I took a full week off from work and blogging at my various sites for the Thanksgiving Holiday week. I needed a good bit of down time away from glowing monitors and clacking keyboards. The time off afforded me the opportunity to sample some tasty brews that I had been meaning to get to for some time now. Below is the first of several reviews to come this week.
North Coast Brewing’s Le Merle was one of the first that I cracked open. Sure, the weather (rainy and cold the day I opened the bottle) wasn’t ideal for a farmhouse styled ale, but since I was escaping work, I might as well enjoy a beer that would help escape the dreary weather, as well.
Appearance
Poured into a Duvel tulip, Le Merle sits a bright amber in color with a large, fluffy head. There is a tornado of bubble activity rising in a column from the bottom of the glass.
Aroma
Smells tasty with light spice, fresh fruits (banana, pear, apple) and a little yeast in the back. There’s a little funk to it, but not much.
Taste
Le Merle opens up with a nice sour apple note with a yeasty funk and crisp mouthfeel. There’s a nice warmth to each swallow, but not in an alcohol heat sense. The finish is semi-dry with a light bitterness. Yummy.
Overall
This turned out to be a pretty damned good Saison. I’ve only had a handful of brews of this style with Dupont leading the way in terms of favorites, but Le Merle is a nice American take on the genre. I’ll be sure to get more of this in the spring as the weather warms again.
Rating: 3.5/5
