St Feuillien Blond

St Feuillien Blond is on the rise. Everywhere you look in Brussels these days, you see people drinking St Feuillien Blond. It seems to be taking over from Orval as the beer of today’s Ixelles-area pub and café set.

We’ve tried St Feuillien Blond before, as well as St Feuillien Bruin and St Feuillien Cuvée de Noël -- always one step ahead of the hipsters, that’s us. But there’s no sense being against something just because it’s suddenly become popular... So, now in the third straight week of beautiful un-Belgian weather, we were off for apero at a sunny sidewalk table of a local called -- no joke -- "Le Bar".

St Feuillien Blond is a lovely beer, and it’s clearly popular not just because of some marketing campaign. The taste of this strong ale is smooth, creamy, and with a hint of lemon zest. It’s a bit yeasty, but carbonation balances it out very well. Fiona thinks the alcohol is too high and out-of-balance, but I don’t agree. I find it somewhere between 3 Monts, Duvel and Chimay Tripel, only slightly denser than the first, not as fumy as the second, and not as heavy as the third.

If St Feuillien Blond is going to be this season’s beer -- and if this weather keeps on like this -- it’s going to be a great summer.