Val-Dieu Blonde

I have been called by the Immortals to the valley of the Supreme Being. Well, ok, maybe not quite that... I have, in fact, been invited by TV Brussels to talk about the beer festival on Grand Place this weekend.

It's quite an honour. In my day job, I do a lot of talking to the press, but this will be my first time on TV as a Belgian beer expert. Apart from being some welcome recognition for this humble blog, it's a significant step in my ten-year career-change plan...

In celebration, I popped open a new beer for a tasting: Val-Dieu Blonde. It's number 224 on the 40b40. An abbey beer from Aubel, in the far east of Belgium.

The taste is smooth, not too bubbly, with slight notes of peppermint stick. Not outstanding, maybe, but certainly not bad. 6% if you're counting. But famous TV stars never count.