Le Merle - North Coast Brewing Co.

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

(Served in a tulip glass)

A- This beer has a hazy lemon yellow body with a sea of microbubbles gliding to the surface. There is a thick snow white head that turns rocky but last and last. There is a bit of lacing that breaks up quickly after each sip.

S- This beer has a perfumed floral smell with a note of light fruit flesh and a sweet corn note at the finish.

T- The bright tartness starts off the taste leading to a soft fruity flavor that is not really distinct but a bit like pears or quinces. There is a lemon note with a light soapy yeasty note and some caramel malt sweetness. The finish is a pepper flavor with a light apple tartness that lingers a bit.

M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel with a full fizz at the finish. There is no alcohol heat at all.

D- This beer has a nice depth and some good complexity that has a sort of mystery about it. The flavors are good and they blend together well making a bit difficult to describe.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2007 19:27:10 | More by rhoadsrage

Lupin

Connecticut

4.15/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Corked/caged bottle in my fin du monde chalice. Foamy off-white head dissipates quickly from 3" to 1" and then slowly to nil. Smell is sweet and citric, along the lines of a strong pale ale or a wit. Very inviting and VERY orange/meloney. Beer itself is opaque/straw colored. Seems pretty standard

First taste is curious. I haven't eaten in a while and it makes me want something. Oranges are still there and it's not too tart. Again, pretty standard, with that nice relaxed openness that defines a well-made saison. Nothing too alarming on the palate and a nice fresh finish without too much bitterness.

This beer seems like it would be a decent starter for a tasting. The malt body is well-rounded and playfully citric and the finish isn't overbearing. I've only had 10-15 saisons, so my experience is limited, but I would come back to this one and probably will.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2007 23:40:28 | More by Lupin

DaggerEyes

New York

3.98/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

poured and opaque straw yellow with a white head compried of tight bubbles of carbonation, 1 finger high with pretty fantastic retention.

I'm not really feeling the tropical fruit description the label has, perhaps there is a bit of pineapple on the nose, however there is lots of citrus, lemon, pepper, spices, and some barnyardy belgian funk

Lemon, Peppery and tart with a bit of a puckery sourness to it.

Active carbonation and mouth feel with a clean finish that is a tad bit on the dry side.

A great beer to have with a meal.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2007 13:35:31 | More by DaggerEyes

ojiikun

Washington

3.08/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 2.5

Live reviewed from the BrickStore in Atlanta.

Served up in an eponymously gold-leaved goblet. Barkeep had to pull in almost a dozen stages to control the massive, merengue head. Body is slightly hazy and wit-ish. Head fell fast but never disappeared.

Smell is much sweeter than expected for a saison, more like a BSPA. Sweet malts, though the yeast is more true to the style.

Taste is dry and farmy at first, but then is immediately overpowered by a copper-ey note that simply reminds me too much of blood. What malts can be found are clean and quality. Last notes on the lips are back to BSPA.

Mouthfeel is downright creamy and light.

Drinkability is hindered by the metallic tones which are so hard to take. Served with some nice, spicy or meaty food, it eases down well enough.

Serving type: on-tap

11-21-2007 01:40:03 | More by ojiikun

Onibubba

Kentucky

3.25/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy straw yellow with a big, but ultimately short-lived, head. There is some hay in the smell, nothing too funky or spicey. Not bad. The taste is a bit "sharp." A good touch of bitterness too, botrderline IPA scale. Not what I want is a Saison. While seemingly smooth in body, this still drinks very high on the tongue. This improves after a great deal of warming, but the quaffability (love that word) is never at the leave a Saison should be. A bit hot too, surprising for its ABV. All in all, an admirable attempt, but not a beer I would come back to.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2007 13:44:51 | More by Onibubba

Westsidethreat

California

3.03/5  rDev -22.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Hard core carbonation. Fizzy snow white head is dominating the glass, allowing only a small dingy egg yolk colored body to form.

S: Loads of barnyard and wet blanket. Fair amount of floral pollen, daisies, clover honey and bread sticks. Overall, fairly fresh aroma.

T: Starts mildly tangy with notes of old lemon juice and bland pineapples. Spicy with stale seasonings…you can tell they are there but don’t pack much of a punch. Dry hay and some rounded yellow fruits and fresh grass clippings are the next batch of flavors to cross the palate. Finishes really bitter, all across the back sides of the tongue. More bitter than suits the style and adds off kilt balance of the other flavors.

M: Medium body, bit crisp in the mouthfeel.

D: Not really digging this one. Not a lot of balance which I prefer in my brews. This one is a bit flagrant and all over the place.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2007 04:17:11 | More by Westsidethreat

shivtim

Georgia

3.78/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served up in a Le Merle Chalice with a silver bird on it. Nice hazy orange glow. Decent white head. Nose is sweet, fruity, and yeasty. Taste is true to style, with barny wild yeast and slight hops. Mouthfeel is good, and drinkability is nice considerng the almost 8% ABV. Good saison.

Serving type: on-tap

11-14-2007 22:52:27 | More by shivtim

GbVDave

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 750ml bottle into a Saison Dupont tumbler.

A: Pours a rich, very cloudy, golden-straw color. Meringue-like cream head.

S: Excellent yeasty aromas, with generous helpings of spice, some faraway fruitiness (tart apple, pineapple, lemon, pear...) and a dallop of funky horsey blanket.

T: See above with a a nich level of earthy hoppiness.

M: Bitter and creamy...near perfect levels of both!

D: I found this to be very refreshing. This is an excellent US made Saison.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2007 02:05:05 | More by GbVDave

dgallina

Georgia

3.45/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle without obvious dating on the bottle or cork.

Pours into the tulip very clear gold with a short finger of creamy head. The smell is fruity and spicy; orange peel, black pepper, and coriander. Flavor is pleasing, but over-sweet compared to the typical Saison. Tart and lemony on the front of the tongue, but becomes peppery in the center. Bursting with orange sweetness and coriander in the finish and aftertaste, with a bit too much lasting alcohol warming. Overly prickly and carbonated in the mouth. A worthwhile change of pace, but atypical and not altogether winning.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2007 02:10:08 | More by dgallina

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.08/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served to my Big-Ass Triple Karmeliet glass, busy, crystalline foam fills half the glass and aroma wafts out into the atmosphere...hazy straw orange color, looks the part for the style, and quite lovely.

Aroma is big and expressive, citrus and spice, flowery and flush with Belgian funk. Not so sour, but definitely wild and spraying out lemon, pepper, and plenty of things I can't name. Like it lots.
Label says "tropical fruit"...I can imagine banana, pineapple, coconut...well, let's not go crazy...

Fine and mellow on the tastebuds, smooth and easy drinking. Light bodied. Citrus and spice lingers gingerly on the palate (no pun intended), then softly fades away. A good food beer. Me, I'm having it with spaghetti and meatballs, because I'm such a rarified epicurean.

Zesty stuff. but a mite bit too watery to really beg comparison to the fine farmhouse ales of Flanders. Close, and an admirable effort.

Nice work, North Coast! Let's see some more.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2007 03:26:47 | More by feloniousmonk

mrasskicktastic

New Jersey

3.63/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Hazy straw to gold with a monsterous foamy head and a lot of visible carbonation. There are some isolated patches of lacing here and there.

S - Strong aromatics of hay and horse sweat with faint hints of pineapple and honeydew melon.

T - A bit of a faint honey sweetness followed quickly by horse sweat and some musty hay. The aftertaste is a pungent musty hay and earthy yeast with only a medium bitterness.

M - Harsh from carbonation, medium bodied, pretty refreshing.

D - This is a nice saison. It is true to the style to say the least (as tough as it is to pin down saison). I would like to try it aged, but this one isn't really my thing.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2007 06:39:26 | More by mrasskicktastic

Georgiabeer

Georgia

4.38/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a slightly hazy golden with an excellent head that fades to a healthy cap with some medium lacing. The nose is slightly sweet with typical Belgian yeast aromas and also apples, pepper, and honey. Pretty nice. The taste replicates the nose and adds in layers of orange, lemon, a slight sourness, and some slight sweetness on the finish. The mouthfeeel is creamy, smooth, and crisp- and quite refreshing. Nice to see this style increasing in popularity and to see it done so nicely.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2007 19:38:44 | More by Georgiabeer

Nipitato

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Picked up a bomber at Julio’s Liquors in Westborough, MA. This beer is part of North Coast’s American Artisan Series.

A: Pours out of a nice looking bomber. Good thick, moussy ½ inch head with good retention. Has a medium gold hue. Completely opaque. This beer looks thick. No visible carbonation.

S: A really nice nose. Fruity pear and apple obvious Belgian yeast aroma. Farmhouse and hay aroma noticeable. Some spice aromas linger in the background. What is really prominent is a sweet almost cotton candy like aroma. The label says tropical fruit – I say cotton candy.

T: Hay/Belgian yeast flavor that is somewhat musty. Tart sourness is the most prevalent characteristic. Some peppery spice at the end. Hopper than other saisons that I have had. Has a lingering tart aftertaste.

MF: Medium full body. The weak link of this beer is the overly excessive carbonation. Some alcohol warming is noticeable. Dry finish.

D, Notes: This, Ommegang Hennepin, and Brooklyn Local 1 are the best domestic takes on a Saisons that I have had. Good yeast, complex, refreshing. Well made and well balanced.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2007 15:22:55 | More by Nipitato

flexabull

California

4.05/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a bright cloudy gold color, with a nice big white head.

Aromas are of bright spicy fruits, dust, a bit of funk, and some wood oak like notes as well.

Beer is very clean, dry, crisp, and with a bit of creaminess upon the first sip. nice There is an overall spiciness to this one, as well as some young tart fruit flavors. The finish is bitter and mineral like, with a sharp bite to it.

Mouthfeel is nice and full. Carbonation is about right for the style. This has a nicezing to it.

Drinkability is pretty good. This saison style beer really packs a punch in the flavor department, and isn't super easy to sip. But it's very interesting, and well worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2007 02:35:23 | More by flexabull

rajendra82

Georgia

4.03/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The appointed Duvel tulip glass was a nearly perfect vessel to hold this pale, frothy, heady Saison. The bubbles just kept rushing up from the etched D at the bottom of the glass, and head showed no signs of wavering. The smell was full of tartness and spice. Fresh cut hay, sun baked earth, and bright marigold flowers in the nose were evocative of some European farmhouse. The taste was very dry, which allowed the tart sourness and spice to play the role major flavor contributors. Also present was some ripe cheese, and green apple, which finally gave way to a dose of hops in the finish, the only apparent concession towards the American origin of this beer. A good balance between delicate and rustic in the mouthfeel department with lightness due to the abundance of bubbles. Not as full of character as the beers from DuPont or Fantôme, but a worthy offering in the style from a surprising source.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2007 04:36:55 | More by rajendra82

mnapier

Washington

4.28/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Service Temperature, 40 degrees. Service Glassware 12 ounce tulip.

Appearance on the surface is sunrise yellow and dense without any clarity. A strong white foamy head is present which dissipates and yields little lace.

A waft of lemon zest, spice, and some sharpness is evident along with a nice straw aroma.
The essence of honey, some wheat, banana, and a dryness are evident alongside the medium mouth-feel. Overall a good Belgian Style Saison all things considered.

Cheers

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2007 01:54:43 | More by mnapier

AcesFullup

Georgia

4.3/5  rDev +10%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This a more than a worthy attempt to make a fine farmhouse. North Coast makes some fine brews and this one is no exception. The smell, head, and appearance are all top notch.

Perhaps this is why the taste was a bit of a let down. Still much better than most anything you will find brewed in North America.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2007 00:02:29 | More by AcesFullup

ultralarry2006

Illinois

3.45/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 750 ml. bottle. Leaves a big, crazy, three finger, off-white, foamy, and rocky head that has excellent retention, and leaves excellent lacing. Body is a cloudy orange tinted gold.

Smell - tart and sour horseblanket, unsalted saltine crackers, and faintly, some grassy and herbal hops.

Taste - exactly as the smell indicates. A wash of tart and sour horseblanket over unsalted saltine crackers, and some faint grassy and herbal hops.

Mouthfeel - medium to thin bodied, some puckering from the tartness, very effervescent.

Drinkability - this is a decent beer. Also, its abv is just a little high for it to be a sessionable beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2007 15:55:08 | More by ultralarry2006

SilentSabre

Georgia

2.85/5  rDev -27.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I have mixed feelings about this beer. Three good things about this beer are 1) It has fantastic head retention. After taking a few sips and walking away for several minutes, when I return, there is still a lovely, white froth that almost looks like meringue a good inch thick remaining. 2) The smell is just wonderful with plenty of fruit and yeast and a very subtle "barnyard" smell that you really have to search for. This seemed to be pretty on-point for the style, although not 100%; still nice nevertheless. 3) Lastly, this had quite a collection of yeast and debris in the bottle, which is rather desireable to me. The one truly negative thing about this beer, is perhaps the most important: taste. A farmhouse saison should have a sour/tartness to it, IMO, and this did not. In fact, it seemed much more bitter on the finish, which was rather disappointing to me. I really enjoy this style, and had such high hopes for this drink. It is certainly not a bad beer, but as far as being a saison, I just don't think it is a very good representation of the style.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2007 21:38:39 | More by SilentSabre

Zorro

California

3.53/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Fairly hard to extract cork comes out only after resorting to a cork puller. Loud pop and high carbonation level.

Heavily chill hazed gold colored beer with a very tall white head with a slight yellow tinge.

Sweet and floral with a fairly spicy scent most of which is coriander. Lots of honey and flower aroma with a little pepper on the alcohol fumes. Speaking of the alcohol there is a fairly strong alcohol presence that caries mostly citrus lemon and orange aromas.

The taste begins sweet and that is about it at first. As I drink this coriander and some bitterness builds. The honey flavor here is quite strong and it takes about three sips until the flower flavors kick in then it is joined by wood, hay and pollen flavors mostly as after tastes. Not a bad Saison but the flavor could be a bit stronger.

The mouthfeel is OK.

Saison is one of the toughest beer styles to compete in due to the high quality and low cost of Hennepin; this isn't equal to Hennepin. This is OK and quite mildly flavored

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2007 05:37:45 | More by Zorro

rkuhnel

California

4.53/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

At Hops in Humboldt 2007, this was a cloudy orange with a fat white head and good lacing. Nose is all over the place with orange and grapefruit, peaches, pears, and apricots, and floral hops. A feast for the nose. Mouthfeel creamy and rich. Flavors are like the nose except there are some spices, and the finish is long and slightly sour. Exceptional beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2007 18:18:08 | More by rkuhnel

matylight

Oregon

3.78/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: pours a lovely golden orange haze with a white fizzy cap that quickly settles down.
S: orange citrus, acid, alcohol, pleasent fruits, grassy...this beer is packin' 'em in. i'd love to see how these settle out with a little aging time.
T: this interpretation comes out a little tame. bright maltiness and relatively acidic but the alcohol seems to get in the way a little. i like it but it seems to lack a certain rustic farmhouse character that saison dupont has.
M: spot on for the style. spritzy and medium bodied with a small alcoholic finish
D: quaffable but i think i prefer the real deal. the higher strength tends to take a little away from it in my opinion. well worth a try though. cheers!

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2007 01:21:52 | More by matylight

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.9/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Two Finger thick, frothy, fairly large bubbled, off white colored head that sits atop a lightly hazy, lightly amber tinged, copper colored beer. Quite dry smelling, with dusty, freshly crushed malt, soda crackers and grassy grain aromatics. Lightly tart smelling, which accentuates some notes of green apples and even something like kiwi. Fairly hoppy, with a nice grassy, fresh mown hay sort of thing as well as some herbal notes going on. And now that I dig around here, it is actually quite fruity as well, with a nicely done, sweet flower nectar-like thing (honeysuckly, orange blossom and peach like aromatics come to mind.

Fairly well carbonated, yet still manages to feel creamy on the tongue. Fairly dry, yet it does have some clean, lightly sweet, pale malt notes to it. This finishes with a solid bitterness, which mixes with touches of tartness and an astringent herbal quality. The hops also seem to lend some fruit notes here (or at least the combination of hop and malts does) which definitely remind me of apricots and peaches. Dusty malt flavors of biscuits and crushed soda crackers are noticeable in the last half of a sip.

This is quite a bit nicer than I was expecting. I am really digging the how quaffable this is; it is only lightly sweet, but the hop-fruit character adds another dimension without adding any cloyingness. At first the fruit notes in both the aroma and flavor were hard to pick out, but once I stumbled upon them they became quite distinct and a major contributor to the overall character of the beer. Especially as the beer warms, it becomes much more fruity, with a amplified peach note becoming quite noticeable.

Purchased: Plaza Liquors, Tucson AZ

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2007 17:14:26 | More by Gueuzedude

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

2.98/5  rDev -23.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: Pours a cloudy gold body with a small, exceptionally fizzy white head.

Smell: Light, musty aroma of lemon, straw, pepper, and bananas.

Taste: Yeasty dough flavor with a little citric lemon, a little spice, too. Hint of wheat. Dry, banana-driven finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Highly carbonated.

Drinkability: An unremarkable saison with a brash, punishing level of carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2007 23:00:58 | More by ChainGangGuy

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.13/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Interesting new beer from Northcoast brewing. Was glad to see it available at Max's last night.

The beer pours a golden peach color with decent head retention and lacing. The nose is light, but still pretty complex. I get aromas of light honey, white pepper, some citrus and some tartness/bitterness. The flavors on the palate replicate the nose, though I don't get a lot of tartness. This saison would appear to have more then your typical/average amount of hops, and one gets quite a bit of bitterness and pepper on the finish. Otherwise, one gets some honey and fuji apple on the palate, with a touch of citrus. The beer is pretty smooth and has a pleasant mouthfeel. The beer comes across as a bit tiring on the finish, though I'm not sure if it's from the relatively high abv. or excessive bitterness.

This is a pretty nice beer, though a little bit tends to go a long way IMO. I could barely finish the 750 ml bottle. It would be interesting to try this beer next to the Ommegeddon, which I believe this beer resembles in many ways.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2007 13:47:37 | More by johnmichaelsen