Silenrieux Joseph Spelt Ale

Brewed by Silenrieux
Style: Specialty Grain
Silenrieux, Belgium

Geez, a lot of folks were kind of hard on this guy. Oh, well. I picked up both in aroma and taste floral, yeasty, musty, citrusy, malty, sweetish characteristics. Light white head. Light body, good carbonation. Very nice beer with a nice finish. Shared it with friends from a bottle at Bodega downtown La Crosse.

Spelt is an import wheat species in Europe dating back to the bronze age through roman times and now survives as a relic crop in central Europe (see wikipedia). This is an amazing beer, at least the bottle I had was. Although it is low alcohol and somewhat tame, it had some wonderful thing going on. Light head. Great pour. Amazing nose with floral/fruit/herb/yeast aromas. Very light palate with subtle citrus, garden, and yeast flavors. Most people seem to put this one down as being weak but I think it had some subtle, but great complexity of flavor. We drank it a little on the colder side, but not too cold, and it was perfect as it warmed in the chalice glass. I enjoyed this one with my friend and his dad who are both major Belgian connoisseurs and they really liked it.

Pours cloudy with a sustained white head. Smells od cloves, bananas, dough, sugar. Tastes of ginger, lots of coriander, cloves, sugar, some bananas. Mouthfeel is thick. Finish is sweet. Surprisingly full bodied for a 5% ABV beer.

From 750. Pours a cloudy yellow with bits of yeast. Large foamy head. Nose is creamy yest, outdoor type spices, pear, other light fruits, lime and a bit of pepper. Flavor reminds of barnyard, adds the flavors from the nose and finishes dry. Palate is full bodied and effervescent. A very different brew that works.

Bottle at the INDY RATE PARTY 2/25. Pours a clear golden colr with a medium soapy head. Aroma is very sweet with huge fruits; possibly bananas, apricots, and light raspberries. Flavor is light, and spiced. There are notes of honey and a bit of alcohol you can feel in the nose while drinking. Palate is very carbonated and bubbly.

Bottle. Caged and corked. Poured a large white head that was frothy with small-medium sized bubbles that were mostly lasting. Fast rising carbonation, clear and a yellow hue. Malty, hoppy, banana, spicy and clove aroma. Sweet, somewhat acidic, malty, clove and spicy flavor from start to finish. Tingly/bubbly mouthfeel. Medium bodied beer with excellent lacing.

Very nice! Not so strong aroma, but a delicate one with malty wheat-like notes. Fresh tasting with a complex, yet delicate profile. Tart finish, almost on the sour side.

250 ml bottle. Cloudy pale white colour. Tall white fluffy head. Left the yeast slurry in the bottle. Lots of carbonation. Dusty. Yeasty straw-like aroma. Very typical Belgian phenols, much like the ones typically found in tripels. Hints of citrus. Crisp texture with lots of bubbles. Light-bodied and very refreshing. Wheat, well spelt obviously, and coriander flavours with a note of lemon. A very nice beer.