Brewery: The Leyerth Breweries
Ruiselede, Belgium Imported by:
Imported by: Artisanal Imports, Inc.
Austin, TX
Available: MA, CT, NY, NJ, PA, MD, VA, GA, NC, OH, IL, IN, WI, MN,
MI, AK, WA, OR, ID, CO, AZ, OK, IA
Alcohol (wt.): 7.6
Alcohol (vol.): 9.5
Color: 20 EBC
Bitterness: 80
Original Gravity: 20.5
Final gravity: n/a
Malts used: Pilsner Malt
Hops used: Magnum, Spalt, Saaz
Hmmm, is there a category left in Belgium for this ale? Perhaps hoppiest strong beer? Well, it’s certainly a contender from the get-go, with a rich, spicy hop aroma emanating from beneath its mounds of white foam. And the hops continue in the body, all right, emerging fast on the heels of the fruity, apricot jam start and dominating with a nutty, spicy, bitter toffee flavor right through to the warming, lingering finish. This actually leaves my tongue tingling, in a very good way.
Dense, creamy and full head. Complex alcohol overtures in aroma with strong ale fruitiness emerging from the billowing head. Flavor is all in the style of Belgium—full body, fruity complexity, high in alcohol, though with additional bitterness not typical of today’s more international brands. Actually, this is a beer more in tune with the hopping rates of other world “devilish” classics that have really reduced their hopping rates in recent years. Great to see Urthel returning to Belgian roots.
The label sings loudly with self-praise, but the beer does step up with a magnificently sustained rocky white head. The aroma is indeed hoppy, with an insistent freshness and a light backdrop of fruit. The bitterness is thin and sharp at the front of the palate, balanced against a light-bodied fruity center. The finish is bone-dry and hops linger. At 9.5% it’s dangerously refreshing. It would be perfect with wild salmon or Vietnamese spring rolls.
Stephen Beaumont boarded his first plane at the age of 15 and hasn’t looked back since, obsessing about travel to the point that he gets nervous if he doesn’t have a ticket or two stacked on the corner of his desk. When he’s not running around in search of new taste experiences, he makes his home in Toronto, where a new cultural experience is only as far away as the next neighborhood.
Author of the New Complete Joy of Homebrewing, founder of the Great American Beer Festival and a Beer Examiner at www.examiner.com, Papazian is a leading voice in beer and brewing.
Internationally recognized brewer and expert on traditional beer, Garrett Oliver is the brewmaster of the Brooklyn Brewery and the author of The Brewmaster's Table.
