Chapeau Mirabelle Lambic - Brouwerij De Troch

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.98/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Lightly cloudy pastel peach with vigorous carbonation. The head is large and lightly lemon-tinted ivory in color. All those bubbles should assure that the cap doesn't disappear anytime soon, although it has fallen to a fat one finger in the several minutes since the pour. Not a bad look, especially in a genuine Chapeau Lambic De Troch tulip glass (thanks Al).

I'm not a big fan of plums and can't recall if I've ever actually eaten one. Therefore, it's hard to say just how authentic the nose is in terms of plumness. It is intensely sweet and fruity and is more than a little perfumy. The usual sour yeasty funk is present and accounted for and adds additional olfactory interest. I like the nose quite a bit.

I like the flavor at least as much as I like the nose. Mirabelle is incredibly sweet--it's similar to the Melbourn Bros. beers in that regard--and is a definite sipper. I thought that this would be my least favorite of the Chapeau Lambics, and it still might be, but I have to say that I'm enjoying the explosive, sweet-tart candied fruitiness that soaks my taste buds each time I drink.

I imagine that all of the beer from this brewery tastes and feels similar, only varying in the particular fruit used. The flavor profile consists of three parts hypersweet fruit nectar to one part sour Belgian yeast. It's a combination that won't appeal to everyone, but it does to me; at least in small doses. No hint of the oak cask-aging comes across on the palate.

The body/mouthfeel is easy to predict given all the sugar. It's full, lightly-moderately syrupy and not nearly as carbonated as it looked initially. There's still a fine-bubbled feel which lightens what could have been a thick, sticky mess. Again, small sips are the only way to go.

Mirabelle plums are prized for their full, sweet flavor and are used in the making of plum wine, plum eau de vie and plum brandy. And now beer. As noted above, this 'lambic' won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I have a weakness for well-made, ultra-sweet fruit beers even though I rarely drink them. If I like Mirabelle this much, I'm sure that the others will be right up my alley as well.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2006 13:53:18 | More by BuckeyeNation

womencantsail

California

3.5/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Bobby for sharing this.

A: The pour is a cloudy light amber color with a large slightly off-white colored head.

S: An incredibly intense sweet plum aroma that has some notes of peaches. There is a bit of a honey note to this beer too, along with just a touch of sourness.

T: Things stay pretty much the same on the palate. The plums are incredibly sweet, much sweeter than most plums I've ever eaten and don't have that little bit of tartness. This is probably what leads me toward picking up some peach and honey. Tartness is really minimal, but at least the off-flavors are too.

M: The body is light to medium with a lively carbonation and a slightly sugary feel on the tongue.

D: I liked this one a fair amount. Good fruit flavor, and while sweet, it's not completely cloying or sickening. Plus, no vile off-flavors.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2010 18:50:37 | More by womencantsail

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

1.7/5  rDev -49.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

Appearance: Pours out a clear, light amber body with a fair amount of bubbles, but nothing to call a "head".

Smell: Here we go again! Expired ketchup, odious weeds, lacquer. At best, there's a vague fruit scent, but it's been laced with a suspiciously high amount of pure sugar.

"I'm too old for this..." --Roger Murtaugh

Taste: Excruciatingly saccharin sweet explosion, and for good reason, as little else could try to obscure the poor flavors rampant within. Cloying would be a gross understatement. Artificial plum flavoring. Hunt's Ketchup, castor oil, biodegradable plastic, old nickels, and a sneaky shot of wood varnish. I'm really left speechless.

Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Low level of carbonation.

Drinkability: A real stomach churner! I've always considered the Chapeau line-up to be one unfathomable horror after another and the Mirabelle is no exception. You may be rightfully wondering - will I have another Cheapeau fruit lambic in the future? Most likely! It's a bit like anticipating the latest horror film, I just can't wait to see what wicked nightmares and unending torment they can dream up next. Cantillon, take me away!

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2009 22:02:20 | More by ChainGangGuy

metter98

New York

3.45/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is hazy dark yellow in color. It poured with a thin off white head that quickly dissipated, leaving only a thin ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass and some delicate lacing covering the surface.
S: There are strong aromas of plums in the nose.
T: Like the smell, plum flavors really stand out in the taste, which also has a light to moderate amount of sweetness.
M: It feels a bit more than light-bodied on the palate with a low amount of carbonation.
O: The plum flavors are rather unique compared to most other fruit lambics. It is not that difficult to drink because the sweetness is not cloying, except well after it warms up.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2012 19:03:05 | More by metter98

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

2.73/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

12.7oz. bottle, corked 'n' crowned.
Appearance: clear honey-gold color, buzzing with carbonation, and a head that stands proud for a while, then fizzles.
Aroma: very shy, but definitely plummy, ripe and sweet, with accompanying sour .On the palate: greatly, mouth-puckeringly tart!, with fruity sweetness coming right in afterwards, but not sticking out nearly enough.
Plum flavor continues, but lays terribly low. Light in body, malt, hops, beer...
I've enjoyed other offerings from this lower-tier lambic brewer before, but this one has to be the most disappointing.
Right at the end, the sweetness gets cloying, as the sour loses it's pucker a bit. I almost don't feel like finishing it.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2003 16:36:57 | More by feloniousmonk

Mora2000

Texas

2.68/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The beer pours a yellow color with a white head. The aroma is very heavy on the pears, plums and sugar. This beer smells like it may give me diabetes. The flavor is heavy on the plums and is very syrupy. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. While this may be a traditional lambic, don't think it is going to resemble a Cantillon or Drie Fonteinen.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2010 04:08:34 | More by Mora2000

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

(Served in a flute)

A- This beer has a hazy dark straw color with a snow white head that is thick and last and last.

S- The note of honey plums has a faint perfume quality with a slight earthiness make the fruit smell more fresh.

T- The taste of tarp plums is soft with a slight sour note and a nice light oak and wet wood finish.

M- This beer had a medium light mouthfeel that was pretty uneventful.

D- The fruit is soft and there is not a lot of depth to the flavor but it is not overly "wild" or overly sweet by any means.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2006 22:59:44 | More by rhoadsrage

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

3/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle shared by jayhawk73. Thanks, Jeff, I am always excited to try a new lambic.

The beer is transparent and light peach hued, with virtually no head or lacing. The aroma offers peaches, peach cobbler, sugar. Smells like peach cobbler dessert. While the smell is inviting, it smells more like something I would want to eat, rather than drink. The taste is sugary sweet. Loads of peaches coated in sugar. While this is a bit too sweet for my palate, it seems well suited as a dessert beer, perhaps with a fruit tart. The peach flavor is actually quite delicious, but would greatly benefit from some funk,must, yeast, etc. One dimensional in nature, this has potential. For now, it's a sweet fruit beer that is best in small doses.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2011 02:28:08 | More by Huhzubendah

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a pale yellow with a small white head, that went away pretty quickly. All I can smell is a sour plum. Same in the taste, a sour, a little sugary plum. It is kind of wineish and very clean tasting, with no aftertaste. Lambics are really not my style, but I think I could drink this with breakfast.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2007 17:26:27 | More by OWSLEY069

scruffwhor

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev +15%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours only a faintly hazey pilsner yellow with barely any bubbling. Dry fruity aroma. Lemon peels, faint plums, and apple skins all mixed with a little talc. Plus a funky question markthat I can't define specifically as just...lambic. Can't get past the green apple skin flavor that mixes very well with a dry, yellow plum. Then add the funky, earthy, barnyardy finish. You've got a true fruit lambic. Great dryness and fruitiness make a good palate for this lambic. Good summer beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2009 06:25:22 | More by scruffwhor

francisweizen

Australia

3/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This was quite tasty but just a little too sweet for me. This beer poured out a nice yellow translucent colour with almost no head. This smelled of sweet spiced plums, figs, sugars, and it tasted like more of the same; plum, horse blanket, sourness and tart sweetness. This had a very nice taste to it but it was just a little too sweet for me. This had a crisp mouthfeel and a nice drinkability as well. All in all this is quite a nice lambic beer that you should try if you like sweet beers!
Cheers!,
F.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2003 10:37:24 | More by francisweizen

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.68/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle. Pours a cloudy orange with a small white head. Aroma of sweet fruit (I don't specifically get plum, maybe apple and pear). Flavor is similar to a punched up apple juice. Slight sour prickliness. A touch of oak/wood in the finish. Very drinkable and enjoyable. Not spectacular nor that complex but super tasty! Certainly far from a nasty drain pour. These bad ratings are just sad. I don't understand them. I was initially frightened to try this beer, but now I know not to believe the silly warnings in the future.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2009 17:15:13 | More by LilBeerDoctor

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a hazy dark golden yellow. The beer has a thin film of white head that reduces to a small patch of extremely thin film and a thin soapy ring at the edges of the glass. Minimal amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Strong aromas of sweet fruitiness - quite probably from the mirabelle plum (since I have never smelled one of these, I'm making the assumption that this is what they smell like). There is a very light hint of sourness.

T: The flavor is very sweet with a strong flavor of fruit - from the mirabelle plum. Just a hint of tartness in the finish.

M: Light to medium bodied with very low amounts of carbonation.

O: Very enjoyable though a little too sweet to be an easy drinker (or sessionable beer). I love the natural fruit aromas and sweetness. The beer continues to sweeten as it warms.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2012 21:57:08 | More by dbrauneis

allengarvin

Texas

2.5/5  rDev -26.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours out a hazy, limpid amber, but one can't fault that in a lambic. Aroma is, frankly, a bit disgusting. Instead of plums, it smells like pickling vinegar to me, or maybe sour tomatoes. Not at all appetizing. Flavor is slightly better, but not much. A little more sense of plums comes through, with some residual sweetness. Finishes tart, with lingering sourness. Thin-bodied, typical for the style.

Some of the chapeau lambics are good, several are, well, "interesting". This has to be the worst of the bunch, however.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2006 21:36:43 | More by allengarvin

thierrynantes

France

3/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Beer bottle (33 cl.), tasted in 2002.

Appearance : orange color, with white foamy head (not persistent).
Smell : notes of Mirabelles.
Taste and mouthfeel : sirup and mirabelles flavors.
Drinkability: average beer in the style commercial sweet "Lambic".

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2009 19:40:53 | More by thierrynantes

Pegasus

Texas

3.93/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Hazy yellow-brown color, with a paper-thin head, and profuse carbonation.

Aroma: Profound notes of earth, barn yard, and horse blanket, very musty, recalls the smell of decaying wood.

Taste: Plum is quite abundant in the taste from start to finish, with a syrupy-sweet quality, and a backdrop of musty, earthy notes. The earthy notes, tending towards horse blanket, become more intense as the taste progresses to its end. The musty quality lingers well past the end of the taste.

Mouth feel: Smooth, soft on the palate, very full, with only a slight touch of carbonation noted.

Drinkability/notes: Seemed to possess more of the typical lambic qualities than most fruit lambics that i have tried. Perhaps a good place to begin in experiencing the unique character of lambic beers.

Sampled as a part of the "Night of Chapeau", with my friend and fellow BA HardTarget.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2006 00:17:13 | More by Pegasus

HardTarget

Texas

3.63/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Bottle: notes oak cask aging

Aroma: Firm brown mustard seed, wooden mustiness, and hint of urine. Wow, very different. Funky as James Brown’s socks.

Appearance: Very hazy amber orange glass gives large bubbled head with a firm pour that leaves little wisps of head

Flavor: Wild plum syrup sweetness runs through a farm. Wet hay and horse blanket give a very firm Lambic grounding.

Mouthfeel: Medium body, low carbonation, firm pucker

Overall Impression: Funky enough to make a lambic drinker happy, fruity but moderate sweetness, maybe just that the sweetness is overwhelmed by all the funk. You have to either really like funk or plums to get this one.

Sampled as part of the “Night of Chapeau”, many thanks to Pegasus for assembling the 8 flavors.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2006 18:21:45 | More by HardTarget

John

New York

3.45/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Presentation: 12oz. green bottle, capped and corked. Made with the juice of plums added. Matured in oak casks. Golden appearance with no head to speak of. Mucho suspended yeasties. Fruity and musty aroma. Very sweet, fruity plum flavor. Too sweet for more than one IMHO. Those with a sweet tooth...this is your beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2002 12:53:07 | More by John

Lemke10

Wisconsin

2.91/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75

This pours a murky amber color with a strong scent of plums. The taste is kind of over the top sweet from sugars mixed with the sweetness of the fruit. It doesn’t drink much like a beer at all; it’s more like a grape juice as alcohol is non-existent. An interesting find, but not something I would buy again.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 06:09:41 | More by Lemke10

jayhawk73

Maryland

3.18/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a light gold color w/ good carbonation. Very clear- looks like liquid gold. The nose is mainly solid fruit juice- I get plum and bananas. Extremely sweet smelling, and a sign of things to come. I don't get any funk in this one at all. I get peaches, apple, and plum in the taste. It's a sugar bomb for sure- and still no funk. Feel is light and syrupy, and very sweet. Overall, I'm glad I tried this- but it's lacking in a lot of departments. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2011 21:59:26 | More by jayhawk73

matjack85

Illinois

3.23/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Found this single 12oz capped and corked green bottle at Sal's Liquors in Addison, IL for $4.99. No freshnesas date.

The beer poured a slightly hazed pear yellow color and made just a thin white rim for a head that dissipated immediately and left no lacing.

Smells like plums, apples, and lots of powdered sugar.

This has a fruit juice taste to it. Mixed flavors of plums, peaches, pears, and apples. It has a bit of puckering sourness to it, but not enough of that funky Belgian lambic yeast. It's tasty, but not very beer-like.

Medium body with mild carbonation. Very juice-like.

At just 3% alcohol it's not going to give you a buzz, but more than one might give you a sugar high.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 08:45:10 | More by matjack85

PEBKAC

New York

3.63/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

Bottle from the back of the fridge edition. The horn of plenty always has more for the ignorant & daring. :)

Ommegang chalice. Seems flat on the pour. A hazy, dark yellow that settles out with time. The color of Darjeeling tea.

Wow, if this doesn't smell like Chinese plumb sauce aged in oak.

Taste is most assuredly, plums. Reminiscent taste of real iced tea & too much sugar also make themselves known. Oxidation on the very end. More bottled on dating please.

A prickle of carbonation. Syrupy. Way too sweet to be able to take more then a sip to tell accurately anyways.

The first Chapeau beer I haven't absolutely hated with all my being. Cheers. :)

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2012 07:39:42 | More by PEBKAC

MUSHROOMCLOUD

Texas

3.73/5  rDev +10%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Thick, hazy butterscotch color beer. Fizzy cap that leaves tiny dots of lace.

S - Vinegar. Rancid fruit -- like a trash compactor. Funky. Wood, wet cardboard. Unripe green fruit. Aroma scared me.

T - Sour. High acidity. Sugary, tangy fruit. Musty. Hard to pick out the plums. Tast banana and over-ripe fruit. Plants. Wood. The flavor is much different than the aroma.

M - Medium body. Mid-level carbonation. High acid. Long acidic fruity finish. Fairly dry.

D - Decent drinkability. Definitely unique.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2007 20:22:03 | More by MUSHROOMCLOUD

Onslow

Texas

4.3/5  rDev +26.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Sweet light fruit smell, very nice ... lacing is medium, colour is of peach juice ... wonderful flavour, sweet and refreshing ... tangy! ... a delightful beer that i would drink all the time if it wasn't so expensive!... i would like to try more beers with the mirabelle in it, seems like this is a great match!!

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2008 12:48:15 | More by Onslow

MrSeth

Massachusetts

3.65/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a large tulip shaped glass a hazy grapefruit juice color (earthy pink) some loose debris with no head, just a few bubbles and very little suds around the glass.

The nose is juicy, just-ripe pears and apples. On first sip there is a decent amount carbonation hiding in that haziness.. a heavy bodied and chewy mouthfeel with a dessert sweet, spicy apple pie flavor. A good digestif.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2005 20:44:47 | More by MrSeth