Le Pet Du Coq
Continuing in our series of Belgian -style offerings, this beer would be referred to as a “Category S” or “Speciale” in Belgium. While different from the “Abbey Double”, our beer may be closest to that style.
We used solely Belgian malted barley and, by way of a small Dutch brewery, Belgian yeast( which has given us fits- every last cell is about to receive its walking papers). The beer has an attractive reddish hue. If you are not suffering from a spring cold, you should notice an unusually titillating (Phil really prods us to talk these beers up) commingling including, but not limited to: sweet malt, with a slightly raisiny tinge; a soft touch of Willamette hops; and that unique bouquet of fruit and spice that seems only to come from Belgian ale yeast. Full-bodied, and with gentle carbonation, swirl it over your palate and smile. Sweet malt and that enigmatic Belgian magic again. Down the hatch. The final finish is slightly warming- 6.5% alcohol by volume- then a bit sweet, and finally, moderately long and dry.
You may be wondering about the name. If you speak French, you are certainly wondering. Once, while roaming around the Chimay monastery brewery and stealing industry secrets, my friend Dave Messersmith and I were invited to have dinner at the house of Marc and Murielle Habran. Marc is the brewing director at Chimay. Murielle is his lovely and witty wife. The evening and dinner were wonderful, but back to the name of the beer. Their youngest son, Bruno, was looking at a picture book of animals and began to shout “Le pet de le coq!. Le pet de le coq, whereupon his father corrected him: “Le pet du coq, Bruno, le pet du coq!” Loosely translated it means “the chicken’s ass!”
Rest assured that the beer and its name have no relevance to each other.
Lovingly Yours, Darryl Goss, Will Meyers and Phil Bannatyne