100 Beers, 100 Days: Day #11
Now here is a completely different style from anything I’ve done in this project so far. The Duchesse is a Flemish Red Ale. This means it’s from the Flanders region in Belgium and that it’s going to be rather sour. This is an old, old style of beer. And like many of the Belgian beers, it’s pretty off the wall. Most people haven’t have anything like it before, nor would they likely consider it to be beer. It’s also the most expensive beer I’ve had in this project at about $11 for a 750 mL bottle.
I once again went with the free Ommegang glass that I used the other night. The beer pours a deep red color with a nice head, though it doesn’t last very long. Upon finishing the pour, I was struck by the easter egg dye smell. For the seven people in the world who don’t know what this is, it means all I could smell was vinegar. I don’t think Sarah appreciated my comment since all she could smell or taste afterwards was vinegar. I hate to ruin beer for people, but it was such a natural observation that I just had to blurt it out.
Anyway, I somehow got past the strong aroma and gave the beer a taste. There is a pronounced acidity but it’s surprisingly well balanced with some sweetness. What you smell is definitely not what you get in this case. I also taste a little bit of tart apple (like David Shea told me to be on the lookout for), and Sarah tasted some fig. I noticed a little sweet fruit hiding back there after several attempts too. Perhaps that’s a fig. I didn’t notice any chocolate or passion fruit like the website said I would. Maybe I just don’t have a very refined sense of taste. There is not a hop to be found either in the aroma or flavor. Any bitterness there might be is completely hidden by the sourness.
So my final verdict on this beer is… I don’t really know. My nose says NO! but my taste buds say YES! I think in this case I’m going to overrule my nose and say that I like this beer quite a bit more than I probably should. If you can get over the aroma, you’ll find a light bodied and very refreshing beer. The acidity is pretty intriguing to me. I don’t think I would drink this (or any other beer in its style) too often but it’s great for a change up. Take a chance and maybe you’ll discover you feel the same way I do.