L'elfe Brune
Domaine Berthiaume Microbrasserie

Appearance: Is this a joke? I poured for maybe 2 to 3 seconds and the glass overfilled with head. I have literally a cm of beer in the glass, and the rest is head. I tried to gingerly coax it out and same thing, so losing a quarter of the beer to absurd head, while impressive I suppose, it does not earn my endearment. It laced and retained like crazy, but the body also shifted color as the head dissolved. Initially I could see the powerful torrent of carbonation but now the beer has clouded to a light amber brown that reveals little.

Smell: Doesn't smell harmful, which was my first concern given the head. I get some walnut, caramel malt, wood and maybe a hint of herbs. It's pleasant, but even after ample warming it just doesn't reach a desired level of potency.

Taste: I've experienced this with cocktails before, but even the most carbonated Belgian beers failed to accomplish this feat. The carbonation is so potent and noticeable it's throwing the beer off like too much club soda in a cocktail, and has muted everything. I initially get some nice nutty caramel malt that turns to wood and light herbal hops, but again I know it's trying to fight through the carbonation.

Mouthfeel: The carbonation here is out of control, it's so bad that when I sip it, and let it sit, I can hear it crackling in my mouth, and that's at the very end of the beer. It makes the transitioning tame and appears to mute everything leaving a clinging dry seltzer bitterness with a slight touch of nutty malt for me to contend with.

Drinkability: Surprisingly, this beer settles down well. I was honestly expecting the carbonation to continue in my stomach with how out of control it is, but it's only mildly gassy once downed. On the lighter end of medium bodied, but again hard to tell with the carbonation, as it seems a bit thicker near the end of drinking it.

Final Thoughts: I want to believe this was a bad can, as apart from the absurd carbonation, everything here seemed more or less in order. What perplexed me is how after opening the can, it didn't flood out the can until I poured it. Near the end it seemed to turn into a more serviceable brown ale, but it didn't seem like something I'd go out of my way to try again. Then again, my palate might have been mangled by it's absurd carbonation. I expect this kind of carbonation from bottle conditioned Belgian beer, not a brown ale. I can't say I'd recommend this one.

Veiled and hazy copper color with no visible activity. Slightly foamy dark beige 1 finger head, lasting around 2 minutes, soft legs and not much swirl reaction. Flavors of walnuts, vanilla, dark grains, banana, caramel, and herbal hops. Slick and oily medium body with soft crispy carbonation. Light to medium strength finish, very slightly roasted while more bready. Highly accessible. Okay freshness, kinda dull. Overall above average quality craft.