Beer of the Weekend #263: Pauwel Kwak

Softball season finally ended tonight. We were beaten in the semi-final of our league’s post-season tourney. Much to my surprise, there was no season ending brewhaha; after the last out and slapping palms with the other team, everyone grabbed their shit and left. I was a tiny bit disappointed, though I could have said something. Regardless, I have decided to kick back a couple brews to commemorate my first season playing a competitive sport since playing soccer in second grade.

I will also be sampling a beer: Pauwel Kwak, brewed by the Brouwerij Bosteels of Buggenhout, Belgium.


I am a little stumped about what beer to recommend for the September LV. I recommended a märzen last September, so I do not want to repeat myself. I thought about Schlitz Gusto since it is a tasty lager and September brings the kickoff of tailgating and football season. However, I cannot help wanting to suggest something else. Last Friday I asked John’s beer guru Joe Hotek what he thought, and he immediately gave me a bottle of Pauwel Kwak.

Serving type: One 330 ml bottle. There are some cryptic batch codes on the back label, but nothing easily discernable as a freshness date.

Appearance: Poured into a tulip. The color is a ruddy, deep amber. Two fingers of eggshell-colored head dissipated fairly quickly to leave a thick ring around the edge and a spotted lacing.

Smell: Sweet candy caramel, toffee, bready malts and yeast, and dark fruit reminiscent of fig (in that way it reminds me of Fig Newtons). A brandy-like alcohol edge is present, but is not overpowering. Everything is very well balanced. As it warms a little more, flavors of banana and apple also present themselves.

Taste: The mouthfeel is smooth, thick, and rich, though the flavor is not as potent as the aroma. It mostly mirrors the smell: sweet candy caramel, toffee, lots of breadiness (which no doubt contributes to the thick feel), and fig. There is a touch of brandy, but the alcohol is completely hidden.

Drinkability: Smooth and flavorful, this is very tasty and very well crafted stuff. The roads in Belgium must have been very dangerous with carriage drivers drinking this on their routes.

Fun facts about Pauwel Kwak:

-Style: Strong Belgian Ale, which BA calls “Belgian Strong Pale Ale.” Here are the facts.

Like a Belgian Pale Ale, the strong versions will also be pale to golden in color. What sets them apart is a much higher alcohol content that can range from hidden to spicy to devastatingly present. Expect a complex and powerful ale, yet delicate with rounded flavors and big, billowy, rocky, white head. Hop and malt character can vary, most are fruity and quite hoppy, but hop flavor and aroma will generally be within the low range and artfully balanced.

Duvel is the quintessential example of this style, and many others have tried to imitate it with similar references to the devil.

-Price: $4.49/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City. It is pretty pricy stuff.

-Serving temperature: Both Beers of the World and Michael Jackson’s Great Beer Guide recommend a 55ºF serving temperature.

-Alcohol content: 8 percent ABV.

-Food pairings: Beers of the World recommends “dark chocolate.”

-The Belgians are mad about specialty beerware, and the brewers of Kwak are no different. Kwak is served in a special glass that is basically a short version of a yard glass. The story behind the Kwak glass dates from the days of horse-drawn carriages. Unable to leave their carriages and horses at roadside inns to quench their thirst, drivers were served outside with special glasses that could be hung in notches on the side of the carriage so it was within easy reach. Here is the link to a good picture showing the Kwak glass hanging on the side of a carriage. (It is to the outside of the woman in the light purple shawl, who seems to be enjoying a Kwak.) Obviously, no one gave a shit about drinking and driving back in the day.

-In the game before ours tonight, the Chino Stoppaz beat The Defenestrators something like 11-2. It was much appreciated since everyone hates The Defenestrators. Anyway, as we waited for The Defenestrators to gather their shit and leave the dugout, they talked about meeting at George’s. Someone said, “If we can’t be champions we can at least drink like them.” While leaving the field, one of the players said, “I can really use some Shiner Bock.” I have yet to try Shiner, so I am not going to judge.


The Quiet Man’s grade: A-.

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