Duvel Belgian Ale

Duvel is a Strong Belgian Pale Ale from Belgium.  I have wanted to try this beer for a while and I finally bought a 4 pack with glass combo box at the beer store.  Here is the review:

Wow!  This beer is excellent.  Frankly, I am a little surprised, as I thought the “hype” might be just that, hype.  I was wrong.

Appearance: The beer looks fabulous in the glass.  The bright white head is thick, almost lumpy.  The color is great with just a bit of haze due to the bottle conditioned nature of the beer.  And the bubbles are awesome!!  They stream up from the bottom of the glass like a geyser.

Smell: The beer had an earthy, mineral, almost organic smell to it.  I got some bread/biscuit aroma along with some malt sweetness and a bit of sour fruit.

Taste: Very well balanced is the best way to describe the taste.  All of the components come together nearly perfectly. Floral, citrus, a bit of hops, along with that yeast taste that Belgian ales are known for.

Drinkability: This beer drinks very easily despite it’s 8.5%ABV.  The carbonation cuts through the beer and helps it finish crisp and clean with just enough of the fruit, yeast, and mineral component left over.  You could drink this all day if it didn’t have the 8.5% alcohol.

1. Appearance- 10 points (out of 10)
2. Smell- 8 points (out of 10)
3. Taste- 18 points (out of 20)
4. Drinkability- 10 points (out of 10)

Total 46 (out of 50) Points- A 5 Mug Rating