One of the most creative
Belgian brewer of this moment is a woman, Hildegard van Ostaden.
Ruiselede, a small village in West Flanders, Belgium. Urthel was
established in 2000, a creation of the wife and husband team of Hildegard en
Bas van Ostaden.
The world-class beers of Uthel are designed and brewed by brew-engineer Hildegard van Ostaden and the artwork anpackaging are creative masterpieces of het husband, Bas. Together they have become two of the most well-known of all Belgian brewers in the international World of Beer. Since autumn of 2006, all of Hildegard's beers have been produced, according to the authentic flemish brewing style, at Koningshoeven in Tilburg, Holland.
The
gnome-ish figures on the label actually predate the beer itself. Bas had
been working on a modern-day fairy-tale for some time when he and Hildegard
decided to start
brewing. Searching for a brand image was going nowhere, until Bas had the
idea to combine his fairy-tale characters, The Erthels, with their new beer,
Thus Urthel was born...
The
beers of Urthel are different from others because of the numerous
fairy-tales and Urthellegends which surround this original product.
Drinking
and enjoying the Urthelbeers is not only delicious but also a lot of fun.
Now
, there are three different Urthelbeers sold on the market. The lowest in
alcohol is Urthel Saisonnière. A blond and unfiltered thirst-quenchener of
6% ABV and winner of
the prestigious World Beer Award 2010
for Europe's Best Seasonal Pale Ale.
The
second Urthelbeer is Urthel Hop-it of 9.5% ABV. It was the trendsetter for
the so called "Belgian Style IPA". Brewed with only one malt (pils)
and three European Nobel hops, it is a unique beer for hop lovers.
And
last but not least Urthel Samaranth 12 Quadrium. Originally brewed for their
wedding in 2002, this special strong amber-coloured beer of 11.5% ABV was
such a hit that it has been in the selection ever since.
Hildegard keeps on searching for new, original and tastefull brewing inspiration to create her new delicious Urthelbeers. So you can expect more of those beautiful brewcreations in the near future.
