Belgian Beer no.7: Mort Subite, the trendy line

Now aren’t these the most funky looking beer bottles you have seen? I bought them solely for their looks. I think they almost look ready to hit the clubs and become the new ‘en vogue’ drink.

Mort Subite geuze beer is nowadays produced by the Alken-Maes brewery. However the beer is placed as far back as the 17th century, when it was produced in De Keersmaeker brewery.

The name of of Mort Subite, or Sudden Death dates back to the 20th century. A Brussels pub, known as La Cour Royale was known for its entertaining atmosphere. Throwing the dice was a popular game, and the loser of the game was called out ‘morte – dead’. If the game had to be suddenly stopped, because duty called, the players threw a final hand, the ‘morte subite’, or ‘sudden death’. And given the beer drank by the players was a particular gauze, the beer was later named after the game, ‘Mort Subite’.

There are 5 classic Mort Subite types of beer, with a 6th one recently added. There are the Mort Subite Geuze, Kriek (cherry, on the right), Framboise (raspberry, on the left), Cassis (blackberry), and Peche (peach). The latest addition is Manzena, based on apples (in the middle). Besides adding a new flavor, a new look, an Xtreme look, was also created for the Mort Subite beers. Additionally, let me tell you these beers are also Xtremely sweet.

Flemish carbonnades (serves 4)

1000g beef carbonnade (beef cut into cubes)
100cl Mort Subite Gueze
6 onions
15g flour
50gr butter
2 slices white bread
2 spoons brown sugar
1cl vinegar
2 spoons mustard
s&p, thyme, sage, parsley

Cut onions in rings. Melt butter in a pan, brown the meat, then set the meat aside. Add onions to the fat and brown them while adding the flour.
Add the gueze and bring the mixture to boil.
Add the meat, and the herbs, sugar and vinegar, s&p.
Spread the bread with mustard and add it to the sauce. Simmer the whole for 1 1/2h.
Serve with fries or boiled potatoes.