La Choulette Blonde - Brasserie La Choulette

inebrius

Michigan

4.55/5  rDev +24.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

I'm trying to figure out how they stuff so much beer into this little bottle. First impression is fluffyness, and malt, caramel malt, caramel coated oat rings on a bed of beet greens. There is an odd, distracting, seemingly industrial mix of bitter saccharine that wants you to ignore the rural reduction that flows so easily. Free yourself and embrace it.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2005 02:30:46 | More by inebrius

metter98

New York

3.66/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A: The beer is a hazy dark shade of golden yellow in color and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation along with some fine particles floating in suspension. It poured with a thin white head consisting of large bubbles covering the surface that gradually died down, leaving a thin film on the surface and a collar around the edge of the glass.
S: There are light to moderate aromas of yeast in the nose, which smell like the taste of the clumps of yeast you get at the bottom of a bottle.
T: Like the smell, the taste has flavors of yeast and also has some notes of fruits—apples seem to stand out in particular—the fruit diminishes a bit as the beer warms up but never completely fade away. There are some faint hints of toasted malts and sweetness; no bitterness is perceptible.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a low to moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is very easy to drink, especially given its lighter body. It isn't quite interesting enough to drink on its own but I would definitely consider pairing this with food.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2013 02:30:32 | More by metter98

beerhunter13

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +9.6%

10-09-2012 10:53:50 | More by beerhunter13

PEIhop

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +16.4%

07-02-2012 20:04:56 | More by PEIhop

dirtyskunk

Colorado

3.45/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Very light clear gold. One finger of steady head, settles to a thin cap, decent lacing leaving some nice rings on the glass.

Pretty good nose with an earthy yeast smell, some wood and spice and just a little fruity apple suggestion in the back.

A light dry grainy background with some herbal hops. Belgian tasting spice and medicinal bitterness in the back. As it warms up there is some booze evident, as well as a little bit of honey sweetness. Disappointingly, there's not much of the complexity that the nose promised.

Mouthfeel is thin and weak too. A little bit slick, carbonation barely holding things together.

Looked good in the bottle, looked good in the glass, smelled promising.. Good up until I actually sipped it. What a let down. This one is a miss. Average at best.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2012 17:41:29 | More by dirtyskunk

Corkpuller

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +37%

12-19-2011 19:34:15 | More by Corkpuller

ROGUE16

Delaware

4/5  rDev +9.6%

12-01-2011 13:18:20 | More by ROGUE16

Cozzatoad

Italy

3.9/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Shared 750ml bottle

A- Clear and perfectly trasparent gold colour. Generous white frothy head with decent retention and good amounts of lacing on the glass

S- Weak to be honest, but i still like it as it feels quite fresh. Some undefined kind of sweetness (with some honey to it) that reminds me of cider. Somehow this is also similar to the smell of salad oil

T- Almost nothing to do with the aroma (luckily). Sweet grainy malts with a very faint hint of roastiness. Fresh on the tongue with maybe some floral notes from the hops. The best part is on the palate though, where an oily feel spreads out and brings some very good fruity notes of apple and citrus. Some honey in the aftertaste (and eventually something to do with the aroma)

M- Medium body. Oily on the palate as mentioned, but still fresh on the tongue, despite quite low carbonation. Alcohol is perfectly hidden. Overall a very delicate mouthfeel

O- I liked this a lot. It is highly drinkable and quite refreshing. What i liked most is that it feels incredibly delicate on your mouth

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2011 07:29:16 | More by Cozzatoad

Gorgoroth

Michigan

3.93/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From tasting notes taken on 11/28/10

Presentation: Standard, green 750ml bottle, corked and caged. Lovely label with classical/minimalist European artwork and lettering in black, green, parchment and gold foil. Date stamp on bottom of front label says 25.04.07, I assume this is a bottling date and not a "best before" date.

Appearance: Pours into my Gulden Draak tulip a hazy amber brown, like rich natural honey. Lively carbonation instigates a frothy, eggshell-white head of about one fingerwidth, which gradually dissipates to a thin halo. Carbonation appears to stop after a few minutes, displaying a lot of hanging sediment.

Smell: The smell is of honey, sweet malt, fresh spring fruits and bright citrus. Pretty typical and straightforward for this style of beer.

Taste: Upfront there is grapefruit with floral hop undertones and a bready malt/yeast backbone on the palate. There is lingering citrus bitterness with notes of farmy, earthy funk in the throat; overarching earthy spice notes à la cumin, and cooked vegetables with subtle hints of cloying sweetness reminiscent of Belgian yeast and candi sugar.

Mouthfeel: Mild, a medium body on the palate with subtle or barely detectable carbonation. The finish is very dry and herbally bitter with contrasting notes of cloying sweetness and minimal alcoholic warmth.

Drinkability & Final Thoughts: A very drinkable beer which showcases well, if not extraordinarily, the basic elements of French-style bière de garde. There is enough complexity to the flavor and mouthfeel to warrant a thoughtul sipping, but it is also fresh and simple enough to drink more quickly along with or after a meal. At just over $5 for the 750 I'd have no reservations buying one again. I'd like to come across a fresher bottle and also perhaps store a couple for another year or two to see how they develop.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2011 21:02:11 | More by Gorgoroth

brc

Michigan

2.65/5  rDev -27.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

75cl best Oct 2010.

This cork came off with a magnificent pop and promptly filled the room with a yeasty pizza dough aroma. I checked - there is no unusual sediment in the bottle.

Golden liquid, medium clarity. It pours a generous white head in my tulip, small bubbles, leaves good lacing.

Aroma of spicy hops when you stick your nose in it, until the pizza aroma hits you. Pizza, or maybe boiled corn cobs. Whew! Keep your nose away from this one.

Though I hoped the pizza/corn business would be only in the aroma, it's definitely in the taste too. Hard to concentrate on the other flavors, but there is also some biscuty maltiness.

Pleasantly effervescent mouthfeel.

Alcohol is hidden, but this reminds me too much of corn pizza. Meh.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2009 16:42:02 | More by brc

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

3.1/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Green 75cl cork and caged bottle, drank two months after its BBD.

Poured into four tulip shaped glasses, the first three showed a clear golden Blonde beer with very little head. The last pour produced a cloudier body with a stronger smell and taste (as you would expect). I prefered the last pour!

Wheat and dog biscuits came to mind in the aroma, then a more general farmyard grain smell took over.

French beers are getting better (the ones I try anyway), this one doesn't set the world alight, but it does have something about it.

I liked the sweet aftertaste and its sour start, it just failed in the body fullness for me, but overall, OK.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2008 18:52:45 | More by BlackHaddock

morimech

Minnesota

2.83/5  rDev -22.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a clear golden color with a very small head that quickly disappears to just wisps of suds on top. Some particulate matter is suspended in the ale.

Has an earthy aroma. Some fruitiness lingers in the background.

Taste is similar. Earthy with cider like qualities. Not at all sour or funky. The flavor just does not sit very well with me. A lingering sweetness dominates the finish.

Light body with low carbonation. Since it is so light, the lack of carbonation is not really an issue.

A different take of a Biere de Garde and one I likely will not revisit.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2008 18:34:12 | More by morimech

ccrida

Oregon

3.73/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Dusty old 750ml bottle that I picked up at the beginning of the summer, best buy date is not notched, but the years only go up to 2005, so I'd reckon it's at least 4+ years old. Only the slightest pop to the cork, but it pours a decent sized eggshell head with long last leaving Brussels lace, over a hazy burnt gold brew.

Smell is very sweet and thick, candied orange, caramel and hazelnuts, almost in amaretto territory, even though I served it at fridge temp. As it warms, it actually softens some, with the citrus gaining prominence.

Taste is sweet and similarly flavored, although it's not as thick and cloying as the nose, with noticeable, but very clean wisp of alcohol on the finish. In addition to the hazelnut, there is orange, vanilla and caramelized sugar, a bit like creme brulee! In remarkably good shape for it's age, but I don't care for the sweet nuttiness, which makes it almost liqueur like, although the finish is rather clean.

Mouthfeel has a prickly dryness, but is very creamy, with a medium light body.

Drinkability is pretty good, it's pretty light and smooth, altough the flavor of the esters isn't my favorite, I'm just not a huge fan of those orange dominant french yeasts, a la Jenlain or Thiriez. Still, it has garded remarkably well, and softened some of it warmed an my pallate adjusted, making it a pretty nice little desert beer, without the usual strong sweetness. By the end, I really warmed up to it. Also, like Jenlain, La Choulette bieres are a bargain price compared to many of their counterparts.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2008 03:40:30 | More by ccrida

joe1510

Illinois

3.2/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

750ml
$5.99
Sam's Marcey

Best By Date: 7/6/08

La Choulette Blonde pours an apple juice golden that would be clear except for all the floating particulate. A minimal head of clean white foam grew to two fingers on the pour and quickly dissipated to a skim coat. As the head fell it left a patch here and there of lace. The looks are a little of a disappointment for the style.

This blonde ale is very reminiscent of an apple cider. As a matter of fact there isn't much in here that reminds me of beer. Fermented apples are first and foremost in the aroma. They last throughout. A touch of earthiness comes along in the background but the apples lead the way. There is a touch of spicing that reminds me of cinnamon and sugar. A slight pale malt sweetness is there but it sits way in the background.

The flavor follows the aroma closely. It's all Fermented green apples with a touch of earthiness coming through mid palate. The earthiness adds a little depth to put it nicely. There isn't much of a malt presence but what is there is sweet and pale. The spicing on the tongue is a little more nondescript. This is a very strange beer. I don't know what to think about it. I will pass on this from now on.

The body is on the lighter side of the spectrum with mellow carbonation. Even though the carbonation is on the light side the body keeps things moving. There is some residual sweetness left after the swallow.

This beer goes down easy enough, as easy as a cider would. This beer is light and refreshing. I still just don't know what to think about it.

La Choulette Blonde is a very strange biere de garde. I've never had a beer with so many cider qualities. As a matter of fact if I was blindfolded I would think this was a cider. It's decent enough to drink but just doesn't follow along the lines of what I want in this fairly open style of beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2008 03:17:07 | More by joe1510

jwc215

New Jersey

3.9/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

750 ml cage-corked bottle, poured into a tulip glass. Freshness date stamped 07.06.08 above an unnotched label. (If this is European dated, it's just past, if it is American, it's close, but within)...

Pours hazed golden with a large white creamy head that settles to a lasting thin cover, leaving lacing on the glass.

THe smell is musty, lightly spiced bread with sourish, tart citrus, esp. lemon. It has a grainy, slightly floral backing.

The taste is musty and bready. Spicing is subtle. Sweet caramelish graininess balanced by a citric sourness. It has an herbal, slightly metallic tinge. Pretty complex in a subtle way. Finishes bone dry and bitterish.

Light-to-medium-bodied with adequate carbonation. Alcohol is somewhat well-hidden, though becomes a bit more apparent as it progresses.

An interesting brew in its own way. Something sharp about it makes it a slow sipper.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2008 13:24:10 | More by jwc215

pattyhopp

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

My first bier de garde was jolly pumpkin's golden ale...it was full of sour wonderfulness and i wanted more...i tried la choulette and i didnt get that same sourness..dont get me wrong this is a good beer indeed...it had a bit of funk to it...was it too old? can someone reccomend something delicicous with some good sourness?

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2008 05:40:56 | More by pattyhopp

Billolick

New York

3.88/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Caged and corked, best before dating on front label, but if I can figure it out it looks like this is 2 years past its due date....any way it seems to be fresh and in good shape so I will continue. Pours light, golden and clear, minor off white head and pretty standard lacing. Powdered sugar nose, then notes of ripe fruit, pepper, white wine, earthy and then a fairly sour finish. Complex, refreshing and generally interesting stuff. Went well with the spicy jambalaya we had for supper. Worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2008 22:22:17 | More by Billolick

thierrynantes

France

4/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Beer bottle (33cl. 75cl.), tasted in 2003.

Appearance : golden color with a white foam disappears into contact with the glass.
Smell : Flavoring honey we reveal a hint of alcohol.
Taste & Mouthfeel : woody, round and generous mouth, alcohol gives it a comforting warmth.
Drinkability : a very good beer in the French style "bière de garde"

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2007 20:55:20 | More by thierrynantes

brentk56

North Carolina

4.03/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a cloudy honey color with a well-formed head that retains and laces well

Smell: Toffee, tart apples, lemons, peppery spices, yeasty

Taste: Starts with a fruity element that is both beguilingly sweet and tart at the same time - lemony fruit with toffee sweetness and a building undertone of wood and tart green apples; after the swallow, the flavors build in both the sweet and tart dimensions and provide a mellow finish in which the toffee and yeasty elements build; oxidized, but in a good way

Mouthfeel: Medium body with lively carbonation

Drinkability: Although this bottle is best before 12/05, I think it has benefited from the age, as I wasn't prepared to like it as much as I have, given the other reviews; the oxidation has brought out some very interesting flavors

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2007 18:25:12 | More by brentk56

BretSikkink

Mexico

3.83/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Hazy orange with a dark tint. Characteristic Belgian yeasty aroma with a touch of hop pepper kick. Clean, somewhat faint, gets a more pronounced floral fullness with time.

Very lightly puckering yeast and citric combination, smooth, medium body. Pepper in the finish. A little thin, but the alcohol is nonetheless well hidden at 7.5%. Good for an any-meal sipper, and cuisine de biere.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2007 04:45:48 | More by BretSikkink

bruachan

Rhode Island

3.73/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

i've had the ambree before so i grabbed this when i was given the chance. the label says to consume before may of this year, but who knows what that reveals in terms of when it was brewed

the cork essentially extricated itself and the explanation poured forth in the form of a thick, highly-carbonated head

the aroma unpacks some great malt scents along with some citrus and some luscious floral and fruit charateristics. and a touch of cinnamon and minty hop. the flavors drive home everything asserted by the nose. the european malts form the base and support some slight fruity element. noticeable but tasteful bitterness. it's not a dynamic brew and, despite the decent carbonation, is a little on the thick side...especially as i appreciate the style

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2007 05:05:11 | More by bruachan

paterlodie

Belgium

3.2/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Nice white foam upon a golden and quiet clear beer. Nose is sicy and has insense note to it. Quiet some sweet applejuice and hint of sourness complete the complex nose. Taste is strong alcoholic aplejuice and hint of gember with moderate low bitterness. Quiet drinkable and enjoyable brew IMO

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2006 14:46:20 | More by paterlodie

FightingEntropy

Minnesota

3.85/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Big puffy white head on the beer, and even some foam trying to push it's way up the neck in spite of fairly careful handling. No surprise, a bit of a carbonation bite as a result. The body glistens with sunset orange-yellow though cloudy from a lot of suspended yeast. I thought I was fairly careful pouring but the yeast floated so easily that it didn't seem to matter. Still looked cool. Fruity notes in the nose--citrus, grapefruit and assertive yeast in smell and taste. Light hop is spicy with fruit in the taste, but not overly complex--simple, elegant, nice, but not overwhelming. Warming up expanded some of the flavors, but not much. My wife liked it, and she's very fussy. Good beer, not disappointed but probably won't buy another bottle.

Bottle from the Blue Max in Bloomington, MN.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2006 01:31:06 | More by FightingEntropy

ADR

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Finely hazed pale gold appearance with a bright white head of about 1/2 an inch in height. Fairly simple ring lacing. Tart lemony aroma, suggestions of definite damp wood and muskiness. Medium mouthfeel, high carbonation. Fairly well-balanced approach, some yeastiness, dried straw, and medium citrus astringency, just held back by a countering malt sweetness that's a little non-descript except for a very bare caramelization and baked apple. The finish has a hard-to-pin-down fade to it, reminds me a little of soda water with a squeeze of bottled lemon concentrate. Not bad, nice aroma, not that distinctive.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2006 00:03:41 | More by ADR

oberon

North Carolina

4.15/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I didnt have all that high of expectations of this beer just from looking at other reviews but I really ejoyed this offering.Poured into a oversized wine glass a dull medium gold with a well formed white head that left sheets of lace behind,very interesting and complex aromas I picked up some spiced green apple -like notes, brown sugar and even a hint of wood thrown in.Again very pleasantly suprised by the flavors and even more so the complexity of this country ale a real spiced flavor like clove and cinnamon not strong but to be its the backbone of this beer some green apple light tartness and brown sugar sweetness rounds out this very nicely.A little filling but thuroghly enjoyable and I would bet extremely food friendly,it ages extremely well mine was "best enjoyed by 12-05" .Iam diggin the French country ales and will continue to seek them out.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2006 21:51:47 | More by oberon