I was in the process of putting together the beer list for a tasting I was to host at the New York City beer bar d.b.a. when news arrived that DeuS, Brut des Flandres, an innovative beer from the Belgian brewery Bosteels, was arriving on American shores courtesy of Lanny Hoff and Artisanal Imports. In no time at all I was on the phone with Lanny asking if it would be possible to include the beer in my line-up. To my delight, he said it would.
The first time I tasted DeuS I was in less than perfect tasting shape. It was a couple of hours after my arrival in Brussels following a red-eye flight from Toronto, and fatigue had rendered my taste buds only partially effective. Still, I was fascinated by a flavour and aroma I could only identify as bergamot, the flavouring ingredient in Earl Grey tea. A mental note was made to sample this unusual beer again soon.
DeuS is a spiced ale, but spiced with what the brewery is loathe to say. What they will say is that the 10% alcohol ale undergoes a lengthy maturation of a minimum of twelve months, much of that time spent in caves in the Champagne region of France. Following this period, the beer undergoes remuage and dégorgement, the process of removing the yeast from the bottle normally reserved for sparkling wines crafted using the traditional methode champenoise.
Of course, the circumstances for this second tasting -- standing in front of an audience in a noisy bar -- were hardly better than those of the first, but I was still struck by the complexity of this beer. I could smell and taste the bergamot again, but also other spicy notes I couldn't identify as quickly. On the palate, the ale was crisp and just slightly biting, almost like a good Champagne. (Although I still think that traditional gueuze bears more similarity to the great sparkling wines of France.) The finish was fairly quick but satisfying. On the whole, there was definitely enough there to make DeuS an easy pick as the TOTM for February, and a sure candidate for a repeat tasting some time in the very near future. Hopefully this time under more relaxed conditions.
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