Hildegard van Ostaden of Urthel Shares Beers, Stories at Ginger Man
Meeting brew masters of really great breweries is always a good time. When the brewer is named Hildegard and has travelled from the Netherlands to display her wares – save me a stool.
On Wednesday evening, The Ginger Man played host to Hildbasegard and Bas van Ostaden of Urthel Ales. Having been on a North American tour for nearly two weeks (Hildegard was a judge at the World Beer Cup), the couple were in high spirits supporting the release of their latest ale – the Saisonniere. 
The beer came about when Hildegard asked Bas about brewing a Saison style ale and the reluctant response he espoused. However, Hildegard didn’t want to do a traditional style Saison (Urthel did coin the term Belgian IPA with the release of their Hop-It Ale) and so the recipe crafting began. The result is a light-bodied, sweet, (but with a subtle bite of hops) and thirst-quenching ale. At 6% ABV, it is light enough to be a good everyday beer in the steamy dog days of the Austin summer (think of a slightly heavier Belgian Lawnmower). It is seriously good.
The couple was also tasting their other flagship beers – the Hop-It and the Quadrium Ales. The former was born about eight years ago when the couple tasted the Stone IPA on a trip to Alaska. They liked it so much they wanted to try brewing a Trippel IPA in Belgium – which at the time was a rather radical idea. The concept has caught on and you can find it on tap at better beer bars in town and is very tasty – a little sweet but with a good douse of noble hops. Bas notes that the beer is a “tribute to all of the craft brewers in the USA.” Right on Bas!
The latter is a crazy 12% Quadruple Ale – yowsa! It is actually a really easy drink – but it will definitely sit you down. This beer was originally brewed for Blas and Hildegard’s wedding as Bas wanted to find a good beverage for the event that was strong enough for the event without it being a liquor. He recollects Hildegard pouring beer at the reception and trying to tell anyone who would listen – err remember – about the Urthel brand. It is really yummy!
I haven’t met a nicer, more outgoing and affable brew master – and her husband was equally engaging. As the evening came to a close, Bas explained that the name Urthel was invented based on a story of “little men who live in a forest” that he had imagined/wrote about thirty years ago. As the events of his life unfolded, he decided to tell his story by creating the caricatures you see on the bottles of Urthel. On every bottle, you will see the word Pache – which is a made up word in the vernacular of the Urthel people that is roughly translated to mean “wishing you all the most positive things in the world.”
Here is to you – Pache!
