Duyck Jenlain Bière de Noël

Brewed by Duyck
Style: Bière de Garde
Jenlain, France

Pours a dark reddish color with a quickly disappearing white head. Smell is of orange peel and some spice. Taste is sort of like watered down orange pop, which isn’t a good thing. This could have been so much better, but it wasn’t. Mouthfeel was thin, with medium carbonation. I didn’t really care for this one, I would maybe try it again in a very distant future.

Pours copper w/ a tall, spattered froth. Head retention is good slowly dissipating to a fluffy spattered ring that lingers. Mild aromas of orange and bitter malt. Light to medium nectar w/ ample residual effers creating a soft texture. This beer really grows on me. The delicate flavor profile yields just enough keeping this brew on the refreshing side of the spectrum never overpowering. Bittering my palate precisely upon arrival then pushing orange meat and rind into view. It reminds me of a Saison w/ orange pulp and rind spice added. Other tropical nuances w/ apricot, cherry, and apple skins. The finish is bittered nicely w/ a touch of alcohol seeping through. A nice little beer packig a punch w/ it’s sturdy 6.8 abv. Interesting, refreshing, and well recieved.

Bottle@Home. Sweet ginger aroma. Amber color, off-white head, good lace. Sugary, ginger, herbal bitter, dry mouthfeel. Spices are out of balance with the sugary sweetness. Not a good beer from Jelain.

Copper color; small disapating head. Slight aroma of amber malt, caramel and toffee. Flavor also has notes of ginger, orange liquor, mixed spices and flowers like a light saison but this is a Winter brew, Brazil nuts, medium toasted malts, and honey. I’ve had this beer many times over the years and am always happy to see it again, though it’s not as big and bold as many of the Belgian holiday brews. This one I’m having is fresh but I’ve aged it and find it’s good at least two years old.

750mL bottle. Clear, deep amber. Aroma is herbal, eucalyptus, butter, sage, thyme. Flavor is big malts, fresh picked herbs, basil. Very light bodied.

This pours clear copper with a fizzy tan head. The aroma is grainy with caramel, orange, and floral scents. It has a spicy taste, hot malt with orange peel, white pepper, and a bit of nuttiness. It’s got a crisp, hop bitter finish. Tasty stuff.

Bottle, bought @ Kolding Vinhandel.
[Vintage 2006]
Pours a rather clear coppery with a nice, but small creamy white head that rather quickly turns to a staying thin film. Aroma is a little mouldy, lidt biscuity maltiness and a good dose of spicy hoppiness. Dry mouthfeel, perhaps a touch on the thin side. Flavour is dominated by lightly roasted caramel, some oakiness and a well-balanced spiciness.

Bottle date of 09 2006, Sampled December 2007
I am not totally sure of the vintage perhaps 2005, but the label is black with an ornate red trim and has a blue & red neck label with oranges on it; it is newly distributed to my local bottle shop though. Pours with a brilliantly clear, dark, cranberry red color. The head starts out almost two-fingers thick and is a frothy, somewhat large bubbled consistency with a tan color. Definite aromas of citrus (as the neck label shows), almost more like orange juice spiked with alcohol as opposed to citrus zest which is usually used in beer. Underneath the orange is a toasty malt presence with a touch of caramel and a dry, biscuit like note.

Quite sweet tasting, almost in a cider like way. Very thin bodied for a beer of this strength. Citrus flavors play a prominent role, but it mixes in with the cider-like flavors to produce a sort of washed out juice flavor. The finish has a sharp, almost astringent bitterness to it as well as some toasted, malty notes. The astringent bitterness really lingers, it is linked to the citrus almost like a bitter orange peel flavor. In some ways it tastes like a soda.

Despite the flavors, this beer has held up really well if it is a 2005 bottling. Certainly not the greatest beer, and even fresh I have a feeling it was not all that great. It is somewhat refreshing, but a bit too simplistic and a bit to sharp in the finish.

Purchased: <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Liquors, Tucson, AZ