The Happy Beers

Duchesse de Bourgogne

Everyone needs a happy beer. Just like everyone needs a happy place–somewhere to run to when everything seems to be going wrong. Happy beers immediately make you smile. Anxiety and worry melt away, and for one glass, all is right with the world.

You can tell when someone has found his happy beer. The moment the beer hits his lips, his eyes close, and all the muscles on his face relax. As the beer is swallowed, any tension in the body has been relieved, and a sense of calm has overtaken him. A deep, calming exhale is followed by an eyes-closed smile.

I found my happy beer soon after my neighborhood pub almost burned to the ground. 75th Street Brewery in the Waldo neighborhood of Kansas City was saved by a fire wall when the century-old building next to it went up in flames due to an electrical fire. After several months of renovation, the Brewery reopened with ‘guest beers’ on tap while they attempted to build up their stock of their own brews. One of the guest beers was so well received, the brewery painted its label above the bar. It is a brownish-red, tangy nectar from Flanders called Duchesse de Bourgogne. I have no idea how to properly pronounce it, so my happy beer is just ‘Duchess’ to me.

Doo-shay duh Boar-guh ... Forget it; it's Duchess.

The Flemish reds and Flemish browns are interesting beers. Equally refreshing and begging to be savored, these Belgian beers are completely unique. Aroma of cherries, vinegar, chocolate, raisins, and lemon zest tickle the nose before the sharp acidity and delicious maltiness overtake the tongue. There are many Flemish beers dear to me (Rodenbach Grand Cru and Liefmann’s Goudenband are close), but none tug the heart strings like Duchess.

Once you have found your happy beer, keep it. I mean: have a bottle on-hand at all times. If you encounter one of those days, the ones where nothing goes right, you will know that happiness in a bottle will be waiting for you. If you need the perfect cap to the perfect evening, you know it will be there. If you want someone special to experience the epitome of your beer-joy, you don’t have to explain. Just pour her a glass. Then encourage her to find her own happy beer.