Van Steenberge Fourchette

Brouwerij van Steenberge are one of Belgium’s best-known family brewers.  They brew A LOT of different beers, but are probably most famous for the Gulden Draak range.  Of if you’ve been to Bruges and visited De Garre bar, van Steenberge are responsible for that amazing house tripel as well. In truth they brew beers for a lot of different beer companies, both in Belgium and abroad.  But while they also brew this beer, the circumstances are a little more interesting. Fourchette is brewed annually for a special gastronomic event in Ghent.  Each year, a number of the country’s top chefs come together to prepare a degustation for their guests. The beer is a multi-grain tripel with Saaz and Spalt hops.  The beer is really carbonated, so a slightly aggressive pour will release some of that carbonation – so pour into a big glass! I don’t really get a lot out of the aroma, there is some Belgian yeast character and a hint of light fruits, maybe banana and lemon citrus make their way through the creamy white foam. Bubbles of flavour seem to bounce off your tongue.   The beer is really lively, with a crisp backbone and hints of banana, peach, pear and coriander.  It dries nicely on the finish with a pleasant lingering bitterness.