Duchessic Ale - Birra Del Borgo

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.13/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A big thanks to Julie and Jason for this one. I would not have even known about it if not for them. Served chilled and poured into a small taster glass, this one was consumed on 05/16/2010.

The pour was rather nice. Light amber in color with a nice golden glow to it. Lots of carbonation was visible streaming up through the glass to continually reinforce the nice white head of lacing that seemed to be permanently perched on top. Had a very light but at the same time, filling look to it.

Aroma is light, nice touches of apples, pears, peaches. Hints of grasses, light bready notes and a touch of light plum as it warms. Really quite light and complex with a earthy and fruity quality to it. First sip though let loose with a nice white grape flavor. Nice light body and near perfect carbonation really let this one pop for me. Each sip was clean, crisp, refreshing and most of all quite unique. Lots of more earthy fruits up front, apples, pears, etc but there were hints of light citrus bouncing around now as well, really nicely done all around. At barely 6% there was just a really nice drinkability to it that was quite nice to see and really helped me get this one going in the right direction. As it was nearly 90 degrees outside and I was cooking over a grill, it was a damn fine choice for a hot day.

Overall very nicely done I have to admit. This is one that will most certainly fly under the radar, but I really think is quite worthy of a look by anyone.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2010 01:09:30 | More by mikesgroove

womencantsail

California

4.43/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Beachwood Brewing

The pour is a cloudy/turbid golden straw color with a solid white head. A really funky nose to this. Great straw and grass with plenty of oak, lemon zest, and barnyard. Plenty of fruit notes to it as well, a touch of peach, lemon, and green apple. The flavor has a hint of tartness but a really enjoyable funk/farmhouse character. Quite dry with some lactic acidity on the finish. Might be a mild note of vanilla on the back end, too.

Serving type: on-tap

07-30-2012 22:05:07 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes.

Pours with an apricot body that is a bit hazy. Pretty nice white head that draws down to leave a little bit of lacing. Nose brings some light peach notes along with honey, grass, and a little bit of earth. The taste is ever so mildly sweet and fruity, but gives way to some drier, earthy elements and just a tad of funky leather. Mouthfeel is dry and a bit light. Fairly unique, and drinks pretty well overall.

Serving type: on-tap

10-15-2010 09:58:39 | More by Thorpe429

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: Poured a clear bright golden color ale with a super large foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of dry fruity malt with solid malt backbone. Taste is also dominated by light fruity notes with solid malt backbone and a dry finish. No yeast signature or dominating ester or floral notes which I usually associate with the style. Body is a bit light with great carbonation. Interesting though below average for style.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2011 03:38:51 | More by Phyl21ca

MasterSki

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Purchased this on a whim at Crown Liquors in Carmel. Figured that anything containing Cantillon lambic was worth a try. The fill level on my bottle was right up to the cap, and when the cap came off we had a slow gusher. Served in a wine glass.

A - Big soapy foam that eventually settles to a thick, chunky, cap and leaves behind lots of lacework. The body is a hazy peach color.

S - Stone fruits, hay, floral and grassy, a touch of honey. This is definitely way on the Saison side as opposed to the lambic side, with only a bit of brett character present.

T - This is a musty Saison in the Fantôme vein. Grapeskins, peaches, light grain/wheat and pilsner malt? Hops (or something) provides hay and grass flavors. Not particularly sour, just very earthy and lightly funky and leathery.

M - Moderate carbonation, medium-light body. The finish is quite clean and leaves behind light residual stickiness.

D - This is quite easy to drink, and could serve as a less strong session alternate to Fantôme. I'd like to see the wild lambic flavors come out a bit more, but at nearly a year they're still quite muted. Probably should have had this before the Wadesda #1 instead of after.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2010 14:16:55 | More by MasterSki

emerge077

Illinois

3.7/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Served at 55º into a tulip glass. Back label stamped 07 2013.
Sharp hiss and an erupting violent gush... should've chilled it overnight, lost 1/3 of the bottle >_>

Murky and opaque pastel orange, with a dense, charged head of soapy white foam. In the meniscus of the glass was a miniature galaxy of suspended sediment. Arcs of sticky lace adhere to the glass as the beer is sipped. Swirling the glass quickly regenerates an inch of dense white foam.

Initial smell was of acidic bile, and a bit rank to be honest. Later it became less harsh, more sweet and tempered with notes of wet hay.

Sweet and tart citrus flavors, dry oak tannins in the finish. Peach or lemon-lime SweeTarts candy wafers. Lots of acidity and very effervescent, almost overly so. Some wet hay and gauze from the Brett yeast. There's a fine line of balance to walk here, and it seems slightly out of harmony here. Lacks complexity also, and comes across like middle of the road wild ales from the US.

Maybe if it was chilled overnight and settled, it would make a slight difference, but for the price, give me Cantillon anyday. Doesn't really seem to be much of an innovation, was hoping for more, especially with Cantillon involved.

Review #2400

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 03:03:51 | More by emerge077

Halcyondays

California

3.7/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle at Beachwood,

A: Pours a dark gold with a firm white head, good lace.

S: Rustic earthy Brett and pepper, but light.

T: Bitter coriander, white pepper, yeast and Brett flavours. The saison dominates with the lambic only offering a mild sour finish.

M: Dry, medium-bodied, robust, a nice feel in the mouth.

D: I was hoping the Cantillon would come out a little more, but this is nice saison, a good hybrid.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2010 22:30:02 | More by Halcyondays

Billolick

New York

4.33/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Small green bottle, large cap. Pours cloudy dark peach, delicate off white head, leaves fine blobs of lace. Complex nose, earthy, light barnyard, citrus, grape juice. Yummy creation, delicate, complex with notes of more light funk, Tropical fuits, lactose, brett, chunky/drying skunky hops..a lot going on here...all of it quite delicious...

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2009 21:34:05 | More by Billolick

lacqueredmouse

Australia

4.48/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle purchased from Beermongers in Portland, OR. Brought back to Sydney and shared with @LaitueGonflable and @tobeerornottobe.

Uncaps with a massive fizz, but fortunately no foaming. Pours a lovely bright yellow-golden colour, very cloudy, but pleasantly light-bodied. Head is a smooth, egg-white sheen across the top of the glass. Some patchy, streaking lace. Looks pretty good.

I immediately get coconut on the nose, but it has an odd greenness to it, perhaps like coconut water, or the coconut that would lace a Thai stir-fry—because under it is layers of biting acid and mild astringency, that suggest citrus pith, plantain and an almost pine or cedar wood character. Wowee. This is expressive and exciting stuff.

Taste is also extremely good. There's not the mouth-ripping acidity of a straight Cantillon lambic, but it plays along with the other characters, suggesting that it could destroy your mouth if it wanted to: it's just that right now, it's feeling generous.Instead, we get a lovely buoyancy of mild citrus along with more oaky coconut, pithy greens, a touch of white grape juice, with a faintly fruity freshness to finish with. Wow. This is exceptionally good.

Feel is clean, but very, very smooth. It creates yet another wonderful balm to the acidity.

This is a truly wonderful beer, but it's unsurprising given the two breweries who gave birth to it. Birra del Borgo are now well on-top when it comes to Italian craft beer for me, this being just another in a great line of good beers.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2012 03:11:42 | More by lacqueredmouse

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

3.98/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Max's. Sampled side by side with the Del Ducato saison style beer.

The Duchessic pours a slightly cloudy, honey gold color with very good head retention and considerable lacing. The nose is kind of muted, with some honey and hint of barnyard funk... could it be? Yes indeed, this beers shows some considerable sour funk to go along with the honey and clove. Considering the relatively low alcohol, I'm absolutely amazed by the amount of flavor in this beer. The beer has a nice texture, and seems pretty rich and full flavored. I feel as if I get a hint of melted butter in the finish, which is attractive. Drinkability is good, though this isn't something you'd gulp down.

Very impressive. One of the more interesting beers I've been lucky enough to try from Italy.

Serving type: on-tap

07-30-2010 22:24:54 | More by johnmichaelsen

DoubleJ

California

4.05/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From a bottle at Beachwood BBQ, on to the beer:

Sparkling pale yellow in color with almost no head on top. Great nose; it's tart, it's mellow, it's grape. Tasting it brough me back to elemenatry school; what stuck out the most was that fruit snack taste that I remember fondly. There's a little tartness, and a little bit of citrus peel noted. Light in the mouth, easy on the carbonation.

Less a saison and more lambic-like in my opinion. Regardless, it is worth trying out.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2010 01:32:30 | More by DoubleJ

HopHead84

California

4/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Received in a trade with jleblanc and consumed on 10/31/2009. The beer pours an interesting, vibrant, and hazy peach orange. I didn't let this settle more than a day before I opened it so the haze is likely my fault. The head is one finger, fizzy, and white. Retention is decent.

I was very interested in this beer when I first heard about it, and then I learned it was a one year lambic in the blend and my expectations dropped a bit. I'm immediately greeted by the signature wet leather that alerts me to Brett's presence. The citrus is prominent in the form of orange and lemon. Wheat notes are strong, and I detect subtle lactic notes as well as some yeast character. I get neither alcohol nor hops in the aroma.

The flavor opens up with a low level of lactic sourness with a little tartness, segueing into citrus wheat. The orange notes are almost tangy, and Brett is again present in a subtle form, imparting mustiness. The finish exhibits low lactic sourness with lingering citrus. The beer is light bodied with a lower level of carbonation.

This is interesting stuff that I can't help but think will improve with a bit of age. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2009 20:38:18 | More by HopHead84

stakem

Pennsylvania

4.55/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

375ml bottle into a Cantillon tumbler. Slow gusher here when chilled, borderline explosive when warmer.  The brew is a hazy golden with rich bubby froth nearly 4 fingers strong despite a careful pour. Patches of lace stick all over the glass.

The smell of this brew is strongly reminescent of Cantillon sourness. Some mild oak scent of funk. Lemony lacto is quite bold. Some earthy quality of saison yeast notes almost with a yogurt aspect run all through the back with an increased focus on grain as it gets warmer.

The taste is yogurt like creamy yeast. Some saison like spice of clove sits overtop barnyard straw grain and must. Very fruity with tart lemon, pear, apple hints. Mild alcohol warmth and spice from the saison yeast. That Cantillon inclusion is quite pronounced in thus offering,

This is a medium to light bodied brew an effervescent level of carbonation. It is light, refreshing and super easy drinking. Amazing offering here that is a hybrid of saison and lambic with more of a focus on the later. I'm sure this brew will be met with mixed opinions but overall this was fantastic. Can't believe I haven't heard anything about this brew prior to trying it. Get some of this ASAP, its awesome and sure to develop into something even more enjoyable down the road.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2012 13:49:38 | More by stakem

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

4.43/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

We got a gusher a little here. Lots of white head. Color is a hazed bright golden orange.

Aroma: Lots of funk and citrus flavor. The cantillon flavors are there. Green apples and lemon citrus. Old cobweb. Fruity and funky. Very nice.

Taste: A nice amount of saison funk and spice. Green apples, lemon citrus and some other juicy fruits. Basement must and cobweb. A great saison flavor mixed with some nice lambic. I like it.

Mouthfeel: Tart and smooth. A little bubbly. Light bodied with a good amount of carbonation. Ends clean.

Overall, this was a great saison, and I am not just saying that because it is made with Loon Lambic. It is a great saison with an additional layer. Very drinkable. I highly recommend this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 01:17:04 | More by mothman

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Birra Del Borgo : Duchessic Ale

Pours a clear golden color, bone white collar and decent staying power. Smells of musty lemon, hay, barnyard and funk aromas as well. In the taste, mild wheat malt, aggressive sourness from the Cantillion blend. Sour lemon, mild wheat and clove flavors, and mild bitternesss. Finish is drying, sour and beckons for another sip. Overall, a really nice farmhouse ale with ample sourness.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2011 04:31:02 | More by Stinkypuss

ccrida

Oregon

3/5  rDev -27.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance is dull gold with a big-bubbled white head that leaves almost no lace.

Smell is odd. It's funky, but with a notably sweet caramel note.

Taste is also flirting with the brilliance of cantillion lambic, but laden with what seems like a lot of malt sugars. This has potential to develop if the lambic chews down the attenuation, but I'm left wanting now.

Mouthfeel is slick, medium light bodied.

Drinkability is okay, but not as good as I hoped. When I heard about this, Cantillion and saison - yes please! I had a high bias going into this, which is probably why I'm fairly disappointed. I think it can develop, but I'm not loving it now.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2012 03:50:18 | More by ccrida

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Pours a hazy yellow to orange-ish color with an off white head. In the aroma, a dry sourness. In the taste, quite carbonated sour fruitiness. A sour bite and a medium to lighter bodied mouthfeel, with a small dry sour fruitiness in the aftertaste. A nice sour fruitiness, super duper!

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2012 16:44:49 | More by OWSLEY069

kylehay2004

Florida

4.05/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: giant frothy white head that took a while to go down. Pale golden cloudy body.

S: yeast, pear, light strawberry, green apple and corriander.

T: very interesting beer which seems to get better the more you drink it. mildly tart citrus with mostly green apple coming through. herbal notes and club soda.

M: light body, very high carbonation. almost has a fine sediment to it. semi dry finish.

Overall: interesting beer. This combination compliments each other very well making a beer that only gets better as you drink it.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2012 00:24:20 | More by kylehay2004

DefenCorps

Oregon

4.08/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

jleblanc was such a vociferous pimp of this beer that I had to grab a bottle.

Quite brilliantly clear, this beer is a gorgeous golden color with a dense white head with excellent retention and lacing. A steady stream of carbonation is visible.

The nose is quite saison-like with a rustic, barnyard aroma with a spicy character along with some honey and a mild floral character. I definitely do not get the gobs of horseblanket that some people allude to, this is still very saison-like, to the point that I wish I'd held onto it a longer. However, there is a definite Brett character to the nose, refreshingly so, mildly clove-like with some earthiness.

The palate opens with a delicious blend of dry, saison flavors and a wonderful Bretty character. Rustic and barnyardy with drying hay, spicy phenols, the pronounced Brett character does work well with base saison. The mid-palate is quite funky alongside which there's a combination of honey and a hibiscus-like floral character. Drying out on the finish with a earthy spiciness, this is quite delicious. Light in body with a moderately high level of carbonation, this is quite the treat on the palate. Thoroughly drinkable, I'll keep an eye out for this. My only complaint is the moderate bait-and-switch that this beer is. I've had many a Cantillon beer and this has nothing I really associate with one, this almost tastes like a good saison that's finished with an all-Brett beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2010 02:57:46 | More by DefenCorps

bluejacket74

Ohio

4.08/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12.7 ounce bottle, 07 2013 stamped on the back label (I guess that's the best by date). Served in a tulip, the beer pours a hazy gold color with a couple inch frothy white head that stays around for a long time. There's also a good amount of lacing. The aroma is nice, it smells like peppery spice, lemon peel, pears, hay, wheat and some funk. It tastes like lemon peel, wheat, peppery spice, slightly tart lemons, apricots, white grapes and funk. Mouthfeel/body is light/medium, with high (a little bit too high for me) but soft carbonation. I think this is a good saison/lambic blend. It's pricey at $9.99 a bottle but I'd buy this brew again, I liked it.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2011 22:27:53 | More by bluejacket74

drpimento

Wisconsin

4.9/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Exceptional beer! Poured at a good temperature with an enormous, fluffy, frothy, foamy, off-white, billowy head that very slowly settled and loads of sticky lace. Color is a very slightly hazy amber with many bubble trails. Aroma is yeast, citrus and pears, malt, crackers. Flavors very close to nose, ever so slightly sweet, great bitter and carbonic tang balance. Body and carbonation are perfect. Finish is like flavor with a neat slight sweetness up front and astringency in back, fairly long, and drinkable for a tart brew.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2012 23:05:09 | More by drpimento

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle into a hill Farmstead Tulip/wine glass. Review#1300.

Duchessic has a hiss when popped. The liquid looks esquisite, a nice hue of orange with some darker amber spots on the edge. A nice bright white bubbled foam that clang to the glass. A lot of active carb seen. Small sediment floating.

Smell is pretty bold and very earthy with a floral and mineral scent. Some scents of lemon with some of that acidic gueuze thrown in. Some apple skin and coriander. Very floral forward. A very nice smeller, that builds over time.

This is very exciting stuff, the lambic addition does not overpower the saison at all. A big farmhouse character, floral notes, mineral flavors, some apple and earthy appeal. Some weird spice flavor and coriander. The lambic gives off a slight pucker without being acidic.

Feel is pretty much perfect. A light saison with a slight twang to it. Packs a punch up front than whimpers off in a good way, with a small aftertaste. Carb is perky and not bitey. Not acidic, not sour, lightly tart. A nice mix.

Pretty good stuff here, it is interesting. I would give it a go again. A floral saison with a twist of small citrus and twang.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2012 03:48:59 | More by onix1agr

laituegonflable

Australia

3.98/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours a vibrant, burnished orange, with slight haze. Tightly-packed head, off-white, not too glamorous. Looks acceptable.

Smells kinda Belgian, with noticeable but subtle phenols. Strong cinnamon character coming through, with notes of poached apple and quince as well. Sweet; very pleasant. Could use a little more saisony funk though.

Taste is more of the same. Cinnamon apple notes, with sweetish spice throughout, and a nice cinnamon back. Fruit on the back is a bit more tart and green than it perhaps should be, quite a touch of acidity to an otherwise pleasant apple/pear palate. Still, very tasty overall.

Again, a bit of a pull from the astringency on the back. Body maybe a little too thin to handle it.

I love the idea here, and wish the execution was better. Just tastes a little undercooked; otherwise very nice.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2013 04:47:19 | More by laituegonflable

nickd717

California

3.8/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle shared at the after-Bruery tasting. I was very interested to try this one.

Pours mostly clear golden with a well-formed white head and a little lacing.

Aroma? Two words: HORSE BLANKET. It's as if they ran a horse around all day with a big ol' load on its back, then took the dirty, sweaty, horsey blanket from between the horse's disgusting back and its saddle, then threw the damn thing in the fermenter. And I love it! Some brett and pepper in there as well.

Flavor is also very horseblankety, funky, and bretty. A little sweetness from pale malt pokes through the tartness and funk. Some pepper too.

Medium body with mild acidity and fairly lively carbonation.

Drinkability is very good. Overall, pretty much a poor man's Boulevard Saison Brett with a little more tartness and funk.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2010 17:36:04 | More by nickd717

ADZA

Australia

4.08/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

As soon as this brewery started hitting our shores there was three beers from these guys that ive always wanted to try this is the last one on my list and pours a hazed golden yellow hue which leaves a fluffy three finger head and lacing everywhere.

The smell is pineapple,bubble gum,barnhouse funk,sherbet,candy and fresh fruit.

On taste you can taste the two beers blending together with hints of pineapple,guava,lemon sherbet,blood oranges,candy and finished with a sour funky dryness that makes you want another sip straight away.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and tart with moderate carbonation.

Overall its nice and the blend works,would age well and will buy again cheers.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2012 11:59:14 | More by ADZA