One does not speak evil of the Devil

Belgium is renowned for its beers. Jupiler is probably the most well-known beer, since it's the sponsor of the Jupiler Pro League. But apart from fresh lagers, there are a number of Belgian strong ales too. One of them is Duvel.

Characteristics

Duvel is a strong golden pale ale from Belgium. It is a high-fermentation beer and is refermented in the bottle. With an alcohol percentage of 8.5%, it often surprises tourists who are used to much lighter beer. It's meant to be drunk calmly; only that way will you truly enjoy this beer. Duvel is served in a tulip glass, with a D engraved on the bottom, so as to make the beer sparkle. The peculiar tulip glass was designed in the sixties.

History

Duvel's success story started in 1871 with Jan-Léonard Moortgat, who founded the farm-brewery Moortgat in 1871, together with his spouse. Around the turn of the century, Moortgat was one of the 3000 active breweries in Belgium. Jan-Léonard's experiments with beers go with ups and downs and notably his high fermentation beers are greatly appreciated in the area. Soon, the Brussels bourgeoisie was hooked on his beers. In 1923, production of Duvel was started with a few crates. Today, beer buffs in 60 countries enjoy the taste of this Belgian strong ale. Duvel is still brewed following the original recipe and ripening process. As we speak, the direction of the Moortgat brewery is in hand of the fourth successive generation of the Moortgat family. 

Trivia

• A text in big red lettering in front of the brewery reads: "The brewery is at a well-traveled road, while the Duvel needs to ripen in total rest for 90 days".
• Directly across the brewery, you can find a small pub with a sign that reads: "One does not speak evil of the "Devil" here".
• Pieter Aspe, a thriller author from Bruges, is a big fan of Duvel. You will notice that the protagonist in his books, police inspector Van In, regularly drinks a glass of Duvel.

Sources: www.todio.nl