Avec les Bons Voeux de la Brasserie Dupont

The name is translated to "With the best wishes of the brewery Dupont." Brasserie Dupont started brewing this beer as a holiday gift for its best clients. I would therefore consider it a Christmas beer, although I am not sure Brasserie Dupont considers it as such. I bought Bons Voeux as a Christmas beer, and shared a bottle this evening as a prelude to tomorrow's Thanksgiving food and beer extravaganza. Knowing what the name means, I am glad I picked it up, and think it is an appropriate beer to have for Thanksgiving.

Brasserie Dupont brews the benchmark saison, the eponymous Saison Dupont. Bons Voeux is a saison as well, and because Brasserie Dupont brews the world's foremost saison and created Bons Voeux for its best customers, you'd think that Bons Voeux would be a special beer. It is. Bons Voeux is more aggressive than the elegant Saison Dupont. It is an unfiltered beer that pours a cloudy, dark orange with loads of carbonation. The foam is thick and has a long retention, lasting all the way down the glass. Bons Voeux has distinct flavors of spices, yeast and fruit. It is a dry beer. The fruity characteristics give way to a long, bitter finish. There is great balance in the beer and it has a solid mouthful. While its 9.5% alcohol is not hidden, it does not dominate the flavor either, which is good. Whether you view this as a Christmas beer or not, Bons Voeux is well worth finding.