I know I’m in for an early night what I pull out a bottle from Brasserie Grain d’Orge, a family owned brewery in the Flanders region of Northern France. “Why?” you ask… Brasserie Grain d’Orge Belzebuth Blonde Ale weighs in at an intoxicating 13% abv.
I poured Belzebuth into a wine glass and watched the cloudy, honey colored ale settle into the glass with little to no head or carbonation. The nose was a gripping combination of grape, blackberry, pepper, and dried fruits with a noticeable quaff of alcohol.
Belzebuth drank bright with honey and berries up front, mellowing into a prickly, fermented grape body. The ale ended on a very complex fade of fruits and herbs as it dried and became dusty in my mouth. There was a lingering, white wine linger in the back of my mouth and the alcohol really popped at the end.
Brasserie Grain d’Orge Belzebuth Blonde Ale was a very interesting drink (it reminded me of a super-charged Midas Touch, in some ways)… really easy to drink and proudly wearing it’s alcohol content on its sleeve. To be honest, even the single 8.4oz bottle I drank got to my head, so I recommend drinker be ‘ware when pulling one out of the fridge.
