All Brewed in Watou Turns To Gold: Het Kapittel Abt Ale

With Belgium's St. Bernardus and Poperings so renown in the beer world, an equally adept brewer could go unnoticed in their shadows.

While attaching the name "Abt" and 10 percent alcohol by volume convinced me the bottle contained a quadruple ale along the lines of the Bernardus Abt 12, its golden color and rich, passion-fruit nose showed otherwise.

The nose rushes in with an undercurrent of orange spiked with mango, pineapple and peaches. Effervescent and bubbly, Kapittel Abt sparkles on the tongue before giving way to a slightly bitter finish. Somewhat uncharacteristic for the style, it nearly concludes this ale by balancing out all the sweetness exhibited earlier.

Sediment does drift through the golden body. Sorry, Spulwasser ... I mean, Budweister, but those floaties are no sign of impurity, but ale designed for a long shelf life and continued maturation.

With such vibrant fruitiness, Kapittel Abt has no business being as strong as it is. Avery's Salvation ALe offers the closest American Belgian-style Tripel or Golden Ale, and even it falls short of these heights.

This lesser-known yet classy ale stands just as tall and ranks among the best Tripel-style ales in Belgium. Put it on the crowded beer map around Watou.
Rating 9/10