Ergot | Benelux Brewpub & Café

4.62/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

from notes taken on vacation in montreal may 14th, 2010.

this was listed as a rye triple saison (tripel saison seigle in french) at the brewpub.

on tap - served on a tulip.

came to the table a gorgeous dark amber color with a thin cap of off white head. leaves a fair bit of sticky lace all around the glass.

smells sweet, citrusy and grassy with notes of grapefruit, orange and strawberry.

deliciously fruity with a strong malt base. slightly spicy with grapefruit and berry flavors. herbal hop bitterness hangs on the back of the tongue for a bit before fading away completely. has a slight sourness as well (like sourdough or rye bread, without the breadiness). really some wonderful things happening here.

lighter in body with just enough carbonation to really make the flavors pop.

while not a session beer, drinkability is high considering the abv. if i'm ever in montreal again, i'd go back to the brewpub just to get this. this was the first saison i have ever tried, and i think i'm hooked!

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3.48/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Enjoyed at the brewpub, where the right slightly cold temperature and perfect carbonation are always in order. Funky smell. White head on yellow-grapefruit. Sour, citrus orange and cloves and corriander, which makes it sweetish.Medium mouthfeel.Not a bad one. This batch was 8.8% Ergot 2010 at Mondiale 2010. Average mouthfeel, a little sour, yeasty.

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3.69/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

4.11/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

4.03/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a tulip glass at the brewpub. I guess this would be a 2011 variation and was listed at 9% ABV. Cloudy amber body with a good cover of dense white head. Pretty nice lacing and retention, suggesting a hoppy brew. Good looking stuff.

Sweet nose with lots sugary malt. Slightly-sour rye mixed with light spices. There seems to be certain meat-like quality to the nose I can't quite place, along with some pungent minerals salts. Nice earthy, herbal hops.

The sugary nose is toned down in the mouth, balanced by a considerable bitterness. Very earthy hops, showing planty pine and grapefruit pith. Light spice including coriander, a touch of black pepper and possibly nutmeg. Rye isn't as prominent in mouth, though does add that certain tang. Hops linger a little on the finish. Very well balanced and flavourful, though not too sweet or bitter (always impressive at 9% ABV). Alcohol is right where you'd want it to be.

Full-medium body with light carbonation. Nothing wrong here.

I was going to rate this 4.5 overall but it's really not showing a whole lot of saison character, which ends up being about the only complaint here. As a beer, I really enjoyed this one. It's like a good double IPA with a hint of saison spicing. I would definitely order this again.

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4.75/5  rDev +14.2%

4.32/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Draft: Poured a light hazy beige color ale with a medium size foamy head with light lacing notes. Aroma is nice complex mix between light fruity ester with indigenous yeast and some semi-sweet Belgian style malt notes. Taste is a nice mix between some lightly funky yeast with notes of fruity ester and a semi-sweet solid Belgian-style malt backbone with an herbal finish. Body is maybe a bit light for style with no apparent alcohol. Definitely one of the best beer I tried while I was there.

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4.41/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a pretty light copper body with a thin head. Creamy taste with a nice spicy rye that lingers and also has a touch of pepper. Some orange flavor and a dry light tea, very drinkable.

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4.1/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Draft

Appearance - Mostly clear copper colour with a large size foamy off-white coloured head. There is a low amount of carbonation showing and there is some good lacing. The head lasted for 5 minutes before it began to dissipate.

Smell – Breads/grains, lemon/grapefruit zest and juice, caramel

Taste & Mouth - The beer has an average amount of carbonation. I can taste lemon/grapefruit juice and zest mixed with caramel and some light cloves. I could also pick up on a fair amount of hop bitterness. The beer finishes with a malty yet spicy aftertaste.

Overall – I really enjoyed the taste of this beer. It had a complex taste that kept me interested throughout the entire glass. It was almost like an IPA meets a Saison. My draft was listed at 9.9% alcohol and it was very well hidden.

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4.43/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed at the interesting Benelux brew pub in Montreal with Rudzud.

Nice creamy 1 finger head fades slowly, great messy lacing, semi clear peach blonde amber color.

Nose is great, pretty of nice spicy herbal rye, grainy reddish toasty malt, touch doughy and grist, faint saison spices and citrus, little wheat and faint banana, tripel like spices too, ave banana bread. Very interesting.

Taste brings more saison spices, and tripel spices, little coriander clove and faint baking spices, into the big spicy rye ave doughy rye bread. Nice mild bitter grassy earthy hops, then little grainy grist doughy malt, wheat and grassy notes, etc. Finish is big bitterness, earthy spicy like that clashes just a bit with the malt and wheat that lingers, little sweet sticky.

Mouth is med bod, nice carb, soft and no booze.

Overall just awesome.

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3.75/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

4/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

4.43/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Had this on tap at Benelux while on vacation in Montreal with fellow beer drinker JLindros.

A - Slightly hazy honey hue with a two finger head that faded quickly to leave thin lacing and a light blanket.

S - Aromas of spicy rye, light banana, good saison notes, alcohol hidden very well.

T - Taste is similar to the nose, though the spicy rye clashes some with the banana and clove ester notes of a tripel. Still, alcohol is hidden immaculately well.

M - Mouthfeel is nice, lightly carbonated, alcohol hidden wonderful.

O - Overall this beer was very nice, the rye and tripel clash a little but...9%, for real? Awesome.

Serving Type: On Tap

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4.09/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

3.39/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

3.97/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Thanks Tiko for the gift.

Poured out into a tulip. Clear amber with thin off-white head. Nosing reveals that yes, there is in fact rye here! Spicy and earhy from the yeast too. Grapefruit is dominate. Some faint caramel and leather aromas. Palate is medium-bodied. Drier than I expected given the "tripel" part of the style. Spicy and fruity, earthy and creamy. A real tasty mash-up style, but leans towards saison for sure.

Yum.

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4.1/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4