Alken-Maes Judas

Alken-Maes Judas

Style: Golden Ale

Alcohol Content: 8.5%

From: Waarloos, Kontich, Belgium

Purchased From: Brought back from Calais by my Friend Jon

http://www.alken-maes.be/fr

Alken-Maes was created out of the 1988 merger of two small breweries, Maes located at Kontich-Waarloos and Cristal-Alken located at Alken. Both had specialized in pils (Maes was producing Maes pils and Alken Cristal pils) until Maes purchased the Union brewery (based in Jumet) in 1978, which produced Grimbergen beer among others.

After the merger, the group continued to purchase other breweries to expand their offer to a larger panel of beers. In 1989, the new brewery purchased a 50% stake in De Keersmaeker brewery, which specialized in spontaneous fermentation beers such as Mort Subite. In 2000, it bought Ciney and Brugs Witbier as well as the other 50% of De Keersmaeker.

In the same year, the brewery was bought by British company Scottish & Newcastle, which in turn was bought by the Carlsberg/Heineken consortium in 2007.

Rising from the depths of hell?

Judas was first brewed in 1986, probably as a Golden Ale that could compete with the highly successful Duvel  beer made by its rival, Moortgat Brewery. The similarities in title, label and goblet are evident. Can this drink live up to its devilish name? Lets find out.

Colour: From the bottle, this drink pours a bright golden colour with a thick white head. The head will dissipate slightly but it does stay around for the duration of the drink.

Aroma: Slight hints of lemon mixed with sweet lavender honey. There are also lovely spicy aromas that burn the nostrils slightly if you hold the glass close to your nose.

Body: Very light  mouthfeel for such a potent drink. Once poured into the glass, the drink will fizz up rapidly due to the high level of carbonation. This then dies down very suddenly to leave a very smooth liquid which when drunk, slides down very easily.

Taste: The overwhelming taste is that of wholemeal bread mixed with fresh lemons. This lemon sensation can be quite sharp so be careful if you take a large gulp (I did, and it was not a pleasurable experience). This beer has a slight sour ending due to the pre mentioned lemons mixed with freshly cut grass notes. As the drink warms, the strength of the alcohol become more apparent and the beer takes on whiskey like qualities. Slight hints of peat move to the fore of the flavour profile. That being said, the drink is not as potent as the the Duvel I reviewed earlier in this blog. It tastes like a more refined version of the original strong golden ale. Just be careful the drink doesn't stab you in the back with the alcohol content!

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/duvel.html

Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/kernel-brewery-ipa-columbus.html

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