Duvel Groen

Brewed by Brouwerij Moortgat
Style: Belgian Ale
Breendonk-Puurs, Belgium

Dégusté avec french tickler le 7 avril 2007. Clear golden poor with a frothy white head... very lager like. Aromas of corn, lemon, herbal and unripenned bananas. Very hoppy feel, good bitterness. Flavors are of llemon and pepper. Very dry finish and long lasting bitterness. Poudery mouthfeel, lightly bodied. Good summer beer, but very dissapointing.

Duvel Groen (Duvel Green at House of Brews in Midtown, NY) is a yellow orange beer with a very air filled head. The aroma is bitter but not biting and the flavor is similar. At 7.5% abv, I would like to classify this as a double IPA, without the unnecessary bite.

Bright golden in color, head thinner than Duvel red. Aroma Belgian candy sugar sweet and fruity. Not as effervescent as in the bottle so the palate is a little flat, but flavor is similar to the red with sweet/fruity notes. I’m told a rare find on tap in the states.

On tap at the Ginger Man. Pours a clear pale yellow with a thin white head. Slightly fruity apple, light crisp malt aroma. Crisp clean nice malt body with a nicely balancing bitterness. Leaves a nice lingering hop bitterness. This is a fine little session style beer from Duvel.

On tap at Bar Music Hall in Shoreditch. Straw blond with a big head, some malt, but mainly watery and thin with no noticable flavours. None of what makes Duvel so special. Maybe what I had WAS watered down, or the draught version varies from the bottled, but I find that hard to believe. This beer is a massive let down.

Tap at Vol de Nuit. Eight freaking dollars. Christ. I normally appreciate a good head, but for that much money fill the damn glass up. Anyway, back to the beer, this was surprisingly good. Ive been critical of this since it was released with all sorts of fanfare [read: advertising] a couple months ago, and have only had it now, but it was quite nice. Very Belgian, but extremely easy drinking, doughy, with a little bit of hops. Really, exactly what this beer is going for is drinkability, a quality Belgian session beer that isnt a saison or Orval, and this really nails it. If I can find it for cheaper Ill surely be having it again.

Bottled, 330ml from Hopduvel warehouse, Ghent. Hazed yellow gold with white head. Immediately lighter than its bigger brother, but there is the hoppy bite along with a slightly medicinal herby flavour, pleasant, with a background lemony note. Decent enough.

<i>Bottle.</i> Pours a clear, pale yellow with a white head. Tart hoppy aroma with yeast and alcohol notes. Faint vinegar notes as it warms. Flavour is sweetish with yeast. Bitter finish with alcohol and yeast. Faint apple notes lingering. Decent, but nothing special. <i>29-11-08.</i>