Denver continues to offer up unexpected treats for finding rare and wonderful beers. The Bull and Bush has entered my personal list of the city’s finer beer appreciation establishments based on the strong credentials of their vintage beer list. The treat of a recent evening was Brasserie à Vapeur D’Antan 1996. Full disclosure, I became a fan of Vapeur with a visit to the brewery in 2007. Sampling their array of beers accompanied by both an amazing meal and the hospitality of Jean-Louis Dits is a recipe for lifelong intoxication.
D’Antan 1996 is an excellent beer but requires some perspective. A quick look at online reviews shows it is often seen through the lens of British and American pale ales, and from this perspective may come across as a bit of a disappointment. Carbonation is extremely low. Hop flavors and aroma are nearly nonexistent. The beauty of D’Antan lies in the textures and flavors rarely found in contemporary beers. There is an earthy spiciness and a leaning towards coppery colors characteristic of the beers of Vapeur. A wine loving friend said the beer presents the vinous notes of pinot grigio. The texture of the beer, well attenuated without the bolstering mouthful of strong carbonation is reminiscent of a true lambic.
Antan is French for yesteryear. Phil Markowski nails the proper framework in ‘The Organoleptic Profile of Old Saisons’ section of Farmhouse Ales. Here D’Antan ticks all the boxes: light toward amber color, lightly carbonated with little to no head, slight sourness, wine-like, well attenuated, a fruity component to the flavor and reminiscent of a gueuze. The only difference between old saisons as presented in Farmhouse Ales and D’Antan is alcohol content, where the latter meets higher contemporary expections.
Culling the excellence from a bottle of D’Antan requires putting aside notions of pale ales and contemporary saisons. A little time with the lambic doux or lambic blanc at the Café à la Bécasse in Brussels sets the tone. It’sTimmerman’s lambic served properly in a crock, Bruegel style if you will. D’Antan 1996, darker, earthier and spicier than the Timmerman’s is the next, wonderful step.
