Table beer, Turntable music, tables of numbers and around the table chatting.
Belgian Style Table Beer
The man in the shop was dead keen that I pick up the Emerson’s Dinner Bell Belgian Table Beer, this had taken the place of the JP 2013 that I drank recently, and I noticed it immediately. Not a lot of this around apparently, mostly because this is a limited release from the brewer.
This is low ABV at 3.2% so a beer for day drinking, 96 calories a serve, the bottle contains 1.26 standard drink units.
Brewed by Emerson’s Brewing Company (Lion Breweries – NZ (Lion Nathan Co.) in the style that is Saison, and Emerson are in Dunedin
A Brewers Guild of NZ Awards Trophy winner in 2013, and fermented 100% with a strain of Brettanomyces (“Brett”), Dinner Bell was described by the judges to epitomise the Belgian Table Beer Style.
The aroma has a complex breadiness, with a hint of sourness and tartness that is attributed to “Brett”.
The body is light and slightly fruity with an almost lemony crisp, dry finish.
Light yeasty sweet and sour aroma on opening, which I expected.
Pale almost champagne colour pour, with a little head, but it’s well carbonated and looks lively in the glass.
Sour and thin are the first two words to come to mind in the first sup. The Aroma hints a something slightly more. The tartness is the drink, and without a lot of body you end up with what is a very good cold tart refreshing drink. I’m being a but harsh as there is some lemon and citrus flavours in this that round it out. For an afternoon on a picnic yes, for casual ad-hoc drinking this is ok.
It is a beer that needs a thing to go with it though.
So I got up and got me some cheese, a Camembert from the “Over the Moon” company. Sorted.
Next time I check I’ve managed to drink the most of the beer, the food interaction really brings out the strengths of this as a drink, it tempers the flavours and still retains it’s own palate without mussing up the food palate. For that it’s very clever.
The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 8 a of its things from the thing. It seems to punch above it weight and yet it seems to also at the same time punch light. It is a bit of an enigma.
The double dip review
Fruity esters dominate the aroma. Clarity is good with a large foamy head on top. The addition of several spices and herbs create a complex fruity or citrusy flavor. Light to medium bodied with very high carbonation. Alcohol level is medium to high.
Reblogged this on BEER not WAR.
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