Last month we included an old classic – Duvel. Well that was just to get you ready for their new beer, Duvel Imperial Blond. This beer was released in April 2025 and was the first new ‘Duvel’ beer created in a good while. With much fanfare about the release of this limited edition beer, I was able to time it such that we got an allocation in time for our last container. So here it is!
It looks very much like the original Duvel in the glass, maybe slightly darker in colour with with that billowing white foam under which the beer is working furiously to release carbonation through it. Especially so if you have the authentic Duvel glass.
The aroma is very much the same as the normal Duvel with fruit and malt sweetness with a lifting hint of citrus. The taste is where you know you are drinking a different beer.
Slightly heavier in body, it is immediately sweeter with more pronounced yellow fruits and a more caramel malt body. About half way through you realise the bitterness is softer than the original as well. There is more than enough hop bitterness to lift the beer and provide a lovely balance, but without that little sharp bite of the original.
There was a lot of expectation on this beer, but I think it carries that burden well. Let’s just hope that it may become a regular part of Duvel’s range. They have history for it!
by L’Abbaye Notre-Dame de Scourmont
The newest beer to the Chimay range is a strong golden ale
A dry-hopped Strong Golden Ale from De La Sense
Duvel is the iconic Belgian Strong Golden Ale all others are compared to
The 'Devil's' little brother, made to the same recipe but without secondary fermentation in the bottle
A Belgian classic - Duvel - with a current hop-driven twist
The classical Belgian Strong Blond Ale, jazzed up with an extra hop that changes each year
The 2015 special edition Duvel Tripel Hop features the Equinox hop
The 2016 version of Duvel's Tripel Hop, featuring an experimental hop from the Yakima Valley
This is now the permanent feature in the Duvel range, with the Citra version being voted the favourite of all the Duvel Tripel Hop varieties
The 'other' Duvel Tripel Hop in the range shows of Cashmere hops
The favourite of the Duvel Tripel Hop series is the Citra hop version
A big Belgian Tripel from one of Belgium's big family brewer groups in Duvel-Moortgat
A typically taste Belgian Dubbel or Brune/Bruin with a sweet fruity and malty body, balanced by an earthy, spicy and slightly citrus hop bite
