Today is a day to celebrate. Today is Repeal Day. Seventy-eight years ago today the 21st Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which repealed the 18th Amendment ban on the " manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors" was ratified, somewhat ironically, by Utah. The repeal of the 18th Amendment is a reason to celebrate. Not just because it restored the right of Americans to drink, but because it restored the right for Americans to conduct themselves in the manner of their choosing.
The 21st Amendment is not merely about being able to get rip-roaring drunk, it's about the most basic of American rights: freedom. Freedom to drink. Freedom to express oneself through a chosen art. And freedom to experience the wide tastes made available through that artistic expression. And so, today I celebrate.
As it turns out, the dark ages of American beer were just beginning, but luckily today we have a few more options to celebrate repeal day than did the ciserones of 1933. And to that end, I'll be enjoying a bottle of Maredsous 8 Brune, a fine Belgian dubbel produced by Duvel under license from Maredsous Abbey.
The paper wrapping not only protects this bottle from exposure to light during it's 4,100 mile trip to Chicago and on store shelves, but it also implies mystery. What could be behind the paper curtain? It's a present waiting to be opened. Once opened the hefty bottle continues its classic, medieval abbey theme (even though the brand originated in the 1960s), again begging you to taste the history and bygone lifestyle inside.
"Drink Before: 05/2012" on the cork cage. Maredsous 8 presents itself with a dark, dark, ruby red - Nearly black - color and a long lasting, linen colored head with the consistency of whipped egg whites. Moderate lace clings to the glass.
Caramel, honey, fig, molasses, and chocolate dance an elephant ballet of aromas. Each are big and powerful but they gracefully whisp across the nose. The taste is similar to the aroma, but not as forward. Dark fruit and molasses pull forward first, then some honey shows itself. Hop bitterness balances the sweetness just a bit. The slightest bit of yeast autolysis comes in the end but it's not distracting and is perhaps to be expected in a bottle conditioned beer nearing the end of it's drinkability date. Lingering flavors of molasses and caramel present at the end.
Despite the diabetes educing descriptors of the aroma and flavors the palate is kept relatively clean by just enough carbonation and a surprisingly light body. Great beer.
