Brussels Calling
Brasserie de la Senne

 

 

 

33cl bottle. Label is marked 'BOT: 11 JAN22 BBD: 11 JAN23'.
Partly cloudy, straw colored body. Initial pour resulted in half white foam, half beer body. The foam settles back after a couple of minutes. Leaves behind strings of lacing.
Aroma of citrus from the yeast. Salinity.
Taste is bitter orange, and then the flavor changes to orange pith and rind. Gets a mineral note in the aftertaste.
Medium mouth feel. Very dry finish. Leaves a bitter note in the mouth. Very good carbonation.
Does have some honey malts but the main flavor expression is fruit bitterness. Enjoy the yeast.

 

 

L- Pale gold, rested and poured with care, some sediment entered the pour but plenty more left in the bottle. Pours with 2-3Cm pillowy white ultra-fine bubble head (... a ps 15 mins later, the head holds incredibly well).
S- Subtle, perhaps just a hint of ripe apple.
T- Hops on the front, the pungency of which seems to rise into the finish. Notably dry, but then it is a pale ale. Seems to me have a more trad pale-ale profile rather than anything modern with youthful fruity taste-notes to it.
F- Pretty intense dry hopping in a more trad style. Really leaves a thick brush of hops lingering on the palate and throat.
O- Notably dry, could be super refreshing on a hot day. The hops seem to dominate for me and they mask some desired broader taste aspects.
Interesting to try, would work better if you're a fan of BIG+trad hopping. Bought from Bacchanalia, Mill Road, Cambridge, £2.99/330ml bottle. Bottled: 23/1/20 BBE: 23/1/2021

 

 

 

 

12 oz. in stemware at Novare Res in Portland, on draft.

Appearance: Cloudy yellow with a big white head.

Aroma: Orange rind, maybe some wheat. Light nose.

Taste: Nice citrus hops along with a sweet malt finish. Hoppier than I’d expected. Kind of a BPA/IPA hybrid, maybe. Some melon, some honey.

Mouthfeel: Very drinkable. Nice prickly start and smooth finish.

Overall: Really terrific, somewhat hybridish beer. Sort of a hoppy BPA. Good stuff!

 

Pours an unclear with a massive cap of thick head.

Smell is yeasty and citrusy with a mineral element to it. Pretty subdued overall though.

Taste picks it up a bit by adding a pretty solid bitterness to the yeast and citrus.

Mouthfeel is medium, sparkly carbonation.

Overall, a nice Belgian pale, very pretty to look at.

 

 

 

Moderate head but it leaves good streaky lace. Cloudy with a whitish yellow color.

Sweet aroma, almost like candy but very subtle. I don't get any Belgian yeast notes nor do I get the floral noble hop smell. A little disappointing from the "Belgian pale ale brewed with all noble hops " quote on the menu.

Dry with strong hop bitterness. The body leans thin while the carbonation is high. Again, no Belgian yeast notes. I get a light warming in the swallow. Long aftertaste with a blend of hop and sweeter malt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

definitely one of my favorite breweries right now, but this isnt as good as the taras boulba they do, which i think is absolute the standard for the style, especially for imports, its near perfect. this one is a little more classically "belgiany" on the yeast, in that it has a high tone fruit ester thing that rings of white wine, orchard fruit, and pink gum, not offensive or over the top, just a lot more of it, and less hops too. its hard to pour for my bartender from the tap, i watch him struggle with the high carbonation and the active disposition of this one, head spilling over and all uncontrollable, probably recently tapped, but not yet well known, i think thats always cool, like the beast wins one over mankind, kind of neat. the malt base is pillowy and billowing and different, and the hops have more bitterness than flavor, but this one is about the yeast, unlike the boulba so much, still clean and light, just brilliant pale ale, i hate to even have to call it belgian pale, it just is pale ale thats better than most american made ones because it has a yeast profile, whatever. these guys are amazing, and their beer is worth buying at all times, that is what i am learning. when a pretentious bar tender with experience is "overwhelmed and flustered" by a beer that is this fundamental, i think its sensational! quality for the win!

Once again, the eradication of the Bottle Backlog here at Chez Woody enables me to conduct a modest horizontal, this time with the beers of Brasserie de la Senne.

From the bottle: "(Bitter Is Better)"; "Belgian Blond Ale - Hand Crafted & Refermented in the Bottle".

A 2012 bottle, no less! I Pop!ped the cap & followed that with a very gentle pour due to being able to see some lees on the punt. An in-glass swirl raised a finger of foamy, soapy, tawny head which quickly reduced into wisps. Color was solid Amber (SRM = > 7, < 9) with NE-quality clarity. Nose had a funky sweetishness or a sweet funkiness, kind of like rotting fruit. For me, it was not off-putting, but it was definitely unexpected & different. Mouthfeel was medium with a good bit of scrubbing carbonation on the tongue. The taste was unique in my exbeerience, with an unidentifiable bitterness offset by a rotted/rotting fruity sweetness, the latter undoubtedly from the yeast. I really liked this subtle pungency, especially after (potentially) five years in the bottle. It was like opening a long-forgotten present to receive a pleasant surprise. Finish was semi-dry, but not as bitter as the label suggested.

 

Draft at The Sovereign.

Light yellow body, mild haze, thin white collar. Breast malts, lemon, Belgian yeast. Light in body with an utterly quaffable drinkability. Delicious.

 

 

2015 version, bottled. Slightly hazy golden color with huge, frothy white head. Aroma is hoppy with nice citrus notes and also some floral yeasty notes. Taste is similar with floral yeast at first, slightly sweet, but gets quite bitter and hoppy on the finish. Medium body, quite soft, but with high effervescence. Overall it leans towards the belgian IPA style with the specific belgian yeast profile but complemented by citrusy hops and a good amount of bitterness.

The head on this thing is enormous. Just gelatinous, like whipped cream in the container. The body is pineapple-banana colored, beautifully hazy, and 70% opaque. Lots of live active cultures in the bottle foaming up, too.

The bouquet is chock full of bittering hops, with spices and herbs. Coriander, oranges, yeast, white pepper, more hop. Comes off quite Czech or German Pilsner-ish with very very sharp aromas.

The flavor profile starts out with licking a grapefruit peel, then turns to buttered bread, ending with a swish of water and a twist of white pepper. Further drinking makes the hoppiness is also prominent, creating a peppermint-like astringency, and some strong Saaz influence. A touch of perfume, a touch of fruit esters. It ends bittering and astringent.

The feel is light and crispy, with just a hint of creaminess, and a dry finish.

Overall, this beer delivers in a way a Belgian Pale should. It comes on a little strong though, bringing elements of parfum and astringent grapefruit too far forward. I'll pass next time but this was a nice trial from Belgium.

 

Bottle free @ Brasserie De La Senne in Brussels. Regrettably brief notes below given a poor review environment:

A: Healthy head. White colour. Frothy. Long-lasting ( ~9 minutes).

Body is a clear vibrant yellow. No yeast is visible within.

Sm: Citrus zest. Crisp Pilsner malts. Belgian pale malts. Fresh floral hop notes. Sweet bready character. Fruity estery Belgian yeast.

The citrus dominates.

Aromatic intensity is average. An appealing aroma.

T&Mf: Fresh and zesty, with a mild citrusy emphasis and some subsidiary floral hop character. Fruity estery Belgian yeast. Bubble gum phenols. Perfumey. Balanced and enjoyable, with a nice hop profile. Likable stuff.

Refreshing, light-bodied, smooth, wet, approachable. Well carbonated.

O: Highly drinkable, with a well-disguised ABV. I quite like it, and would happily get it again. Nice work from Brasserie de la Senne.

Low B- (3.30) / WORTHY

 

 

Pour is golden in color, clear, and white head with good retention. Nose has a heavy malt and candied sugar aroma, notes of oxidation and stale caramel. Flavor follows suit, a bit oxidized and probably past its prime. Assertive sweet malt, older caramel, hints of sugar. Soft body, nicely carbonated, feel is still holding up.