Val-Dieu Blond

Brewed By: Brasserie de l’Abbaye du Val-Dieu in Aubel, Belgium 

Purchased: 11.2oz/330ml bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Belgian Blonde Ale, 6.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

Intrigued by the Val-Dieu beer glass that I purchased, I went looking for some of their beer. I ended up finding their Grand Cru/Quad, and a gift pack thing with three of their beers. So off we go. About Val-Dieu:

The Cistercian Abbey “Notre Dame du Val-Dieu” was founded in 1216 by monks from Hocht, near Maastricht (the capital city of the Dutch province of Limburg) and the county of Dalhem. The legend goes that the uninhabited valley into which they settled was so hostile the locals called it the "valley of the devil." The monks renamed it "Valley of God," or Val-Dieu in French. Val-Dieu was the only Belgian abbey to survive the French Revolution. Today, the abbey is still linked to the Cistercian Order, and the abbey of Lérins.  

According to Wikipedia, the abbey's original church was destroyed in 1287 during the War of Limburg Succession, and again in 1574 during the Eighty Years' War, and again in 1683 by the armies of Louis XIV. Under Abbot Jean Dubois, from 1711 to 1749, the abbey flourished, until the church was destroyed again in the French Revolution. 

The brewery (Brasserie de l'Abbaye du Val-Dieu) was established in 1997 at the abbey farm. Originally, the monks of Val-Dieu brewed beer to make the water drinkable and to avoid diseases like dysentery, cholera, and typhoid. The beers brewed at the abbey today are inspired by the original recipes of the monks. The abbey emphasizes basic ingredients, a rigorous brewing process, and straight up legit water from the regional Gileppe dam. For more info, check out the abbey's website, or the Val-Dieu website.

The Val-Dieu Blond is described as a fresh, light beer. Punching in at 6.0%, this is the lightest (or one of the lightest) of the Val-Dieu mainstay offerings.

Val-Dieu Blond

The beer pours a hazy yellow/straw color, with a swampy body that looks like murky pond water. There's some yeast floating around, and the beer kicked up a finger of white, crackling head. This one gushed, so I let some air escape before fully popping the cap. What looks like bukkake Mona Lisa in low light looks like Mona all done up for prom night in bright light. The beer has a radiant golden body in bright light, with a pinky of hazy white head that left magnificent spider web lacing behind. There's also streams of tiny carbonation bubbles, of the likes of Duvel.

The aroma reminds me of the aged Schneider Aventinus. You get lots of wheat, big perfume, fruity esters, and huge fruity sugars. I'm getting Juicy Fruit, caramelized apples sprinkled with sugar, apple juice, wheat, prunes, apricots, and hints of darker fruits, and some hints of boozy phenols.

You get much of the same stuff in the taste, with a smack of funk, some clove, a touch of saffron/flowers/honey, and some light powder/dust towards the back. I'm getting lots of wheat, apples, pineapple, some floral hop bitterness, perfumey yeast, and some light dusted lemon.

This is very much standard stuff. The mouthfeel is medium-bodied, creamy, smooth, and supported by pillows of carbonation. Palate depth and complexity are both par the course, and this is drinkable with pleasant perfume-y phenols. You get creamy head and fruits up front; that rolls into more fruits and wheat with some light hop kick; the back end has some of the perfume/phenol/powder. The finish is light and not very drying. 

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this beer. There's not much to see here, but this beer has the authentic trimmings of a Belgian Blond. It's more enjoyable than something like a Leffe Blonde, minus the price and availability, of course. And it doesn't tack on the "e" for the dumbass American market. Or should I say the French American market. Wee wee. Freedom fries, what? You can pair this here beer with cheeses and meats, but that's not thinking outside the box. There's an almost wine-like quality to this beer, so you could also pair it with lighter pasta and mussels or something of that ilk.  

Random Thought: And now for part 2...