Judas

Judas is a Belgian strong golden ale first brewed in 1986 at the Maes brewing facility in Jumet, Belgium — created as a direct competitor to the highly successful Duvel from Moortgat Brewery. The similarities in name, label and goblet glass are deliberate: where Duvel means 'devil' in Flemish, Judas invokes the most famous biblical traitor, playing on the same dark iconography. Judas is produced by Brouwerij Alken-Maes, formed in 1988 from the merger of Brouwerij Maes (Kontich-Waarloos) and Cristal-Alken. Alken-Maes was acquired by Scottish & Newcastle in 2000, which was fully taken over by Heineken in 2008. Judas undergoes bottle conditioning for secondary fermentation. It won a Silver Medal at the Monde Sélection in 1989, Gold at the World Beer Awards 2015, and Gold at the Brussels Beer Challenge 2017. At 8.5% ABV it is a full-bodied, bottle-conditioned strong golden ale with a complex fruity and spicy character.