North Coast Le Merle

Brewed by North Coast Brewing Company
Style: Saison
Fort Bragg, California USA

750ml bottle. Pours a cloudy duller straw color with a medium fizzy bubbly but somewhat dense and creamy white froth. Aroma is strong of lemons and yeast, lightly sweet and citric, some vanilla fullness. Flavor is mostly dry, lemons, vanilla, yeast, wheaty, chalky, some light tropical fruit, mangos mostly. Medium bodied, lightly chalky, lots of active fizzy sharp carbonation, abundant, very dry finish. Even though it isn’t all that sweet, it’s still too sweet for me and without focus. Quick finish leaves a lingering meaty-yeast aftertaste. [NOTE: this is a really fantastic beer for cooking brats in... very very good]

Golden pour with a nice fluffy white head. Some light honey, lemon, spices, and a dry tart aroma. Flavor is a bit dry, yeast, lemony notes, and very fluffy mouthfeel.

75cl bottle at BITP. Gold with a big white head. Honey and spice aroma. Lean pale malt, highly carbonated palate, lightly tart and hoppy. Just a little sweetness thrown in there but still on the dry side. They seem to have hit the style pretty well, but there isn’t any quality in it that I can really get into. That being said, drinkability is high and i wouldn’t mind drinking a whole 750 of this.

750 ml bottle; hazy gold with thick, foamy white head; nose a mix of oranges, lemons, yeast and wheat; a little spice comes out as it warms; soft texture with a fruity zing to it; slightly bitter, perhaps a little too sweet and plenty dry; pretty decent, but seems to miss the mark in any noticeable character

Sampled at 2009 Bruegala. Yellow-amber, sparkling with a spare white head. Fair lacing. Lightly floral nose with light grapefruit and lemon peel, average dough/barnyard and a touch of cream cheese. Lightly acidic, moderately sweet flavor. Mouthfeel is interesting - this stuff seemed to foam up in your mouth. Lively carbonation to say the least. Medium bodied with astringent finish.

Bruegala 2009 sampling -Pours a clear yellow color with an average white head. Aroma has a light hay, straw malt note with a light floral hoppiness and a light barnyard, cheesy note. Flavor is pretty sweet and fruity with a light barnyard bite and a light dryness to finish the tasting. Modest body with a thinner texture but a very fizzy carbonation rate provide the perfect settings for distributing the light aromas and flavors. Overall a really good brew with some light sourness and makes for a perfect brew for a warm day.

Draft - Poured a darkish orange amber in color with a medium off-white head that quickly faded. Aroma is fruity (citrus) with some floral hops mixed in. Flavor was slightly sweet to begin and quite spicy. Fruity... citrus/lemon. Doughy yeasts. Really good...

Golden orange body, big and cloudy white head with blanketing lacing and tight carbonation. Tart citrus aroma, very zesty with a strong yeast presence. A tad sour and medium bodied. Spritzy feel, it’s really satisfying. Fruity flavors of lemon, papaya, orange and peppery, spicy hops. A mild sourness adds good depth to a backbone of fresh dough malt flavors. Good stuff.