewed a different style … a Belgian Strong Ale to be exact

The beer I have chosen to taste for this post is Belzebuth – a 13% ABV Belgian Strong Pale Ale. DISCLAIMER: I am fully aware of Belzebuth’s less than desirable reviews. From what I’ve read, I can deduct that the high alcohol in this beer completely overwhelms the aroma and the palate … significantly reducing its complexity.

HOWEVER, I personally have never tasted this beer. And although I have visited France, drink lots of French wine and am a big fan of most things French (esp the Riviera!) … I have yet to taste an official French beer! (Gasp!)

So regardless of the terrible reviews, I am going to subject my palate to Belzebuth … in the name of beer and research. And who knows … maybe it really isn’t that bad, right?

Ingredients used in the brew include Pale Ale, Vienne & Ambered malts as well as Flemish Brewers’ Gold, Hallertau, Aromatic & Styrian hops.

According to the brewer:

“BELZEBUTH from Brasserie Grain D’Orge is a very unique golden ale in the world at 13% alc./vol. It is top-fermented all malt filtered ale. Its pungent taste is a result of a particular variety of yeast and mixture of three different malts. No extra alcohol is added to the natural process nor water is removed to increase its strength. This golden ale has a complex aroma, which almost defies description with fullness of flavors overcoming the warming sensation of alcohol. Perfect as an aperitif or with a sinful desserts.”

With sinful desserts? As both a beer and sugar fanatic, The Wench will be a judge of that! Ha!

And without further ado … on to the tasting!

The Wench’s Tasting Notes: BELZEBUTH Blond Ale

Brewery: Brasserie Grain D’orge

Region: Flanders region of Northern France

Style: Belgian Strong “Blond” Ale

Color: Hazy burnt orange copper with an off-white head

Carbonation: Pours a thick, foamy white head. The head is lasting and the ale leaves a really decent amount of lacing on the glass. (Point for The Wench for a well-cleaned glass!)

I let the ale warm down quite a bit before attempting to review the aroma and flavor.

Aroma: The aroma is heavy with sweet malt, caramelized sugar and doughy yeast. As expected, the alcohol is extremely present and almost completely overwhelms the aroma. Every once in awhile I get hints of orange peel.

Mouthfeel: Super thick, heavy and syrupy. Warming sensation from the noticeably high ABV.

Flavor: Heavy malt – lots of brown sugar & caramel. The alcohol leaves a burning tingle on the tongue and warms the throat all the way down. As the beer warms, the warming sensation from the alcohol reduces some. Very little bitterness … and almost no acidity.

Finish: Overall, the finish is very mild. The burn from the alcohol does not last very long.

Pairings: Cheese, nuts & dried fruits. It could easily replace a fortified dessert wine, port or sherry at the end of a meal.

Interesting Fact: Belzebuth is also the name of the long-haired, white-bellied spider monkey native to Brazil.

Comments: The beer reminds me of a port – very sweet and warming. Its two strongest characteristics are 1. a high level of sweetness and 2. a noticeably high level of alcohol. I am not a fan of ports because I am not a fan of the burn that accompanies fortified wines. This ale is extremely sweet and almost too syrupy for my personal taste.

Whereas this beer does not appeal to me for everyday … or even once a year … consumption, I would seriously consider using this beer for cooking. It has potential for braises, marinades, glazes, stews and sauces.

As with all my tasting notes, I just want to remind everyone that my palate is not the end all be all. I always encourage people to give me their feedback on the beers that I review!

Cheers!