The Brasserie Ellezelloise (pronounced "EL-ZEL-WOZ"), is located in the town of Ellezelles in the gentle "hill country" of Belgium. Founded in 1993, the tiny brewery manages to produce 1000 hectoliters per year - the most of any brewery of the Belgian Artisanal Brewers Guild. Housed in a picturesque converted barn in French-speaking Belgium, the brewery includes a cozy café to which the local folk and connoisseurs from Brussels love to repair on weekend afternoons. There you can enjoy a wonderful Ellezelloise brew, served by the brewer, Philippe Gerard. Ellezelloise produces three regular beers, a blond and an amber ale, and a hardy Belgian stout. All of them are made in small batches and are lagered for ten days in German oak casks. They are strong, full-bodied, and very satisfying. The Quintine Amber and Blond are named for a witch of local legend. And Agatha Christie’s Detective Hercule Poirrot (probably Belgium’s best-known citizen, and a native son of Ellezelles) is the namesake for the "Hercule" Stout. It is the only distinctively Belgian stout, and every bit as sturdy and dapper as its namesake. The Hercule is considered by many to be a classic, and the Blond and Amber are impressive, delicious companions – very malty, but dry, with a hint of sweetness in the finish, and perfectly hopped. All three share a very distinctive and intoxicating spicy aroma of fresh spruce that suddenly, irresistibly, fills the room when the swing-top is released. This unique house character probably derives from the strains of yeast used by the brewery – and possibly from the fermentation in oak – because the beers are made entirely of malt and hops, without any spices or sugar.

This blond beer was brewed in honour of the court of the Emperor Charles The Fifth, united in rigour, nobility and splendour. In spite of modern brewing technology, this beer is brewed according to ancient traditions. It unites, now as in the past, the best products of our soil: rich barley and fine hops. Its refined character, with a pure and rich taste, will captivate you. It is matured at length in cellar and bottle, and is guaraneteed to be brewed only from pale malts. It is traditionally top-fermented and is 100 % pure. To properly savour the Golden Carolus "Triple", pour slowly in one movement leaving the yeast deposit in the bottle. This beer may be served cool but not chilled: 10°C is recommended.

This strong, dark bottle-conditioned speciality from one of Belgium's larger independents is named after a son of Philip the Fair of Austria, Charles Quint (1500-48), who was born in Gent, became Duke of Flanders at the age of six and and went on to rule the combined territories of Spain, Austria, Burgundy and the Holy Roman Empire, including much of the west coast of the Americas. Nothing about the beer, however, seems to particularly relate to his story, other than that's it's spiced, strong, dark and unpasteurised, as most of the beers of Charles' era would have been. The beer itself is mid-brown, with a lacy head and a creamy and yeasty aroma with faint mineral traces, overall quite restrained. The palate is malty, sweetish and heady with a touch of lightly aromatic fruit and some evidence of botanical flavourings (angelica?). The overall effect is quite closed, however, and while there are some vivid hints the flavours never really open up and express themselves, weighted down by a rather cakey body. The finish is warmingly hoppy with woody whiskyish tones and some final wierdness that's difficult to describe -- banana liqueur, possibly. At this strength the beer might have been improved by keeping, but there was no best before date or other clue to its age.