Duyck Jenlain Ambrée

Brewed by Duyck
Style: Bière de Garde
Jenlain, France

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

Notes from Saturday, October 04 2010 On tap at 4580 Restaurant Boulder, Colorado Ar: Huge malt syrup aroma with lots of pit fruit, specifically fig present. Ap: Slightly hazy orange amber, no head, no lace. T: Port-like sweetness, date, lightly bitter finish. P: Medium body, somewhat sticky. Lively carbonation. O: First of the style, very interesting.

Bottle bought at Leclerc supermarket, Boulogne, France. An amber coloured pour with a medium white head on top. Malty, caramel aroma. Taste is similar, quite malty, caramel, slightly sweet, slight bitterness. I drank a fair bit of this on holiday in Normandy, it sure beats Kronenbourg.

Half a liter can from a French supermarket. I noticed during my stay in France that the best French brews are not really that good, but the worst French beers, are not really that bad. They don’t really make malt liquors here or I haven’t yet noticed them. This stuff that is cheap and sold in half liter cans is still quite drinkable. Not good, but not as bad as most Dutch cheap half liter cans. Is it that they still use quite some hops in most of their cheap beers? I’m not sure. At least I somewhat liked this brew that is slightly sour, slightly bitter and smells like wine.

Bottle. Pours an amber color with a thin white head. Scent of sweet malt. Taste is sweet orange blossom honey.

Bottle 750ml.

Clear medium amber color with a average, frothy - fizzy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, caramel, malt extract, light roasted, light hoppy, light yeasty. Flavor is moderate sweet and bitter with a average duration, malt extract. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20100818]

Can, 2010-08-07, La Grande Motte, France bough at the petit Casino in Lattes AR: plizner, some swetness AP: orange body, high apricot colored head F. alcohol, caramell, medium + bitterness, high carboation, perhaps a touch of dry orange peel

Aroma: Funky-sweet, acidic+alcohol, a bit of spice. Appearance: clear enough. No lace in my hand-washed glass. Taste: Too much residual sweetness for my palate; flat bitterness on the middle; a little bit of vinegar-sour on the finish. A bit of mineral on one sip. Hops: resin, maybe grassy-herbal? As with most Belgiums and French beers, this isn’t the point. Yeast: Raisin, earthy. Perhaps matched with food this would be a better rating. Not a summer beer for me. Might be something I would try again in the fall, but overall too sweet. Have not tasted across breweries so maybe I just don’t like the style.

Big offwhite head. Body is amber, as promised, with light carbonation. Grainy resiny caramel aroma with dusty sugary notes. Dry-sweetish grainy strawy caramel taste with papery earthy notes. Mild mouthfeel. Mid-bodied. Dry earthy rye crisp bread aftertaste with dusty grainy notes. Quite nice, but not great. (0.5l can, E. Leclerc, Fondettes.)