Collaboration beers have been trending recently, with notable breweries pairing up to brainstorm and create limited edition craft beers. Craft beer fans love tasting the results, and this recent collaboration is sure to be talked about for some time to come. Brewery Ommegang of Cooperstown, NY and Belgium’s highly-regarded Duvel brewery have teamed up to craft Duvel Rustica, a Belgian-style golden ale.
Since this potential powerhouse is collaborating for the first time, many are anxious to get their initial sip during the official launch on Wednesday, November 14th at Stateside (1536 Passyunk Avenue). Brew Master Phil Leinhart of Brewery Ommegang will be present starting at 6 p.m. to celebrate his unique creation.
For this special Meet-The-Brewer event, guests will be able to enjoy Duvel Rustica, both in 750 ml, cork finished bottles and on draft, and spend time with Phil who will be discussing this two-years-in-the-making new beer. Event will be pay-as-you-go.
Duvel Rustica is 8.5% ABV, brewed with fine pils malts and noble Styrian Golding hops from Slovenia. This collaboration is said to capture the delicate balance of the classic Duvel Belgian Golden Ale – one of the world’s most exalted beers – and craft beer enthusiasts can expect to find a touch of the typical rustic fruitiness that highlights every Ommegang ale. This distinctive touch is created by using Ommegang’s proprietary yeast for primary fermentation. The secondary fermentation yeast is also quite interesting, but remains a secret.
“In Belgium, Duvel is brewed with simple ingredients, yet is a marvelously complex beer that’s never been convincingly duplicated. So, instead of trying to duplicate it, we imagined a charmingly rustic Duvel, brewed in our farmstead brewery in upstate New York,” says Phil. “Our idea was to embrace all the distinctive qualities of Duvel, yet bring our own craft-brewing skills to the beer. We honored Duvel’s essence while adding a light touch of Ommegang’s signature yeast-driven fruitiness to the flavors and aromas. To our taste, Duvel Rustica is the ultimate of brewing collaborations.”
Hedwig Neven, the brewmaster of Duvel in Belgium, says, “Phil and I dreamed, talked and tasted together all along the way…and I’m proud and delighted with Duvel Rustica, the new American cousin of Duvel.”
Along with tasting the Duvel Rustica, Stateside’s award-winning chef George Sabatino will offer dish suggestions for guests to order and enjoy a great food and beer pairing. Chef Sabatino was recently named “Best Chef 2012” by Philadelphia Magazine and also won Brewery Ommegang’s Hop Chef competition this past July, where he competed with four other East Coast chefs in a beer and food competition.
For more information on Brewery Ommegang, please contact [email protected], call 1-800-544-1809, or visit www.ommegang.com. You can also follow them on Twitter nationally (@BreweryOmmegang) and locally (@OmmegangPhilly) and like them on Facebook.
