New Norcia Abbey Ale

I had the chance to visit Brussels for a weekend last year. We were visiting friends who were living there. There were the usual "What do you want to do when you visit?" emails exchanged before the trip. My response was pretty simple "drink beer and eat chocolate" - which our friends made happen, including a great afternoon working through the beer menu at the famous bar below the Theatre de Toone.

I left Brussels with a mean Belgian Beer Habit, not a good thing to have in Australia when a Chimay Blue sets you back at least $8 at the local bottle shop. No more.

For half the price you can purchase the result of the assocation between the wizards at Malt Shovel Brewery (the folks behind James Squire) and the Benedictine community of New Norcia (WA) - a Belgian style Ale that compares very well with its Belgian sourced rivals.

A decent whack of roasted malt and a subtle but lingering spiciness merge to provide the "Belgian-ness" of this beer, while retaining the distinct bitterness of an ale.

And I did I mention a mighty 7% ABV?

Goes very well with cheese - two local cheeses that go especially well are the Barossa Valley Cheese Co's St.Kitts and Fromarts Tete de Mione - again both great interpretations of classic European styles made locally.