DeuS, Brut des Flandres, Cuvee prestige 2004. Bosteels, Flanders, Belgium, 11.5% abv, 75cl.

"What a refreshing change"

This is supposed to be about Wine right? But this is beer, and I hardly touch the stuff nowadays. I made an exception for this and I’m glad I did, this is no ordinary beer, so any Tetley lovers out there may want to check-out now.

A few things to pique your interest. It’s a whopping 11.5% abv. Huge for a beer, but not for a wine, and you drink this like a wine. Because it’s a beer, it’s made from malted barley, not grapes. Unique and rare, made only in small quantities and brewed in Belgium. Then bottled and shipped to the Champagne region of France to be matured just like fine Champagne!

What that means is that more sugar and yeast is added to the bottle so inducing a second fermentation which puts the bubbles in and adds more alcohol. After months of ageing and riddling by hand the spent yeast is disgorged, the bottle topped up and sealed with a champagne cork. The result is Champagne Beer. So drink it like Champagne!

It comes in a bottle that’s a dead ringer for Dom Perignon. In fact the old label was the same shield-design and even used the word Champagne. Naughty! While the label had to change and the C-word was dropped in the face of protectionist legal threats the bottle remains. It’s now described as “Brut de Flandres”. As to the Champagne House that matures it, no-one is letting on who they are.

This really does make an ideal aperitif. Serve in Champagne flutes, and make sure the bottle’s “ice cold”. Best way is 12 hours or more in the ‘fridge and then 10 minutes in an ice bucket or 20 minutes in the freezer. Long fridge time reduces the foaming when you pop the cork.

And it’s lively stuff when opened; a lot of mousse is produced. It settles down to a pale golden body with a white head that looks just like Champagne. The nose is fresh with apples and citrus in abundance. Sip it and you get a beery maltiness overlain with apples, hops and cloves. Zippy on the palate, delicate and vivacious, all that belies a heady strength. Warning: it does not taste strong at all. Drink it like a beer and you’ll be on the floor in no time, so treat it like a wine and appreciate all those wonderful flavours.

Hard to find in the UK, where it costs £12.50. A big price tag, even for a premium beer, but it comes in a wine sized bottle at 75cl and so will easily serve six if you are feeling generous. This is competing with good quality fizzy wine, so actually the price is reasonable. Also found at Anthony’s in Leeds at £21.95.

DeuS is Latin for “God”. That’s the first word you’ll utter when tasting it for the first time.
Probably.
16th July 2005