This bottle was one of several purchases from a shop in Richmond a couple of weekends ago. I’d never heard of Jenlain before, but I’m a fan of Saisons so I added it to the cart. Besides, its champagne shaped bottle intrigued me.
A little research online doesn’t reveal much about the beer, hell it’s not even mentioned on the brewery’s own website. There is a note at RateBeer that it’s an alias for another of the company’s beers, the Jenlain Ambrée (another farmhouse ale).
Appearance
Poured into my Duvel glass, the Jenlain is a deep, rich gold with garnet hues. The head was small and off-white in color. It’s definitely a fine looking glass of beer.
Aroma
This one smells light and slightly fruity. I get a faint hint of alcohol heat as well as some underlying sweetness.
Taste
This beer has a split personality of sorts. In the beginning when the beer is still at cooler temperatures, it’s got a slight hop presence and finishes with small amount of tartness that I would expect from a dry white wine. As the beer warms the sweetness becomes more dominating as it seems to thicken in the mouth and leave a sugar stickiness on the lips.
Overall
I was pleased with this one. It’s not best farmhouse ale or saison that I’ve had, but it is quite enjoyable. It’s subtle character makes it a beer that is refreshing and refined — a perfect substitute for a white wine with dinner.
Rating: 3.5/5
October 4th, 2007
Roy Strohl said:
Our first encounter with Jenlain was their biere-de-garde back in 2001. Never had the “farmhouse ale” but I have had a soft-spot in my heart for Jenlain as they were an important part of the reversal of fortunes for many of the farmhouse breweries in northern France. Michael Jackson did a piece on this brewery (about half way down the page) and it is worth the read:http://www.beerhunter.com/documents/19133-000129.html