Limited (2500 bottles) and exclusive luxury beer, created specifically for Hof van Cleve, widely considered the best restaurant in Belgium (also by the leading sources, the Michelin Guide and Gault-Millau), and probably one of the most expensive; I have been arguing that beer will only reach the full appreciation it deserves when the best of it is accepted as a high-class drink worthy of accompanying ‘haute cuisine’ in Michelin-starred restaurants on a par with wine, and more and more such restaurants seem to become interested in it, as a somewhat delayed effect of the global craft beer movement. I heard that some of Belgium’s top restaurants already have decent beer menus – even including foreign beers here and there – but Hof van Cleve so far has not been very ‘beer-minded’, so I guess an initiative like this can only help beer’s general ‘emancipation’, which is still far from complete. This beer, intended as an accompaniment to cheese plates, originated after the CEO of Moortgat had dinner at Hof van Cleve and started talking with its chef and its sommelier; the result is, wait for it, a blend of barrel-aged Duvel (on ‘naked’ oak), an experimental variant of Duvel with dark malts, a porter made specifically for the occasion, and a blend of said dark Duvel with said porter, with the whole having been aged on both tequila barrels and rum barrels… Apart from the famed restaurant itself, De Koninck’s city brewery (owned by Moortgat of course) and Duvel’s ‘Depot’ pub at the Moortgat brewery also serve these bottles now, for as long as supplies last – which I did not think would be very long, so I took no risk and went to De Koninck last weekend to try it. Pale greyish off-white, moussy, medium sized, opening but edge-retaining head, crystal clear deep bronze brown robe with warm copper-red glow, clear till the very last drop so obviously filtered. Complex and alluring bouquet of strong vanilla-scenting oak wood, passionfruit, caramel, baked banana, elderberry juice, red wine, freshly cut red apples, notes of cinnamon, ground hazelnuts, sirop de Liège, brandy and bourbon rather than rum and tequila, sweet sherry, candied cherries, blackberries, sirop de Liège. Sweet, rounded, sleek onset, red apple slices, pear and sourish blackberry and red plum, with this sourish undertone continuing underneath all the rest; quite sharply carbonated at first, artificially it seems, which would be congruent with the fact that the beer was filtered before bottling. Caramelly, brown-bready, dark-cereally and lightly hazelnutty malt sweetish core with bitterish toasty elements in the finish (clearly the porter component), smooth and cleanly delineated mouthfeel; lively red fruit impressions carry on till deep into the finish, with notes of red plum, red apple and passionfruit to even a slight and brief note of pomegranate. Meanwhile a strong woodiness unfolds, with all those lovely vanilla-like scent of oak returning retronasally; long, malty, woody, red-fruity and pleasantly warming finish, again with a more brandy- and sherry-like profile than exotic rum or spicy tequila. The roasty bitterish accent, along with herbal hop bitter touches, linger equally long as the malts, wood and alcohol. An unlikely ‘versnijbier’ in terms of composition, but interestingly resulting in something rather quadrupel-like, even if filtered (probably for reasons of uniformity) and oaked; I wonder why this beer was not bottle-conditioned to honour Belgian traditions and extend cellar life, but the bottom line here is that Moortgat has constructed a sophisticated, layered, very pleasant and lively ‘bière de degustation’ for Belgium’s most renowned restaurant. Glad I tasted this, but I wonder if this could be the starting point of (to Belgian palates) more challenging craft beers appearing at the highest level of Belgian gastronomy… Because all things considered, this Duvel x Hof van Cleve remains a beautiful and refined, but at the same time relatively sleek and accessible beer.

Deep, spectacular dark ruby red beer under a cream-coloured medium head, lacey; not much carbonation. Vinous as few, strong drink, red wine or fortified wine; green moss. Infinitely complex beer with red wine, chocolate, dark fruit as plums. Old wood, hints of wild, bitterish berries, dark leaves & undergrowth; black chocolate cake or Sachtertorte with a generous dash of rum and Kirsch. Laid-up cherries. Thick, voluptuous, but not really chewy - some alcoholthinning. Alcoholburn, oily feel, low carbonation. "Spectacular" doesn't come close, "mind-blowing" approaches this. Indeed, Hedwig, this beer is worth a 3 Michelin-star restaurant. 'nuff said.