Advent Beer 3: Nood & Deugd

Despite the fact that they share a border with Belgium, I can't name a single Dutch beer I am a fan of. Maybe it was getting off to a bad start with Heineken, maybe it's because I tend towards the local stuff in a pinch, I don't know. Probably it was trying to wrap my head around the idea that some people drink Grolsch on purpose. For whatever reason, when I saw that today's advent beer, Nood & Deugd, originated from Holland, I had a bit of trepidation. Turns out I needn't have worried.

I was mollified right off the start, when the beer poured out a dark brown, almost black colour, with a small head of beige foam that quickly dissipated. Being an ale fan by nature, this pleased me, as did the fact that whatever else, Nood & Deugd was very unlikely to be a skunky lager (cough, Grolsch, cough).

It turns out that I was trying a schwarzbier, and it wasn't an ale after all, but a dark lager. Another rich and satisfying evening drink, with the bitterness offset by hints of chocolate and coffee, not unlike many porters and stouts.

Furthermore, Nood & Deugd turns out to have been a happy accident that resulted when too many and the wrong malts were added to a brew intended to make a lighter Bohemian Lager. Thus the name, which is Dutch for 'Necessity and Virtue'.

In addition to being a delightful seasonal surprise, the Craft Beer Advent Calendar is batting three for three, as all of the offerings are beers I would like to try again. Which I am certain is part of the intent!

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