#376: Dieu et Moinette

Surprisingly, this is my first time getting up close and personal with a Moinette despite being a card carrying member of the Dupont fanclub.

Described only as a blond, Moinette Blonde pours much like its more famous little brother the Saison Dupont, pale and highly effervescent with some sediment that demands careful decanting. It also has a touch of the saison's aroma; loads of white pepper and a touch of lemongrass, but the main event even on the nose is a rich and boozy honey and caramel. It's incredibly inviting so I don't dally too long. There's a beautiful malted biscuit on the palate with more of that gentle sprinkling of pepper and some green herbal crunch, maybe a dusting of rosemary? It's subtle enough that note, with yeast coming to the fore mainly as as Dupont white pepper and only moreso as the beer warms up and oxidises, bringing with it some lovely dried and candied fruit notes. 

For all the sweetness - and I must emphasise that this is mainly a sweet affair - the finish winds down to dry almond, making the whole thing delightfully moreish.

There's an argument that this sort of thing isn't the most complex or multi layered beer, something that, at a demanding 8.5%, could be a real bummer. As I see it, its simplicity is its virtue. For an unashamed fan of knuckledragging sugarbooze as well as refined biéres d'art there's plenty here to enjoy, especially with so much of that familiar Dupont yeast character on show. 

Why isn't this called a tripel? I don't know, but the unassuming moniker of Blonde may be a classic case of under-promise, over-deliver.