Sympathy for the Duvel

Things have slowed down just a hair. The in-laws who must be obeyed have returned to the US. I am down to just four presentations that I have to prepare for the next two days and I actually got home before 7PM for the first time this week. Today was the day to get home at a reasonable time. Another absolutely gorgeous Belgian Spring day. As I write this it is 8PM and it is still 70 degrees outside. She who must be obeyed suggested we do burgers on the grill to enjoy the great weather. As a bonus, she was able to make pasta salad with the Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing her mother brought over from the US. Ranch dressing is one of those things that we neglected to bring with us from the US. The things we knew we would have a hard time finding we purchased and packed immediately before leaving. Chile peppers (15 pounds of various types), Cholula sauce (regular and chipotle 6 bottles), fresh spices from Penzeys, Franks Red Hot (for wings). Sense a pattern yet? Most of the time, we have no problem buying the Belgian alternative. Some things are similar. Others are completely different, but you figure it out. There are a few things, however, that you just want the original. Ranch Dressing, Hot sauces and chile peppers among them. The food here is great, but it is generally not spicy and sometimes an American ExPat wants to bring the heat.

On the burger front, we still have to figure that one out. This is the second time we have done burgers and She who must be obeyed has purchased "Filet Americaine" both times. This is essentially ghetto steak tare tare. It looks like hamburger, but with a really low fat content. Consequently it makes a pretty dry burger. There is probably a way to get an 80/20 mix here but her Flemish is going to have to get a lot better.

Tonight I will review an old favorite, Duvel. Duvel is a beer that you can get easily in the US. It is a very clear amber color with a hoppy, fruity nose. Duvel is quite crisp with some sourness from the Belgian yeasts. It has good hop bitterness which gives way to herbal and bread flavors. The back story on the name is that according to legend, at a tasting in the village, the shoemaker Van De Wouwer said that it tasted like a real devil. So the name Duvel (devil) stuck. There are many beers here in belgium that follow in this tradition (lucifer, Satan, Etc.) I will eventually get to these but for now Duvel is alone with Four Drunk Monks!!