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Volume 15 Issue 11 BBrasserierasserie DDupontupont TTourpes,ourpes, WWallonia,allonia, BBelgiumelgium AAvecvec LLeses BBonsons VVoeuxoeux In reflecting on the provenanceovenance extendingextending back to the mid-1700s. Its has maintained its time-proven and characteristics off classic successsuccess oonly grew in subsequent methods and attention to detail. Belgian saison in his Greatat BeBeersers years.years. OlivierO Dedeycker, the Their extended bottle-conditioning of Belgium, our Club’s ffounderounder fourthfourth ggeneration of the Dupont periods provide their beers with a Michael Jackson wrote,e, ““TheThe familyfamily ttoo serve as head brewer, fine-bubbled effervescence and the most famous Saison sstraintrain is currentlycurrently runs the show. Since potential for lengthy cellaring, while that of the Dupont brewery.wery. ‘‘AA thethe modestmo (now-legendary) their direct-flame kettles continue to brewer with the Dupont yyeasteast is DedeyckerDedeyck began there as an instill that (seemingly magical) touch touched by God,’ I was ttoldold bbyy engineerenginee in 1990, Brasserie of caramelization. Details matter. a proud possessor.” It’s pprettyretty DupontDupont has gradually expanded Brasserie Dupont is regularly cited as difficult not to be enamoredmored its production,pro initiated regular one of the planet’s finest breweries. by the beers of Brasserieserie exportexpo (we’ve been drinking Men’s Journal previously declared Dupont. muchmuc better since 1992), their Saison Dupont “The Best Beer developedde a rigorously in the World,” and we’d have a hard The Dupont brewery wass certifiedc lineup of organic time arguing with that. Offerings like formally established in beers,b and branched out the core Saison, the Moinettes, and 1920, when the father further with beers like the featured Avec les Bons Voeux of agronomist Louis Monk’s Stout and Posca continue to challenge both American Dupont purchased Rustica. We featured the palates (via that spicy Dupont yeast) it for his son to latter, a mind-blowing (Continued on next page) discourage him from Gallo-Roman gruit beer, moving to Canada. back in 2011, followed SPECIFICATIONS Their loss is the beer by Dupont’s La Bière De Style world’s gain, and Louis Beloeil (a glorious strong Strong Holiday Saison found himself with saison) a few years Alcohol By Volume an historical farm- afterwards. 9.5% brewery renowned for Serving Temperature its seasonal and honey Through all of this, 50–57° F beers, with a heritage Brasserie Dupont Suggested Glassware Chalice, Goblet, Tulip or Pinot Glass and American brewers (who make yeast-driven set of aromatics lands Dupont profile across so many of their great efforts to replicate its effects as soon as this gets poured: pepper, delicious beers. A pepper-forward here). We are pleased to offer our dough, honey... approach, the resulting leanness—the members this especially tasty offering way it feels like one of those magical from Brasserie Dupont, one of the The phenolic top notes in the aroma bags that you can fit a million things world’s truly inspirational farmhouse arrive as white pepper plus a touch in but also fold up into your pocket. breweries. of clove—held aloft by pillowy This is one of the magic, black-hole sourdough, vanilla, almond and pouches. Honeyed, peppery depth. So Avec Les Bons Voeux candied orange. There’s an abundance many kind Rare Beer Club members of fruit, all the way from fresh apple have expressed their enjoyment of our We’ve had the opportunity to sample and banana to elements more like Belgian beer features in the past, and many different limited releases from sweet lemon. Its sweetness, as a we’re super excited to offer up this Brasserie Dupont over the years— whole, never weighs heavy, even at once-a-winter offering from the world- but we always make a point to keep nearly 10%. There’s that crackling, renowned Brasserie Dupont from coming back to one in particular. peppery profile of Dupont’s house Belgium’s Wallonia region. This 9.5% We’re huge fans of Dupont’s seasonal, yeast all over this. Avec’s incredibly ABV seasonal seems to float, like the limited-release Avec Les Bons Voeux: expressive, streamlined, regal but very best examples from the country: a gloriously generous “super saison,” refreshing. An endearing front profile hefty—yet somehow managing to crisp and massive all at once. This of complex pepper shapes everything. stay refreshing. Brilliantly fermented, annual holiday offering isn’t always As pairing-ideal as things get. robust, and vibrant all at the same one of easiest to track down (when time. Drink up! it does arrive each year), and we For those who’ve had it, that first sip’s couldn’t imagine a more perfect beer almost too good. Everything about AGING ƭ PAIRING NOTES: to toast the holidays with than the the aroma follows through fully in reliably cheering-inducing Avec Les the flavor, from the ballast of white- We’ve enjoyed various vintage Bons Voeux. and black-pepper yeast qualities to examples of Dupont Avec Les Bons the complexity of fruit and baked Voeux over the years, all of them This pours beautifully. Avec Les Bons elements underneath. It’s toasty, still immensely generous, nearly Voeux is a bright, mostly clear golden for sure. All kinds of spruced up with regardless of age. Keep an eye on color that leads into more honeyed, its zesty punch of carbonation, an cellared bottles to make sure the orange-tinged hues at the edges. effervescence that lands right beside dried-caramel character of oxidation Capped by a vibrant, thick foam of the pepper. There are almost baklava- isn’t building too much. For pairings, tiny white bubbles, this looks far like layers of honeyed pastry and we can’t help but find its pepper, lean more modest in alcohol and subtle in vanilla and breadiness beneath. We’re fruit and carbonation perfectly tuned expression than proves to be the case. constantly struck by how incredibly to plump turkey and holiday fare. Pop A dense foam lingers even after some drinkable this remains, despite the a few bottles to ease winter along. Or length in the glass, often replenished potent ABV. set some down for future greatness. from below. This can be nicely effervescent in texture; Champagne There’s something almost indescribably parallels are totally on-point. A rich, special and crowd-pleasing about the MonthlyClubs.comtm Volume 15 Issue 11 BBrouwerijrouwerij VVanan SSteenbergeteenberge EErtvelde,rtvelde, EEastast FFlanders,landers, BBelgiumelgium MMonk’sonk’s CCafeafe GGrandrand CruCru From the wellspring of greatt brewing oasthouseoasthou (the name for a Today, Paul Van Steenberge (II), son of that is Belgium comes ththee Van traditionaltradition hops drying building). Jozef and grandson of Paul Van Steenberge Steenberge family brewery. FoundedFounded JozefJozef SSchelfaut:c builder, brewer, (I), heads the brewery. He entered the in 1874 by Jean-Baptist De Bruin,ruin, tthehe maltstemaltster,r harvester of hops, and family business in 1978, and in 1985 took brewery has remained in thee ffamilyamily sshrewdhrewd businessman, able to get over the management from his father. since. Jean-Baptist set up the bbreweryrewery his beerbeers featured near and far, next to his farm. Despite his mmarriagearriage helping ssecure the success of his Today, the brewery produces some very to wife Angelina Schelfaut, thee couple ffamilyamily bbrewery.r highly acclaimed beers, most quite difficult remained childless – never iidealdeal fforor to find (you may have come across their those with visions of keepingping the JozeJozef’sf’s daughter, Margriet, famed Piraat, a well-hopped, Belgian IPA- family brewery going. Fortunately,tunately, wed PPaul Van Steenberge, a style beer, and their classic Gulden Draak Angelina’s nephew, Jozef Schelfaut,helfaut, cchemicalhemic engineer who became beers). Some of our long-time Rare Beer had learned the art of brewing,g, and a prprofessoro of microbiology Club members might recall Witches’ Brew: upon Angelina’s death (at thee age at ttheh Sint-Lievens brewery the brewery’s delicious (and Halloween- of 92!), she entrusted Jozef wwithith scschoolho in Ghent and at the ready) tripel that we featured some years running the family brewery. AgAgriculturer Faculty of the back. This time around: we snatched up one UUniversity of Ghent. of Van Steenberge’s limited-edition, barely The benefit of being a farm- WWhen Jozef Schelfaut distributed products for our members— based brewery is that, in died in 1922, Paul Van the highly limited Monk’s Cafe Grand Cru. theory, you can produce Steenberge had gained just about every ingredient enough knowledge Monk’s Cafe Grand Cru necessary for the brewing to take over the process. But it’s no small family business, and Monk’s Cafe Grand Cru is a very limited feat to do so. These days, eventually became one-off release from Brouwerij Van nearly all brewers order the mayor of Ertvelde. their grains already malted Being busy on the (Continued on next page) and already kilned, and mayoral front, it was their hops already plucked largely thanks to his SPECIFICATIONS or even pressed into pellet wife Margriet that the form. But this was not the brewery stayed alive, Style route that Jozef Schelfaut particularly as Paul Blended Flemish Sour Ale took. In order to provide moved from mayor to Alcohol By Volume for the production of the senator. Paul’s son, 5.5% necessary ingredients, he Jozef, studied law but Serving Temperature (admirably) set up his own still ended up in the 48–55° F two-hectare hops field and brewery, taking over also constructed a malt the business after his Suggested Glassware Tulip, Teku or Pinot Glass house and accompanying father’s death in 1962. Steenberge, as only about 50 twelve- an abundance of oxidation and more The subtle touch of influence from oak bottle cases will be making it to the U.S.