The Duchesse! The night finally arrived. About 3 weeks ago, my buddy PNC brought home a few brews that we were going through. Well, we didn't get to drink this one then. We have been talking about it for weeks now. Actually, I had some of the previous sours and was REALLY looking forward to this beer. I think I was dreaming about it from time to time. This beer even came HIGHLY recommended by the Beer Expert guy at Market District in Robinson. I really have to learn his name. He pointed out 3 others that he thought were good sour beers and they were spot on great successes in my mind. Very new and unique to me but a welcomed change. Well, last night we were hanging with our friends and as we normally do, we were sampling some beers. I even had a taste test of my knock off version of "Old Speckled Hen" to the original. The original was the obvious winner but I didn't do a bad job with the home brew. I think the 'biggest thing' it was probably was missing was more aroma hops to get that huge hop nose that the 'Hen' produced.
So, it finally came time for the Duchesse. I started doing some searches on this beer and getting some info. I ran across this link that I think I found the most quality information on the beer. I'm still sitting questioning the beer I had last night. I'm not sure if it is a fair and valid review or the beer possibly went south and never recovered. As I read the reviews out there I think to myself, I must have gotten a bad beer. It had to have been bad with all the reviews that had such quality things to say about this beer. After all, the beer guy at the Market District TOTALLY recommended it (though he did mention the "funkiness"). Then I come across the past link I left. He is the first one that mentions the strong kick of vinegar & the cider notes. Now, every one that tasted this last night really greatly disliked the beer. I tried to stay positive. I tried to stay focused for the love of this review. But I just couldn't do it. The beer pours a nice brown'sh red hue in the glass. It actually looks nice in the glass. The head coats the top evenly. The first problem started with the smell. It was STRONG! It was potent. It was very very Apple Cider Vinegar. I'd even venture to say that it was Apple Cider Vinegar that set around to long. To me it was not complex, it was not robust, it was just CIDER'sh. Next, I tasted it. The taste was worse then the smell. I don't know if the smell influenced the taste (actually I know it did/does). Either way, I was not impressed by this one. I probably will try another one again some day. But at $25 for a 4 pack it may not be anytime soon. I was barely able to drink the 6-8 oz for this review.
I have mixed emotions here. I have been told that this beer comes with good reviews. I see good reviews on line. I wanted to like it but couldn't. This is one of those deals where it was far more then just "I didn't like it". I could hardly stomach it. I'm hopeful that maybe we just got a bad brew and the next one will make up for this one. OR maybe in a few years or after this project is over my tastes will have been revived and broadened to be able to enjoy this beer. But I'm not sure. We'll have to see how it goes. For now, I'm giving this a "bad review" from me. But again, this is all subjective. We all have our opinions. Thanks for reading.
I found this site here for the brewery but it wasn't in English. I may be a bit lazy sometimes but I didn't dig much deeper. With a beer that I didn't like this much I usually do not go too much deeper.
So, it finally came time for the Duchesse. I started doing some searches on this beer and getting some info. I ran across this link that I think I found the most quality information on the beer. I'm still sitting questioning the beer I had last night. I'm not sure if it is a fair and valid review or the beer possibly went south and never recovered. As I read the reviews out there I think to myself, I must have gotten a bad beer. It had to have been bad with all the reviews that had such quality things to say about this beer. After all, the beer guy at the Market District TOTALLY recommended it (though he did mention the "funkiness"). Then I come across the past link I left. He is the first one that mentions the strong kick of vinegar & the cider notes. Now, every one that tasted this last night really greatly disliked the beer. I tried to stay positive. I tried to stay focused for the love of this review. But I just couldn't do it. The beer pours a nice brown'sh red hue in the glass. It actually looks nice in the glass. The head coats the top evenly. The first problem started with the smell. It was STRONG! It was potent. It was very very Apple Cider Vinegar. I'd even venture to say that it was Apple Cider Vinegar that set around to long. To me it was not complex, it was not robust, it was just CIDER'sh. Next, I tasted it. The taste was worse then the smell. I don't know if the smell influenced the taste (actually I know it did/does). Either way, I was not impressed by this one. I probably will try another one again some day. But at $25 for a 4 pack it may not be anytime soon. I was barely able to drink the 6-8 oz for this review.
I have mixed emotions here. I have been told that this beer comes with good reviews. I see good reviews on line. I wanted to like it but couldn't. This is one of those deals where it was far more then just "I didn't like it". I could hardly stomach it. I'm hopeful that maybe we just got a bad brew and the next one will make up for this one. OR maybe in a few years or after this project is over my tastes will have been revived and broadened to be able to enjoy this beer. But I'm not sure. We'll have to see how it goes. For now, I'm giving this a "bad review" from me. But again, this is all subjective. We all have our opinions. Thanks for reading.
I found this site here for the brewery but it wasn't in English. I may be a bit lazy sometimes but I didn't dig much deeper. With a beer that I didn't like this much I usually do not go too much deeper.
