La Myrtille D' Amélie (for Detrembleur)
Brasserie d'Achouffe

Bought at the Drink Factory in Mons.
If you think that d'Achouffe can do no wrong, you may want to drink this.
First, myrtle is rare... at least as noted on the labels. Aficionados should have this experience.
Second, this is a throw-back to before the ascendance of hops... sort of a Belgian gruit.
Third, Amelie Looks pretty good; a nice amber with red highlights, but could have more of a lasting foam.
Fourth, Smells are unique; but keep an open mind as myrtle is not floral or sweet.
Fifth, not balanced because the myrtle is so strong... Amelie' still Tastes interesting. By third sip, it had grown on me.
Sixth, medium-mouthed, but barely. Not soft, tingly.
Seventh, to explain my very good Overall Hugs... That's because IMHO, d'Achouffe can do no wrong.

Blind-tasted except for the beer's name and brewery/country, zero reviews below read (yet!)...
L- O----M-----G, is this for real? I begun the pour and before I knew it my Belgian chalice glass had 1Cm of bright, no, vivid pink liquid, topped with 10-12Cm of pale pink foam. I'll just note that I wouldn't wish to be seen dead holding a glass of this down at my local pub.
S- Oh wow... I got a hard-blast just pouring it, it smells of strawberries, definitely a perfumey and jammy scent. Reminds me of strawberry flavoured hard candy...
T- Oh good grief. Bizaare, it goes from 'strawberryade' to kinda dentists mouth-rinse in under a second, then balances back into strawberry flavour mouth-rinse. The strawberry aspect comes over as artifical too
F- Medicinal.
O- I've had a myrtle beer before and AFAIR I responded the same to the other one [Shock > Denial > Anger > Resignation, etc hehe]. From the look to the medicinal style. Also how it does not resemble beer in any sense, beyond being liquid and carbonated. Altogether seriously strange, un-beer-like, Like a perfumed starwberry alco-pop. Frankly quite horrible, but I wish others much fortitude and better luck!
My scoring will not be positive, but I can only be completely honest. Review/scoring all done, now the reveal, I get to read the bottle lables to see what I missed. Translating, they refer to the flavour a subtle. Hmmm! And there being a balance with the hops. I would disagree, and I have no intention to drink myrtille beer again.
330ml bottle BB: 28/07/2022 £3.24 Bought from BeersOfEurope/King's Lynn as part of a large pick-your own consignment to London.

 

 

 

Dumpy 33cl bottle (claims to be brewed by A. Detrembleur of Vielsalm): BBD 13 July 2013. Poured into a Westmalle chalice at home on 30 May 2013.

Myrtille/Bosbessen or Blueberrys: doesn't matter how you say it or in what laguage, this is a beer that is flavoured with that fruit. It smells and tastes very berry in deed.

Strange red and blue hue to the otherwise copper coloured beer, white head which started thin and stayed that way.

Not really my cup of tea, but interesting and certainly different. I first had one when staying in the Ardennes and brought this bottle home to review at leasure because i couldn't take note during my first encounter with it.

Stubby 33cl bottle into a tulip. The brew appears a light hazy ruby tinted copper color with a big frothy white head stronger than 2 fingers. The cap fades slow leaving some webby patterns of lace sticking to the glass. Rising bubbles of carbonation maintain an uneven surface across the top throughout the entire duration.

The aroma is very berry-like but also smells somewhat augmented and a bit artificial. Think fruity pebbles breakfast cereal with a hint of grape soda, carbonic quality, sulfur and faint wheat to neutral cereal-like grains. The more I smell this, the more berry-like it gets but in a slightly artificial way that is minorly medicinal and finishes again like grape soda in the nose.

The taste is pretty uninspiring. The flavor is pretty linear upfront and displays little depth. A hint of berries comes forward that snaps pretty sharply into a carbonic quality that is minorly sulfuric and mineral filled. Some wheat is present but there is an herbal bitterness present that keeps the fruited quality from tasting sweet. It lingers in the mouth with a taste that is very familiar but I can't quite put my finger on it. Half-way through the glass, it hits me. The fruited quality of this brew is very similar to the aftertaste of blueberries but with a bit of a medicinal addition.

This is a very light bodied brew with an effervescent and somewhat distracting amount of carbonation. This is really interesting... I dont know what "myrtile" is as it has been referenced in the other reviews and this brews name but from this I get a pretty strong blueberry character. However, without any sweetness it is a bit perplexing and a strange contrast to what I want to say is natural feeling at times but also strangely strong and augmented somewhat artificially as well. While this brew wasn't bad, I think it could be tuned a little and really be turned into something special.

Aside from being the only offering that I know of made with myrtle berries, this beer has three other notably distinct features. The first is its pomegranate blush, which is as pretty as it is unique. Although it is far from transparent it does have a bright, far-reaching glow that contrasts nicely with its soapy, rosé-tinted froth.

The second is the sheer level of fruitiness. I've never had myrtle berries, but their character strongly resembles that of blueberries, although I also note a likeness to açaí, blackberries and, to a lesser extent, fresh plum. With that proviso, the word 'berries' just like that sufficiently describes the bouquet. Underlying it is a strong tartness.

The beer's third distinguishing quality is its high-level of bitterness. I didn't think much that the brewer actually mentions hops in the write-up, but this is the only fruit beer I've had where bitterness absolutely demolishes sweetness. The hops add minty, lemony and rose-like florals; it tastes like a mojito with blueberry, blackberry or açaí substituted for lime.

The fruitiness, however, does become a bit stale in the aftertaste and it starts to feel like chewing on stale bubblegum. Fortunately the palate refreshes with each new sip (although I worry this 33cl bottle will quickly run out). That said, harsh soda-water-like bubbling, when combined with the bitterness and a bit of yeast spice, hinders drinkability considerably.

Brasserie Detrembleur has made a fruit beer with all the exceptionally juicy berry flavor one could want that simultaneously sheds all the style's other typical qualities: it champions bitterness not sweetness, puts a strong profile in place of a light one and favors originality over mass-appeal. I hope this brewery's operations grow so that more people can try this.

This beer is brewed for Detrembleur, which is a brewery supplier.
Appearance is an orange/amber colored beer with lots of carbonation and some yeast particles floating around. The head is stable and thick.

Smell is strong blackberries and other dark red fruits. It appears a little artificial. The yeast adds a musty, yeasty stock smell.

Taste is less blackberry than the smell suspects, but certainly has this nice fruitiness, which basically the beer is all about. Next to that is a light maltiness which is also a bit bready. The yeast adds a nice fruitiness, that is not from the used fruit. Bitterness is low and almost absent. Mouthfeel is a little sticky and the beer leaves a dry, fruity aftertaste.
Not a sweet chemical fruit beer, but a well designed beer.