Hertog Jan: Grand Prestige

As I mentioned in a postscript to my review of The Beer Wench's Guide to Beer earlier this month (blog), I unwittingly destroyed my last 2 notebooks... Consequently, all of my notes concerning darker beers I have been drinking over the winter months are not available. However, I did notice that I still had the photograph above on my laptop, and I know that I did rather enjoy drinking that Dutch beer, and my blogs about Dutch beers don't exist yet, so...

The history of the Hertog Jan Brouwerij goes back to 1915, when 4 friends came together to build their own brewery at Arcen in the Netherlands (website). Their 10.0% Grand Prestige was first brewed in 1983, and has become the 'crown jewel' of the brewery and is usually laid down for years before drinking, allowing the beer to mature and develop. Grand Prestige is top fermented, thus an ale rather than a lager, using up to 4 different malts in the brewing process, and likened to a barley wine. I remember it being rich, but I'll use their own description of the beer here.

The colour is a deep reddish brown, full bodied and sweet at first taste, but drying out to bitterness in the mouth. Indeed, the "taste is a varying palette of roasted malt, a hint of caramel, spicy and full-bodied and in the aftertaste you can taste a pleasant bitterness with a touch of sweetness. The aroma is wonderfully fruity." (website) 

They recommend at least 2 years to allow the beer to develop, but they will store the beer for you for up to 6 years, "waiting for true enthusiasts who will enjoy the special taste of an aged Grand Prestige." I was given a 2 year old bottle by a friend, but didn't do the research, so I drank it (destroyed the notes!), although I'm not sure I could have lasted very long even with this information, as a previous blog from over 4 years ago may suggest. 😉

Maybe I'll get an older vintage one day, cheers!