This is the third beer in the Duchesse series, though we can think of it as the second in the process. Verhaeghe took the original Duchesse de Bourgogne and aged it on 20kgs of whole sour cherries from Limburg per 100 litres of beer.
Does that then make this beer a kriek? It probably does, and interestingly this beer is moving into the space previously occupied by Verhaeghe’s Echt Kriekenbier.
The idea is to leverage off the Duchesse name, as it is the most successful label for the brewery. Particularly in the US, the original Duchesse is a very sought after beer.
It pours a lovely deep red colour, and straight away you can smell the cherries along with the balsamic notes of the base beer. Early on there is a real fruity sweetness, but this quickly gives way to the sour nature of the beer.
The cherries add a tartness that lifts and sharpens the palate compared to the original Duchesse, slowly fading into the pleasantly lingering finish.
This is a mixed fermentation ale aged in oak barrels for one year
The classic Flanders Red Ale - the Duchesse of Burgundy
Verhaeghe's famous Duchesse De Bourgogne with the addition of sour cherries and chocolate essence
A delicious blend of two Petrus beers used to create this traditional Flanders Red ale
by Brouwerij Rodenbach (Palm Breweries)
The tribute beer to Alexander Rodenbach, reintroduced in 2016, 30 years after it was first created
by Brouwerij Rodenbach (Palm Breweries)
A Flemish Red Ale featuring 67% aged beer and 33% young beer
A typical Flanders Red Ale from this seventh-generation family brewery
The original flanders oud bruin from the old family brewery Verhaeghe, this is an unblended cask aged beer
A Belgian Export Porter from a brewery more known for their Flemish sour ales
A fruit beer featuring sweet cherries from the family Brouwerij Verhaeghe
The classic Flanders Red Ale - the Duchesse of Burgundy
Verhaeghe's famous Duchesse De Bourgogne with the addition of sour cherries and chocolate essence
A flemish mixed fermentation ale with northern sour cherries added during the barrel maturation
Verhaeghe's special Christmas beer is a blonde ale with wheat and spices
The original flanders oud bruin from the old family brewery Verhaeghe, this is an unblended cask aged beer