The Constant Reader may hove noticed: I'm a bit of a fanboy where the Dutch De Molen brewery is concerned.
A bit of context: we Belgians still live in the somewhat deluded alternative reality where we are the only country in the world that knows anything whatsoever about beer. We scoff at German beers, disdain UK ales and disregard anything (not just beer, anything) coming from the US of A. But, barring perhaps the entire African continent, no place gets as much flak from us where beer is concerned as the Netherlands.
As far as Belgium's concerned, Holland has no beer (unless it's imported from Belgium).
I'm not saying I agree with the above. I'm just saying it is as much cultural heritage for us as it is to not be able to think of Germany without hearing the sound of marching jackboots, or of China without dialing for extra spring rolls and shrimp crackers.
Now, flashback to about half a year ago.
Within a cork's throw of the cathedral pictured above, in a beer pub run by (of all people) a Dutch crew, I ordered "something Dutch". I'd heard good things about our Northern Neighbours' brewing skills, but being sceptical (and as yet unlettered in exotic beer), I kept thinking of those horrid green bottles.
"Have you tried anything by De Molen?", asked the (Dutch) waiter.
What ensued was my first exposure to Bodengraven's flagship: Hel & Verdoemenis, a beer I still hold in enormously high regard.
An Antwerp-raised Belgian, humbled by a Dutch beer, in the shadow of Antwerp's iconic skyline feature. In a Dutch beer pub. Yes, my perspectives were drastically altered that day, and the world map has never since looked quite the same.
Yesterday saw Yours Truly, accompanied by fellow Beer Geeks Bert and Anton, en route to distant Bodegraven, to visit the brewery and perhaps (*) score a few(**) beers (***).
*) well..."perhaps" might be a bit of a lie. We'd been informed about the well-stocked beer shop situated on the brewery's premises.
**) well...."a few" might be a bit of a lie. "Quite a few fews" is still a bit of a lie, but less so than "a few"
***) well..."beers" might be shooting a bit short of the mark. The guys at De Molen love big fat gutsy brews which many people (some of them, I'm ashamed to admit, Belgians) hesitate to call beer.
Colin, our friendly host, gave us the quick tour (schedules were incompatible with the big tour, pity but hey, more time to sample what was on tap), lardered with annecdotes involving explosions, yeast-ballistics and the logistic etymology of their Heen&Weer beer. All in all, an illustrative visit to the brewery's origins, and a bit of perspective for yours truly. It appears to be perfectly possible to brew kick-ass beers with pretty rudimentary starting materials. Not quite as rudimentary as my own, by nevertheless: humble beginnings for what I consider to be a major brewer in these parts.
Before, during and after, we sampled a few beers. Tough choices were made, with ten beers on tap and a beer list which was neatly summed up as "whatever we have in the shop".
Here's the line-up:
Lief&Leed is a sour beer in the style of Belgium's renowned Red-Brown South-West-Flanders Ales (yeah, I know. I didn't invent the term). Not everyone's taste, but if you can manage this level of complexity, while keeping your beer as profoundly drinkable as this one, then whatever anyone thinks of sour beers, you know your trade. Lief&Leef was fruitier than, say Rodenbach and its tangents, tangy and sour, with those delicate woody notes that make this style such a treat when done right. Best apéritif ever. Period.
Larie&Apekool BA is an Imperial Russian Stout, aged on some barrel or other (we got no specifics, and frankly, we forgot to ask). This is the kind of brew which cemented De Molen's name and fame: a big, fat, oily stout, pitch black and bitter-sweet. Somewhere on these pages you'll find a review of Goose Island's Bourbon County Brand Stout. I think my exact words were: "While Larie&Apekool isn't even in the same league as the BCBS, given the latter's unavailability in Belgium, drinking the former hardly qualifies as punishment". Seriously delectable brew, this one.
Citra Single Hop is (du-UH-huh) a beer exclusively brewed with last year's Teacher's Pet, the Citra hops. Bit predictable, and a bit of a pity that we're sort of losing the wow-effect with such a brilliant hops. This particular beer was a bit on the watery side, although this was less prominent when we were served seconds during the tour. An OK single hops.
Rye IPA is a (du-UH-huh again) a rye-based IPA, and decidedly decently brewed again. The rye gave a bit of unconventional tartness to the beer, complementing the fruity hops flavours remarkbly well. We were given seconds again during the tour, and I heard no complaints. In a landscape becoming saturated by sweet-based, über-hoppy IPAs, this one is a bit of odd duck, while still remaining true to style. Definitely one to give a go if you get the chance, what with it being quite accessible, without being easy.
Tsarina Esra is De Molen's best-known porter. After the onslaught of the Larie&Apekool, and quite a bit of hops from the others, most of its finer qualities were a bit lost on me. It's a good, solid porter, never shooting out too much either way in terms of booze or roast. Bit of chocolate and coffee, as befits the style, and nicely drinkable. Definitely one I'll be trying again on a cleaner palate.
Speaking of palate: burgers and open grilled cheese sandwhiches made sure the beer has something to do in terms of digestion. Wouldn't want those brews to go hungry now, would we?
Last one I tried was the Klap van de Molen, perhaps my least favourite so far. Again, the palate may have been saturated, but this one struck me as less balanced in terms of booze-over-flavour. Slightly burning the back the throat, mildly agressive and almost fenolic, this is not everyone's everyday brew.
Oh and that beer shop....
We spent a good half hour making agonising choices no beer geek should be asked to make, but we finally made it out again, laden with beer and our consciences gnawing half-guiltily whilst cooking up plausible excuses to explain to the kids why there would only be stale dry bread for dinner that night.
Some proper tasting is in order, so expect some more news in the next couple of days. Weeks. Months, if I can resist temptation for that long.
Thanks, De Molen crew, for a pleasant visit and for such a staggering array of amazing brews.
A movie quote is in order here:
Until then!
Greetz
Jo
A bit of context: we Belgians still live in the somewhat deluded alternative reality where we are the only country in the world that knows anything whatsoever about beer. We scoff at German beers, disdain UK ales and disregard anything (not just beer, anything) coming from the US of A. But, barring perhaps the entire African continent, no place gets as much flak from us where beer is concerned as the Netherlands.
As far as Belgium's concerned, Holland has no beer (unless it's imported from Belgium).
 |
| Personally, I blame this stuff. |
 |
| Kroepoek is the word in proper Belgianese but I digress. |
Now, flashback to about half a year ago.
 |
| "Denongslivraawentoren", Antwerp. |
"Have you tried anything by De Molen?", asked the (Dutch) waiter.
What ensued was my first exposure to Bodengraven's flagship: Hel & Verdoemenis, a beer I still hold in enormously high regard.
An Antwerp-raised Belgian, humbled by a Dutch beer, in the shadow of Antwerp's iconic skyline feature. In a Dutch beer pub. Yes, my perspectives were drastically altered that day, and the world map has never since looked quite the same.
Yesterday saw Yours Truly, accompanied by fellow Beer Geeks Bert and Anton, en route to distant Bodegraven, to visit the brewery and perhaps (*) score a few(**) beers (***).
*) well..."perhaps" might be a bit of a lie. We'd been informed about the well-stocked beer shop situated on the brewery's premises.
**) well...."a few" might be a bit of a lie. "Quite a few fews" is still a bit of a lie, but less so than "a few"
***) well..."beers" might be shooting a bit short of the mark. The guys at De Molen love big fat gutsy brews which many people (some of them, I'm ashamed to admit, Belgians) hesitate to call beer.
Colin, our friendly host, gave us the quick tour (schedules were incompatible with the big tour, pity but hey, more time to sample what was on tap), lardered with annecdotes involving explosions, yeast-ballistics and the logistic etymology of their Heen&Weer beer. All in all, an illustrative visit to the brewery's origins, and a bit of perspective for yours truly. It appears to be perfectly possible to brew kick-ass beers with pretty rudimentary starting materials. Not quite as rudimentary as my own, by nevertheless: humble beginnings for what I consider to be a major brewer in these parts.
Before, during and after, we sampled a few beers. Tough choices were made, with ten beers on tap and a beer list which was neatly summed up as "whatever we have in the shop".
Here's the line-up:
Lief&Leed is a sour beer in the style of Belgium's renowned Red-Brown South-West-Flanders Ales (yeah, I know. I didn't invent the term). Not everyone's taste, but if you can manage this level of complexity, while keeping your beer as profoundly drinkable as this one, then whatever anyone thinks of sour beers, you know your trade. Lief&Leef was fruitier than, say Rodenbach and its tangents, tangy and sour, with those delicate woody notes that make this style such a treat when done right. Best apéritif ever. Period.
Larie&Apekool BA is an Imperial Russian Stout, aged on some barrel or other (we got no specifics, and frankly, we forgot to ask). This is the kind of brew which cemented De Molen's name and fame: a big, fat, oily stout, pitch black and bitter-sweet. Somewhere on these pages you'll find a review of Goose Island's Bourbon County Brand Stout. I think my exact words were: "While Larie&Apekool isn't even in the same league as the BCBS, given the latter's unavailability in Belgium, drinking the former hardly qualifies as punishment". Seriously delectable brew, this one.
Citra Single Hop is (du-UH-huh) a beer exclusively brewed with last year's Teacher's Pet, the Citra hops. Bit predictable, and a bit of a pity that we're sort of losing the wow-effect with such a brilliant hops. This particular beer was a bit on the watery side, although this was less prominent when we were served seconds during the tour. An OK single hops.
Rye IPA is a (du-UH-huh again) a rye-based IPA, and decidedly decently brewed again. The rye gave a bit of unconventional tartness to the beer, complementing the fruity hops flavours remarkbly well. We were given seconds again during the tour, and I heard no complaints. In a landscape becoming saturated by sweet-based, über-hoppy IPAs, this one is a bit of odd duck, while still remaining true to style. Definitely one to give a go if you get the chance, what with it being quite accessible, without being easy.
 |
| Sexist Google thinks this a perfect illustration of "easy beer" |
Speaking of palate: burgers and open grilled cheese sandwhiches made sure the beer has something to do in terms of digestion. Wouldn't want those brews to go hungry now, would we?
Last one I tried was the Klap van de Molen, perhaps my least favourite so far. Again, the palate may have been saturated, but this one struck me as less balanced in terms of booze-over-flavour. Slightly burning the back the throat, mildly agressive and almost fenolic, this is not everyone's everyday brew.
Oh and that beer shop....
 |
| Think "wide-angle lens in small shop" plus "shitloads of beer bottles everywhere". Also, don't step backward or you'll trip over all the beer. |
We spent a good half hour making agonising choices no beer geek should be asked to make, but we finally made it out again, laden with beer and our consciences gnawing half-guiltily whilst cooking up plausible excuses to explain to the kids why there would only be stale dry bread for dinner that night.
Some proper tasting is in order, so expect some more news in the next couple of days. Weeks. Months, if I can resist temptation for that long.
Thanks, De Molen crew, for a pleasant visit and for such a staggering array of amazing brews.
A movie quote is in order here:
 |
| Ai'll bee baahk |
Until then!
Greetz
Jo
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