De Proef Signature Les Deux Brasseurs - Beer of the Week

by Joshua M. Bernstein, Posted Dec 21st 2009 @ 5:00PM

Photo: Joshua M. Bernstein.

Despite its Portland, Maine, digs, Allagash Brewing take its cues from Belgium, fashioning marvels such as the fruity Tripel and the silky Black stout. So when beer importer SBS was looking to release a collaborative ale between Belgium's De Proefbrouwerij and an American brewery, enlisting Allagash was a no-brainer.

Brewmaster Jason Perkins was paired with De Proef's Dirk Naudts. They exchanged e-mails and calls, bouncing ideas across the Atlantic. Since the beer was to be brewed in Belgium, Perkins struck upon a brilliant notion: "The idea was to send part of our brewery there," Perkins says.

We'll explain: Allagash doses its beers with a strain of Brettanomyces yeast isolated in its Portland brewhouse. Perkins wanted to ship the yeast -- which imparts subdued tropical flavors -- to Belgium, where it would be mixed with De Proef's more assertive, funkier Brett strain. Maine, meet Belgium. The result was Les Deux Brasseurs -- translated to "the two brewers" -- a golden ale that proves that several beer makers are indeed better than one.

Pop Les Deux's caged cork and and your sniffer will be overcome with the aroma of tart green apples, pineapples and other exotic fruits. The 8.5 percent ABV ale pours into a snifter the color of honey, with a head as big and fluffy as gathering storm clouds. As for the flavor, hold on to your taste buds: Dried apricots and day-old sourdough are cut with crisp, grassy hops, while earthy funk blankets every creamy, well-carbonated sip.

Forget NATO. This is international relations we can support.

What Belgian brews make you swoon? Spill it in the comments.

Joshua M. Bernstein has written about brews, bars and booze for New York Magazine, Time Out New York, ForbesTraveler.com and the New York Times.