Monsieur Shelton
Brasserie de la Senne

 

world class beer, as they often are from de la senne. this one a few years old now, assuming they only brewed it once given the occasion stated, just an unassuming little bottle once again from these guys turns out to be an elite level brett pale or wild blonde or whatever parameters one would want to place around this thing, its brilliant beer, and these guys keep demonstrating to me what a good handle they have on yeast, especially brett, man this is good! i wonder how much drier this is now, and how much more established and developed the brett is compared to when it was first packaged, i would imagine at least a detectable amount, but this is mid stride right now, just right. clearish from the bottle, a few floaties dont bother me, tall white airy head, carbonation like a glass of champagne and a nose of yeasty high end aged cheesy funk from the brett, an appealing cheesy familiarity, not a bacterial flaw, its so mature but also so delicate here, and the base beer is so light that even the most nuanced aspect of the brett can be appreciated. it amazes me how a beer this mild overall can be so complex but also so simple at the same time. this isnt as hoppy as a lot of their are, they have probably faded some over time, but i dont miss hops here, not in the least. the brett here is as sexy as it gets, a subtle dusty euro quality to the grain which i always dig in something like this, and finally a wash of crackery dryness at the end with the brett, fabulous overall beer, i cant say enough about it, or about de la senne in general! top of the heap!

 

 

Looks a great golden straw hue, hazy, and white head. Aroma of funky pineapple. Very refreshing. Some pineapple, some funk. It's not as dry as most DLS, but this is still drier on the regular scale. A great drinker.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monsieur Shelton seems to me to be a part of the growing trend of making Belgian Pales hoppier for the American market. This one probably will succeed, like many ales the Shelton Bros have brought to America. As a general rule, if the ales are good for them... then they are better for us. That's a good deal.

That said, I wish I could say that this ale dedicated to the Shelton organization is one of the better ones they imported. But alas, it is not. (And I am glad it is not, otherwise their other imports, many highly enjoyed ales, also would not be above average.)

Some details. Monsieur Shelton Looks a bit sickly in color and foam. It's Smell also is nondescript, but at least I can tell something is going on. It Tastes slightly better, but I'm wondering if this Brett-stuff (a wild ingredient) is really good for someone as normal and straightforward as me.
(The True Answer: the Brett may be more predictable.)
As for the mouthFeel, there are too many hops and bubbles for me to rate this ale accurately.
However the Good News is that Monsieur Shelton went well with my simple, garlicky soup.
Also, I really appreciate all they do for me and the ale-lovers of America
As a reward, this ale gets a ridiculously high Overall rating.

 

Hazy light blonde color with a huge soapy head.

Lots of floral aromas and sour fruity Brett. Like a Berliner Weiss.

Has the yeast of a Brett beer and the bite of juicy hops like a pale.

Very refreshing and slightly chalky

Very good beer!