Sainte Hélène Simcoe Lager

Brewed by Brasserie Sainte Hélène
Style: Premium Lager
Virton, Belgium

Serve in Lager glass

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   update pic

Pours muddy yellow with a white head. Gusher. Aroma is malt, peach and citrus. Flavour is crisp malt, dry, peach and citrus.

From: Etre Gourmet Date: Best by May 2013 notched on bottle Glass: New Belgium globe glass Brasserie Saint Helene’s Simcoe Lager plays it safe and close to the typical American lager/pils style: grainy malts with modest hop character. Unfortunately, this doesn’t greatly impress as the flavors have only a few dimensions, and the aroma less. The lack of citrus and fruity hops in the aroma and flavor makes me wonder how the beer was brewed: was the Simcoe only added during the beginning of the boil? Did the hops in this beer just dissipate that quickly? Calling this a Simcoe pilsner was rather misleading if the hops are so muted in the beer, and makes me wonder about what the brewery was intending to produce, and why. While not bad in production, it’s fairly timid, a rather more bitter version of Pabst with a better grain bill. The brewery clearly has an interesting idea here (much like Schell’s excellent Citra Pils last year), but didn’t execute it well. For the time being, I’d see what else comes from Saint Helene, but don’t think I’d bother to go to any trouble to try it. Pours a 1cm tall head of clean, white foam, made up of small and medium-sized bubbles, which quickly (under one minute) falls to a thin ring around the glass and a medium-sized island of wispy foam atop the center of the body. Lacing is minimal, a few small dots cling to the inner sides of the glass. The body is a hazy golden-orange color, with light bringing out pale yellow hues. Carbonation is visible, though sparse and not vigorously moving. Aroma is fairly innocuous in a rather boring way: clean, mild grain, as you’d expect from an American pilsner, but the Simcoe hops are strangely absent, aside from a mild, smooth floral quality that I normally wouldn’t associate with them. The overall flavors of the beer are grainy and mildly sweet pilsner malts and hop bitterness, with hints of fruity hops and grape-like esters. Front of palate is mildly sweet and grainy from pilsner malts, slightly of tropical fruits from the Simcoe, and hints of bitterness appear. Mid-palate of pilsner graininess, smooth malt sweetness, mild grape-like ester (typical for the style), faint fruitiness (possibly from the hops?), and mild bitterness. A somewhat more accentuated bitterness appears and is the primary flavor on the back of the palate, along with some pilsner malt graininess and a bit of grape ester. Aftertaste is moderately bitter with a slight concord grape and bread dough tinge. Beer is medium-light in body with medium-light intensity of carbonation. The result is a slightly foamy, though soft and never fizzy mouthfeel. The beer flows well across the palate, fairly soft, but is a bit watery around the edges. Closes quite dry, with little residual stickiness on the palate.

UPDATED: MAY 4, 2013 bottle. pours a hazed off yellow with a big large bubble head that lasts for a longggg time, my brothers. aroma is big fresh cut grass, lemongrass. quite juicy. fresh herbs. bit of pine. potent. clean. quite inviting. taste is crisp clean biscuit and cracker malts. lemongrass. fucken awesome beer over hear. would drink this all the live long day. complex, tasty, sessionable, clean. grate. nice.

Bottle, Hoppy Loft. Well, well, my second Simcoe lager. Dominating in that category, I am. Poured a hazy yellow-golden body with a medium sized white head. Kinda sweaty agrumey grainy nose. Light herbal aromatic grainy taste. Surprisingly pleasant. Like a lighter Rulles Estivale (thanks to the bartender for giving me a chance to reevaluate that one!). The world needs more lagers like this.

Small off-white head; well-carbonated, hazy ochre-yellow beer and faint mossy sheen. Despite the naming, especially dry pale malts spreading upon opening. Bit rainwater, grassy. Little hops, in fact. Grassy, herbal, dry, but definitely more hoppy flavourwise - if rather oxydated ones. Rather watery MF, again rainwater-like feel. Well-carbonated, little going on. Underhopped as a ’typical’ USA lager, underpowered as a Pilsner. But - quite refresing, easily drinkable.

Bella, buoni profumi, buon sapore, leggermente amara lager proprio come dice la classificazione, retrogusto erbaceo lager amaro ma non tanto, bassa gradazione. Si beve bene, buona!!!

33cl, new exclusive brew Anno 2011, from De Hopduvel Gent, complex brew, malty/bitter and slightly floral/fruity, refreshing, balanced, hazy, good head, nice brew

Bottle 750ml.

light unclear medium yellow colour with a average to large, frothy, good lacing, mostly to fully lasting, white head. Aroma is moderate malty, toasted, moderate hoppy, flowers, perfume, citrus, light yeasty. Flavour is moderate to heavy sweet and bitter with a long duration, dry, crispy hops, hay, grass, fruity, citrus, yeast. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20120914]

Bottiglia da 75 cl. Color oro pallido con un bel cappello di schiuma bianca persistente. Buoni i profumi sovrastati da cedro, seguito da un buon erbaceo e un leggero mieloso. Al palato inizia con un leggero dolcino che lascia subito posto ad un amaro molto molto aggressivo (rispetto ai 45 ibu riportati in etichetta), finale erbaceo e agrumato.

Bottled. Yellow coloured. Hazy. Dense off white head. Aroma: fruits, Herbs, light grass. Flavour: Flowers, herbs, caramel, tropical fruits. Medium bodied. Ends on a herbal bitter note.