Cuvee Mam'zelle
Brouwerij De Leite

 

Bottle from Etre.
Lightly hazy light gold with a hint of rose and a good sized frothy white head that persists. Light oak and spice with some earthy cherry tartness. Hints of vanilla, oak tannin and oxidation.

 

Poured into a nonic glass. A cloudy dark amber with a bubbly tan head. Strong carbonation. The head soon diminishes to a ring with patchy head and lacing. Funky barnyard brett in the nose. Strong sharp fruity smells. Alcohol is well hidden. Surprisingly light body for a triple. very smooth and rounded. A very interesting and unusual beer. Well made.

 

330 mL bottle from the LCBO; best before Oct 16 202X - the date is printed on the cap and runs over the side of the crown, so I can't make out the last digit. Listed at 7.5% and served barely chilled.

Pours a relatively clear deep golden colour, producing nearly one finger of soapy, foamy white head that crumbles away in less than two minutes' time. A few bubbly islands of film still float upon the surface, encircled by a frothy collar and a tight band of lacing. Looks fine, but it's the aroma that piques my interest even more; this smells wild and Brett-y, with white wine, oak and funk overpowering subtler suggestions of orchard fruit and grainy pale malts, as well as some faintly floral, herbal notes.

Interesting to sip - it starts off mild, with a touch of floral, herbal, almost minty, lavender-like spice that immediately gives way to flavours of white grape, oaked wine, nectarine, lemon and apples, all of which are underlain by grainy pale malt sweetness. Towards the finish, a slight vinegar tartness starts to come through, as well as some oak tannin astringency and Brett funkiness, the latter of which lingers on into the aftertaste, lending it a leathery quality; more dry than sour/tart. Light-medium body, with moderate carbonation levels that froth up and prickle the palate gently. I finished my glass quickly enough, but the serving size is perfect IMO - it's good, but it's not something I'd want to drink a bomber of.

Final Grade: 4.11, an A-. I really enjoyed my glass of Cuvée Mam'Zelle, and would encourage other BAs to give it a shot if they're in a position to do so. I wish I'd picked up another bottle or two while I had the chance, because I really think this was a neat beer that I'd like to have again. Unique, too - the closest comparison I can think of is Petrus Aged Pale, which is a beer I haven't had in years but still remember fondly. I'd return to this one in a heartbeat, though Soeur'ise is still my favourite De Leite product.

 

330 mL Bottle. ABV 7.5%.
Appearance: Veiled pale gold, A quarter of a finger of white head, Frothy broken collar remains, Zero carbonation.
Aroma: Sour apples/stone fruit, Floral, Farmy, Brettanomyces.
Mouthfeel: Under medium body, Tart, Dry finish.
Flavour: Tart, Vinegar, Sour apples/stone fruit, Grainy, Slight citrus.
Overall: I wouldn't say it's a very well-crafted beer. Perhaps it's just not my thing, but I wasn't really into this one.

Review: 44

330 ml bottle into a weizen glass. Listed as 7.5% ABV.

Appearance - Peachy, golden brew with fair clarity and a small half finger of white head. Modest retention and middling levels of visible carbonation.

Smell - Sour fruit, oak, perfumey and floral. Possibly a little bit of stone fruit in there. Interesting and very aromatic to say the least.

Taste - Some sourness, and lemon and lime, peach, barrel, vinous as well. Some grainy backbone and the whole flavor is kind of muddled, offsetting each other. Hints of candi sugar and powdery yeast throughout. Not entirely cohesive, but the effort is welcome. Balsamic in there somewhere as well.

Mouthfeel - Quite light, kind of reminds me of champagne beers with that lightness, somewhat tart and astringent, with lots of carbonation that fits.

Overall - Odd beer, but pretty decent, not always cohesive, but lots of disparate flavors. Good feel and fairly intense aroma even when cold. Worth a try while it's here, but certainly not a traditional tripel.

 

 

 

330 ml bottle into tulip glass; batch #10, no bottle dating. Pours lightly hazy golden amber/light orange color with a 1-2 finger dense and fluffy off white head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big tart/sour lemon, lime, cherry, berry, peach, apricot, pineapple, pear, green apple, mango, melon, red wine, toasted oak, vanilla, peppercorn, citrus peel, hay, straw, grass, herbs, leathery/musty funk, wheat, cracker, biscuit, light red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/funky/acidic/spicy yeast, spices, wine barrels, and moderate bready malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big tart/sour lemon, lime, peach, apricot, mango, melon, lemon, lime, cherry, berry, peach, apricot, pineapple, pear, green apple, mango, melon, red wine, toasted oak, vanilla, peppercorn, citrus peel, hay, straw, grass, herbs, leathery/musty funk, wheat, cracker, biscuit, light red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Moderate lactic tartness and yeast/wine/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart/sour lemon, lime, peach, apricot, mango, melon, lemon, lime, cherry, berry, peach, apricot, pineapple, pear, green apple, mango, melon, red wine, toasted oak, vanilla, peppercorn, citrus peel, hay, straw, grass, herbs, leathery/musty funk, wheat, cracker, biscuit, light red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic/spicy yeast, spices, wine barrels, and moderate bready malt flavors; with an awesome malt/tart/spiciness balance, and zero puckering/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from tartness/spiciness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth and moderately bready/grainy/acidic/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol for 8.5%. Overall this is an awesome sour/wild tripel style! All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic/spicy yeast, spices, wine barrels, and moderate bready malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink for the ABV, with the modestly spicy/lactic/tannic/drying finish. Really outstanding and well developed Brett/Lacto complexity, awesome red wine barrel presence, and balancing bready malt backbone. A really enjoyable offering.

 

Nice little sour to this one,

 

 

Murky, golden. Small-ish head. Fruity yet Bretty smell. Smells like it will be sour. That said, it's dry but not very acidic. Purty good, but wish that it was a little "cleaner" and more refined, with less of a homebrew vibe.

 

 

 

 

 

Very strange beer. Vinegar, oak, and spice aroma. Different tastes on every part of the tongue. Salty and sour on one side sweeter and spicier on the other. It does have a light body with mild carbonation. Wouldn't choose to drink it again

On tap at Ashley's in Ann Arbor 8/31/2015

Appearance: mellow gold with a think, bubbly head which dissipates very slowly, still there at the end


Aroma: vinegar, tomatoes, citrus, cloves - intriguing

Taste: tomatoes, oranges, lemons

Mouthfeel: creamier than expected as it looks like it could be thin, stays throughout

Overall: surprising and unique, excellent mouthfeel and strong finish. The vinegary, tomato-like notes may put some off

 

 

 

 

 

 

A: Orangy amber, soda like carbonation opaque, basically no head, no visible rising carbonation
S: Tomato juice, rhubarb with an odd sort of japanese peach candy pungentness.
T: Not too different from how it smells. Very odd. A rotting fruit sourness. Better as it warms up.
M: Drying but not so pleasant in conjunction with the flavor
O: This is a very odd beer. not one I'd recommend.