Jenlain Biere de Printemps

[JesseM]

Wow, is one word I can use to describe this one. I was worried I wasn't ready for beer quite yet after my recent epidsode, but this one lay to rest any apprehensions I had.

I found it almost hard to describe. Looks exactly like champagne. Smells, weird, funky. Tasts, weird, funky, barn yard, toffee like, but delicious.

I only wish the bottle wasn't so lame looking. The logo looks like some sort of bacardi imitation, and the bizarre colours make it look like some stupid cooler. The beer inside deserves so much better. What happened to the cool looking bottle in the picture on RateBeer?

I'll definitely be buying a lot more of this when I can!

[Raptor2023]

What happened to the cool looking bottle in the picture on RateBeer?

I think the bottle pictured on ratebeer is the 750 ml one. It's just my guess. I'm also itching to try this one out, just waiting until some arrive in 'Sauga.

[lagerale]

This one was a drain pour for me. I don't know if this beer is representative for the style, but like the Scholss Eggenberg 23º UrBock, I couldn't get past the sweetness. In this case, it tasted more like kool-aid than beer.

I remember enjoyining a Church Key biere de garde which I found realy subtle and enjoyable, back in April 2006 at BB. Perhaps I was hoping to find a similar taste in the Jenlain.

[Belgian]

It is actually wonderful we all have such different tastes in beer, because I loved the Urbock 23º and am now willing to try the Jenlain based on the initial Jesse description (which seems to place it very loosely in the realm of Saison or Gueuze or Flemish Sour, at least in one or two aspects.) Worth getting excited over anything remotely belgian-esque IMO.

God bless you guys for making beer so much fun.

[JesseM]

Belgian, I completely agree with you. This forum is great for that. I read something someone writes about a beer, and it helps me gain a different perspective on it, and maybe even enjoy it more. It's really great to have a forum like this for discussion with people who are in the same beer hemisphere I am. I stopped posting at ratebeer for a number of reasons, but one of the major ones was that I just couldn't relate to anyone.

Jenlain rocks, but I've noticed a difference from bottle to bottle. In general though, it's a solid beer. I think it's something lager-lovers enjoy because it's so similar to a well made pilsener.

[SteelbackGuy]

This is a solid offering, and one I will re-visit often, but I do prefer the Jenlain Ambree. It's like a spicy belgian toffee treat.

[Bytowner]

To me this tasted like what would happen if a macro tried to do a Saison. Not bad, not great, thoroughly forgettable. I just didn't find there was much to it. A little bit of candy sugar, some citrus hints and some graininess, but all rather ho-hum.

[esprit]

Saison anyone? We still have stock of Saison Dupont and if you're a fan of this style then buy some as this brand defines the style.

[boney]

I tried my first one of these in Feb/Mar of this year and thought it was quite average, with some distinctly off-putting characteristics....under-carbonated, slightly sour aroma, unbalanced hop-to-malt ratio (overly grainy with not much of malt profile). I let this sucker sit for 5-6 months as per the "beer for keeping" translation and almost every aspect of this beer improved. In addition to the existing floral and grass aroma, nice hits of citrus and spice appeared and the sourness disappeared. In the flavour grain was still present but now was balanced by noticable sweet fruits and caramel notes, almost similar to a Belgan tripel. Added carbonation gave it a now slightly creamy texture. I only picked up two of these when they were initally released and scoffed a t picking up more when I saw them sitting on the shelves all spring due to my first encounter, but now I definitely wish I had picked up more.