Mysterium - DuClaw Brewing Company

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

3.25/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle says 5%. 12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

A: Pours golden amber color with a nice haze to it. The head is a one finger offwhite color that retains itself poorly, leaving only a collar around the rim of the glass.

S: Holy fuck, that's a shitload of ginger. There seems to be a little bit of spruce and chamomile, as well. Sadly, the spices overpower everything else, basically - but it kind of suits the Christmas spirit with the way it smells.

T: The opening flavors are, again, loaded with ginger, chamomile, and slight spruce - even a little pumpkin, seemingly. It turns into a decent but generic Belgian pale after the midtaste. I don't really pick up much Belgian yeast, however. The finish is pleasantly earthy. It's a bit one note, but nonetheless pleasant.

M: Well carbonated with a semi coarse texture. Not nearly as astringent as I'd expect it to be, but very clean on the finish - clean, but not fully dry.

O: Hardly my favorite beer of all time; however it's manages to carve out a niche for itself with its uniqueness. Good for fans of ginger.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 22:39:20 | More by ThisWangsChung

AngusOg

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev 0%

06-15-2013 16:32:05 | More by AngusOg

djre4orm

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev 0%

06-13-2013 18:05:13 | More by djre4orm

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.38/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Once more, my local, in-person trader, tone77 has provided me with a beer that I might have otherwise glossed over. Cool!

From the bottle: "A mystical blend of chamomile, grains of Paradise, cardamom, and fruit flavors from Belgian yeast, this Belgian-style spiced ale is a mystery, and a bottle, you'll never want to get to the bottom of. Have a sip and ... transcend ordinary."; "Respect the Fluid"; "Belgian-style spiced ale"; "Ale brewed with spices".

My pour initially resulted in a fizzy finger of tawny head, but with limited retention. Color was a beautiful deep-amber with NE-plus quality clarity, allowing me to see into the future. It looks like rain, darn it! The nose reminded me of potpourri, a bit too much like perfume. It was certainly spicy, but there just seemed to be too many things going on in it. Mouthfeel was medium and the initial taste was honey-like, followed by a melange of spices, but my palate was not refined enough to discern one from another. Finish was dry, thanks to all of the spices as well as their interaction with the yeast. It was interesting, but just not my cup of tea.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2013 05:22:15 | More by woodychandler

micromaniac129

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Tastes like a christmas beer with the tons of cinnimon used.
Darker amber color and a small head.
Aroma is lots of spices like cinnamon and nutmeg and that sort of thing.
Taste is bascially the same. loads of spice that more for Christmas then June.
Maybe around the holidays I might feel different but today ... I don't like it.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2013 19:48:19 | More by micromaniac129

lupercmda

North Carolina

3.25/5  rDev -7.1%

06-07-2013 03:21:32 | More by lupercmda

justinm4bama

Alabama

3.75/5  rDev +7.1%

06-02-2013 04:25:18 | More by justinm4bama

corneliustoad

Florida

3.75/5  rDev +7.1%

05-27-2013 17:34:33 | More by corneliustoad

ZEB89

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -14.3%

05-16-2013 04:43:20 | More by ZEB89

whallgren

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +21.4%

05-12-2013 19:13:13 | More by whallgren

Rhettroactive

Virginia

2.75/5  rDev -21.4%

05-10-2013 23:46:52 | More by Rhettroactive

Boone757

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev +7.1%

05-07-2013 21:53:48 | More by Boone757

ROGUE16

Delaware

3.25/5  rDev -7.1%

04-19-2013 18:57:40 | More by ROGUE16

Oneironautalis

Florida

3.75/5  rDev +7.1%

04-18-2013 21:26:19 | More by Oneironautalis

SaarSalim

Virginia

2.75/5  rDev -21.4%

04-14-2013 12:29:47 | More by SaarSalim

BobsledTM

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev -7.1%

04-13-2013 22:40:22 | More by BobsledTM

Omnium

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25

Bottle > Pint Glass
A - Pours a clear gold color, minor head, absent lacing.
S - Huge belgian yeast smell that is coated in spices, cinnamon is really pronounced, some banana scents as well.
T - Sweet bready malt with a flowery finish, the cinnamon smell you get you dont really taste but its there, some other spices I cant bother to pick out right now.
M - Bland and thin feel, minor sweetness lingering.
O - Its alright, I love the aroma, but taste and feel fall wayyy short on this beer. I really wish you tasted that good cinnamon flavor that you smell. Might just have to create a take on this style myself.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 01:46:31 | More by Omnium

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

1.78/5  rDev -49.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1

I see...I see a drainpour in my future.

I don't get what the goal was here. Wads of spices, and that would be my diagnosis for the beer as a whole. Nose is soapy and floral with the ton of spices. Ick. It's just too much. Definitely no balance. Definitely nothing interesting or worth visiting. This is the type of Belgian ale that American breweries put out that don't know what they're doing. And on that note: this brewery is starting to move towards the bottom of my list.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 09:13:21 | More by RblWthACoz

JakeDebus

Maryland

3/5  rDev -14.3%

03-11-2013 12:30:33 | More by JakeDebus

orangesol

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -7.1%

03-07-2013 19:37:02 | More by orangesol

BMan33

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +14.3%

02-23-2013 17:07:59 | More by BMan33

MemphisANiD

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev 0%

02-17-2013 23:39:05 | More by MemphisANiD

GiantMidget

Pennsylvania

3.04/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75

Duclaw variety pack bought at Bryn Mawr beverage a few weeks ago, finally tried this one.

I'm not gonna lie, I'm an IPA guy so this is not my genre of beer at all, but I figured I'd give it a taste and see what it's all about.

Poured into a nonic. Amber/orange color, like a typical belgian beer would look.

Wow, the spices take over the scent immediately. We've got ginger, chamomile, citrus, lemon, maybe some mint, clove, wow....a lot going on.

The taste carries over from the scent, big time. It's like drinking an herbal tea.
As i said, this isn't my type of beer, so for what it is, it's probably not bad, but I almost fee like this is a summer tea drink masked in a beer bottle.

It's a light mouthfeel which is appropriate for this beer.

So overall, the redeeming qualities in my rating is it seems like Duclaw accomplished exactly what they were attempting with this brew. But I am not a fan, personally.
If you like the spiced beer and like ginger/chamomile, this will be right up your alley.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2013 01:48:20 | More by GiantMidget

mendvicdog

Maryland

3.25/5  rDev -7.1%

01-26-2013 02:34:30 | More by mendvicdog

yourefragile

District of Columbia

2.75/5  rDev -21.4%

01-23-2013 01:04:07 | More by yourefragile