No spices are used in Dîole, which is unfiltered and unpasteurized, and is the only beer that Carrières currently produces. “In fact, at the moment, we only have one format: corked and caged 75 cl bottles. But we plan to also do 37.5 cl bottles in the future, also with cork and cage,” François added.
The direct-fired brewkettle heats the wort to 200 degrees Celsius (392 degrees Fahrenheit) and therefore adds a caramelization to the beer, as at Brasserie Dupont. “We boil for about 90 minutes, and then later send the wort through a plate cooler. Primary fermentation lasts about seven days, at 25 degrees Celsius (77 Fahrenheit.) After that, we lager (cold-condition) Dîole for 3 weeks, at 2 degrees Celsius (35 Fahrenheit) François told me. The beer then undergoes a secondary fermentation of two weeks.
Two batches of beer (40 hl) are then blended together, and sent to a bottling tank. Some sugar and yeast are used at bottling to spark a refermentation in the bottle, after the bottles are placed in a bottle machine that can fill 900 bottles per hour. The bottles are then placed in a warm (maturation) room for two weeks. Dîole is then ready to be offered for sale.
Since my visit in late April, two additional 55 hectoliter lagering/cold-condiitoning tanks have been added.
“We plan to brew about 600 hl in 2013,” François remarked. All the beer is sold within a 10-kilometer radius of the brewery at present. “Our goal is to be a local brewery,” François commented.
As to the name Dîole, it relates to the local history of the area, and also a local slang word. François said: “There was a lot of stone quarrying in this village in the 19th century, as well as stone cutting and polishing. A stone that was difficult to cut and caused problems was called a Dîole. It was also the name for a tool used to polish stone. Now, it’s also a word used in this region to describe a difficult, unruly child who misbehaves a lot.”
Dîole is a well-balanced dark blonde/amberish brew with fruity notes, noticeable spiciness from the yeasts used, evident hopping, and a medium body. It’s a well-made beer, worth seeking out.
The brewery is open for sales (and probably a tour if you ask!) on most Saturdays from 8 am to 6 pm. The address is: 62 rue de Condé, Basècles, Belgium. Telephone: 32 473 82 38 57, and E-Mail: brasseriedescarrieres@skynet.be.
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