Verno 20
Brasserie Atrium

 

Received via the International Beer collector subscription in December 2021. Drunk in October 2022.

L: Even though the bottle has been kept upright in my fridge for nigh on 10 months I was pouring significant sediment by the halfway mark of the pour. Realising I'd have half a beer if I stopped there, I decided to go for broke and poured everything in. The result is a very cloudy beer with visible chunks of sediment floating throughout. The beer itself is a dark browny orange that looks like it has a bad case of freckles with all the floating sediment. The head is bright white, but faded quickly to a thin rim.

S: There's a clear Apricot hint to the nose, vying for dominance with spicy, peppery alcohol. There's a clean malt note in there too.

T: As with the nose, apricot is a strong impression. The alcohol is obvious but pleasant. There's a toffee note and then a herbally aniseed or liquorice note at the back end. Is it coriander? I'm really not sure. Bitterness lingers after the swallow as does the alcohol. There's nice warming on the way down.

M: As noted above the alcohol lingers after the swallow, and multiple quick sips leave a warming and numbing sensation on the tongue and gums. Carbonation is mild and sits well with the alcohol.

O: This is a nice beer let down by its presentation in the glass. I'm drinking the sediment but avoiding looking at the glass as much as possible. I'm at the three-quarter-finished mark as I take these notes and the diminishing volume of the beer makes the remaining sediment stand out even more. The beer would score higher overall make if not for this.

Cheers!