Duyck Jenlain Ambrée

Brewed by Duyck
Style: Bière de Garde
Jenlain, France

Great looking pour - a bright amber color nearly devoid of carbonation bubbles, yet sporting a dense, creamy light beige, rocky head nonetheless. The aroma is is a sharp, caramel malt, light pomes, bitter nuts, and a gentle floral bouquet. It’s a thick, creamy drink with a nutty, caramel malt flavor, just a tad of the fruitiness from the aroma, and a soft, flowery hop bitterness. A good drink to enjoy as it gradually warms.

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Sweet, round, nutty, caramel aroma has strong plum, raisin and grape fruity esters and some notes of green apples as well. Hazy amber-peach coloured body is topped by a large, frothy, off-white head that recedes slowly to cover with some nice lacing. Nutty, fruity and caramel flavours are all on display in the malt forward, short, sweet flavour with a light hint of alcohol in the finish. Grape and apple flavours in the aftertaste. Caramel becomes pleasantly more prominent as it warms. This one really grew on me throughout the tasting and by the finish, I wished that I had a 750 rather than just a 330. Medium-full body is quite dry with pointy carbonation that prickles the tongue but isn’t very apparent in the body. Tulip galss. Allowed to warm from fridge temp. Bottle (Half Time, Sep-05).

Canned:
Aroma is sweet, malty, with a light fruity sourness and notes of alcohol. Sweet and malty, full bodied. Caramel, alcohol, light roasted malt flavor. Some fruitiness, plums. Finish has sweetness, then well balanced, dry and bitter. Winey.

Date on bottle is 3/2005. 750mL consumed on 9/19/2005. Interesting aroma at the start. Hoppy, perhaps spicy saaz-like farminess in there. Typical, pencil-crayon yeastiness of the brewery. Could call it veggies, if you were so inclined. Slight whiff of caramel. Amber-ruddy, light haze to the body with an off-white head that is large, somewhat collapsing, but still well-retained at about a finger high. Plenty of lacing to follow. Very tiny bubbles rise. Smells dry and corky, yeasty/musty now. Honey and some stale brown bread are discerned as well. Towards the middle-end of the bottle, hops aroma has completely died off. Flavor starts out with butterscotch, caramel, sweet honeyish malt and spicy hops on the finish, which balance the malt well. Very nice mouthfeel. Tiny, zesty bubbles add great texture. Body is full and substantial. Tons of caramel honey maltiness. Qutie thick, but the carbonation keeps it in check. Lot less yeast apparency than the Jenlain blonde (which tasted like it was brewed with pencils). But it’s there slightly. If you could get rid of that altogether, get a bit more attenuation and a bit more malt complexity, oh and ore hops apparency, it would be perfect. As it is, it’s darn well drinkable for me. A bit too sweet as it wears on, though. Not terribly complex.

500ml can. Amber colour, good choccy malts but also some balancing hops. Fullish in mouth with some toffee sweetness and some alcohol. Then more choc leading to dryish finish. Hops are quite tangy on end with a bit of choccy graininess 27/10/05 75cl bottle from Auchan. Amber colour, nice sweetish malt aroma, smooth in mouth. Good finish with more toffee malt and touch of candy sugar. Some nice greenish peppery hop throughout. Better than average Ambree

Bottle: Ruby amber with a beige head. Nutty clean caramel aroma. Nutty caramel, choc and fresh grains in the flavour. A little musty in the finish. Medium, soft feel. Very nice.

Compact and enough adherent foam. Orange amber color. Medium fizz and duration. Scent of wine cellar and mildew slightly yielded. Wrapping taste, much solid and of decided impact. Notes of must and caramel. Medium and canted end towards the bitter.

(Corked bottle) Poured a clear amber with an off white head. Citris notes. You can taste the alcohol. Good beer, but I was expecting more.