The third beer in the Bières de bois Series—a collaborative barrel-aging project between Avant-Garde and Matera—MOINEAU is a Belgian-inspired quadrupel aged for three months in a foeder.
On the nose, I find beautiful memories of Belgian abbey beers. I have long had an unconditional love for this type of beer, rather rare in our town. We smell the scents of wood, figs, dates and molasses.
The foam is generous and a beautiful mocha beige. The color is dark brown with reddish and golden reflections.
On the palate, flavors of dried fruit (prunes, raisins and figs) are enhanced with a sweet taste between floral honey, caramel and date square. The texture is not too heavy for this type of beer and you can even perceive a certain freshness that can remind you of ripe grapes. The woody side is just subtle and frankly pleasant. The finish is rich, but fades in a short time.
It’s definitely a complex and comforting beer that makes me want to go back again and again… Wow! What a success—well done, Matera and Avant-Garde!