Mont Salève Tourbée
Brasserie Du Mont Salève

 

L - Pitch black with a thin beige lacing

S - big peat presence here with some black berries in the back and some cocoa

T - follow the smell with a nice hop earthy bitterness. The smokiness brings balance to the taste.

F - Fine carbonation, thin body

O - A nice peated porter. The smoke is strong here but quite enjoyable. Bold and balanced.

 

33cl brown bottle purchased from Cave à Bulles in Paris. "Tourbée" is French for "peated" or "peaty", and this beer doesn't disappoint on that front.

Pours an oily brown colour, rather thin and light in the body, with a fine ring of beige foam that doesn't really form anything greater. Carbonation is indeed extremely minimal. Looks decent without being outstanding.

Nose is a different story. Robust and pleasantly realised peat smoke from the start, deep and earthy with salty, mineral hints. Sweetness is quite minimal, but there is a rather pleasant dark cacao chocolate note underneath everything. The peat is the main event though, and it's very aromatic.

Taste is lighter than the nose, but still rather pleasant. Clean, slightly toasty basis allows the smokiness to waft above and create the interest of the beer. Islay malts, a touch of ash, some green appleskin and a lingering iodine finish. Feel is pretty light: a bit more weight, and a touch more sweetness and the complexities would express themselves a bit more fully.

Still, this is a good beer, and a very pleasant use of peat-smoked malt. There's a lovely whisky character that sings throughout. I've had better peated beers, but they're always a treat when they're well-made like this one is.

 

First of all, thanks to Brandon at La Cave à Bulles in Paris for helping me to choose this beer. I wanted a peaty rauchbier and he provided one!

It pours a dark brown color, darkly translucent when backlit, with a few cm of frothy tan foam. The aroma is both smoky and sweet, lots of roasted grain character throughout each sniff. The taste is really exceptional too. STRONG peat, maybe even more aggressive than I was prepared for. But I grew to appreciate it by the 3rd sip. Now I'm halfway through the 750ml bottle and already lamenting its eventual demise.

Strong scotch notes in the flavor with none of the burn (what could be better?). A complex graininess beneath the smoked malts leads to a lingering touch of sweet malt in the aftertaste. Excellent, while not tasting like authentic Bamberg this beer definitely gives a unique and appreciable spin on the style. Highly recommended.