Category Archives: Dupont

Hello everyone.  For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be sampling the DuPont Avril (Bieres de Table) produced by the Brasserie Dupont located in Tourpes, Belgium.

I couldn’t find any type of commercial description from the website, brasserie-dupont.com, so I’m just going to copy the description from the back of the bottle.

Bieres de Table are enjoyed at meals when the whole family gathers.  Flavorful not fanciful, they complement the food, refresh the palate and season the conversation.  Central to Belgium’s beer culture, they are how Belgians learn what beer tastes like and how to appreciate it.  AVRIL is Brss. Dupont’s Biere de Table.  Aromatic like fresh bread, full in the mouth and light on the finish.  Enjoy and welcome to our table. 

Ok.  That’s sounds nice enough. 

This brew comes in a 25.4 oz. bottle and it has an ABV of only 3.5%.

It poured a slightly hazy, straw/golden color with a very bright white head.  The texture of the collar was soft, fluffy, soapy and rocky.  It formed to a nice size.  The retention time was ok and the lacing was patchy, but rather clingy.  The brew looked pretty good I thought.

The aroma began with hints of lemon sweetness followed quickly by a flourish of grassy hops.  A light tone of funk was found as well.  A very clean bready smell accompanied a soft touch of hay to complete a very, very well balanced and outstanding fragrance of a beer.

The taste was very nice also.  The funk remained relaxed and complimentary.  A lot of breadiness and grassy hop savors were the primary factors, however the lemon citrus added a touch of sweetness while just a tiny bit of peppery spice added some bite.  Absolutely no sourness or tartness was found within this Saison.

The mouthfeel was medium to mostly light bodied.  Very clean, crisp and snappy.  It wasn’t real dry though.  It was super refreshing and thirst quenching.  The carbonation wasn’t nearly as aggressive as I thought it might be either.  It was rather soft for the entire drinking period.  To finish, a solid amount of flavor was left covering the roof of the mouth and tongue after each sip (gulp).

I tell ya.  I really liked this beer.  Like the description stated, it would pair excellently with a meal.  Not to mention that it would be an excellent introductory Saison and a killer session brew for the Spring and Summer season.  The drinkability was superb to say the least.  I made my way through this bottle in no time flat!!!  It’s, simply, a very, very light and restrained Saison/Farmhouse Ale.  If you are expecting that super sour, barnyard funk type of beer, you may need to look elsewhere because the Dupont Avril does not provide that.  You do get some of those characteristics, however they never dominate or try to overtake the pleasure of sipping a “comfortable” beer.  I would highly recommend giving this a try if you have the opportunity and enjoy this beer for what it is.  Once you do, please feel free to leave a comment and tell me about your experience.

Thanks to everyone for reading and commenting.  I’m so appreciative.

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  4.2 out of 5
Grade:  A-  

Hi guys.  For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be trying the Saison Dupont produced by the Brasserie Dupont located in Tourpes, Belgium.

I’ve never tried this beer before, but I have heard many good things, so I’m very excited about giving it a taste test.

Let’s see if we can find some information on the Saison Dupont from the website, brasserie-dupont.com.

The Saison Dupont is a top fermentation beer with refermentation in the bottle.
 
Since 1844, this beer has been brewed in our farm-brewery, during the winter time.  Then this beer became a second refermentation in the barrel.  During the next summer, this very thirst-quenching beer was served to the “saisoniers” which were working on the fields.  Surely therefore, our Saison Dupont is considered as “the classic” among the Belgian season beers!  Coppery blond, the finest aromas and a strong bitterness transform this beer into a thirst-quenchener with no equal, just the way it was created.  Our selection of yeasts is the perfect base for these typical aromas and ditto taste.  A real refermentation in the bottle, which will continue for a long time in your cellar, result into this complex and particular aromatic beer.

Let’s pour.

The Saison Dupont comes in a 25.4 oz. bottle and it has an ABV of 6.5%.

The beer poured a very hazy, golden/yellow color.  It developed a huge bright white head.  It was very soft, fluffy, frothy, soapy and rocky.  The retention time was exceptional and once it finally did settle it left some thick “cobwebs” of lace all along the sides of the snifter.  It continued to leave a soapy film on top of the liquid for the entire drink.  This brew looked very nice I must say.

It had a very bright, lively and fresh nose of lemongrass, grapefruit and green apples.  An ample amount peppery spice and Belgian yeast complimented the fruitiness superbly.  It was very floral too.  Just like the freshness of Spring.  It was extremely well balanced and complex.  Just a wonderful smelling beer I thought.

The taste brought forth a favorable amount of sourness by way of the lemon citrus and green apple.  The peppery spice was there, but I also started to detect a good hint of clove as the brew wandered the palate a bit.  The Belgian yeast blended favorably with a well attuned breadiness to pull some of the sharpness off the sour taste.  A sturdy grassy hop bite and bitterness brought more life to the flavor and really complimented the overall profile.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied, very dry, lively, refreshing, crisp, thirst quenching and snappy.  An abundance of carbonation danced on the tongue, which in turn provided a delightful amount of flavor for the palate to enjoy long after the sip.

Man.  This is a great beer to say the least.  I had a blast drinking this thing.  It would be perfect for the Spring and Summer weather that’s for sure because it’s so darn refreshing and easy to drink.  It had a spectacular look, aroma, flavor and mouthfeel.  Just flat out good all around.  Some may find the carbonation to be overkill, but I thought it really suited the spritzy and refreshing characteristic.  I am most definitely going to find another bottle of this soon!!!!  If you favor the Saison style, I would highly recommend that you give it a go too.  I really doubt that you will be disheartened by it.  I wish I hadn’t waited so long to try it!!!  I never knew what I was missing.    

Have you guys ever tried the Saison Dupont?  What did you think of it?  Feel free to leave a comment if you like.

Thanks for reading everyone.  I appreciate it.

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  4.45 out of 5
Grade:  A

Thanks for checking in on another craft beer review guys.  Today I’m going to be drinking the Avec les Bons Voeux by Brasserie Dupont located in Tourpes, Belgium. 

I don’t know much about this beer to tell the truth.  I just saw it sitting on the shelf at the liquor store and decided to give it a whirl.

I wasn’t able to translate the information from the website, brasserie-dupont.com, so I gathered the commercial description of this beer from ratebeer.com.

“Les Bons Voeux” means best wishes, which is what Brasserie Dupont sends with this very special saison ale brewed only for the holidays. Redolently aromatic, rich and velvety, this is an ale to toast the season and welcome in the New Year!

Well, the holidays are long gone, but I don’t care…. let’s drink.

This brew comes in a 25.4 oz. bottle and it has an ABV of 9.5%.

It poured a very cloudy orange to honey gold color.  I could see some sediment floating about.  The cap was white, soft and billowy, although a tad bit soapy in texture.  It was of great size, the retention was good and the lacing was quite sufficient.

The nose presented tones of lemon citrus and lemon grass along with some grassy hops.  A nice yeasty and bready backbone gave the nose some solid footing as some additional hints of light pepper spice swirled around.  A white grape fragrance was noticed as the brew began to warm and I also thought it to be just the slightest bit sour.  No “funk” to speak of.  Just a very delicate, soft, clean and well balanced aroma. 

The taste brought the spiciness to life.  The peppery aspects were much more noticeable.  Fruity savors of lemon citrus, grapes and apples skins added a sweet and sourness combination.  It sort of tasted like a very subdued white wine.  It had a slight tartness as well as a mild touch of alcohol.  Like the aroma, it was very yeasty and bready.  The funkiness came out a bit more in the taste also, which led to a nice earthy and herbal flavor.  It still wasn’t real robust however.  Just enough to let me know that it was there.  A decent little snap of grassy hops and bitterness created an even more complex taste.  Pretty nice overall.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied, very smooth, dry, crisp, refreshing and thirst quenching.  A decent amount of warmth was felt as the brew worked its way down and an honest amount of flavor was left as the beer was swallowed.

Well, we have another pretty darn good brew right here.  It had plenty of character to satisfy me that’s for sure.  It was a little bit light on the funkiness however.  I was expecting and hoping for a smidgen more from this Saison, but that’s ok, I’ll take what I can get.  It was very easy to drink, and even though it’s a Winter Seasonal, I think it would pair very well with the Spring and Summer warmth.  It was rather refreshing I thought.  I would be more than happy to sample this brew again if it was offered and I would have no problem recommending a friend to give it a go too.  So, next time you see the Avec les Bons Voeux by Dupont, pick up a bottle and see what you think of it.

Thanks for reading and commenting guys.  Thanks, again, for checking in on the reviews.  It’s much appreciated.

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  4.0 out of 5
Grade:  B+