Lupus Ale
Brasserie Du Chant Du Loup

Visited the brewery and tasted this straight from the fermenter. I wasn't impressed at the time, but thought the finished product might be better after bottling.

It starts out with a good head from the pour, but the carbonation is lost with no reminder of that nice head on the inside of the glass by mid-glass. The color is straw, typical of the blonde style, and slightly cloudy due to the inclusion of some wheat malt. The smell is unimpressive and unbalanced, with some hop, yeast, and malt aroma all together. Flavor is also somewhat unbalanced, with a light body but a fairly high hop component for a French beer. However, there is sourness and bitterness near the end that borders on acerbic. This isn't the sort of good sourness you find in a well made geuze, and not expected from a blonde.

All in all, the beer is drinkable, but average at best. It is nice to get some aromatic and bitter hop character, but the unrefined brewing makes this beer fall flat by the end of the glass.

Explosion at the opening of the bottle.. After I take off the metallic cage that keep the cork, it has decided to open itself.. Almost one third gone..
Beside that: straw colour, turbid, with a beautiful creamy head (after the explosion..)
Very fresh smell, a lot of citrus fruits (orange, grape-fruit). Hay, floreal (roses), hop. Spices. Pepper.
The taste is similar, pepper and citrus fruits. Grape-fruit.
Very hopped (Saaz) aftertaste, then spicy again, pepper that pinchs the palate.
Maybe a little too carbonated.
Fresh and quench-thirsting, good as aperitif. Good surprise, in spite of the starting explosion.