Casketbeer started five years ago with the goal of promoting everyday beer styles. In a way, this has kinda meant classic beer styles that are overlooked for the latest trends. It was never meant to be static.
When the blog started, there was chatter about increased interest in classic lager styles and I’ve written about a lot of these. Some doubted if the lager thing would stick, but it has proven enduring. That’s great to see.
There has even been a very slight uptick in breweries producing traditional English-style beer lately. In particular, several breweries now make Mild. This is a style that had fallen off the radar in the UK, and I don’t recall it ever really being on anyone’s radar here in the US.
As things have evolved since the blog’s inception, I’ve been thinking about what’s currently overlooked and I keep coming back to Belgian styles. Not long ago, they were all the rage. People were buying imports and countless Belgian-inspired breweries were opening. Westvleteren 12 was the most highly rated and sought-after beer. Now, it ranks 50th on Beer Advocate’s top list of beers, below others like an imperial barrel-aged maple bacon coffee porter called ‘Morning Wood’.
I’ve had an affinity for Belgian styles since getting into beer. This is no doubt largely due to briefly working at Brewery Ommegang in 2002. The Belgian-inspired brewery in upstate New York was co-owned by the folks who also owned Vanberg & DeWulf, an import company specializing in Belgian beer. Don Feinberg and Wendy Littlefield at Vanberg and DeWulf deserve a substantial amount of credit for not only introducing countless Americans to great Belgian beer, but also for saving Belgian brands that were on the verge of extinction. Their efforts certainly had a significant impact on me.
My mind has drifted toward these beers in the last year. In particular, I’ve been thinking about St. Bernardus. While the brewery makes an array of quality beers, I’ve specifically been thinking about their Wit, Abt 12, and Christmas Ale.
Before getting into those a little bit more, just a word or two on the company. St. Bernardus has evolved to stay relevant. I appreciate that. To connect with contemporary consumers, they began canning some beer, dabbled with barrel aging, and even produced some nitro kegs.
The brewery’s packaging/design has improved, but I feel like the company would greatly benefit from a complete packaging overhaul. I get the urge to adorn the labels with a cartoonish monk (technically, it’s not really supposed to be a monk since the brewery had to part with the Trappist affiliation years ago). It conveys several things many customers will immediately connect with. It just doesn’t positively resonate with me. They’ve made a substantial investment in their facilities, demonstrated in part in the photos above, which depict a modern and elegant operation. I think the packaging should align with this evolution.
On to the beer
Aside from a few well-known brands (i.e. Hoegaarden, Shock Top, Blue Moon and Allagash White), Belgian-style Witbier is rare. That’s not only true in the US, but also in Belgium, where it never was a widely brewed style.
In Belgium, the style was dead until Pierre Celis brought it back to life when he created Hoegaarden. But the interpretation he introduced in the 1960s was different than the Belgian wheat beer of the past. Notably, it was not sour. Instead, the citrus-tinged brew provided a flavor profile that was complex, but approachable. It’s akin to German Hefeweizen, but with a citrus flavor instead of banana and clove. The fact that Witbier does not have greater popularity is baffling.
Celis sold Hoegaarden to Interbrew (now part of AB-InBev) in 1990, which provided greater distribution, and by many accounts led to the detriment of the beer. Fortunately, Celis collaborated with St. Bernardus on their Wit, which may exist today as a greater representation of what Celis created nearly 60 years ago.
The St. Bernardus Wit does have similarities to Hoegaarden, but Hoegaarden has a sweetness that detracts from its enjoyability. With the St. Bernardus beer, the sweetness is missing and there is a notable spice bite. All together, it’s easy to see the St. Bernardus version is a better beer.
Abt 12 has probably been the most discussed of the three beers highlighted here because of its connection to Westvleteren 12. The St. Bernardus brewery was created to brew Westvleteren beer for the St. Sixtus monks in 1946. Though the monks at St. Sixtus had been brewing since the 1830s, they decided they wanted to focus their resources in other areas. Their brewer, along with their yeast, brought the recipes to St. Bernardus where Westvleteren beer was brewed until 1992. Abt 12 is very similar to Westvleteren 12. Two differences between the beers would be that they use water from their respective breweries, and Westvleteren now uses a Westmalle yeast strain. As St. Bernardus is using the original Westvleteren yeast strain, you could argue the St. Bernardus version is more Westvleteren than Westvleteren is.
Contrary to my packaging comments above, there are two things about the Abt 12 packaging that I love. First, one in every 1,000 of the bottles produced includes a winking (not a) monk figure. I’ve never found one, but I always look.
Second, I really enjoy the annual release of the magnum bottle, which features unique artwork each year. This year’s version is depicted below. It’s a bargain. Also, the volume and the style of beer lend themselves well to holiday parties.
However, the brewery has another release specifically for the holidays. The Christmas Ale doesn’t exactly have a story like the Wit or Abt 12, but it is by far one of the best Belgian holiday ales. It has long been one of my go-tos (admittedly, after the Abt 12 magnum noted above). It checks a lot of boxes in terms of flavor, potency and packaging (which is again in contrast to what I said above. I feel like it’s more palatable for Christmas beers). My understanding and interpretation of the Christmas beer is that it is incredibly similar to Abt 12 except it is spiced to give it more of a holiday feel.
Grab yourself a bottle (or can, if you like) of Christmas Ale this holiday season. It’s nearly guaranteed to give you a little holiday cheer. And throughout the upcoming year, consider some of the other Belgian classics. I have so many favorites, but I’m thinking Saison Dupont in the spring (also, their Avec Les Bons Voeux for New Year’s Eve), St. Bernardus Wit over the summer (or maybe De La Senne’s Taras Boulba, a modern classic), and Rodenbach Grand Cru in the fall. Cheers.