Le Merle
North Coast Brewing Co.

 

 

This beer doesn’t make me want to do anything. I don’t want to think about what could have been; I don’t want to think about what may be; I don’t want to pop on TCM; I don’t want to take out the trash… I “don’t” I am in a moment of “don’t.” It’s just so, and also… I get nothing from this beer. And in turn, momentarily, I want nothing.

Clean up after yourselves, my children.

appearance: golden/brass hued
smell: buscuits and honey, very light nectarine
taste: stronger honey, dried apples, pears, barely perceptible yeast. not a whole lot of malt presence, although I think that's intentional. in a word, fruity.
texture: fine carbonation, medium to light body leaning more toward light
overall: an interesting, fruity belgian style beer. it hides the alcohol extremely well, almost undetectable.

 

 

 

Body is a nice golden amber. Aroma is spicy and almost like a sweet cider. Taste is of apple cider, fruity esters banana, bubble gum, and pear puree. Finishes slightly dry and warm, but the alcohol is well concealed. Bitterness is moderate to low depended on how much bitterness you like. Very good.

 

 

 

 

 

Great drinkable Saison. Gives you everything you want from a Saison without being pretentious. I'd recommend this to anybody who wants to try one for the first time.

Poured outta bottle into a Tulip glass.
Color is golden orange. Thin head. Smells like honey (faint smell). Mouth feel is smooth with lots of carbonation. Taste is cloves and honey. Simple yet amazing.

North Coast makes another clear strike for a perfect example of a classic style. The bottle has class and style, and the mostly-transparent apple juice body looks great with the fine eggshell white froth on top. Lacing covers the glass in dancing snowflakes.

Big notes of honeycrisp apple hit the nose off the bat, followed by ripe banana, walnut, lemon, coriander and clove.

Apple juice and honey are married with rhubarb and lemon, backed by walnut and clove bitterness with hints of oatmeal and dark chocolate on the finish.

Full-bodied and creamy with a tart bite; it's like an apple pie with bananas and walnuts--just missing the vanilla bean gelato.

North Coast never ceases to amaze me. My new favorite from them. Cheers!

I was surprised I enjoyed this beer so much. It wasn’t as sour as I feared it would be. It was very well balanced. The little bit of sourness was balanced with a little bitter and some sweetness. And the finish was clean dry, no lingering aftertaste. Looked great, golden yellow with a resilient white head. And quite sparkling. The nose was a little yeasty.

I would recommend and seek out this beer again.

 

 

I like that North Coast brews true to style and they do an excellent job with this ale.

Golden body, white head. Aromas of bubblegum, dusty funk, lemon, peach, lactose. Taste is sour, malt, grass, spice, and pepper. Creamy, medium bodied

Either my preferences have changed, this is a bad batch, or something was off last night. The "vomit" nose ruined what would have otherwise been an excellent experience for me. Will be trying again, just to compare...