Cuvée des Trolls Belgian Blonde Ale

Cuvée  des Trolls Belgian Blonde Ale.

This is why I hang on to beer glasses for over a 
dozen years, you never know when you'll
need them again. 

7 % ABV, 19 IBU, Brasserie Dubuisson, Leuze-Pipaix, Belgium. 

Scanning this blog, I am disheartened to note that there are only three appearances by the Brasserie Dubuisson here, and they are Scaldis Tripel, Scaldis Noel, and Cuvee des Trolls Speciale. Over on BeerAdvocate.com, I have reviewed a few more: Bush de Noel Premium, Péche Mel, Scaldis Amber, and this very beer in question, the Cuveé des Trolls. There are other of their beers that are available to me now at the retail store where I work currently, but they are on the expensive side. 

Back in 2009, I had a keg (or maybe more) of the Cuvée des Trolls on tap at the Blue Nile. I'd never heard of it, but, hey, it had to be good, right And it was, and I was happy to pour it. And now it's back in the market, and I picked up a 4-pack for merely $15.49 to enjoy at home. And I will do what I do, which is reuse those old notes and see how they stack up against the one I'm drinking now. And here we go...

In the extra-cool frosted troll tulip... hazed, golden appearance, beautiful, bone-white, creamy cap.

Muted nose, mild and mellow, floral, soft citrus, light spice, lively, lovely.

Soft and mellow in the mouth, as well. Minor carbonation. Smooth and scrumptious. This doesn't explode with flavor, dazzle, titillate, or turn you inside out. It's just good drinking beer. Crisp, clean, and cool. 

Alcohol level is good for a blonde ale, small for a Dubuisson beer. But they want to sell to more than hardcore beer geeks, and hardened alcoholics, I guess. And using miniature mythological creatures is one way to do it. 

Not the sort of thing I would normally go for, but good for what it is.. .may they sell many a Troll... as long as it keeps 'em making Scaldis.

What did I miss? Notes of honey and stone fruit. Quite tasty, actually. I'm liking it more than it seems from those 12-year old notes. Maybe it's better in the bottle, over time, than fresh on tap? One never knows. 

Cuvée des Trolls was created in 2000 in the tanks of microbrewery Le Brasse-Temps, which was established in Louvain-la-Neuve by Brasserie Dubuisson.

It is an unfiltered blonde beer with a natural cloud. The beer is produced using only yeast, malt, hops, sugar and water and has an alcohol volume of 7%.

Thanks to the addition of dried orange peel during the boiling process, the beer has very pleasant fruity aromas that are in beautiful harmony with its delicate, fully rounded taste.

Scaldis Triple Blond Ale

Scaldis Blonde Ale Tripel, Brasserie Dubuisson, Pipaix,Belgium. 10.5% ABV.

I can't believe I've never had this before. Where has it been? Here in the Nib, I've included only a few beers from Brasserie Dubuisson, those being the Scaldis Noel (they're called Scaldis in the States and Bush in Belgium, probably due to issues with Anheuser-Busch.) and the Cuvee des Trolls 10th Anniversary edition. Over in BeerAdvocate.com, where I posted my reviews before starting this blog in 2010, I've had, in addition to those, the original Cuvee des Trolls, Peche Mel, Scaldis Amber, and Bush de Noel Premium. How did this one escape me? Well, I finally found it, marked down at a local store.

I can't help second-guessing my glassware choices.
I hunted for my Scaldis glass, which must have gotten
broken long ago, but should definitely have gone with
a fancier Belgian chalice, rather than this simple snifter.

To the eye: slim, white head, murky appearance, amber hue, very rustic-looking.

In the nose: a little sour at first, slightly fruity, touch of hops.

In the mouth: Hops, fruit, alcohol. Bigness in each. A load of crispy, cracker-y malt on the palate, but high hops, booze, yeast loom over all. Large and boozy. Not that that's ever a bad thing. Big, boozy, Belgian-y, yum. I enjoyed this big bottle until the night came to a crashing end. Funky, fruity, wild and weird. These guys....man, these guys. Note to self: Go out and get the rest of the Scaldis', bring 'em all into the Nib.

In this tripel, the in-bottle re-fermentation has given an intense effervescence to the aromas of the Bush Blonde. The re-fermentation has also sympathetically developed the Blonde's well-rounded, tender character. 

I yanked that off of Untappd, not sure where they got it from. This is the back label: "Scaldis Blond Triple is Brasserie Dubuisson's golden ale. Sharing the finesse and balance of all the delicious Scaldis beers, it is an elegant and day ale with wonderful orchard fruit aromas of orange and peach. And because it is re-fermented in the bottle, it has the natural sparkle that perfectly compliments it's flavors. Suitable for cellaring."

Cuvee des Trolls Cuvee Speciale 10th Anniversary

I had no idea Cuvee des Trolls was 10 years old. I had never heard of it, until kegs were offered a couple of years ago. Those Belgians and their love of little people. The gnomes of Brasserie d'achouffe, the "erthels" of Urthel, and one of the most famous cartoon character out of Belgium, Peyo's Smurfs.

To get myself in the proper mood, I put on a movie. Not "Troll 2", that's about goblins, no matter what the director will tell you. I'd never seen the original "Troll" from 1986, but what a delight. Swinging Sonny Bono, lovely June Lockhart, a surprisingly non-wooden Michael Moriarty, and an evil Troll trying to turn an apartment building into a fantasy forest /alternate dimension. He just about turns every tenant into a horrible rubbery creature, except Julia Louis Dreyfus, who becomes a scantily clad wood nymph, which is how it should be, of course.

Ah, but the beer. Here's what I had to say:

Cuvee' des Trolls Cuve'e Speciale, Belgian Ale Refermented in the bottle. I pint, 9.4 fl. oz. , 10th Anniversary Cuvee Speciale, Product of Belgium, 7% Alc., by Vol.
From Brasserie Dubuisson, makers of the Bush/Scaldis line. I like them.
Brewed in limited quantities, Troll's 10th Anniversary special edition accentuates the delicate qualities and fruity aroma of Cuvee des Trolls thanks to it's secondary fermentation in the bottle. Enjoy!
Brewed with: water, malt, sugar, hops, and yeast.

Clouded, golden-hue, large, snowy-white head, lacy and long-lasting.

Aromatics of yeast, light malt, light hops, citrus-y hops and considerable spice. Air-y, lemon-y, and delightful. Mmm, mmm.

Now, let's taste it: light, spritzy, carbonated, lemon and orange, yeasty. Mmm. Now, how is this different from regular Trolls? I can't think of it. I don't have a regular Trolls next to me to compare to it. But, what can I say, it's Mmmm, mmm.
So good. A little sharp, a little smooth, a bit creamy, and altogether mmmm.
Another gulp, another sip, and it's more mmm, yeah.

Again, I can't say there's anything better than the regular Trolls, and I tried it for the first time two years ago….more yeast, more smooth, more creamy, more Mmmm.

Light bodied, light textured, fluffy mouthfeel…mmm, and yum, I just keep saying'…cream and orange, lemon and yum, not too this, not too that, just altogether ahhh….

Scaldis Noel

The Brasserie Dubuisson makes a variety of strong ales under the name of Bush. Unfortunately, a large American (formerly, now Belgian-owned) beer firm dislikes the similarity to their family name and kindly requests they call it something else on our shores. Scaldis, it is. Scaldis Noel was part of Belg-a-Rama #2. These are my notes from a bottle consumed in February, 2003:

"At $4.99 for a tidy 8.48 oz. bottle, this is the champ for the title of most expensive beer I've ever purchased. Was it worth it? It was worth the try, but I don't imagine breaking the bank to stock up on this tiny powerhouse.
Muddy, dark brown in color, creeping on violet, with small yeasty particles floating about, and a small, diminishing head. Aroma is heady and deep, dominated by fruit associations of the grape variety. Sweet, but not too hoppy. Malt is predominant to an incredible degree. Full and fierce on the tongue, with hops showing off to give a good charge upon the palate. And alcohol follows into the fray, and never lets go...
One sip in, and I'm feeling drunk already! Look at me, one leg in the air, arm wrapped around a lamppost, swinging to no discernable rhythm, finger crooked inside the handle of a little brown jug, marked XXX, singing, "How Dry I Am"...
Body is full, flavor is thick and fascinating, and boozy!, texture is marvelous, altogether, a formidable and unforgettable beer!
However, the large grape/wine flavor, and the 12% ABV make me wonder how a glass of 14% Shiraz doesn't smack me up like Scaldis does?"

The keg just killed today, but I didn't go without my personal fill. Awesome stuff, smoother and maltier on tap, but still sharp, strong, and very brandy-ish, barley-wine-like. A great cold-weather treat.

I think I've beat the price once or twice, and still wonder about the booze effect.