St Stefanus - A perfect brew for Christmas!

Well, it’s getting to that time of year (AGAIN!) There’s a chill in the air, the holly berries are ripening in the crisp, frosty morning sun and we all know that the special time of year is just around the corner. So naturally we need to get into the ‘spirit’ and that usually means indulging in our favourite brews! So when a batch of a speciality beer arrived at our door, we were more than prepared to get into the ‘Christmas Spirit’. There I said it! So what came, we hear you cry…

It’s called St. Stefanus, a Belgian strong ale, originally brewed in a monastery in Ghent that dates back to 1295. Back in the day Monks brewed beer as an alternative to unclean drinking water that carried disease… great alternative!

 

St. Stefanus is now brewed at Van Steenberge Brewery, a stone’s throw away. The historical heritage of this beer is still very much apparent with a strong link between the monastery and the brewery, because of this St Stefanus is still considered to be an Abbey beer.

We know that some beer drinkers it might be bit trivial, but the presentation of this little beer is unreal, a beautifully shaped bottle, with a brightly coloured bottle cap showing the flaming heart of St. Augustijn, who is the patron Saint of the monastery.

Before we start, we should mention that the beauty of this beer is that it is brewed using three different yeasts and is refermented in the bottle. This means that it matures through time so the colour gets darker with age and the flavours become more complex.

This gives you the chance to do it for yourself, storing it upright in a cool dry place (ideally 8-16 degrees), perhaps not in a cellar but maybe under your bed. The brew that we had was matured for at least three months. In fact all St. Stefanus bottles are actually cellared for three months at the brewery before release, (this is because of the voracious nature of yeast which speeds up refermentation in the first few months, and ensures the quality of the process is not impaired by not being put in the right conditions in those first few months). So bear in mind if you have a later release or leave your brew for months, it may not be a brew of the same character.

Appearance: You can have this one of two ways.

For clear just stand upright for at least 30 mins to let the yeast settle. Do not shake the bottle and pour slowly and leave the sediment at the bottom of the bottle.

For cloudy, swirl the last 1/3 in the bottle and then pour. We chose to swirl, so the appearance of this brew was cloudy light amber, with a big, bold, frothy head at the beginning that thinned down after the second sip. This eventually left lacing on the side of the glass and a bit of reminiscent froth on the top.

Aroma: A very nice fresh mix of fruity meets floral. Quite boozy, with some dominant tropical notes. Hints of peach and banana, with a slight pine underlay.

Flavour: The hints of banana are carried through into the flavour, with two bold hits of Apricot and Grapefruit. Some cracking caramel undertones, with a slight tingle on your tongue, finished off with a hint of spice and a refreshing dry pine finish.

Put together these characteristics fit the season perfectly, making it the perfect beer to enjoy while curled up in front of the fire, toasting your toes on Christmas Eve.

What else could you add to this fantastic mix… A cheese recommendation perhaps?

Brie is a great pairing for this brew. The beer mellows out the bitterness of the cheese which makes it smoother, while the cheese brings out the fruitiness of the beer making it more defined.

Overall this is an epic brew to try, it’s got the heritage, it’s got the complexity and a great combination of characteristics that can vary from time to time. So this definitely gets the winter warmer thumbs up from us… We also may keep a bottle tucked away for next Christmas too!

Get St. Stefanus here!

Picture from the Beer Yeti Review of the trappist, abbey, Belgian Blonde Beer St.Stefanus, brewed by Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V. Beer and cheese pairing.

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