Beer of the Week! 12/01/2020

The duchess with the much-ness!

Brouwerij Verhaeghe Vichte Duchesse de Bourgogne

Regularly $23.99 / Now on Sale for $20.96
Flanders Red Ale

Back in 1885, in the small village of Vichte in West Flanders, Belgium, Paul Verhaeghe opened a brewery. Weathering two world wars and countless Belgian contestants losing Eurovision, it survives today, still in the hands of the Verhaeghe family, producing the traditional sour reddish brown ales of the region.

The Duchesse de Bourgogne is Verhaeghe’s flagship ale and, arguably, the benchmark of the style. The base beer is a mixed fermented red ale. This means its malt is treated to a mix of brewer’s yeast and Brettanomyces yeast as well as (most likely) Lactobacillus and/or Peddiococcus bacteria (both lactic acid producers). Newcomers to the style will be struck by the sour flavors that this fermentation strategy produces. Verhaeghe ages the hops going into the beer, so their bittering combination is low. Thus, a significant amount of the non-sweet flavor is carried through the yeast and bacteria.

And there is sweetness, for once you’re past the pucker you can taste the residual sugars of the malt. Verhaeghe brewmasters also age the brew for many months in oak, allowing the tannins in the barrels to impart fruit notes to the beer. The result is a medium-bodied dance between sweet and sour that’s one of the treasures of the beer world.

Surfin’ Sterling, VA!

Bonus Beer of the Week (‘Cause though it’s not our onus, we’d like to give you a bonus)

Rocket Frog Surfing with the Alien

Regularly $17.99 / Now on Sale for $16.96
New England Style IPA

Introduced in 2019, Surfing with the Alien is Rocket Frog’s contribution to the Haze Craze. This New England Style IPA, “… has big tastes of citrus, peach, pineapple, and resin. It has a soft mouthfeel with a restrained bitterness.” - Rocket Frog Brewing Company

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