Strange to have a Christmas beer as the TOTM for May, but then again, strange things do happen when you're in Belgium.
It was the last night of my April trip to "Het Bierland" (please see April's Feature Article for details) when my co-monastic-conspirator, Janet Forman, and I arrived at the Kulminator in Antwerp. A beer bar famed far and wide, the Kulminator's vintage beer menu is the size of a small phone book and selecting a beer to drink for one is no small task, much less choosing a different brew for a friend, as Janet had requested that I do.
After several minutes of back-and-forthing, I decided to pick both brews from the De Dolle Brouwers section of the list, choosing a seventeen-year-old Stille Nacht for my colleague and a slightly younger Dulle Teve for myself. One taste of the former, however, was enough to let me know that I had mixed up my selections.
Of course, one sip of the Stille Nacht was also enough to cause Janet to announce that the beer in her glass was the best liquid she had ever tasted. So the odds of my prying it from her grasp were slim to none. Nonetheless, based upon my brief encounter with the beer, I am able to say that it boasted a hugely refined and complex character, with a mix of spicy and leathery notes that was simply awe-inspiring. Without question, it was a beer well worth the seventeen year wait.
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