Saint-Patrick
Brasserie Artisanale Ratz

Thanks to bu11zeye for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours a brown color with a white head. The aroma is roasted malt and chocolate, but there is also a chemical smell. The flavor is more of the same. Just as the chocolate and roasted malt components are tasting good, the chemical taste comes in and screws everything up. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

I doubt this was how the brewer intended, but the product in this bottle was barely drinkable.

It takes a daring Frenchman to make a stout and to call it Saint-Patrick.

Nearly all foam to begin the tasting. It settles quickly and in a rocky fashion. No lace is left on the glass. The color is a dark brown, but some light does shine through.

The aroma is very light, particularly for the style. Chocolate is the predominate smell.

First impression is the beer is too thin for a true dry stout. The carbonation is also quite high. The second impression is the high level of peppery flavors, especially in the swallow. This is a mild stout overall--not much burnt malt flavor. The aftertaste is short lasting. Overall, this much like a dry-ish brown ale in taste.

Part of me really wants to applaud the efforts of M. Metz to introduce "Brasserie Artisanale" to the Gauls who notoriously avoid the brown liquids. Based on this beer, the first one I've tried, there is still some distance to go.