Castelain Abbaye de Lille

Brewed by Castelain
Style: Bière de Garde
Benifontaine, France

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   add pic

Cork and caged 0.75 litre bottle: best before 16 Sept 2012, poured into three pilsner glasses on 10 March 2012. Yellowy orange body of well carbonated beer: on top sat large heads of white bubbles which left some good lacing as the beer levels dropped. Smells of citrus hops, metal mops and fresh yeast. Tastes of fizzy citrus hops, rusting metal mops and old yeast. The alcohol is well hidden, but overall this isn’t a well balanced brew in my eyes: different certainly, but not really interesting or compelling enough to have another bottle.

Draft @ Novare Res. Pale yellow color with thick full head, good retention in the Tulip. Light malty nose. Flavor is mild yeast providing a light fruit. I also get a light grain. Lighter in body with a short finish. Very plain and simple. Drinkable but I wasn’t craving another glass.

Corked bottle. Light malt and musty hay hops. Clear golden color with giant off white head. Very light malt and moderately bitter grass hops flavor. Body on the light side. Like what’s here, just wish there was more of it.

Big offwhite coarseish head. Deep yellow body with carbonation. Floral milky aroma with fruity notes. Dry floral peppery mealy taste with fruity notes. Light body. Sharpish mouthfeel. Dry floral peppery fruity aftertaste with mealy grassy light toffee notes. Nice and drinkable, with some character. (0.75l bottle, Auchain, Illkirch, Strasbourg.)

A golden ale with a thin white head. Aroma of red licorice, malt, some orange peels. In mouth, a sweet cloying malt, rather light bodied, some light orange, harsh alcohol. Not very good. 1.89 euro for a 750 mL bottle at Galeries Gourmandes (Auchan) in l’Atrium du Palais des Congrès.

Corked bottle from Auchan, Quatre Temps, La Défense, Paris
Blond color. Unoffensive Ale (?), poor aroma (corn), poor flavor in the front, but strangely there is a late fruity touch (Ale yeast), and even very light hop burp. Drinkable; well, in France.

(bottle, 75cl) Hazy, pale golden colour with a fluffy white foam. Moderately sweet and grainy malty aroma with a tinge of biscuits and marzipan, accompanied by traces of flowery hops. Moderately sweet and faint bitter flavour, medium bodied with a calm carbonation. Slightly grainy and subtle fruity taste with light floral notes; medium-dry mildly grainy and shy fruity finish. A bit flat but drinkable brew. 02.XII.09

Grande bouteille (de Quack-Duck!): Golden, a bit unclear, lacy white foamy layer; sweet grainy-bisquity nose, traces of marzipan included; moderate to solid sweet-bitter flavour, medium bodied; light to moderate sweet-bitter finish with marzipan and a little tartness in the finish. Quite O.K., but not really convincing.......

Bottle 75cl. @ The Danish Summer Gathering Tasting, TSODRBSG09.
Clear medium yellow orange color with a small, fizzy, fair lacing, mostly diminishing, white head. Aroma is moderate malty, toasted, caramel. Flavor is moderate sweet and light to moderate bitter with a average duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20090822]

Bottle, 75cl corked. Pours a clear, golden body under a minimal white head. Malty and fruity nose with a little grainy touch. Similar flavor, malty and fruity with a grainy backbone, leading to a dry finish with fruits and some bitterness. Medium to full body. A decent and easy drinkable beer, but there’s nothing special with it. Just a plain Biere de Garde. 090821