by Shawn Connelly

Created on: November 28, 2008

This review highlights a terrific Belgian strong pale ale from a brewery famous for their farmhouse saison style ales - Brasserie Dupont in Tourpes-Leuze, Belgium. Like many beers of Belgian origin, the Dupont family of beers is repleat with character and subtlety. Moinette is no exception to this high standard. Technically a "strong Pale" ale, by category, Moinette is distinguished by it's aggressive hop character - an uncommon trait in Belgian beers, by and large. Please enjoy the review and then, if you can, enjoy the beer.

Moinette Blonde pours a medium gold color with lively carbonation bubbles and a massive, frothy white head that won't subside. A slight haze appears in the beer, despite the fact that I decanted the bottle very carefully, due in large part to the fact that this is a bottle-conditioned ale. Belgian lacing lines the wide-mouth glass in thick sheets, leaving an intricate pattern on the inner rim and the foam slowly subsides.

The nose is a wonderful combination of raw, funky and spicy notes you'd expect from a world class saison combined with the sweet and fruity notes of a Belgian pale ale. I'd be curious to know if the brewers at Dupont used the same proprietary yeast strains in this beer they do in their famous Saison Dupont? Enchanting peppery notes play off of the tell-tale Belgian yeast character in a masterful way, leaving a bouquet of complex aromas in the nose.

The palate is terrifically spicy and packs a surprisinghop smack right up front so you don't confuse this beer with a typical Belgian Pale or Golden ale - if you can really call any artisanal Belgian beer "typical."Behind the spice, a bouquet of fruity flavors fill the mouth - citrus (lemon) and some papaya are predominant. There is just enough yeasty funkiness here to remind one of Dupont's famous saison, but somewhat more estery and sweet. A terrific "hybrid" of two of my favorite styles - I'm really enjoying this one.

Incredibly balanced, the aggressive hops and active carbonation assure that this beer is not too heavy on the palate and surprisingly effervescent for the 8.5% ABV. The alcohol strength is very well hidden making this one dangerously drinkable. Smooth finish and incredibly complex, this is a "bigger" version of Dupont's excellent saison in many ways - the spicy, funky character is there but so is the rich, sweet maltiness of a fine Belgian strong pale ... I love it. Another world-class beer from a world-class brewery.

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