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| The Brasserie Ellezelloise (pronounced “EL-ZEL-WOZ”), is located in the town of Ellezelles in the gentle “hill country” of Belgium. Founded in 1993, the tiny brewery manages to produce 1000 hectoliters per year - the most of any brewery of the Belgian Artisanal Brewers Guild. Housed in a picturesque converted barn in French-speaking Belgium, the brewery includes a cozy café to which the local folk and connoisseurs from Brussels love to repair on weekend afternoons. There you can enjoy a wonderful Ellezelloise brew, served by the brewer, Philippe Gerard.Ellezelloise produces three regular beers, a blond and an amber ale, and a hardy Belgian stout. All of them are made in small batches and are lagered for ten days in German oak casks. They are strong, full-bodied, and very satisfying. The Quintine Amber and Blond are named for a witch of local legend. And Agatha Christie’s Detective Hercule Poirrot (probably Belgium’s best-known citizen, and a native son of Ellezelles) is the namesake for the “Hercule” Stout. It is the only distinctively Belgian stout, and every bit as sturdy and dapper as its namesake.The Hercule is considered by many to be a classic, and the Blond and Amber are impressive, delicious companions – very malty, but dry, with a hint of sweetness in the finish, and perfectly hopped. All three share a very distinctive and intoxicating spicy aroma of fresh spruce that suddenly, irresistibly, fills the room when the swing-top is released. This unique house character probably derives from the strains of yeast used by the brewery – and possibly from the fermentation in oak – because the beers are made entirely of malt and hops, without any spices or sugar. |
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