La Mondaine
La Barberie

Lightly chilled 500 ml bottle into a shaker pint. No visible bottling date.

Look- Now, that's what I call a blonde wheat beer. Hazy pale straw, It really looks like (real, made from lemons without any funny colorings) lemonade with a full glass of dense white foam left after a vigorous pour. Insane retention, good lacing. Plenty of sediment left in the bottle despite a swirl at the end.

Smell - Very citrusy, sweet, candied orange/lime peel, vanilla. Light spice. Bold aroma for such an apparently light beer, just sweet and spicy enough.

Taste- Very well balanced for what I interpret as a spiced hefeweizen. More candied orange peel, somewhat yeasty, not too sweet, finishes with lemongrass and faint, faint, clean saaz or similar hops. Lingering nectar/floral/orange blossom. Superb. I don't know how they did it, but I wish I knew how old this beer was and how to get a case.

Feel- Crisp, clean, fuller body than expected but still on the light side. 5.6 isn't shabby for the style, but you wouldn't know this was anything over 4%. 500 ml.... no problem.

Overall- I generally don't prefer either wheat ales or hefeweizens, this one was suggested by a clerk at Le Monde Des Bieres and I'm just about blown away. Absolutely wonderful. Buy this if you ever have the opportunity.

 

Tasted on July 13th, 2009.

Pours as a pale yellow and very clear except maybe for the presence of bubbles. The effervescence is huge... looks like champagne and this keeps the head formed. Aroma is malty with a slight touch of floral hops. The taste is malty... earthy malts. Very dry and refreshing. Amazingly drinkable. A thin-bodied beer with heavy carbonation... I would prefer less. A very good beer in my book.