Saint Rieul De Noël
Ferme-Brasserie Saint Rieul

 

 

 

 

This bottle was aged for a year. I don't particularly know why I decided to do it, but I did.

A: A pretty reddish-brown body. Not ruddy, but delicate. As for the head, I've never heard one that crackled so loudly, or that went away so fast. It was Bavarian cream colored, and stayed at about two fingers as I poured; once finished it performed the disappearing act.

S: The initial sniff gives me strawberries and raspberries. Further investigation reveals a bit of dark fruit, chocolate, and a bit of an artificial sweetener.

T: Starts off with the red fruits. The artificial taste rears its head in the middle as the red fruit goes away; roastiness and chocolate start in the middle as wel, increasing in presence through the end of the sip. Not much of an aftertaste, just a bit of roastiness for a moment or two.

M: Light and creamy, but not too delicate. Perhaps not quite appropriate for the style, but it's only 8% and I think it works.

D: Pretty high. The beer is a bit disjointed, but it's enjoyable.

This reminds me a bit of Black Orchard in that there are two sort of separate beers within one: a roasty porter-like beer and a fruity beer. The two don't particularly meld together in the taste, but don't clash either. Not a typical strong dark, but worth a shot. I doubt the aging helped much, but I don't think it hurt the beer either.

I was eager to try this one after having the St. Rieul Grand Cru (Triple), which is one of my favorites.

It came from a 750ml bottle, the only packaging available here. Pours a dark mahogany color with a moderate head that dissipates fairly fast, if you care about things like that.

Aromas of dried fruits, dates, figs, and nuts. Not a powerful nose but good nonetheless. The flavor is not as complex as the Grand Cru. It seems more subdued. That dried fruit aroma is not as pronounced on the palate. Some nice malt sweetness, but more of that cereal/grainy type flavor that was just right in the Grand Cru but too pronounced here.

Don't get me wrong, this is an excellent beer that is well worth buying. If I sound critical it is because I'm comparing it to one of the best ales I've ever tasted, ie the Grand Cru in case that wasn't clear by now.

Beer bottle (33cl, 75cl.), tasted in 2002.

Appearance : mahogany color, with tan foam head (abundant and persistent).
Smell : rich roasted malts and spices aromas.
Taste and mouthfeel : gently spicy, chocolate and coffee flavours, full bodied beer.
Drinkability : Brewed only for the end of the year, a superb Christmas beer.

Review translated from french 6-29-2008.