Well, by Hors d'Age one means "exceptionally old. In the world of brandy, wine, champagne, liqueurs, it means that the drink has aged exceptionally long.
MATURATION
For champagne beer, this maturation takes place in the bottle and on champagne yeast. But for other drinks, maturation takes place in wooden barrels. The wood of which the barrel is made has a great influence on the taste and aromas of the final product. For example, American oak is less porous than European oak wood. That porosity, in turn, affects the "Angel's Share" and the "Devil's cut." Huh, the what?
Okay, step by step: Let's break it down!
- Hors d'age: especially old so. This Limited Edition is 8 years old. All this time the champagne beer has continued to mature in the bottle, on champagne yeast of course. This gives the Hors d'Age a slightly acidic touch with an aroma of ripe red fruits.
- Liqueur de dosage: in the "méthode champegnoise traditionelle" the champagne yeast is removed (dégorgement) after the maturation process to add a liqueur, this is called the 'liqueur de dosage'.
- Angel's share: a term that is mainly used in the maturation process of whiskey. For a long period of time, the liquid remains in wooden casks, during which a variety of factors (type of wood, temperature, humidity, location) influence the taste. During the aging process, some of the liquid is absorbed by the porous wooden walls of the barrel. Some of it disappears by evaporation along the outside of the barrel. And is thus gone for good, depending on the size of the barrel this can be 5% of the barrel's contents. So a tasty gift for the angels.
- Devil's cut is the opposite, which is just what remains in the barrel. After the aging process, the liquid is bottled, but not everything gets out of the barrel during that process. The remainder is more robust and sweeter in flavor with a strong aroma of oak. The use of oak barrels also gives off a vanilla aroma.
For this Limited Edition Hors d'Age, aged 8 years, the "liqueur de dosage" is a "devil's cut" from an old wooden cognac barrel (French oak).
The combination of the maturation of the champagne beer; the aromas created by the aging of the cognac in a wooden barrel; and the liqueur de dosage of the Cognac "devil 's cut", make this Hors d'Age the most exclusive champagne beer on the market. A taste and aroma that only nature can create. You will enjoy a scent of ripe red fruits, nuts and raisins. And a sherry-like taste with a little acidity.
And now to taste it in real life? Click here to purchase it.
Your taster and brewer,
Patrick