Despite taking on board recent comments on other blogs about not just saying 'I drank this, I drank that', I don't do straight beer reviews that often so I'm going to share this one anyway!
Paul from www.AlesbyMail.com very kindly gave me a bottle of Jean Chris Numero 1 from Brasserie Artisanale de Rulles and it is utterly delicious!
It's almost a saison/biere des gardes/Belgian blonde hybrid with an American hop influence but, unless you know what those are, I'd better elaborate because there's nothing more annoying than style comparison, up-your-own-bum beer writer know-it-all nonsense like that!
So, to put it in real world terms; the gorgeous cloudy amber colour is backed up by a nose full of orange blossom honey, with a hint of an earthy spice. The beer then develops a BIG orange & candied tangerine peel on the palate with a very pleasing hint of dill that arrives just before the serious citrus bitter kicks in, it's not an unpleasantly strong bitter but it's pretty prevalent nonetheless.
My attempts to pair it with last night's curry went by the wayside, not because it didn't go, but because we'd drunk the bottle before the beef had sufficiently softened, but a Gouden Carolus stood us in good stead in its place! Oops!
But I will say I think this would be magnificent with dark chocolate or perhaps even a classic poached salmon with dill & lemon butter or something rich like pork belly, perhaps in the Szechuan style with some jasmine rice & steamed bok choi with garlic.
Wednesday 12 May 2010
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7 comments:
Hmmm, Rulles definitely is one of the newer Belgian breweries to keep an eye on, and they seem to be able to evolve and open new ground on top of their established range. Haven't had that one yet, but I'll sure try and get hold of some.
Interesting stuff, but of more interest is detail of how to blag beer off people. It's always interesting to read about a nice beer that a blogger drank. More interesting is how they blagged some free grog.
There's your problem Cookie, I don't blag, I take people up on their kind offers - so uncouth sir! ; )
To be fair, he never blagged some of it - I shilled it for him, unbidden...
You should get over to the brewery, it’s in the middle of nowhere in the Belgian Ardennes, but has a lovely bar/tasting room open at the weekends where you can go mad on Gregory Verhelst’s beers, the Triple is wonderful.
@Adrian, can't believe I missed it when I was in the Ardennes, never mind should hopefully have an opportunity to see it this year.
@Sid, I'm embarrassed to say I had to look up shilled - I know see you as the Artful Dodger in my head!
Actually, there is no need to go all the way there - we'll send you Jean Chris and any of the other La Rulles beers, including the triple from our mail order site, www.alesbymail.com
Cheers,
Paul
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