Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux

Eh però che robe la migliore Dupont assaggiata; divisa in due all’Exultate per festeggiare l’esame di Storia Romana. Fantastica; ora sono stanco la descriverò l’anno prossimo.

(3/5/08) Draught at Kulminator in Antwerp. Cloudy orange with a quickly-disappearing white head. Fruity, moderately spicy aroma with some hops and some yeast. Flavor is a bit sweetish at firsy, then turns spicy with a bit of yeast and towards the end joins a strong hoppy bitterness. Medium-bodied. Very good, but not great.

’05 Bottle: Courtesy of cmr1517, pours a murky yellow color with a medium-sized white head. Nose hints at grass, yeast, mild citrus tones, a bit of funk and cane sugar. Flavor follows suit, but in a dry sort of way. This is good stuff, but I wasn’t blown away.

Good beer. A little darker, denser, and richer than the Veille Provision, but not necesarily better. It does have a nice softness in the mouthfeel. Less dry than the Moinette or Foret. I have found some bottles of this beer to be superlative, but lately I have only found ones that were simply decent.

Bottle (750ml): Hazy, golden to orangey coloured; solid fruity and herbal-hoppy nose; robust sweet-bitter flavour, medium to full bodied; lingering bitter-sweet and fruity finish with tart, but mild aftertaste. Very fine Saison.......

(75cl bottle) Cloudy, pale golden colour with a massive, slightly off-white and persistent foamy head. Light-sweet, vinous-fruity (mandarins) nose, slightly wheaty with distinctive spicy and herbal hoppy notes. Light-bitter flavour, full bodied with an extremely well-matured and mellow carbonation. Yeasty, slightly wheaty and fruity taste with early arriving spicy herbal hops, lingering into the lasting moderately bitter finish. Superb brew (12.03.08).

Bottle at Kulminator. Cloudy orange - white head. Wheaty, mould, earthy, dusty, spidersweb, light sweetness, yeasty ,light licorice yeasty. OK !!

I’ve had bad luck with Saisons thus far, perhaps it isn’t the style for me. Dupont gave it a shot before, without success. Was it the smoky bar? My inexperience? I owed it to myself to give one of Belgium’s traditions another chance. After all, Belgian styles have never betrayed me, why should they start? Still, that impossibly dry mouthfeel and caustic carbonation didn’t sit right last time around. Nonsense! Here comes the pour. Les Voeux could hardly have started more beautifully. Golden as a mirabelle, its dense orange fog is set aglow by the light behind it. Pillowy, the dazzling white fluff laces lazily across the glass. A subtle aroma arises, light but fruity, and spicy too. Peach, apricot, nutmeg and some grain successively appear. The penetrating fragrance of Charentais melon plays jubilantly off of estery hints of bubble gum, banana and pineapple. Orange peel, clove and imperceptible coriander zest the concoction. In the background, a definite chalkiness and slightly sweet hint of funk are the hallmarks of authenticity. With renewed ambition, I take a confident sip. Funky – surprising and different – a dry cheesiness like a nutty Parmesan. Buttery hazelnut flavor is apparent throughout. The fruit is more subdued than I expected but despite copious alcohol none appears on the tongue. The frothy carbonation is pleasant, allowing for the sweetness of bubble gum and pineapple to really boogie. Finishing dry, a funky grainy thyme flavor leads to a somewhat salty aftertaste hinting at apricot. I am positively dying for a morsel of Parmigiano Reggiano, that addition alone would propel me to heaven. I’m glad I followed my instincts, Dupont has crafted a wonderful brew. (14/04/2007)