Malheur Bière Brut (Reserve)

Sampled at Mondial 2006. A light hazy gold body with a white head. The aroma was vanilla with pears. There was also some perfume. The taste was funky with leather, hay and grass. Fairly dry. There was also some dark fruit like prunes, but not fruity. There was a dry finsh with some champagne type character.

Bottle. Ornage colour with big and lively white head. Fruity aroma with some hints of yeast. Sweet malty flavor with some spicy hints. Dry spicy finish.

Bottle. Nearly translucent amber. Nose is fruit and yeast with mild hoppy/flowery notes and sweet malts. Taste is malty with cobwebby yeast notes, spices, light honey, freshly cut flowers, buttered biscuit and ripe fruit notes. Body is medium and smooth with a light carbonation feel. Finishes yeasty with sweet but dusty malts, dried fruits and a light floral note.

Bottle (ZBF06): Nice fruits. Sweet but balanced. Very smooth bodied. Biscuity malt with fresh fruits and spice. Well melded.

Bottle. Cloudy orange colored pour with large frothy head. Pleasant fruity aroma with champagne like mouth to it.

Bottle. White champagne look-alike head. Clear yellow body. Fruity aroma. Got i warm so flavor was very sweet and - sorry mates - no experience.

Pours gold with a creamy head and consistent carbonation and lacing. Aromas of straw, fresh fruit, vanilla, wood and honey waft from the glass. The taste of this one is what makes it a true standout: fruity with bananas, apples, pears, vanilla, oak, honey, maple and just a hint of peppery hops. Mouthfeel is thick and oily with generous bubbly notes tickling the tongue in prickly, peppery decadence long after the glass is empty. Finish is of lemons, oranges and sugar candy. A truly spectacular beer.

Yes indeed, this is a beer, that has been treated and aged like a champagne. Malheur Biere Brut is marketed in corked champagne bottles. After brewing, and aging, it is put on champagne racks, where it is riddled. The bottles are tilted and turned, in a traditional, labor intensive method, used to precipitate the yeast to the neck of the bottle. There it then goes through the process of degorgement, where the yeast collected in the neck is frozen, and expelled in a plug of ice. This is what is done with champagne, and now with one amazing beer as well. A beer this special, which comes in a corked 22.45 oz champagne bottle, should be treated as such. I didn’t chill this beer in the fridge. I let is sit on ice in an ice bucket like a fine champagne, and served it in a champagne glass as well. Malheur Biere Brut pours to a beautiful, very bright(clear) deep golden color with a pillowy white head, and a very vibrant carbonation. The nose on this beer is very perfumed, with aromas of lemon rind, peach, and vapors of peppery alcohol. The palate is smooth, refined, and silky, with strong flavors of peach and vanilla on the tongue, with a nice back drop of flowery flavors as well. Malheur Biere Brut finishes with a firm, dry after taste, with just a touch of peppery alcohol. This beer is stunning. It is rare, unique, and really is as elegant as champagne. For a beer lover? This is better than champagne. Malheur Biere Brut, makes the ultimate aperitif, and would match well with oysters, or any dish you would pair champagne with.