White on Rice
Brasserie Saint James

i liked this beer a lot, a rice and buckwheat brew that sort of flirts with hefeweizen and belgian white, estery yeast but a really entrenched starchy earthy graininess from the unique malt bill that really makes this one for me. i wish more breweries would employ grains like this in these types of beers, traditional or not, they really add a lot, sort of defining this one for me. cool yeastiness though too, more belgian than german, but i get parts of both, a green banana complexion along with a cool candied spice thing that really belongs. not sure if there is citrus or coriander in here, but the esters from the yeast sort of mimic those traditional flavors well enough here. there is a light peppery thing maybe from the buckwheat, sort of rye-like, but very mild, and then the rice, which adds a neat creaminess to the texture of this i reckon, like rinsing the starch off of rice before cooking it. its smooth and has a lot of character in terms of feel, nice carbonation, and a remarkable and unexpected cleanness at the end that helps this stay refreshing and finish fast. flavorful and rustic and nice. i always appreciate a twist in a style like this...