If, as a fellow curious drinker, you were wondering what the beer consumed by the Norbertine fathers of Leffe Abbey tasted like when initially brewed some 750 years ago, you could do a lot worse than sample Leffe Brune, according to expert Jonny Tyson.
“When the monks struck a commercial partnership in 1952 with local brewer Albert Lootvoet, the first beer they produced, that very year, was the Brune – rather than the Blonde, which has become synonymous with the brand – because it was made similarly to the traditional formula,” says Tyson, the beer knowledge and education manager for Leffe.
“That Brune was based on an abbey dubbel or double – a darker, richer beer, with caramel and dried fruit notes – after old recipes from the 1880s were discovered. In reality it is difficult to recreate a 13th-century beer, because brewing technology and ingredients have changed, but that offering is reasonably close to the abbey beers from the distant past.
“We can guess from the old recipes how strong the beer would have been: about 6% or 7% alcohol content, not too dissimilar to both Leffe’s Brune and Blonde these days. Beers of that strength were drunk on a daily basis in the middle ages, though during the day they would have been made weaker, and called ‘table beer’.”
There are many other Leffe varieties – such as Ruby and Nectar in the UK, as well as Tripel, Royale, Radieuse, Christmas, Rituel 9°, Printemps and Vieille Cuvée in Belgium.
However, the Blonde is “far and away Leffe’s bestseller”, says Tyson. Further, it is the number-one specialist beer in France and the number one abbey beer in Belgium, which is no mean feat given the strength and depth of competition.
The Blonde, golden in colour, and fruity, aromatic and lightly spiced in taste, has a 6.6% alcohol content. “It is appealing because, compared with many other beers available in pubs, it has an intense flavour, which reveals more complexity the more you drink it,” says Tyson. “It makes it a far more interesting to drink, rather than something you can quaff down in large quantities. You can really savour it.
“It possesses a silky, honey-like sweetness, yet is delicately balanced with soft, bitter dryness, and is an authentic blonde abbey beer. It’s made with a very specific Belgian yeast – the same one we’ve used at Leffe for years – which gives a signature spicy, sweet spikiness.
“You have layers of different ingredients, and the Blonde’s malt gives you a sort of a breadiness, almost like a dark brioche. I also taste dried apricot, quince, and subtle hints of nutmeg and clove. It’s complex journey of flavour, rounded off with a refreshing and dry aftertaste. It’s great with aged goat’s cheese, and fattier meats; the carbonation really cuts through that dry spice,” adds Tyson.
The 6.5% Brune, Tyson’s favourite – “an even richer experience” – is coffee coloured and provides a harmonious blend of sweet and dry flavours. “This one is made with a portion of more-heavily kilned and roasted malts, which gives light caramel, and slightly roasted cocoa-bean notes, along with darker, dried fruits,” he adds.
“It pairs well with mature, tangy West Country Cheddar, and also the saltiness of blue cheeses goes well with its sweetness. In addition, that fruitiness goes really well with peppery meats, and Hungarian paprika salamis in particular.”
