Le Flaneur
Brewery Vivant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I got a can of Brewery Vivant's Le Flaneur that @Another6Pack hooked me up with, thanks a lot! I'm a big fan of Vivant's Escoffier and I'm interested to see what they can do with this beer, so lets see how it goes. 2013 Vintage. Poured from a tall 16oz can into a Belgian Tulip.

A- The can looks nice, it's their special release can and the sticker to go with the beer has a top hat and mustache on it, so it's a little odd. It poured a pretty clear slightly amber golden color that took on more of an amber hue when held to the light with a finger and a half of off white head that died down to a thin ring that eventually faded away and it left a little bit of spotty lacing behind. This was a pretty good looking but I wish it had a little better head retention.

S- The aroma starts off with a higher amount of medium sweetness followed by the some funky yeast being the first to show up and it imparts some sour, funky, wet straw, light barnyard and some brett like aromas that stick out nicely. Up next comes a real nice fruity aroma with some lemon, pineapple and grapefruit like aromas blending together nicely and there's also some green apple like aromas in the background. This beer had a very good aroma, it was funky and fruity.

T- The taste seems to be pretty similar to the aroma, but a little lighter and it starts off with a higher amount of medium sweetness followed by the funky yeast still being the first to show up and it imparts all those aspects that I got in the aroma with the brett coming through nicely and it's not too overpowering. Up next comes those fruity aspects that I got in the aroma with the all of the same fruits showing up with neither one seeming to stick out the most. On the finish comes a lighter earthy hop flavor followed by a mixture of light medium bitterness and some light medium tartness with a fruity brett like aftertaste. This was a pretty good tasting beer, but i wish the bitterness was toned down just a little to let more tartness come through.

M- Smooth, very crisp, a little prickly, a little refreshing, on the light side of being medium bodied with a higher amount of carbonation. The mouthfeel was pretty and true to style.

Overall I thought this was a pretty good beer and a good example of a Brett beer, the yeast showed up nicely without being too dominating and the fruit flavors were pretty nice, the combination made for an enjoyable beer. This beer had good drinkability, it was very crisp, a little prickly, a little refreshing, not filling at all and the taste did a good of holding my attention, I could see myself drinking a couple of these and I think it would make for a nice beer to enjoy in the summertime. What I liked the most about this beer was the aroma, it was very nice and it was pretty intense. What I liked the least about this beer was the little bit of bitterness at the end, I would have liked it a little more if the tartness took over more. I would for sure buy this beer if I ever had a chance and I would love to cellar a couple cans someday to see how they develop over time, if the bitterness died down and the tartness increased then I'm sure I would really like it. I would recommend this to anyone who likes Brett Beers. All in all I was pretty happy with this beer, the brett was represented nicely and most of the aspects came together pretty well to make for an enjoyable brett beer. I would have to have the two together to really know, but i'm pretty sure I prefer Escoffier, but this is beer still holds it own and I would never turn it down. Good job guys, I would love to see this beer get distributed one day, keep up the good and creative work.