Uncategorised › food-pairing-gallery

#duvelwheels

Ready to hit the road – final prep to delivery vehicle :))

1 month in business !!!

Well we have been trading for exactly 1 month……. we have a load of fun and are so thrilled at how well the beers are being received in Cape Town. Watch out for our new lines arriving next month. Happy Friday !!!!!

2014, here we come!

We hope you have all had a fantastic festive season and are raring to face 2014 in full, foamy force! The Duvel Moortgat range of beers have been refreshing many a parched palate over the past month and we are wasting no time getting going in the new year with our latest container arriving this week.   Wishing you, from all of us at Belgian Beer Company, a SMASHING 2014!!! And remember … when all else fails …  

A “Bolleke-ing” good time!

Stop!  Have you had a De Koninck??? Have you, yet, treated yourself to this soft, velvety, slightly bitter and mildly spicy brew?  If so, then you have already enjoyed the delicious maltiness that sets De Koninck apart from other beers.  However, have you experienced this liquid amber in the traditional glass for high fermentation beers – the “bolleke”?  If not, then seek one out and be prepared to have your De Koninck experience taken to levels not yet discovered! The long stem and hollow bowl of the bolleke ensure the first draft allows a kiss of foam on the top lip to invigorate the senses, and then continues the sensory experience with the ensuing aroma. When a De Koninck is poured perfectly into a bolleke, the glass ensures a full, frothy head and a creamy layer of foam that remains in the glass down to the very last mouthful. Quench your thirst.  Stop, and have a De Koninck and fill the bowl full!

A Beer of Devotion

Feeling virtuous?  Then Maredsous is the Benedictine Beer for you! Brewed by the Benedictine monks of the Maredsous Abbey, 3 ales are available, each with its own pious personality.  Blonde, Bruine and Triple are ales where the past and present merge with refined aromas and a delicate sparkle. In keeping with the Duvel Moortgat Family values, Maredsous ales are brewed with only the finest ingredients and according to natural refermentation in the bottle.  The beer is tended with patience and devotion for at least 3 months before being delivered. Maredsous Abbey was founded on 15th November 1872, and in respecting of the Benedictine tradition, the beer is brewed outside the abbey.  The Abbey’s coat of arms features mistletoe and the Benedictine cross on a purple background, with the motto, “In viam pacis”, meaning “on the path to peace”. What a wonderfully satisfying path to finding some peace – a Maredsous abbey ale!

A Beer with a History

The official De Koninck story begins in Antwerp in 1833, but the premises were acquired a few years prior, in 1827.  It was then that Joseph Henricus De Koninck bought an old coach house, ‘De Plaisante Hof’ on the border between Antwerp and Berchem. In 1833 the coaching was converted into the Brewery De Hand – after the hand sculpture on the boundary post.  This is the hand that is featured on the brewery’s logo that instructs us to Stop and Drink a De Koninck! The eldest son, Carolus, took over the company in 1845 and in 1912 Brewery De Hand was renamed Brasserie Charles De Koninck by the then manager, Florent van Bauwel. It was due to the commitment and technical knowhow of Florent and his brewery school student partner, Joseph Van den Bogaert, that the origins of the refined quality of De Koninck that we know today, took root. In keeping with family tradition, Joseph’s son, Modeste, joined the company in 1949 and ran it for over 50 years.  And then, in 2010, the Duvel Moortgat Family fully embraced De Koninck to incorporate the Antwerp brewery into it’s group. So, when next you Stop and Drink a De Koninck … raise your glass to all the special history that’s behind the velvety smoothness that is                De Koninck.

A shapely companion to entice the devil within

The Duvel Moortgat family of beers come hand-in-hand with several unique beer glasses. Each glass is specific for the corresponding beer, to ensure maximum beer enjoyment and satisfaction. Perhaps the most recognizable of these glasses is the Tulip glass. This gracefully stemmed, tulip-shaped glass forms a slight lip at the top to induce and capture large, foamy heads beautifully.  Maximum head retention ensures premium beer “protection”.  Use this statuesque glass to enrich your Duvel and La Chouffe delight.

A Sumptuous Brut of a Beer

Stylish, complex and opulent.  Liefmans Cuvee’ Brut is the deep red champagne of the LIefmans fruit beers. This exceptional beer is only brewed once a year! After a long maturation period of 18 months to 3 years, several other vintages are blended with this Cuvee’ Brut.  Liefmans Cuvee’ Brut is the beverage equivalent of refinement that is intended to be savored, not swigged.  In true Grand Cru fashion, connoisseurs leave the beer to mature for 10 years in their cellars! Sealed with a champagne cork and elegantly wrapped in tissue paper, this lush ale is perfection in balance of sweetly tart mature cherries and gentle, dry bitterness.  It is a fresh, intense drinking pleasure that oozes quality and class…    

All glassware is not created equal

Glassware for beer, you say?!?  We’re all well-acquainted with the fact that different wines require different glasses … but, for beer?!  Yes for beer, too!!! Presuming that a beer, is just a beer, is just a beer, is – wrong.  That would be like saying a Merlot is just the same as a Methode Cap Classique!  Hence the unique glassware for beers with similar qualities. The instant the beer hits the glass, the appearance, aroma and taste changes.  This allows one’s visual and aromatic senses to create the wonderful pre-beer anticipation.  Added to the overall improvement of the beer experience, is the science behind the fact that the shape of the beer glass will impact head development and retention.  And the beer head is not just to add value to “bigger is better”.  The foam head acts as a net to protect the beer and to catch various beer qualitites from escaping, such as aroma and carbon dioxide.  And, different beer styles require different levels of foam retention and presentation.  Hence … the unique glassware for beers with similar qualities.

All good things come to those who wait

We are really excited that our beer has finally arrived, the process has been a long one from visits to Belgium, signing contracts, ordering & training and now we get the enjoy the benefits of this process. To have the opportunity to share these fantastic products with Cape Town is going to be an amazing journey !!