A rare specialty beer style with few examples available worldwide, Bière de Champagne (also known as Bière Brut) embodies the fruity, estery, spicy phenolic character of many Belgian ales, with the body and fine bubbly texture of sparkling wine. With the time and care involved in its production, Bière de Champagne gives the term “specialty beer” new meaning. The brand Deus Brut des Flandres, for example, goes through a months-long process of three separate fermentations, including a bottle fermentation. The bottles are then shipped from Belgium to France where they are handled in the traditional Champagne method: the bottles are inverted so the spent yeast settles in the bottlenecks; “riddled,” or turned slightly over a period of weeks; then disgorged, where the yeast is frozen in the bottle neck and driven out by the pressure of the beer. Refreshing, yet subtle and refined, Bières de Champagne are ideal to pour as aperitifs and at celebrations.
Characteristics: Crisp, spicy, tingly, light- to medium-bodied ABV range: 9-12% IBU: 10-30
Popular Bière de Champagne/Bière Brut-style beers: Deus Brut des Flandres, Malheur Bière Brut (Brut Reserve), Samuel Adams-Weihenstephan Infinium Serving Temperature: Cool, 46-54°
Cheese Pairing Ideas: Chèvre Food Pairing Ideas: Seafood, especially shellfish
