Not the Belgian Guinness you know

L-R: Wit, Saison, Dubbel, Tripel, Lambic & Stout

Well this was a surprise. Though maybe it shouldn't have been. Both Diageo and John Martin have been throwing shapes in the new and evolving world of beer that's grown up in the last decade or so, clinging to their respective inherited legacies while recognising that there's a new market of curious drinkers to be tapped. They were part of the furniture in European beer when they got together to create Guinness Special Export Stout, and I can't help wondering if the Martin people were a bit miffed when Diageo went solo with their own version of it -- Guinness Antwerpen -- a few years ago. All seems to have been forgiven as their second collaboration landed with much fanfare in mid-September.

It's a bit of a cheaty collaboration, though, being a blend rather than a de novo recipe. Diageo contributed their West Indies Porter while Martin, knowing where their geek cred rests, added their Timmerman's Oude Kriek to the mix. And a dash of Special Export was included too. The marketing whizzkids earned their fee by granting the finished product the name Lambic & Stout.

To celebrate, the Open Gate Brewery, where no part of the finished beer was produced, held a celebration of Belgian-style beers, most of which they had actually brewed themselves. I popped in to see how that went. The headline act, in its elegant long-stem glass, is 6% ABV and a red-amber colour, suggesting they haven't skimped on the lambic portion. Much like the more famous lambic/stout blend, Tilquin and Rulles's Stout Rullquin, it tastes exactly the sum of its parts, the elements separately discernible but not really melding together. You get cherry first, then stout, and then a mildly sour finish, adding up to a pleasant black forest gateau effect, but I'd still much rather drink the component parts, all of which are very decent beers, separately.

For their part, the Open Gate brewers had come up with six takes on Belgian styles, and I began with Open Gate Witbier. This was 4.5% ABV and gently lemony, but that's as far as the trueness to style went. It was also heavy with esters and thick of texture, lacking any of the refreshing zing that makes the style worthwhile. A solemn chewy biscuit character was no substitute for proper wit softness and spritz.

Open Gate Saison proved lightly sour at first, which was odd, but then piled in the white pepper and cedar wood spice, which is exactly how I like my saisons. There's a floral lavender side as well, bringing a touch of granny's bathroom to the whole thing, but it enhances rather than distracts from the main flavours. Again the texture is a bit thicker than expected, so while I'd say this doesn't taste like any recognisable Belgian saison, it's very nice indeed.

Beer three was Open Gate Dubbel, and again the style spec must have fallen down the back of the mash tun. It's only 6.5% ABV for a start, dark garnet rather than brown, and lacking any Belgian ester characteristics. Without them, the mix of chocolate, raisin and caramel makes it taste like a ruby porter, a particularly thin one with a burnt roast finish and some old-world bitterness. I enjoyed it on those terms, becoming less bothered about style specs as I went along.

Of course there couldn't be a dubbel without Open Gate Tripel, and at least the ABV was to-style at 8.3%. It's an amber colour and tastes pleasantly of honey and pepper, with a lovely warming buzz from the heat. If anything it's too clean, however, resulting in an unBelgian lack of depth: the initial pop from the flavours fades to nothing too quickly for something that ought to be a sipper. I found myself drinking it far too fast, though maybe that's a compliment.

L-R: Blonde, IPA

While everything so far had at least some redeeming features, I can't say much about the vapid Open Gate Belgian Blonde. It's lager-like in appearance but has no aroma to speak of and only an echo of honeydew melon and granola in the flavour. The watery finish is unforgivable at 6% ABV. It's unflawed but but boring, and set me wondering if there's a common thread here of beers fermented at too low a temperature.

If so, there was at least a style that suited this: Open Gate Belgian IPA. This began with a zingy hit of orange sherbet, lemon pith and floral violet. There's a spicy Belgian yeast character which threatens to turn it harsh but the clean hop notes manage to keep pace with it, and the resulting harmony of hop and yeast elements is exactly what makes Belgian IPA so enjoyable when done well. The end result is complex and quenching, sippable or quaffable depending on one's mood. Watch out for that 6% ABV, though.

It was fascinating to watch a brewery attempt to create a sequence of beers outside their normal comfort zone, and the results were interesting if not all great. These were a reminder, I guess, that this is still very much the experimental brewery for Diageo. A certain lack of polish is to be expected.

Thanks as always to Padraig and the Open Gate crew for their hospitality.