Etoile Du Nord
Brasserie Thiriez

Etoile Du NordEtoile Du Nord
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From:
Brasserie Thiriez
 
France
Style:
Saison
ABV:
5.5%
Score:
84
Avg:
3.72 | pDev: 9.68%
Reviews:
21
Ratings:
58
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 23, 2019
Added:
Mar 18, 2011
Wants:
  5
Gots:
  2
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by crusian:
Photo of crusian
Reviewed by crusian from Oregon

3.04/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
Bottle from pixieskid and Simon in Paris... thanks guy, you are amazing! was told this was pretty fresh.
Poured into a shitty hotel glass with about a finger of head. Dark golden color. Thought this was an ipa, but I don't speak French... so the bottle could say anything...
Nose is overpowered by grass... and obscure hops.
Taste is much the same... I would call this an ipa. The hops are not the typical ones used in an ipa, but they do the job... lots of grass on the palate as well. Crisp clean finish, which is nice. Very light malt presence. Hard to get over the grass though. The French are trying to start the craft revolution... and after seeing simons shop, they Re certainly doing a good job. Needs a bit more work though... I think they need to try and get some different hops. A blend with some since would work well with the grass here.
Apr 09, 2011
More User Ratings:
Photo of flyingpig
Reviewed by flyingpig from Scotland

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
750ml bottle from Hop Malt Market, Paris (€6.50):
Quite an interesting beer & one that was very floral with some spices & lots of yeast coming through alongside some slightly funky flavours a little further on. It was a lively beer with an easy going feel & some earthy hops & bitterness showing at times with some biscuit in there too. It was fresh & enjoyable too.
Jan 23, 2019
Photo of Bruno74200
Reviewed by Bruno74200 from France

4/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Between a saison and a hoppy pale ale, this beer is the mother of all modern French craft beer. It's mostly about earthy and herbal hops. Very good balance and nice carbonation. Almost juicy and very sessionable. Good beer, very drinkable
Feb 24, 2017
 
Rated: 3.07 by VeganUndead from Virginia

Sep 08, 2016
 
Rated: 4.04 by HopBelT from Belgium

Aug 15, 2016
Photo of EmperorBevis
Reviewed by EmperorBevis from England

3.98/5  rDev +7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Bottled and possibly bottle conditioned
Pours an amber golden hued body with decent enough thick white head
Aroma of lemon barley water
Tart citrus wheat inessential
Good saison
Aug 11, 2016
 
Rated: 3.43 by risenz from England

Jul 30, 2016
Photo of HappyHomebrewer
Reviewed by HappyHomebrewer from Canada (AB)

3.54/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Hazy dull golden colour with a lot of particulate. Flavour leans a bit far towards the malty side for a saison. Some interesting yeast character, but not the bright, refreshing pepperiness one expects of the style. Resinous mouth feel.
Mar 27, 2016
 
Rated: 3.86 by BAsbill from California

Mar 06, 2016
 
Rated: 3.54 by Bugs318 from Canada (QC)

Mar 06, 2016
Photo of biegaman
Reviewed by biegaman from Canada (ON)

3.95/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Etoile du Nord ("North Star") would shine much brighter were it not for all that bottle sediment shading the complexion much in the way dust does house furniture. While extra cautious pouring kept most out of the glass there's enough present to downgrade the appearance from 'polished gold' to 'dirty canary'.

It's difficult to know what to make of the aroma at first; a slightly perplexing combination of tart green apple, fresh herbs and leafy celery tops, it's definitely not your typical hoppy blonde ale. But I find myself more and more attracted to this crude, spicy earthiness and the distinct hint of honey that overlays it.

It's hard to believe that honey note comes from the malts given their dry, grainy, farmhouse taste; honey flavour from hops is highly unusual but has been linked to East Kent Goldings (Kent hops are used exclusively). Regardless, it's an innate match to the cereal grain and an ideal foil to the herbal bitterness.

I still can't get over this hoppiness: a long cry from the tropical fruits and piny resins we've come to associate with hoppy beers, these ones come through on the palate as very grassy, herbal (practically vegetal), have a wonderful floral component and finish somewhat minty. Different and delightful!

Listed on the label as a "blonde houblonnée" (hoppy blonde) but described by most websites as a Saison, call Etoile du Nord whatever you want, it's good. It's also a kind of beer you'll rarely (if ever) find from a North American producer - a mouthful of English hops isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I'm good with it!
Mar 03, 2016
 
Rated: 3.45 by Euroglot from Belgium

Feb 17, 2016
Photo of DaveBar
Reviewed by DaveBar from Canada (ON)

3.74/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Purchased at the LCBO as a sell off. $1.75 for a 330/341/355ml bottle- no statement on the label. Served at 4deg C in a draught glass.

A- Opens well and pours a 1" high off white head that lasts for around 2mins before film out. Medium gold colour and unfiltered. EXTREMELY unfiltered as there is particulate floating around

S- Weird pine scent

T- Hits you with a bitter, herb, grassy bite right away. Settles off to a pine cone IPA flavor afterwards. I dislike the first 4-5sec after taking a sip then really enjoy this brew. Can't have that initial hit this bad as it destroys the enjoyment of the next sip, only looking forward to an aftertaste.

M- Dry and tart

O- If it was not for that first few seconds this would be a great brew. Will not buy again as this is not my style of brew.

Food Pairing

This ok brew went well with........ Sushi! This time it was dynamite roll and the tempura and wasabi just worked wonders with this brew.

Enjoy
Jan 09, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by kwjd from Canada (ON)

Nov 07, 2015
 
Rated: 3.42 by Mr_Rocca from Canada (QC)

Oct 10, 2015
Photo of captaincoffee
Reviewed by captaincoffee from Virginia

4.12/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Crazy thick head and more sticky lacing left on the glass than I can remember from any 5.5% ABV beer. Nose is a bit of grass, a bit of citrus, and a bit of belgian-like phenols. Taste adds black pepper, green pepper, and firm hop bitterness. Definatley a hoppy take on the style (which is stated on the bottle if you read French). Really a good beer. I expect the lower scores here might reflect some old is r skunked bottle that made their way to the US.
Aug 08, 2015
Photo of beerdrifter
Reviewed by beerdrifter from Germany

3.74/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Picked this up at La Capsule Cave à Bière in Nancy, France. Gorgeous slightly hazy golden-yellow pour with a huge three finger pure white foamy snow-cone head with great retention and lacing. The nose was quite unique with earthy, grassy, grainy notes dominating along with hints of lemon zest, caramel, pear, white pepper, and some subtle skunky barnyard funk as well. The taste is earthy, herbal, and grassy with hints of white pepper, lemon, yeast, pear, subtle caramel and vanilla, and a really unique fresh hop character I've not tasted before. The mouthfeel is light and fizzy with the bitterness of the hops dominating. The finish is extremely dry and sour with just a touch of sweetness at the end. Overall, a unique Saison that's maybe not as refreshing as most, but still interesting enough.
May 29, 2015
 
Rated: 3.7 by valianes from Canada (ON)

Apr 23, 2015
 
Rated: 3.58 by KeyWestGator from Florida

Apr 10, 2015
 
Rated: 3.25 by olradetbalder from Sweden

Dec 05, 2014
Etoile Du Nord from Brasserie Thiriez
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 58 ratings