Singillis Bieren Brewmaster Andy Van Duyse Talks Singillis Donker

We spoke with Singillis Bieren Brewmaster Andy Van Duyse about Singillis Donker.

BC: Who came up with this beer’s recipe? 
This was mine! 

BC: What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)? 
The flavor of the caramelized malt and the bittersweet ending due to using Poperingse hops (aka Poperinge).

BC: Where does this beer’s name come from? 
Singillis is linked with our home village Sint-Gillis-Waas, a small farmer village in the north of Belgium, where we have a lot of grain and malt cultivation. We also use the grain/malt cultivated at our own fields at Sint-Gillis-Waas, so the link was unavoidable.

BC: Is this your “desert island beer?”
Well… Singillis Donker is a beer to enjoy during cold and dark days, but our Singillis Blond might be more suitable on a hot desert island!

BC: Can you describe this beer in 10 words or less? 
Dark craft beer with unique aftertaste brewed with local ingredients.

BC: Do you know a story – or have a personal story – that revolves around this beer? 
We're happy to see that even non-dark beer lovers can also appreciate our flavors and that was exactly the goal! We didn't want to brew another overly sweet dark beer, we wanted to offer a spicy, bitter-sweet aftertaste so that lighter beer fans can enjoy and appreciate it, and we clearly succeeded.

BC: What's a good food pairing for this beer? 
It's lovely to pair with a beef stew or with any pork dish, such as pork cheeks or any lamb dish. We also make beignet dough with our beer and we're now doing trials with adding our beer into local cheese to make beer cheese. Lovely!

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