MikePadgett.com

Nieuwhuys Hoegaards Bier Alpaïde

— 5/5. Lustrous dark brown brew with a dense, lasting head. Smells like bitter chocolate and soot. Tastes rooty, smoky and sweet.”

By Café-Brouwerij Nieuwhuys. 33cl, 10% ABV, serve at 9°

Hoegaarden’s recent history is fascinating. Famous for its eponymous white beer, thousands are employed there by megabrewery InBev. Business is business, however, and in view of Belgium’s divisions, moving the whole operation to Wallonia in 2006 was effectively offshoring it. But beer is beer too, and the white stuff just didn’t work out when brewed elsewhere, so the town was reprieved.

Meanwhile the Nieuwhuys microbrewery, a recently established café-restaurant on Ernest Ourystraat, produces Hoegaarden’s latest generation of beers.

Alpaïde pours a lustrous dark brown, lively and topped with a lasting head so thick you could almost cut it. Aromas include of bitter chocolate, caramel and perhaps even coal soot.

And it tastes even better, rather reminiscent of Rochefort’s lighter 8°, smoky and sweet like black treacle and a rather rooty flavour. A very slight tartness on the finish, strong but well-hidden alcohol.

A perfect example of what can be achieved on a smaller scale with great attention to detail: Hoegaarden should be proud!