Eddy Merckx in a glass

I think if I were limited to only drinking two beer styles for the rest of my life, I’d go for porter and Belgian pale ale. They do a good job of convering my desires. The porter will hit my roasty and chocolatey side, while the BPA will tackle my enjoyment of Belgian yeast juxtoposed with a juicy malt character.

For the last few weeks, I’ve been tucking into a keg of my homebrewed Merckx Belgian Pale Ale. This is one tasty beverage: luscious malt with orange and peach packed in; well-balanced, with a medium body and soft, creamy mouthfeel; spicy, peppery aroma and flavor notes. Just yum-alicious, as far as my buds are concerned.

I call it Merckx, because if you asked Lance Armstrong who the greatest cyclist of all time was, he’d likely respond with the great Belgian Eddy “The Cannibal” Merckx. I like to think that this is an Eddy Merckx of a beer, though perhaps he’d rather be named after a Belgian Dark Strong. This recipe took a blue ribbon at the 2006 US Open, hosted by Charlotte’s Carolina Brewmasters homebrew club. So it’s not just me that thinks it’s worthy of notice.

For your brewing pleasure, here’s the recipe:

Merckx Belgian Pale Ale (5 gal)

8# Belgian pale malt

1# Munich

1 # Caravienna

.5# wheat

1 oz. East Kent Goldings (4.5% aa for 60 minutes)

.5 oz. East Kent Goldings (4.5% aa for 30 minutes)

.5 oz. East Kent Goldings (4.5% aa for 2 minutes)

White Labs Saison Yeast

Mashed at 152F for one hour. Fermented 9 days at 70-72F.

OG: 1.059

FG: 1.015