Duchesse De Bourgogne
A quaint little 250ml bottle, with a dark label of Renaissance/mediaeval appearance. BB: 11-02-06. Purchased in Brussels September 2004, so it has been aged a little in the bottle. The head was not large in my chalice glass, but seemed to fizz with large bubbles gripping the sides of the glass, whilst the centre of the beer's head was patchy. Later, swirling it steadily in the glass, the head gets better, and thicker. Nevertheless light brown walls of lacing stuck nicely. The beer's colour is a rich garnet, deep red, almost like some red wines, but with much more depth and richness. It is an impenetrable black cherry/rose brown, and quite delicious looking. The aroma surprised me exceedingly--I was expecting some wine notes, but the tannic acidity made me stop a second and remember that this is a beer. Incredible. I detected a little sourness in the aroma, but mostly the red wine and sugary malt. Other hints of oaky muskiness, yeast, raspberries, black cherries and a smell I cannot quite place, whether particular to Belgian Red Ales or not I do not know, as it is my first try of this style. I have to say it is akin to sharp blue cheese, or old cheddar. I also detect some celery salt and seasoning salt, balsamic vinegar, black currant and port. Very complex, I could sniff the aroma all day. The malt smells aged, similar to the smell of a beer glass not washed for a couple of days. The taste is immediate sourness, sharp and bold. Tart does not quite describe it. Sour-soother candies. After that hit come some candied apple, oak, iron, must, tannins, and at the very end the candy malt really balances out with the yeast for a surprisingly drinkable finish. The taste reminded me a little of a lambic faro. The aftertaste is fresh malt, a dash of dryness, and the everpresent sourness starts to fade into a pleasant candied cherry flavour. For all its flavour the taste is not overly complex, the acidity and sharp bite of sourness really dominate, and the oak and yeast only play a background role to that. Still, this is a remarkably different treat; a nice change from the ordinary. The body is medium, and the taste lingers for quite some time on the palate. Some would find this far too sour, but I find the sugary tartness delicious. This has to be tried at least once by all beer-lovers, (and wine lovers).