So last night, a friend and I stopped at the local Taco Mac for a beer. I got there first and ordered a Duvel Green, which is a relatively new beer from the folks at Moortgaat Brewery in Belgium. My friend arrived shortly thereafter, and remarked upon the bright golden liquid safely ensconced in its stemmed bulb-shaped glass (though not the “official” Duvel green glass).

"I thought you'd be drinking something darker."

I reassured him, of course, that the myth that a beer has to be dark to be flavorful is just that, a myth, and pressed on with my brew.

Anyway, back to the beer. Duvel Green is, as previously stated, a relatively new beer. Rolled out in 2008 it’s a draft only specialty, so don’t look for it in bottles on your local beer store shelf. Then too, this is not the draft version of classic Duvel by any stretch of the imagination. It’s more like a lighter version of that classic Belgian Golden ale; lighter in body, lighter in flavor, and lighter in alcohol at 6.8% by volume.

Duvel Green is brewed with pilsner malt and hopped with Saaz and Styrian varieties. It is single-fermented with the same yeast as classic Duvel, and there are similarities between the two to be sure. It strikes me as a kinder, gentler Duvel, though for that very reason is also a bit less of a beer overall in my opinion. Because it’s draught only, you’ll only find it in a few places even now, a few years after its release.

Duvel Green pours to a pale golden color with a thick, vigorous head of rocky white foam and a nose hinting at light malt and funky Belgian yeast. Taking a sip, I was at first surprised at the lighter character of this beer, at least compared to classic Duvel. The crisp, biscuity malt is at the forefront, but then grudgingly yields to some spicy notes of cotton candy and bright fruit, earthy Belgian yeast, and finally an ever so subtle bit of grassy hops in the finish.

Overall, this is a fairly decent brew, and I’m glad I tried it. Still, it doesn’t strike me as anything spectacular, and it was a bit pricey at $8 for an 11-ounce pour at Taco Mac. That kind of puts the beer at cross-sabers with it’s very purpose: a beer that’s more drinkable than classic Duvel, but one you can’t really afford to drink at length thanks to the price. Not really a “high gravity” beer, I might drink it again for $5, but as is it seems to me there are plenty of other draft beers I’d pick first.

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