Extra, but more can mean less and less is certainly more
It’s 1836, you’re a monk following the Benedictine Rule and you decide to brew beer. That might sound like a particularly odd choice of career-diversification, but you need to find a drink to consume during mealtimes. Historically, you might have thought of a low-alcohol beer, a tafelbier or table beer, or (during Lent) you might follow in the footsteps of medieval German monks and brew a Starkbier, a dark, malty strong beer that substituted well for food during a period of fasting. Given this is the Abbey of Our Lady of the Holy Heart of Westmalle in Belgium, the answer was obvious: brew a Trappist version of a tafelbier, or a Patersbier (literally Father’s Beer). No, not the 1% to 2.5% ABV associated with a table beer style but a 4.8% “low alcohol content” beer. 4.8%? Westmalle Extra has a surprisingly full-bodied flavour, is quite refreshing and thirst-quenching. Ideal for mealtimes then! With its fruity notes and rich aromas, it is pure Westmalle. Brewed only with whole cone noble hops and, unlike the Tripel and Dubbel, without any brewing sugar additions. Once an exclusive to beer for the monks of Westmalle, last year it was produced commercially for the first time and has become one of the most popular Trappist beers at The Cheese Wheel. Unsurprisingly, Extra is bottled unpasteurised, and is refermented in the bottle too, to preserve the richness of all its component parts, and allow some evolution in the bottle.
This week sees the Cheese Wheel stocking another Extra beer – not from an abbey this time but from Belgium’s and Europe’s (arguably) “most modern brewery”: Kasteel Brouwerij Vanhonesbrouck. Opened in 2016 the new brewery in Emelgem can produce 200,000 hectolitres of beer; a far cry from the farm brewery which began in 1811 founded by Amandus Vanhonesbrouck. The brewery is home to the Kasteel (Castle) and Bacchus beer brands. Kasteel Xtra is described by the brewery as, “a blond beer of high fermentation that pleasantly surprises with a low alcohol percentage. For this Castle beer, our brewer combines extra tasty malts with a good dose of bitter and aroma hopping. Thanks to the dry-hopping and the secondary fermentation in the bottle, you can enjoy an extra fine aftertaste.” And when they say “low alcohol” remember this is Belgium. Low in this case is 4.5% ABV.
Two “Extra” beers, with very different heritages and production values, which both offer a lighter alternative to their stronger Triple style counterparts. These are perfect beers for the warmer weather as we look forward to longer days and sunshine skies as we transition from Spring into Mid-Summer. And what about cheese affinities? With their fruity aromas and dry finish, like Cider, these beers complement well aged British farmhouse cheeses – try Cave Aged Cheddar, Appleby’s Cheshire or Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire. All available in store at The Cheese Wheel.