Grand Cru
Brasserie Grain d' Orge (Brasserie Jeanne d'Arc SA)

 

 

11.2 fluid ounce into tulip glass.

A: Tea brown with tons of jazz floating around in there. 2 finger head that dissipates to a nice sheen.

S: Cloves and a hint of lemon balm. Bit of alcohol oror as well.

T: Pretty spicy like a green pepper corn. Hint of caramel and clove. Some candy sugars as well. Tannic aftertaste.

M: Big natural carbonation. Medium to full bodied. Looked like soup on pour.

D: Not a bad beer. Lots of stuff suspended in the muck there. Nice aftertaste. For almost 10% this beer is incredibly mild.

Presentation: 750ml champagne bottle, with cork and wire crown. The label is mostly in French with classic European turn of the century typography and artwork.

Appearance: Leathery red in colour with a creamy bitty head with various size bubbles.

Smell: Extreme caramelization has taken place as this is very sweet and fruity with an alcohol aroma that complements the malt nose rather than overpower.

Taste: More mild than you would expect. This bevy is *very* smooth, malty and drinkable. A caramel sweetness comes and goes very quickly, but it is replaced by the mildest of hop flavours finishing with very little aftertaste. Some pepper notes are detected, however it is as subtle as the hops and as mild as the warming feeling you get from this brew.

Notes: Each flavour seems to play its part then becomes silent with this brew. This is supremely well balanced beer and a very fresh sample. I found this treasure at Kappy's of all places, and at the low price of $4.49! You do not find beers like this too often in the US, or at least currently in my area, and I was happy to stubble upon this beer and recommend it highly.