Here’s a beer from another new brewery to our packs, but one that has been around for 10 years. Antwerpse Brouw Compagnie was started in 2012 when the international marketing manager from Duval Moortgat (Johan van Dyck) decided to swap from a big beer company to explore the history of brewing in Antwerp. We’ll save the full story for another beer.
Being an Antwerp local with a love of the history of his city, it is no surprise that this beer is a tribute to the Red Star Line. This shipping line carried some two million immigrants from Antwerp to North America over the period 1873-1934.
So the beer is a celebration of the Trans-Atlantic link, combining the tradition of Belgian brewing with the influence of craft beer in the USA. Brewed using four different malts and a selection of both Belgian and US aromatic hops, this beer is finished with ginger and coriander.
Sweet toffee malt early on, with a prickly carbonation and bite from the ginger, the hops provide a citrus hit and slight herbal note. It finishes quite light and dry, with a little fruit and good bitterness in the aftertaste.