The Moortgat brewery says that its flagship beer, Duvel is different for a reason. That’s their slogan, anyway, and if you ask me, they’re right. Duvel is different from most beers you’ve tasted, both craft beers and megabrews alike. It begins with the delightful and idiosyncratic little bottle the beer comes in. Short and stubby with an ice-cream cone like bulb on top, it holds 330 ml of pure delight. Duvel is also available in 750ml corked bottles, too.

The brewery is particular about the glass you drink the beer from, too. They’d prefer you use their own, inverted bulb shaped glass if it all possible. The glass itself has a small “D” carved into the bottom center, which causes bubbles of CO2 to rise to the top of the glass when you pour. The glass is a large one with a wide mouth that allows you to fully appreciate all of the wonderful aromas the beer has to offer.

Duvel means “Devil”, and to be sure this is one devil of a brew with a potent 8.5% alcohol content. It should be drunk in moderation, to be sure, or you’ll likely be paying the devil his due the following day. Duvel is actually fermented three times, twice more than most beers. It’s also made with ingredients not so typical for your average Belgian ale (if there is indeed such a thing as an average Belgian ale anyway).

Duvel is made with pale malts and Czech Saaz and Styrian hops more common to pilsners than ales. But Duvel is indeed an ale, brewed with a unique yeast that throws off distinctive musty flavors. And don’t let the beer’s pale color fool you: Duvel is packed with complex flavors and aromas. Stylistically, it’s a Belgian Golden ale, a unique ale-lager hybrid.

Duvel pours to a pale yellow golden color with a huge rocky “cauliflower” head formation. The amount of foam is impressive, and it follows the beer all the way down to the bottom of the glass leaving a thick layer of foamy Brussels lace on the sides. The nose is heady and packs potent notes of yeast with grassy hops.

The first sip of Duvel delivers a crisp and cotton-candyish malt palate, with more flavors rapidly emerging. Hints of pear and pineapple emerge, especially as your beer warms. Duvel should not be served overly chilled. “Musty” yeast notes are also readily apparent, and texturally the beer has a very creamy mouthfeel. In the finish, a touch of alcohol warmth and a gentle Czech hop bitterness finish the beer perfectly.

Duvel is a long standing favorite of mine. It is a delightful sipping beer, perfect on a cool or cold evening to warm the soul as well as the body. Duvel makes a perfect aperitif beer; it is not heavy enough to be filling yet will arouse the appetite with its respectable alcohol strength.

Though Duvel is certainly a complex Belgian ale, there are more complex ones to be had from Belgium. Yet its delightful and unique idiosyncratic qualities make it a match for any other Belgian brew, I think. It’s wonderful in its own way, and typical of Belgian beer culture. For this reason, I have chosen Duvel to represent Belgium in my bottled beer tour of the world entitled Around the World in Eighty Brews.

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