Houblon Brut
Microbrasserie Le Castor

From a 500ml bottle, dated 07/19/19. Served in a cervoise.

Pours a sunshiny champagne-yellow with a great deal of visible carbonation and a finger-and-a-half of loose bubbly head. Retention is on the order of about a minute, leaving a wispy, foamy cap and collar and a light curtain of lacing.

The smell is malty and sharp with a whiff of orange-scented lacquer thinner.

The taste is dry, light and fruity, white wine and orange pith, spruce tips and green apple peel. The orange lacquer thinner from the aroma is perceived as dry fruitiness and is neither particularly pleasant nor unpleasant but does persist right through the finish and beyond.

Feel is lacquer-dry, light-medium bodied and brightly carbonated. Teeters back and forth between crisp and slick.

Overall, a serviceable beverage. It was a little too hefty to pass off as brut - for those who may be sticklers for classification - and the lacquer character made it seem boozier than its stated abv. Still, I drank the whole bottle and enjoyed it and sometimes that’s enough.

 

Medium: Capped.
Opacity: Clear with a very faint cloud.
Color: Dark straw with low activity.
Head: Creamy and foamy 3 finger.
Legs: Decent with good swirl reaction.
Smell: Tangerines/Butter/Hay.
Taste: Pineapples/Grapefruits/Corn/Herbal.
Feel: Floral/Straw/Tropical.
Body: Medium oily, slightly dry.
Carbonation: Moderate crisp.
Overall: Good quality. Texture doesn't hold up well having too high gravity.

Visual 7.5/10 - Flavors 7/10 - Sensations 6/10 - Balance 6/10 -
Freshness 5/10 - Intensity 8/10 - Complexity 6.5/10 - Appreciation 6.5/10

A: Pours slightly hazy with a lager like head. Looks like a lager alright all in all, but doesn't look like champagne at all. But, doens't look bad at all.

S: Smell is amazing. You get a lot of ripe pineapples, mango juice and maybe some apples. That's pretty much it though, quite straightforward.

T: Taste is much less intense than the smell. You get the same elements of pineapples, mangoes and green apples. Good, but a bit too light. Quite dry but not dry enough to call it Brut IPA IMO.

M: Well, if the goal was to make an IPA that feels like champagne, this is a failure. The beer tastes kind of the part but the mouthfeel isn't there at all. You get too much body and it's too "round" in the mouth for it to be compared with champagne.

O: This is a good beer. It smells great, tastes good. It's a solid beer for a hot summer day you're looking for something that is very "clean" on the palate. But, to me, it doesn't respect the genre it's identified as very well.

Serving: Bottle
Bottled: Oct-03-2018


A:
Pours a clearish gold color with three fingers of bone white head. Very good retention; streaky lacing. (4.25)

S:
Lemon zest, grass, rosemary, whiff of alcohol. (3.75)

T:
Grassy hops with a lemon pledge character and grainy malt coming through as well, touch of alcohol that didn't component it. (3.75)

M:
Fairly light body with crazily active carbonation and a bone dry finish. (4)

O:
A tasty IPA.
It pours pretty clear with a bright gold color and ample white head with champagne carbonation. It has a really strong lemon-citrus smell with a little 'green' bitterness underneath. The flavor follows suit. Lemon zest, grass, cereal, and a hint of lacquery alcohol that made me shave off 0.25. Tasty nonetheless. It is easy to drink, nice and dry with both a nice malt and hop character. I liked it and would have it again. I'd be curious as to if anything popped a little more fresher (this bottle was over a month old). (3.75)

 

Bottle: Poured a clear golden color ale with a nice large pale white foamy head with good retention and some light lacing. Aroma of dry citrusy floral undertones is enjoyable. Taste is a mix of dry citrusy floral undertones with a dry aftertaste. Body is about average with good carbonation. Not as floral as expected with a dryer finish than expected.