Jan 11, 2012

Chapeau Fraises

Chapeau Fraises photo

Every now and again you get a beer that just pours dead flat. I’m sure it’s happened to all of us at one point or another. I distinctly remember a bottle of Delirium Tremens that I was so looking forward to pouring still and the utter disappointment that followed. It sucks, but it happens.

After trying out the Chapeau Framboise, I decided to pick up a bottle of the brewery’s Fraises — a strawberry lambic. Unfortunately, that beer, though pretty in the glass, poured with zero carbonation. It was deader than dead.

I wasn’t going to publish this review initially, but decided to go ahead with it and just simply not score it until I get another bottle for review. I make it my practice to try and record thoughts on every new beer I have (good or bad). That’s what this site is really all about. So to that end, below are my tasting notes on a beer that desperately needed some active carbonation to give it life.

Appearance

Hazy pinkish peach in color with zero bubble activity. It’s flat.

Aroma

Strawberry juice and very subtle wood form the nose.

Taste

Without that carbonation to break it up some, the beer drinks like a strawberry fruit juice. It’s sweet with only the faintest presence of a sour tartness late in the finish. There’s also a light hint of oak.

Overall

I was surprised that I still ended up finishing this beer despite the lack of carbonation. Apparently, I really like strawberry Kool-aid. I’m going to go ahead and get another bottle of this in the next month or so and try it out again. Hopefully, a little active crispness on the palate makes for a better drinking experience.

Rating:n/a

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