Engels
Brouwerij De Molen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11.2 fl oz. bottle, with no apparent bottled on date present. Batch 753 printed on the label. Label also lists a 4.42% abv, rather than the 4.50% abv listed on BeerAdvocate. My first beer from Brouwerij De Molen, and I believe also my first beer from The Netherlands. Got this bottle on sale at the local Binny's for like $3.00 or so. Going in unbiased; I have no idea what to expect.

Poured into a clear balloon snifter glass.

A - Pours four to five giant pillowy fingers of cloudy white foam. Body is a light lemon-orange color with massive carbonation bubbles streaming topside like a geyser on the ocean floor. Some small dark yeast sediment sinking to the bottom. I won't lie, I think it looks pretty nice. Becomes a dark murky orange, almost muddled brown color when I finished pouring the rest of the bottle into the glass. Lots of dark brown yeast gunk dripping out from the bottom of the bottle.

S - Smell is kind of subdued and buried beneath all that foamy head, but has some dusty funky yeast, some lightly tart citric lemongrass, and some light earthy hop presence.

T - Taste is entirely unexpected based on the nose. Lots of bready musty yeast, crisp carbonation, lightly citric lemongrass, apple juice, maybe some green grapes, dirty earthy herbal hop presence, & some copper / metallic notes on the finish. Lightly tart, with maybe some champagne yeasty presence, also.

M - Feel is more thick and heavier than one might initially suspect, but the fluffy head adds a nice light cloudy carbonation to each sip. Light-medium bodied due to the carbonation. Some apple skin flavors, and some dry breadiness on the finish.

Overall, an extremely strange, and not entirely inviting beer, yet still strangely alluring. Interesting, to say the least. Low abv, lots of flavor, but not exactly what I would call a "highly drinkable" beer. Definitely worth a shot for the more adventurous beer lovers out there.

De Molen Engels ---4/5.