Malheur

If you’re a real beer connoisseur, which you probably are or otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this, the name Malheur might be familiar to you. It’s a rather odd name for a product because it means “misfortune,” and that’s just the Belgian way. They love making these little whimsical jokes with the names of their beers.

Malheur beers are produced by a man called Manu De Landtsheer, who started his own brewery in just the last few years in the Belgian town of Buggenhout, to the north of Brussels on the way to Antwerp between Aalst and Mechelen, more brewing towns. He started his brewery there, but his family had a brewery on the same premises since the 1600s, and the brewery had closed down between the two world wars.

Manu had grown up hearing his grandfather talking about the great days when the family had their own brewery, and it just got to him. It made him want to restart the family brewery, and that’s what he’s done, built a whole new brewery on the old site that makes his Malheur range of beers.

Speak French? Find out more about Malheur here.

Brewery Picture:


10

When tasting a basic Malheur beer, the term basic has to be seen in terms of the way things are in Belgium. In Belgium, a basic beer is a pretty wonderful beer. This one is made with three or four different pilsner malts, mainly coming from France, and one more specialized malt from Belgium. It’s got Saaz hops from the Czech Republic, and it’s got Styrian Goldings from Slovenia. The yeast originally came from the Affligem brewery nearby, and they have sold so much now to the brewery at Malheur, that it’s really the Malheur yeast. Its quite a fruity beer. Very flowery, very cleansing. It would be a terrific aperitif beer. Despite its great strength, ten percent, it’s a very thirst cutting beer. And a very, very appetizing beer.

ABV 10%


12

Malheur 12 is a dark brown ale with beautiful and rocky “cafe latte” light brown foam. The flavour is malty and cereal and might invoke thoughts of fresh cut bread. The taste of Malheur 12 is full, round, with a touch of sweet alcohols, but the ale is still dry and bitter coffee, with touches of nuts, honey and rum from the brown candy sugar. The aftertaste is bitter-sweet, long and warm.

ABV 12%


Brut

The Misfortune Beer Crude “to the original method” is an exclusive rich beer with an alcohol content of 11%, put in bottles and refermente until three times in bottle. When tasting a basic Malheur beer, the term basic has to be seen in terms of the way things are in Belgium. In Belgium, a basic beer is a pretty wonderful beer. This one is made with three or four different pilsner malts, mainly coming from France, and one more specialized malt from Belgium. It’s got Saaz hops from the Czech Republic, and it’s got Styrian Goldings from Slovenia.

The yeast originally came from the Affligem brewery nearby, and they have sold so much now to the brewery at Malheur, that it’s really the Malheur yeast. It’s quite a fruity beer. Very flowery, very cleansing. It would be a terrific aperitif beer. Despite its great strength, ten percent, it’s a very thirst cutting beer. And a very, very appetizing beer.

The result is a beer refined and crackling with an energetic collar and a rear elegant taste. Suits very well as aperitif, dessert or liqueur.

ABV 11%


Dark Brut

A dark brown appearance with brown creamy foam. The bouquet is extremely complex! Sherry, vanilla, wood … with a coffee flavour as a result of the roasted malt. Its taste is oak dry, so this is a genuine Brut. The ale has been decanted in young American oak that was especially burned for this ale. Its bitterness is nicely balanced with the tannin of the wood and just a sweet zest from the alcohol. It has an unusual cork dry aftertaste. This ale is bottled according to so called “original method”. The yeast is removed from the bottle by turning and degorging.