Malheur Bière Brut (Reserve)

Brewed by De Landtsheer
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Buggenhout, Belgium

Appearance: Pours a hazy, highly effervescent, pale yellow body with a large, fizzy white head. Smell: Pils malt with sweetish notes of flowers, lemon, peach, and spice with a subtle yeastiness. Taste: Pils maltiness and a soft, juicy fruitiness with a candi sugar sweetness. Subtle doughy yeast. A pinch of peppery spiciness crosses the tongue. Very light floral hoppiness and a perky acidity on the finish. Mouthfeel: Delicate, medium-thin body. Well carbonated. Drinkability: A refined, elegant drink not sullied one single bit by the fact that is was served alongside pork rinds.

750ml bottle. Soupy apricot murk heaped with alpine froth and misty with detritus. Woodsy dry aroma with touches of orange and clove. Smooth and dry at the ABV- drinks like a fruity Blonde of 6-7%. Hysterically spritzy like a dry champagne. Zesty white grapiness and creamy malt becoming bitterly boozy as it warms. Spritzy, easy-drinking, politely fruity strong ale, but was expecting a more assertive character from the use of champagne yeast.

750 ml bottle shared at Houston Beer Tasting. Very light cloudy yellow with thick, fluffy white head which dissipated slowly. Yeast and spice in the nose. This one smelled skunky to me. Taste is bready yeast with some citrus. Not quite good.

From a 750mL Bottle, Expiration Date 1/1/09. Purchased at Hi Times Wine Cellar 11/8/07. I gently chilled this down to 40F a few days before opening, but even after a careful decant, I still ended up with a mostly hazy, golden straw colored beer. An enormous head of tight bubbled, fizzy white rests on top. A tremendous pop resounded after un-corking, sending a vigorous shimmer of bubbles up from the bottom of the bottom, nearly gushing, which may have contributed to stirring up the small amount of yeast sediment that had collected in the bottom of the bottle. Lightly spicy phenols reach my nose, suggesting notes of white pepper, lime zest, doughy malt, and a freshy saaz hop herbalness. Clean apple rinds and dry honey. There’s even a distinct CO2 "aroma" coming from my glass; the high level of carbonation gives it this "club-soda" like nose. Medium light bodied, fizzy, sizzling mouthfeel. Incredibly light bodied for the ABV. Awesome pilsner malt flavor up front on the palate - gentle bready sweetness. It develops more of a spicy, graham cracker like chewiness mid palate, as the heft of the beer begins to become apparent and some of the spicy phenolic characters start to reveal themselves to the tongue. Toward the back end of the palate, some gentle raisin and pear fruits start to come out, but the dryness of the finish keeps them from lingering about too long. It’s interesting to note how clean the phenolic characters come through in this beer; they bring plenty of flavor complexity to the brew, but have this pure, almost lager-like quality to them. I know that sounds completely bizarre and contradictory, but that’s the only way I can describe it. I love the initial pilsner malt flavor and the distinctly belgian fruity esters that come out on the back end of the palate, but especially how the dryness and cleaness of the beer keep it dangerously drinkable the whole time. I’d like to get a little bit more hops in the finish, as that aspect was really my favorite part of the nose, but it seems to be a bit hidden. The fantastic palate and clean flavor complexities are what make this one a real winner.

Clear golden with a fluffy white head. Massively strong aroma, extra points given for probably the most intense smell I’ve ever noted from a (non lambic) beer. I noted lime rind, elderberry, sherry and really sweet candy. Warm, sappy mouthful, very heavy. Flavours of floral hops, vanilla, more sherry, grassy hops and alcohol, not as sweet as you would expect, even in the finish... it’s just alcoholic, very very warming. Could do with a few years in a cellar in my opinion.

First Official Houston Tasting. Thanks to KAggie97 for this beer. Golden straw color with frothy head. Aroma has that champagne yeast nose along with a slight pungent pepper smell. Has a creamy bubbly mouthfeel with lemon rind flavors and yeast. Some apples and grains as well.

750 ML Bottle 7/15/07: Light Golden w/ a huge, lasting, thick, marshmallow creamy white head. Lightly hazy and highly carbonated. Aroma is winey, peppery yeast, grainy pils malt w/a bit of alcohol. A bit corked and has a barnyard earthiness to it. Low esters and a bit of toasty malt. Sweet from start to finish which is odd for a "Brut" style! Cidery apples fruitiness and a light sugary sweetness with a touch of grainy malt. Aftertaste does dry out and had a light medium bitterness that is earthy and herbal. Light bready mid palate, and a grainy pils malt in the aftertaste. Soft, but medium high carbonation, dry m/f, and well hidden alcohol. Not as good as I thought it would be! Might be good with some mild cheeses or lightly dressed salads. Ham brings out the bitterness and alcohol presence, so not a good match!

Bottle opens with a real pop so be extremely careful when opening. Pours a hazy dark yellow, light orange color with the largest amount of froathy white head I’ve ever seen. I poured it into my st bernardus glass and im not kidding when i say 4/5 of the glass was froathy white head. Reminds me of big clouds. Aroma very lemony, tart and citric and lots of flower aromas. Also yeasty doughiness undertone. Flavor is very different. Definite alcohol warmth flavoring, sweet apple malt flavors with distinct lemon and spice. Overall, interesting beer.