Brasserie Lefèbvre - Barbãr Winter Bok

Immensely sweet on the nose, look for impressions of cherry preserves amidst very bold notes of coriander, supplemented by dark fruits and some clove-spice character from the Belgian yeast. Fairly spicy notes of white pepper blended with honey and increasing alcohol surface as it warms. There’s a subtle mead-like quality owing to the honey. On the palate, it’s certainly sweet, but not nearly as much as expected based on the nose. It actually ends a bit on the dry side, helping make this beer extremely easy to drink. Expect flavors often found in traditional witbier: cloves, coriander, and orange peel, but amped up, similar to the emerging “imperial witbier” style. Look for suggestions of cotton candy late in the flavor profile. Finishes quite floral, with spicy edges, honey spiced with ginger, after-breaths of figs, and little indication of the 8% ABV. Might seem peculiar, but this beer pairs wonderfully with smoky Texas-style barbecued brisket and ribs.

A stone quarry town since the late 1800s, Quenast, Belgium has long been a town where great thirsts have begged to be quenched. In 1876, local gamekeeper, farmer, innkeeper and brewer Jules Lefèbvre answered the call to bring beer to the town. The Lefèbvre Brewery has been in near-constant operation since then, remaining a family-run craftsman business through six generations of Lefèbvre brewers. We say near-constant because in 1916, during World War I, the brewery was dismantled by order of the Germans, who commandeered its metals. But just after the war, in 1921, Jules's son Auguste set up shop in a new location, taking over a bankrupt brewery—and this is where the brewery remains to this day. Along with Auguste, the 3rd generation of Lefèbvre brewers, Gaston Lefèbvre, entered the scene and oversaw various modernization projects that would allow for better production quality and an increase in beer volume. Pierre Lefèbvre, 4th generation family brewer, took up the reigns from 1960 until 1975, when the torch was passed again to his son Philippe Lefèbvre. The 6th generation of Lefèbvre brewers, Paul Lefèbvre, joined the team in 2002. Today, under Paul's stewardship, this family brewing operation produces a wide range of different beers, from honey-laced lagers to Abbey Ales to various fruit beers [Kriek (cherry), Pèche (peach) and Framboise (raspberry)]. While we find their beers refreshing, we believe that their traditional, family-run business model is equally so! For more information about the brewery check out their website at www.brasserielefebvre.be.