Estrella Damm Inedit - Damm S. A.

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Cheers to the neighbour for hooking me up with this bottle and I enjoyed it with my fellow BA joemcgrath27.

A - Pours a hazy golden colour, finger of head with decent retention and some fine sticky lacing.

S - Quite a lot of citrus with a touch of cloves and bubble gum yeast. A tad mild, but still offers a unique blend of scents.

T - Offers your standard hefe flavours with fruitiness dominated by orange and citrus followed by the spiciness of cloves and nutmeg.

M - A lighter bodied ale that goes down smooth, and is nice and wet on the finish.

D - Poundable, refreshing and flavourful. This stuff offers a unique orange citrus twist on the standard witbier. A perfect patio drink and definitely worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2011 05:02:36 | More by andrenaline

jera1350

Minnesota

3.68/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up several bottles of this as it was being clearanced out for $2.49 a bottle.

A cloudy gold body with a tight and fluffy white head that leaves some nice lacing clinging to the glass.

Decent complexity in the nose consisting of wheat, butter, light citrus, golden raisin and apricot.

Pretty light in flavor, but somewhat satisfying. The taste is lightly wheaty with a buttery presence, a bit of crisp citrus and a trace of spices. Nothing crazy, but it's clean and goes down easily.

Mostly smooth with a light crispness to the carbonation. Pretty close to a medium body and a dry finish.

Dare I say anyone could drink this? I would dare. This is an easy drinking, clean, no frills beer. It really has nothing that makes it stand out which could be it's downfall. On the other hand, this is a beer that would make a nice intro beer for non-craft drinkers. Glad I grabbed a couple bottles for the price I got them for.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2010 01:18:48 | More by jera1350

kwjd

Ontario (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a golden-yellow colour with thick white head that dissipates down, leaving a small ring above the beer. Some mild lacing on the glass. Smells of clove, other unidentified spices, wheat and oranges. Flavour is slightly tart, little bit sweet as well. Really smooth mouthfeel. A really nice witbier. I'd be likely to buy more of this if it wasn't so expensive (almost twice the price of Blanch du Chambly in Ontario).

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2010 18:13:12 | More by kwjd

GratefulBeerGuy

New Hampshire

3.4/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750 ml bottle poured into a small wine glass as suggested.

Many crazy, rushing bubbles originate from a globby white substance at the bottom of the glass, is it yeast? I've seen floatie bits of yeast but never one big chunk! It will remain a mystery until I finish the liquid! The color of pure golden bricks and a large, all-white head with decent retention from the crazy-ass bubbles. fine lacing in the wake of the flood.

Sweet and wild fruits greet the nose, raspberry and tart wild strawberries. Corriander and wheat malt, corn husks, herbal and zippy heat.

A light corn and wheat malt is a thin but effective flavor. Veery light bodied, zippy with a good amount of earthy goodness from the corriander and herbal hops. Slight spices and lemmon zest follow up with a not very complex range but very drinkable. It's light and herbal for summer.

Not exactly the holy grail of beers from the spainards but not bad at all.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2009 02:37:20 | More by GratefulBeerGuy

ElGordo

Oregon

4.2/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the 750ml capped bottle into a Duvel tulip glass. A big, lively, foamy white head forms but begins to dissipate almost immediately. Body is a bright golden color with active carbonation coming from the bottom of the glass.
Aroma is sweet, with heavy notes of vanilla and citrus. Lemon, grapefruit, banana, and clove all pop through. Palate is bright and airy up front, with a heavy lemon presence. A sweet vanilla flavor emerges mid-palate and builds all the way through the swallow, along with a good bit of banana flavor. Finish is heavy on the banana and also holds a touch of clove.
Body is light, bright, and airy, very refreshing and thirst-quenching. Although the flavor profile is a bit sweeter than I look for in a witbier, it's still quite pleasant, and the mouthfeel is lovely. A bit pricey, but a very enjoyable beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2010 06:08:44 | More by ElGordo

jwinship83

Illinois

3.15/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

750ml capped bottle picked up at my local grocery store. drank from my samuel adams perfect pint glass. no freshness information on the bottle.

A- this one pours out a cloudy looking golden yellow colored body with a large bright white head on top. the head lasts for a while before falling, and leaves behind lots of sticky lace.

S- pale malts and malted wheat are the first things that i notice in the nose. after that, i get some faint lemon zest and a little bit of orange. slight notes of coriander and a little bit of metal.

T- the taste starts out with soft pale malts and a little bit of malted wheat. after that i pick up faint orange zest and coriander. there is a definite metallic twang reminiscent of american adjunct lagers. pretty off-putting. a little bit of lemony hops in the finish.

M- light bodied, bordering on medium with a very heavy level of carbonation.

D- i think this was my first and only spanish beer that ive tried. i dont think ill be rushing out to sample anything else from this brewery. the literature that comes on the bottle claims this lager/ale hybrid is the ideal pairing for any meal. i dont see how thats possible.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2011 00:40:47 | More by jwinship83

tmoneyba

Ohio

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

Bottle from Champane Wine.

A - Poured clear pale color with a huge frothy white head that mostly lasted with good lacing.

S - Moderate yeasty grainy aroma.

M - Medium body with a smooth texture and soft carbonation.

T - Medium citrus sweet flavor with a medium sweet finish of moderate duration.

D - Drinkable but only worth having once.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2009 14:51:29 | More by tmoneyba

htomsirveaux

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

750 mL bottle tried 15 Jun 2010. 07-10, L020211.

Poured in the 512 One snifter. Medium sized lacy off white head. Hazy bright golden color. Medium carbonation. Floral, yeasty, citrus, champagne aroma. Flavor is light, lots of orange blossom, bright and fresh. Sweet, fruity, citrus. Finish with a touch of bitterness. Aftertaste is clean with a lot of peaches and apricots. Light silky body. Light ethanol.

Nice easy summer drinking, would be a regular if the price was a bit more reasonable.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2010 03:48:01 | More by htomsirveaux

Daniellobo

District of Columbia

2.3/5  rDev -36.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

A trite marketing ploy. Macro European larger meets a lazy wheat brew with the pretentious coating of a star gourmet... I wasn't expecting much, but this is truly a shame for the effort.

Presentation: 500 cl. bottle. Simple design presentation with a label neck showing main branding and name, front small star sticker, and small back narrative noting main characteristics and intent of the brew explaining how it is ideal to go along with the the best of meals, and with perfunctory legal notes. Shows Alc. by Vol.(4,8%) and a semi legible best by date on the neck (06/10). A pretentious 16 page mini-booklet hangs on a cord from the neck, and shows off a small narrative about intent, uniqueness, main ingredients, extraordinary creative team, tasting and serving notes, and aging recommendations.

A - Hazy yellow pour with a generous head, fair retention, and poor lacing. A strange leftover last throughout on the surface even though one has abandoned the brew hours ago.

S - Faint aroma. Skunky Eurolarger nose coated with faint wheat notes, including a tad of spices.

T - Taste does follow the nose, unfortunately this is not a compliment this time since there is little to unveil. A standard cheap skunky larger taste does drive the experience coated with a faint wheat character, a weak spice mix, and a somewhat trite and sad attempt to reach out to better brews.

M - Very thin and light mouthfeel with plenty of quick carbonation. Bitter and wheaty sour finish on a very light side.

D - Even if one gets over the disappointing pretense of the brew this is rather boring and painful to have at this price and bottling sizes. It should not be such a killer but under these circumstances, with 500 cl or 750 cl bottles and these prices, next to other local market brews the drinkability is really poor unless one is bloated by the marketing pretense.

Notes: What an interesting marketing ploy. Expectations from a star gourmet pairing with a macro brewer to produce a better beer would seem to deserve an opportunity. At least a somewhat mediocre brew but one that would have helped to raise the average offering would have been rather welcome... But this? Pretense without the substance, and all that marketing and elitism can accomplish... Well, that is unfortunately a better sense of what this is all about. So much for Adria doing beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2009 00:19:59 | More by Daniellobo

joemcgrath27

Alberta (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev +13%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

stumbled upon a taste of this when i gave my BA in crime andrenaline a pickup at the airport
A - hazy golden straw, nice white head left a solid covering
S - lemon citrus with some creamy cereal and light banana
T - like a hefe with lemon, has toasty grains and banana with a pleasant citrus finish
M - creamy smooth yet light, finish bready and a little tangy
D - goes down extremely easy and the flavour mix is very appealing, this would be a great summer sessioner

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2011 04:43:18 | More by joemcgrath27

PittBeerGirl

Pennsylvania

2.98/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

A- Body is a completely transparent golder yellow hue with bubbles seen steadily rising to the top. Pours with a 1-2 finger foamy white head which fades to about 1/2 finger and leaves some lacing behind in the glass.

S- Nose is very mild. Grain, wheat, pale malt. Not really much to offer.

T- Taste is much the same. Bready grain. All the way through-no color or complexity to it.

M- Medium to high carbonation and somewhat bready light body.

D- This is a very simple wheat beer. It is certainly no witbier as there are no spices, herbs, or citrus. Just wheat and grain. This beer is not bad, its just bland and very boring. I can't write much more about it because there isn't anything else to it.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2010 20:30:08 | More by PittBeerGirl

TexIndy

Texas

2.35/5  rDev -34.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Poured from a 750ml bottle into a pint glass. The bottle was reminiscent of a wine bottle. Had a booklet hung around the neck talking about the beer and how it's designed to go with food. Was a hazy lemon yellow color with slight carb streams. It had a large white head that settled into a thin foam. Great lacing.

The aroma was typical wit with coriander and lemon in the lead. Was kinda subdued and had to swirl to get it going. The taste was lacking - almost not there. Not sure where the coriander went but this was basically lemon water. Wits are one of my favorite and most reviewed styles so it's not a style issue it's a flavor issue. Really not much there at all. Mouthfeel was light and extremely watery. Lacking in carbonation.

Overall, not a good beer. Weak in aroma and completely void in taste with watery mouthfeel. A mess. Don't recommend. I think I paid $10 for it so even more of a disappointment. Rotation - avail in TX but one and done for sure.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2009 02:27:22 | More by TexIndy

CHickman

New York

3.4/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours hazy yellow gold with a 1/4 inch foamy off white head; smells of wheat, orange peel, yeast, grass and lemon/citrus.

Tastes of wheat, orange/orange peel, yeast, lemon, hops, coriander and some very faint spices. Feels like a creamy lager, but smells and tastes like a Belgian wheat beer. Very light to zero carbonation and very crisp and refreshing; it has a nice light feel and goes down very smooth and easy.

Not the most flavorful beer as nothing really jumps out and takes the lead in the flavor department, but still was a very enjoyable beer (perhaps the light feel and drinkability). This brew could use some more spices, roasted malt or even some hops to intensify it and keep it true to being a beer designed to eat a meal with.

After drinking it, I understand why it was made to pair with food, especially fish dishes. I liked the promo booklet attached to the bottle to give some of the history in making this beer and would try it again with a meal. I wish it was a tad bit less expensive, as it was not worthy of the price paid for it.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2010 03:02:11 | More by CHickman

BeerResearcher

Massachusetts

3.93/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

26.4 oz dark olive green bottle. Freshness date stamped on neck label.
Listed as a Witbier, more like a mild farmhouse.
The color is an opaque, foggy caramel candy with a rocky, firm white head. Patchy and trailing lace lasts throughout the glass.
Aromas of herbs and flowers are present at first pour. Smells of coriander and citrus follow and remain. A light whiff of wet cut grass seems out of place. A hint of banana sneaks in late.
The flavors are mild yet distinct. Orange Tang, herbs, and a little wheat in the background. Tastes of tart Chardonnay, citrus peel and limes are very pleasant. As in the aroma, a slight taste of banana is noticed as it warms.
This a very gulpable brew! Complex, but subtle. Unusual and difficult to compare.
Nice fringe beer!

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2010 00:26:54 | More by BeerResearcher

elNopalero

Texas

2.98/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Come into the light?... This is a light-golden colored beer with a nice bit of foam. There’s a light pale Belgian-style aroma to it—some floral esters but not a whole lot. It’s thin-bodied, lightly flavored (do you see the trend here?) with a curious finish. For as much as I’ve seen this around I really didn’t miss much by not trying it until now.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2011 22:32:08 | More by elNopalero

froghop

Washington

2.58/5  rDev -28.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

poured into a wine glass as recommended on the tag, a golden yellow with a small white bubbly head, and some lacing.

smell was faint, some fruit, and some spice.

taste of weak fruit, grain, coriander, and some other spices, as the tag said it was better with food, but still lacking something.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2009 23:32:40 | More by froghop

Seanibus

California

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

The brewers bill this as a beer designed specifically to go with food, and I see where they are coming from. This is not a beer you sit and sip by itself (an anti-session beer?). It does have a white wine-like character to it.

Pours cloudy golden with a huge fluffy head. Malty, wheaty aroma, slight citrus and spice. Nice lacing. The flavor is sour wheaty, astringint, with a hint of spice, apricot and citrus. The mouthfeel is thin with a little sourness in the back. White wine like. Light. As it warms, apple notes become quite pronounced.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2009 20:53:02 | More by Seanibus

THECPJ

Delaware

4.22/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed this beer from notes:

appearace: light golden yellow with haze and a 2 finger white head

smell: citrus, oranges, spice, malts,

taste: grapefruit, orange, citrus, spices

mouthfeel: mild carbonation, medium body,

overall: was impressed by this beer. never heard of them before and was happy to give them a try. And I really liked this beer.

Cheers,
The CPJ

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2011 13:45:43 | More by THECPJ

aforbes10

Iowa

3.98/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle from one of the Sacramento BevMo!s. Interesting bottle with an odd, dubious-claim-filled tag ('the first beer brewed to be paired with food"). $9.99. Pours with a massive white head...just all foam at first. With a more careful pour, a yellowish to light brown body is revealed. slightly cloudy. Smells vaguely of citrus and tangy wheat. Flavor is very clean and interesting. Mild tangy wheat with oranges and some yeastiness. Mild and dry. Not quite medium bodied, but not noticeably thin either. drinks quite well despite the pretentious bottle...still, not quite worth the price tag.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2009 02:40:48 | More by aforbes10

colts9016

Idaho

4.45/5  rDev +23.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into my Heineken Mug at 45 degrees.

Appearance: A monster three finger head that is persistent. The head is white and foamy, and the head left some lacing on the glass. The color of the beer is a medium gold color with light copper hues. The clarity of the beer is slightly cloudy, probably due to yeast.

Nose: A good amount of sweetness followed by a toasted grain note. Other notes in the beer is orange, honey, hint of grass, yeast, mild perfume, mild herbal, and a mild pepper note.

Taste: A moderate grain note with a medium sweetness. The grain is toasty with a hint of grass. Other flavors in the beer is honey, orange, yeast, medium herbal, mild perfume, and mild peppery note. No diacetyls.

The mouth feel of the beer is creamy, dry, and carbonated.

Overall: The body of the beer is medium, with a medium finish. This beer is really good. It fits the Witbier profile really well. Very well made, the flavors blend fairly well, and it is very easy to drink. Sad I only have one bottle of this beer. This beer is near perfection.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2012 03:36:26 | More by colts9016

Sigmund

Norway

3.63/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet. ABV is 4.8%. Pale straw colour, slightly hazy, huge to moderate white head. Moderate wheaty and citrussy aroma, with notes of coriander and orange peel, also a hint of liquorice (when you know it should be there). The flavour is moderately citrussy, with moderate notes of coriander. The liquorice is barely discernible in the flavour. Light bodied, not very sweet, with minimal hops. "Empty" finish, but an otherwise nice and refreshing beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2010 00:07:18 | More by Sigmund

ritzkiss

Ontario (Canada)

3.45/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml bottle brought by a visiting friend, interesting find. Classy packaging, obviously trying to reach out to a wine market - as the little booklet hung from the neck attests to. Chill in an ice bucket after service?!

Pours a thick, hazy blended juice, a couple fingers of head on top quickly recede but leave some sticky lacing on the glass.

Nose reveals some nice citrus, perhaps slightly muted, coriander, pear, biscuity malt.

Taste follow suit, a pretty hefty malt base for a wit, coriander, lemon, orange, pear, apple, perhaps a hint of white grapes. Quite a smooth, hefty, creamy feeling body due to low carbonation. Pretty simple but not a bad representation of the style.

I would have loved to give it a go with the pairing recommendation of a citrus-based fish dish - could be quite nice. As is, an easy drinker that won't wow a seasoned craft beer drinker.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2010 12:54:44 | More by ritzkiss

bump8628

Oklahoma

4/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Cool looking, up-scale bottle and packaging that I surmise is designed to sway the wine-favoring Spaniards to try this beer. It also says that it was specifically designed to pair with food, but doesn't mention what foods. On to the beer...

Hazy whitish-gold with orange highlights and adequate foamy, white head.

Nice spice blend in the aroma that follows to the palate along with lots of crackery wheat and drying, quenching tartness. Hops are pretty absent, which is in line with the style, and works well here as they let the beautiful spicing shine through.

Really a nice Wit. The spicing is just about perfect, noticeable, but not overwhelming, and the addition of licorice is a nice touch that sets this apart from most other Wits. Indeed, this would be a nice pairing with food, I'm thinking some mussels or other shellfish and/or a fresh leafy greens salad with vinaigrette. I'd take this over many American, and even a few Belgian versions of the style.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2010 14:37:58 | More by bump8628

MrHungryMonkey

Texas

3.1/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Nose is sour Belgian funky with a champagne-like fruitiness over a well-attenuated sharpness. Smells good.

Pours a translucent tangerine yellow with moderate head and fairly quick dissipation... kind of like champagne... is this a trend? At least it's supposed to be served in white wine glasses, not flutes. Looks solidly good.

Such carbonation! A solid pillar of grape-like fruit sits in front, wrapped in apple, pear, and some citrus fruit... tangelo maybe. Mild sourness, funkiness, and spicy coolness. Notes of shampoo (the professional non-scented kind) own the pre-finish (must be the liquorice). Slight dryness in finish.

I should have known that a beer with an arrogant advertisement-dogtag wouldn't live up to its smug claims. How does Damm know this is the first beer specifically created to accompany food? There are numerous beers that can be paired with the utmost respect to the 'best cuisine', which must be high-talk for good food.

Maybe Damm is just joking; maybe this beer and all of its audacity is just a joke...

Avoid.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2009 01:39:38 | More by MrHungryMonkey

Reaper16

Alabama

3.4/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer was pulled out from the fridge with much gusto last night at the Thanksgiving table. The fact that the great Ferran Adrià had a hand in this beer -- a collaboration between Estrella and the late, great El Bulli -- caused a group of food nerds to nerd out just from reading the tag. Is the beer worthy of the association with one of the world's all-time great restaurants?

750mL bottle served into a pilsner glass

Pours a soft gamboge color, like a warm & nutty wheat beer. Not fully translucent; there's enough of a haze to tell you that this has a sizable wheat component in the malt bill. Around one finger of soft white head forms and sticks around for the whole drink.

If you're expecting a bouquet that wows you then you're going to be disappointed in that respect. This is a subtle nose, to say the least. Which isn't to say that it is without one; there's plenty going on. It's just all going on very, very quietly. A Hefeweizen-like yeast character is noticeable, giving the nose a banana and white flowers character. A bit of honeysuckle. Nutty wheat (not zippy or lemony wheat like in American wheat beers) rounds everything out. Light, light spicing as the beer warms up a bit.

The flavor of this beer is similarly unassertive. Coriander and citrus peel -- the typical witbier flavors -- are here. As is a trace of licorice and floral yeast flavors. The malt flavors are very soft. This beer is clearly meant to pair with light dishes. I mean, the marketing says as much but when you taste it you realize that they really mean it. I'm not scoring this as a stand-alone beer as much as I'm scoring it towards their stated goal of being a very food-versatile beer.

It's soft beer in terms of mouthfeel. The carbonation is pretty active, but it is never sharp of prickly. It's more cloud-like. Overall, this is an above-average witbier only because of its unique flavors for the style. This is not a beer to drink by itself, though. It's too seemingly under-flavored for that. Instead, drink this as the brewers and El Bulli collaborators intended it: as a true compliment to light foods that wine has trouble with. This beer is going to be fantastically complimentary with fish, with light & oily salads, with artichoke, asparagus, etc. It's very versatile with light dishes.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2011 17:45:45 | More by Reaper16