Le Trou du Diable / Birrificio del Ducato Bella Ciao Saison at 5% ABV (C$6.00 at NLC Stavanger, 600 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 29-May-2017, reviewed 1-Jun-2017)
Appearance: opaque straw with two fingers of fluffy white head, good retention and soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: dry hay, lemon zest, doughy malt, banana, black peppercorns. (8/10) Taste: moderate-low sweet, mild bitter, light peppery spice. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, lively carbonation, dry slightly spicy finish. (4/5)
Really good “ticks all the boxes” Saison: structurally there’s the requisite large fluffy head with good retention and lacing, light body, lively carbonation, and dry finish. Aromas and flavours are pleasantly funky without sacrificing refreshment, and the ABV is low enough to make it a sessionable thirst quencher. I’ve had a couple of del Ducato beers in the past (in the 2014 and 2016 Advent Calendars) with mixed results: their 2014 Krampus was excellent, but their 2016 Molotov, well, wasn’t. Le Trou du Diable, on the other hand, is reliably excellent: of the almost twenty I’ve tried, I’ve only ever rated one of their beers at less than a 7/10. This collaboration is no exception, and I can recommend it without reservation. (16/20)
8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
