Duvel - Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat NV

BeerBuilder

Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Hazy, straw color with a thick white head. The aromas are medicinal, and fruity. The flavor is somewhat fruity; apples maybe? A sweet herbal flavor also comes through. This smooth, medium-full brew is easy drinking, finishing with a dryness that sticks with you. It has a strength that will easily sneak up on you.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2003 10:20:20 | More by BeerBuilder

SaunaKing

Ontario (Canada)

1.83/5  rDev -57.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Nasty!
I have heard Duvel mentioned many times since I started visiting this site so when I saw it in the store for the first time I couldn't resist trying it.
The bottle had a best before of November 2005. Seems like a long shelf-life, maybe thats the norm for this style.
It is a pale yellow lemony colour and is cloudy with a very large frothy head that just wont go away. You supposed to drink this through a straw or something?
The smell was active and yeasty with a hint of skunk.
The taste is not for me, I would compare it to a wheat beer which I am also not crazy about.
This beer tastes like what I imagine a beer tasting like in the middle of the brew process.
A real struggle to finish the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2003 12:14:58 | More by SaunaKing

GreenCard

Oregon

4/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 2.5

Golden/straw color with a billowous, fluffy, white head. If you pour this correctly, you'll be left with an ever-lasting blob of foamy head. Big-time lacing and lots of aromatics: pear, citrus, alcohol, pilsener malt and a saazy hop nose.

Despite the high alcohol content, this is an extremely light-bodied beer due to the judicious use of either belgian candi sugar or honey (lots of debate in brewing circles about this). Though you can definitely taste and feel the alcohol, it is not over-powering. It's effects kind of sneak up on you. A Devil it is. The buzz I get from this beer is different than from anything else... maybe just psychological, but I get a little "devilish". A FUN beer! Anyway, about the flavor... crisp, malty, fruity (again, pear), a well-balanced hop bitterness (most likely Styrian Golding), and a smooth, dry finish. Spritzy, refreshing carbonation, and very thirst-quenching.

I can't think of one single detracting element in this beer. It is the definition of the style. No surprise, since it was the first of its kind!

Drink it in it's traditional tulip-glass or something like it. You want something that tapers at the top to make sure the head stacks up nicely and you harness that wonderful aroma. Also, I prefer the Duvel in a 750 ml bottle over the 33 cl one. The flavor, carbonation, and head formation are a bit more robust in the large bottle (my feeling is that they dose the large bottles with more sugar than the small bottles).

Note: On 22-03-2005, I decided to drop Drinkability to 2.5 and Taste to 4.0 because I'm sort of tired of this beer and I don't think it should be in my top five. Not sure if it's just me or if the beer has changed.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2003 13:47:29 | More by GreenCard

phattgeek

Utah

4/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Hay not a bad beer, the yeast might turn some people off. Duvel has a some-what cloudy amber color, a thick head that lasts forever, the taste is a real mouthfull, malty,fruity,spicy,dry,and smooth. The AVB of 8.5% could make it a bit much for consumption of mass quantities.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2003 23:41:16 | More by phattgeek

IPAlot

New York

4.22/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 3

Dare I say it, I like the Yankee Hennepin better. Still, a wonderfully balanced beer. Any beer that is light in feel and color, yet manages to put forth character and depth is an ace in my book.

11.2 oz bottle drank out of Delerium Tremens bowler.

Appearance: A frosty blonde. A crackling effervescence and slightly sticky head. Champagne-ish.

Smell: highly suggestive, it makes me think of women, like it is almost a perfume. Peppery, coriander, tangerines.

Taste: Smooth yet crackles with some of the finest carbonation yet to fill my mouth. Again the Champagne, with spicier kick. Like the best gassed beers, the feeling after it goes down the hatch is all giggly and wonderful.

Must taste side by side with Hennepin someday, they are both champoins strong pale ales.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2003 15:54:21 | More by IPAlot

kwill

Texas

3.83/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

What can I say about this beer that hasn't already been said?

Pours a clear golden color with a thick white head that seemed to stop just short of the top of the glass. Maybe I had some residue or something in my glass, but I turned my back on the glass for a minute, turned back around and the head had grown aggressively and was rising about 2.5 inches above the rim of the glass.

Smell is crisp and clean with a hint of hops and that familiar Belgian sweetness. Taste has a noticeable sweetness with a touch of hops and spice. Mouthfeel has definite carbonation and finishes very clean.

A very good beer, but there are many other Belgian's that I feel are much better.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2003 21:02:50 | More by kwill

scottum

Vermont

3.35/5  rDev -21.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Seems a bit overrated to me. Pours out very pale with way too much head and froth all over the place when I uncorked the undisturbed bottle. Quite sweet with the whole Belgium citrus/grain/spicy thing going for it. There are many better brews from Belgium that I enjoy more so I plan to stay away from this pricey monster of a beer. But my advise to BAs is to try it as most floks seem to like it.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2003 14:04:52 | More by scottum

bierman2000

Pennsylvania

4.9/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A strong Belgian golden ale doesn't get any better than this one. The color just shines thru the light and it is very drinkable , a true gem, with just the right amount of sweetness and a bit of hop balance. The foamy pour lets the beer breath and this beer truly is the Devil as the alcohol is not noticeable, until you stand up afer a few. If there is one beer tour to take in Belgium or anywhere it is the Moortgat brewery tour where Duvel and Maredsous are brewed and enjoyed.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2003 14:42:15 | More by bierman2000

kbub6f

New York

3.6/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bought locally (Grapevine refrigerated shelves), 2-3 weeks in my fridge, served 45F, reviewed 45F-55F.

This beer poured with a huge, white, foamy head, collapsing to a dense meringue. The bottle says to pour slowly and it's easy to see why. The head clings thickly to the glass in clumps of foam.

The color is light yellow with swirls of fine sediment. Streams and streams of champagne-like bubbles rise quickly.

The smell is fairly subtle: sweet, spice, yeast.

The front is strongly sweet. The middle is spicy, citrusy, both sweetness and tart. Tingly. The finish is dry with noticable alcohol.

Overall, this is a decent beer: tasty, fresh. The alcohol doesn't really overpower the beer, but there's little complexity in the flavors to support it. I prefer Orval and Chimay... and La Trappe, come to think of it.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2003 18:15:58 | More by kbub6f

AfricPepperbird

New York

4.85/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

750ml bottle, uncorked properly, poured slowly, with intense concentration.

Duvel is a pretty beer; the head is thick: it will stubbornly occupy your glass and produce a creamy, immovable topography of its own design. The color is alchemic, with a cascading effervescence not dissimilar to fizzy French wines but with duplicitous aspects that, for this price, cannot be found in real Champagne or elsewhere.

The aroma is complex, overwhelming. Spice, fruit, oppressive maltiness. The taste then expands; intense fruit esters. Banana, pear, citric sourness;— ruthlessly, at first, a rude, invading stampede, but then following with a finish that lingers long as it dissolves into exotic, florid memories. The dénouement is sophisticated, an ethereal stretch; it is the proper occasion for a taste of cheese, a nut, or a bit of fruity juxtaposition. It is also the time for intense thoughts, and for deep, rustling feelings.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2003 16:55:41 | More by AfricPepperbird

TXHops

Texas

4.38/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Malts: Danish Summer Barley
Hops: Styrian Goldings; Saaz
IBU’s : 30
SRM: 8
ABV: 8.5%
Hops added three times during the boil. Dextrose added prior to primary fermentation. Two yeast strains used. Infusion mashed. Secondary cold fermentation for 1 month. Dextrose and yeast added during bottling for 3rd fermentation. (Based on info compiled by Michael Jackson.)

At the time of my writing this review, there were over 120 other BA reviews already for Duvel. As a result, I won’t waste the words necessary to describe the Coors Light-pale body, the famously meringue-like head that would make a properly-poured Guinness feel inadequate, the gushing fountain of bubbles emanating from the etched bottom of my proper Duvel glass, or the stunning, textbook Brussels lace down the sides of my glass. Instead, I’ll talk about what I think makes this beer different. For starters, the nose, which has the characteristic Saaz bite, also has a smell that seems to embody the concept of carbonation. The overall, non-component smell of Duvel is that of sweet corn growing near the sea. Please pardon my weak foray into poetry, for that’s not my intent. I mean that Duvel literally smells like walking in a cornfield bordering a body of saltwater: like sweet Tostitos.

The indescribably smooth body gets this characteristic from the immeasurably small bubbles that eventually compose the head. I heard once that Champagne, as it ages, witnesses its bubbles literally become smaller and more numerous, lending the desired creaminess to the mouthfeel. Duvel creates this sensation even when brand new. Taking a swig, it’s hard to even taste any liquid until I’ve swallowed, the bubbles are so numerous and foamy.

The taste is sweet and apple-pear like, with perhaps some lesser hints of figs, lemons, vanilla and lightly almond-flavored pastries. The long, long finish exhibits more of the sweetened Tostitos flavor (perhaps more like Cap’n Crunch cereal?) before it sours a bit in the back of my mouth. The souring, however, is less prevalent than it is in the VAST majority of other Belgian Ales, whose sweetness is almost never fully mitigated by hop bitterness. Since Duvel has a touch of acidity to begin with, the sourness is not entirely unanticipated, nor unpleasant.

For a Belgian Ale, Duvel is one of my all time favorites—not as sweet as most, and slightly hoppier. It’s also so amazingly elegant and well balanced. Even not being a big fan of this style, it’s hard to find faults with Duvel…

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2003 18:33:18 | More by TXHops

AudioGilz

Pennsylvania

4.78/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

The cork flew right out of my hand with a literally deafening pop sound. My right ear is still ringing and I think the neighbors called the police. This amazing beer pours a pale, hazy yellow with a huge white head that loves to hang out and tease you. I smell a very pleasant fruitiness, mostly lemon. The mouthfeel is very crisp from the high carbonation, but it's a most enjoyable carbonation. To simply state the complexity of taste: sweet, fruity, spicy(mostly on the finish), simply amazing. This beer defines what high drinkability is. 8.5% ABV? You would never have a clue of that high level without the label on the bottle stating it. Not to sound repetitive, but this beer can definitely be dangerous. I'm going to struggle to limit myself to one 750mL bottle.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2003 15:12:16 | More by AudioGilz

HossMcGraw

Pennsylvania

4.9/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

So good it's painful. This is a beer you don't ever want to stop drinking. One of the best qualities of this is the sound it makes when you pop the cap. The "whooshing" sound of the air escaping lasts twice as long as most beers and if you put your hand near it, you can feel that it's twice as powerful. It takes much longer than most beers to pour also because the head was so large. I once tried to take a sip of this straight out of the bottle, and was punished with a head that rushed out and foam went everywhere. I learned my lesson: A beer of this quality requires respect. As for the taste, a strong yeast flavor is the first thing I notice. A wonderful flavor of ripe fruit follows. Apricot, apple, peach, it's all there. It's got a slightly alcoholic finish which doesn't bother me in the least. It just serves as a reminder of the strength of this brew. The apperance could have been a little darker, and the mouthfeel a little thicker, but other than that, It's pretty close to perfection. If you haven't tried this yet, you need to right now.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2003 13:16:51 | More by HossMcGraw

BitteBier

Indiana

4.53/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Hazy golden lemon color and a formidable head (even after a gentle pour) with the consistency and color of stiff egg whites. Persistent carbonation adds to the attraction of this pretty pour. Smell is very pleasant though a tad weaker than one might expect given the "action" of this beer. Clean malty grains and yeast with some spice on the edges. A really wonderful, interesting taste. The easiest aspect of the taste to pick out is the yeasty, bready finish. Sweet grains start it out, giving way to noticeable carbonation and an astringent warmth and finally the afore-mentioned finish. Mouthfeel is clean and pleasant--the flavors linger without coating the mouth. Given the strength of this ale, it has an ominously drinkable character.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2003 17:29:51 | More by BitteBier

Rocko

Sweden

4.45/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

First thing you notice is that if foams alot, you need to pour this up easily. The color is golden with a misty touch from yeast sediments. Imho the smell is nothing special... It tastes great though, it's bready taste that sticks around for a while with a citrus tone. If you are sensitive you might taste a little alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2003 01:36:14 | More by Rocko

Dogbrick

Ohio

3.73/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Cloudy yellow color with a mammoth and lasting head. Very minimal lacing. Sweet, bready aroma. Very tingly on the tongue, and the flavor was not overly complex. I tasted citrus (lemon mainly), vanilla, a little alcohol, and some yeast. Very smooth finish makes this beer quite drinkable. Very good Belgian.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2003 08:58:09 | More by Dogbrick

bog

New York

5/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

There's not too much to say about this beer, and yet there's so much to say. It is perfection. Each time I taste it, I can taste a different aspect: it's sweet, yet not overpoweringly sweet while a little bitter; it's spicy, but not so much to hide its flavors; it tastes light on the tongue, but it has depth (it feels like no other beer I've had). It's as though someone took an excellent Pilsner and slapped an amazing brew on top of it. At 8.5% alcohol, you'd think that you could taste the alcohol, but the flavors all work together to leave no hint of alcohol, making it that much more dangerous. This only bad thing I have to say about this beer is that my local beer stores often run out of it leaving me to desire it almost all the time.

Serving Note:
While I don't buy into the Belgian ideal that every beer deserves its own glass, there's something satisfying about pouring Duvel into its glass and letting the head almost overflow taking up half the glass. It's a beautiful glass of beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2003 07:11:58 | More by bog

JohnnyDuvel

Florida

4.7/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

My favorite beer (hence the nickname). A much copied style (and copied very well by many), this stands out even amongst the great competition. There is just a little something extra-tangy in the taste that I haven't experienced, even after trying many of the greatest Belgian ales (my favorite style). The appearance and taste are legendary. Huge, lemon meringue looking head, fruity, spicy taste. Unbelievable drinkability for such a potent beer! I'm sure these strong ales aren't for everybody, but every beer lover should give this a try. As for you Belgian beer fans, try it head to head against the "competition". Somehow, the Duvel is totally unique. Enjoy!!

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2003 21:30:33 | More by JohnnyDuvel

Mitchster

Michigan

2.42/5  rDev -43.6%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1

Phoosh, off goes the cap with a blast. Pouring it slowly was not enough to tame this wild head. The head literally GROWS before your eyes, forming a peak of meringue so thick, you can float a half dollar on it. The beer itself is highly carbonated. It actually formed whirlpools of spiral bubbles in my glass. The color is crystal clear straw golden. Aroma is typical Weihenstephan Weizen yeast, with that banana/clove tang. Pretty typical in the aroma department. The taste is also pretty typical bavarian wheat, but with a warming punch of alcohol. No lambic aroma or taste. Has a sweetness in the back of the throat for the finish, and not much for hop flavor. Fumes of alcohol warm the nostrils after a hearty gulp. Aside from the wonderful head, I don't know why this beer earns such stellar reviews. It may be a Belgian-style strong pale ale, but it tastes like a typical bavarian wheat, and not even a good one at that. In my opinion, it tastes like a "DoppleWeizen". I had a hard time finishing just one bottle, and would not buy another in the future.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2003 16:08:37 | More by Mitchster

Naerhu

Japan

4.3/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Amazing mountainous head and a wonderfully integrated pepper/citrus/alcohol aroma. It has a good citrus/ alcohol flavor with a creamy medium/light body. Slight pleasant after taste reminds you of how good the last drink was and invites you back for another drink and before you know it the whole 1.5 liter bottle is gone. This beer is too quaffable (not a bad thing).

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2003 16:51:15 | More by Naerhu

Shiloh

Ontario (Canada)

3.45/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

This beer scares me....I love it, but it still scares me.....I have never seen such a thick head and yet the colour is weak.......medium body at best but a wonderful citrus flavour.....ABV is just to high.....Damn.
Slight pleasant after taste and rewarding....

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2003 21:33:31 | More by Shiloh

kunzbrew

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clear straw color until the last drops of the yeast fall into suspention then the beer turns a hazy which is quite pleasing. The citrus fruit fills the nose with hop overtones that are lovely. I wonder if they use candi sugar like homebrewers do to get the high alcohol content. The alcohol is not over powering for being 8.5% abv. I now see why this beer is number 3 on top ten list.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2003 18:18:20 | More by kunzbrew

doho95fu

California

4.08/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I had a bottle of this for my New Year's stash, and it was a pretty good choice, because it actually reminded me of champagne in some ways. The beer is golden with the thickest head I've ever dealt with, there were icebergs of foam. The lacing was thick and pervasive. The beer had a cloudy, mucky appearence as well, with lines of bubbles dragging up the sides. The smell is of fruits and alcohol in my book, even here I notice some champagne-like characteristics. The taste again was fruity, with currant, and alcohol kicks involved. The mouthfeel is good and the beer brings to mind the word effervescent. Overall a good beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2003 05:35:43 | More by doho95fu

AtrumAnimus

Texas

3.53/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

The Duvel is probably my least favorite beer from this fine Belgian brewery. The hoppiness is excellent but he finish is rough. It is also lacking in body. I prefer a more rich beer like the meredsous 10 or 8. This is still drinkable but I won't be stocking it in my fridge on a regular basis.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2002 11:54:02 | More by AtrumAnimus

francisweizen

Australia

4.5/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Duvel(Belgian White Label 330ML) definately is Belgians Devel. With all of the holy trappist and abbey beers that come out of Belgium there has to be some evil beers as well, and this is one of them! Thie beer pours a syrupy golden colour with an ultra dense rocky head that just won't quit, and it smells excellent. The aroma of Duvel is hard to pin down but it is very spicy, peppery, and full. The taste is more of the same and not as alcoholic as many would expect a 8.5%abv beer to be. The mouthfeel is slick, smooth, and full which lends an excellent level of drinkability to this beer. Another true belgian classic(much better in the white label and the 750ml bottles IMHO)
but if you can't get it in the white label the black is great as well

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2002 09:50:25 | More by francisweizen