Bière D'Abbaye Lacu
Brasserie Lacu

Hazy , golden color. Big, white head. Aroma of yeasts, fruits, and malt. Sweet, yeasty taste with some bitterness for balance. Good, although a little bit boring.

It seems that I prematurely wrapped up my recent deep-delve into my backlog of foreign & imported beers! I had purchased several on clearance from the Country Garden Six-Pack & set them aside, only to run into the usual out-of-sight, out-of-mind problem. No time like the present!

From the Bottle (!): "Belgian Beer brewed with Spices"; "Refermented in Bottle"; "The Original Lacu Beer"; "Sigillum S. Mariae in Lacu Anno 1159 (Seal of Lake of St. Mary's 1159 A.D.)"; "[Serve at] 42 - 47° F"; "Lacu, a 'Beer of the Abbey,' boasts an ancient heritage dating to the days when friars brewed this fine blonde bier from secret recipes they guarded for centuries. Today, Belgian brewers use these same recipes to produce Lacu, an exquisite bier made from the finest ingredients: spring water, barley malt, hops, coriander & orange peel. Lacu is labeled and corked by hand in order to preserve its superior quality. Uncork the elegant Lacu bottle and you'll hear the effervescence releasing its subtle and original flavors. The refined taste of Lacu evokes memories of the world's earliest brewers and their distinctive style. Enjoy Lacu, the 'holy grail of Bier.'"; "Lacu is hand crafted and bottle conditioned. Uncork one of our beautiful bottles and enjoy the creamy froth, subtle aromas and full refreshing taste of Lacu. You'll appreciate its history ad the ancient art of brewing in the tradition of Abbey Mariae Lacu, St. May Lake, Moscufo, Italy. Celebrate with Lacu, an Abbey Bier."

The cork, once the cage was removed, proved to be a real motha! I finally dug out my seldom-used corkscrew & was able to extract it. I had one of my fancy new bottle stoppers at the ready & so I charged my glass & then sealed the bottle with the stopper. I got two-plus fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, bone-white head for my troubles, evincing very good retention. Color was a gorgeous Golden-Amber (SRM = > 5, < 7) with NE-quality clarity, prompting an impromptu visit from The Gelt Gang of Midas, Croesus & Mammon, all clamoring for a taste. Nose had a pleasant yeasty mustiness, like old newspapers found in the attic. Mmm. Mouthfeel was medium with a champagne-like carbonation. The taste was very bready and more like honey than spices along with a papery mustiness. Mmm. A very pleasant drink. Their verbiage left me wondering. It was as though they were using the adjuncts for a Belgian Witbier in a Belgian Pale Ale. It really did not evince these spices until late in the finish. I am unsure that I ever really got the orange peel, but the pepperiness of the coriander lent itself to a refreshingly dry finish. A very nice interlude with this bier. YMMV.

 

 

 

Another bottle picked up back east. Lighter bodied belgian ale, flowery, herbal, bordering on saison. Some lemon citrus notes in the taste, some what dry and chalky finish.

 

 

 

 

750 ml bottle into tulip glass; B335 0245 bottle code. Pours slightly hazy/cloudy deep golden color with a 2 finger fairly dense white head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Spotty foamy lacing clings around the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of lemon zest, orange peel, pear, apple, white grape, coriander, cracker, biscuit, light honey, herbal, grass, light pepper, and herbal/yeast earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of fruity/earthy yeast, spices, and pale malt notes; with good strength. Taste of lemon zest, orange peel, pear, apple, white grape, coriander, cracker, biscuit, light honey, herbal, grass, light pepper, and hebral/yeast earthiness. Fair amount of earthy spiciness on the finish; with lingering notes of lemon zest, orange peel, pear, apple, white grape, coriander, cracker, biscuit, light honey, herbal, grass, light pepper, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity and robustness of fruity/earthy yeast, spices, and pale malt flavors; with a great malt/yeast balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium-high carbonation and medium bodied; with a very smooth, crisp, and slightly creamy/bready mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with no warming present after the finish. Overall this is a very nice Belgian pale ale. All around good balance and complexity of fruity/earthy yeast, spices, and pale malt flavors; and very smooth and crisp to drink. A very enjoyable offering.