Misère Au Borinage
Holy Mountain Brewing Company

Bottle Date: June 2019
Palate Contaminants: other beer

Medium-light orange-yellow color. Mostly cloudy, although it is possible to see a silhouette behind the liquid. Lots and lots of very fine head, although there could be more lacing.

On the nose, there's rice and corn sweetness. The funk has a little skunk, but it's actually not that bad. The sweet corn sometimes tilts more toward regular old popcorn. Along that line, there's a toasted white bread thing going on. It's interesting (in a good way).

There's astringency right away, then all the other tastes pull level really quickly, and it's surprisingly complex surprisingly quickly. There's still grain and funk, but there's also a good, clean citrus punch... that's sorta like a citrus punch. (I'm not trying to be clever by doubling my words. btw.) The grain plays well with the citrus, as it's as though it's a white toast with a lightly sour orange marmalade on it. Isolating things more, the citrus is orange with lemon and kumquat. Light herbal element, like cilantro. Sweetness is moderate, although sneaky. Bitterness is present but minimal.

Aftertaste sees a savory grain flavor push citrus down. Very well integrated carbonation. What's weird is that the weight is medium-heavy for the type, although I could almost chug it. It's not heavy on ABV, yet alcohol is difficult to pick out.

Easily one of the better farmhouse ales I've run across.

Poured from a bottle (June 2019) into a Belgian glass

L: perfectly clear straw gold, with a very thick white head. Effervescent, good white lacing

S: very crisp, clean farmhouse nose. Expected funk led by lemon, slightly floral, small amount of pepper. Herbal, some hay, flour

T: follows the nose beautifully, led by a flavorful lemon note that delivers a great balance of tart without skewing acidic. Some honey lending a nice sweetness, flour/white bread toward the medium/long finish, really nice

F: like the nose and taste, very crisp and refreshing. Medium/high carbonation, light mouthfeel, slightly drying

O: phenomenal beer. Delivers on all fronts, simply gorgeous and incredibly flavorful. Easily surpassed high expectations, need to get back to Seattle and grab more

 

Beautiful large, frothy, snow white head. Decent retention, and very nice lacing. Body is a light, lemon-yellow hue, very lively, and slightly hazy.

Musty nose at first, rustic, dusty, and full of Brett. Then, the oak comes through, along with a noticeable sourness. Light lemon, straw, honey, dust, earth, oak, flowers; it's a fantastically deep and complex nose, really ranking up there with some of the best funky saisons out there.

Flavor is similar; incredible depth for the low ABV. Light honey, must, lemon, light vinegar, oak, nuts, wheat, oak, vanilla, and a touch of dark bread.

Almost creamy on the palate; soft, yet very lively. Absolutely a delectable brew.

Poured from 750mL bottle into a tulip.

Appearance: nice golden hue with a moderate haze and two fingers of frothy white foam atop. It looks pretty!

Smell: quite tart and nicely funky, there's also a touch of sweetness which balances out the tart. I like it, although the sourness does bury any characteristic grisette aroma.

Taste: lots of funk and sourness, but that sweetness comes in to make everything delicate and balanced. There's a candylike quality to this beer, and I really like it.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a big fizziness. Not creamy, per se, but fizzy and light; it complements the tartness well.

Overall: I really like this beer. Like I said, the mixed culture ends up burying the grisette character, but it's still a wonderful beer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from a 750mL bottle into my Brasseurs De Garde tulip.

Chartreuse liquid of moderate clarity suffused by a furious swarm of micro-bubbles which fuels and sustains three fingers of magnolia soft peaks. Thick tendrils of lace form crenellations toward the lip of the glass; superior retention.

Bright, tart, and funk aromas vie for attention, suggesting Meyer lemon, champagne vinegar, and river stones. Drosophila materialize at once.

Bracingly sour palate entry, concentrated and truly puckering on first taste, but then expanding outward across the taste buds with wonderful diversity from the mixed culture. Lacto and Brett are well balanced, with neither dominating at this point. Some dough-like sweetness from the Sacch yeast, but finishes dry, with the wheat lending a nice crackery/lemon note. Low bitterness, but some faint grassy/earthy hop notes. Superbly refreshing with wildflower and herbal notes as well.

High, but not excessive carbonation combined with the wheat lend body to this fairly low ABV table beer.

Outstanding farmhouse ale, nearly as complex as the best Belgian examples, but with superior freshness and expert handling (and perhaps some luck?) of the mixed culture and foudre aging.

 

 

 

Had this on tap at Monkish. Pleasant surprise, as it wasn't listed on their online tap list that day. Truly a delicious beer. Complex and perfectly balanced, both in aroma and in flavor. Everything you'd hope for in a grisette. Hope to have more someday.