Malheur Bière Brut (Brut Reserve) - Brouwerij De Landtsheer NV

ark57

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I was most fortunate to purchase a few bottles of this while in Brussels for about 10 Euros, and I think that is a steal after trying my first. It is a hazy golden color and a big fluffy, white head. The aroma is part fruity and part delicate, earthy hops. I think it is very complex. Some of the tastes I noticed were peach, apricot and vanilla. It finishes with a spicy hop finish. The beer is light and refreshing despite a hefty ABV. I had no trouble finishing the whole 750 mL bottle in by myself as I did not want to share my new found treasure.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2004 15:56:37 | More by ark57

Todd

Massachusetts

4.38/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Notes from the 2002 Kerstbierfestival, Essen, Belgium.

This beer has been subject to a similar process to Champagne production. The yeast sediment settles in the neck of the bottle while in the cellars ... there it is frozen and removed by a technique known as "degorgement." It's then bottled traditionally, "bouteille Champenoise."

Dark, honey blond color with thin wisp lace. A bit cloudy, where I expected a lot of clarity. Funky, musty, cheesy hop character with a dose of raw herbal in your face. Prickly carbonation. Huge sweetness. Notes of honey, candy, caramel, pear, apple and a distinct and very notable vanilla bean flavor. Some sharp lemon mingles with the carbonation. Confectionery sweetness comes to mind. Dirty yeast underneath with some herbal phenols on the top of the mouth.

What a wonderfully different approach to beer! I'm sure this will be recognized as a new style someday.

Love it.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2003 22:12:23 | More by Todd

RBorsato

Virginia

4.43/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pale yellow with a huge clumpy, pillowy white head, very active carbonation ala champagne (but big bubbles are a bit slower), and solid sheets of lace. Smells much like Malheur 10 (the base beer for this brew) side by side: Perfumey, oily, hoppy, orange blossoms. Fruity -- lemony, orange-ish, apricots (?). Airy, spritzy body with a very dry finish.

A nice Experimental brew ! Glad I have a few more bottles to celebrate special occasions.

Best before: 01/01/05
Tasted: 09/20/03

(25.45 oz. corked and wire caged champagne bottle)

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2003 15:20:57 | More by RBorsato

stcules

Italy

4.47/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Head very creamy and compact, cream, milk, strawberry in the flavour, even citrus fruits (lime, orange, bergamotto?). Peach. The colour is orange, full and intense. Taste: licorice, wood (tobacco?), pepper (more than in the smell). The bitter is strong in the aftertaste, very persistent. After 10-15 minutes in the smell appears hints of sour black cherry and strawberry, and pepper, more strong. This beer is very complex, but it is very well balanced, even with the alcool, not very low. Aftertaste bitter of hop, very pleasant. The taste, and mostly the flavour changes a lot at the rise of the temperature, growing again the complexity of this very interesting beer. Then rise again spices... A beer absolutely to taste! (even if it is a little expensive... how you can do if the drinkability is high?)

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2003 11:31:06 | More by stcules

rastaman

United Kingdom (England)

3.5/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Nothing really champagne like at all as others suggest. Still very big and powerful. Heavy mouthfeel, with some detergent flavour with some peppery alcohol, like many tripels. In fact this reminded me of a blend between Westmalle Tripel, Chimay White and Orval. Complex and rich, yet i don't really think they pulled this one off as well as they could have, still a nice one though.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2003 17:45:13 | More by rastaman

Jason

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: The head was not much to talk about but was present, a bit on the hazy side donning a yellowish beige hue.

Smell: Musty cheese hop aroma with a nutty earthy yeast and vague fruitiness in the back.

Taste: Fruity palate of apple skin, pears and lemon zest. Powdery yeast and a dry malt character form from middle to end with a warming alcohol.

Mouthfeel: More smoothness that actual sting crispness, again smooth with an unwavering light body.

Drinkability & Notes: A bit champagne like but with the beer qualities there is no confusion. This is beyond Duvel and the like, not better just more complex.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2003 10:27:43 | More by Jason

TheLongBeachBum

California

4.3/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A unique beer, drunk in unique surroundings, is all I can say about my experience when I sampled this ‘beer’ for the first time.
It was 11/28/02, and I was in the Bier Circus in Brussels, sat next to Stephen D’Arcy, the well-known Brussels CAMRA Member and Belgium Beer afficionado. It was my friend Richard Downs Birthday, so I ordered the most suitable beer from the extensive Menu to celebrate said occasion– Malheur Brut Reserve. Wow!!
It is advertised as the “The First Bière Brut in the World “, from the bibulous instruction leaflet hanging from the ‘Champenoise’ Bottle.
The Bottle arrived at the Bar carefully chilled, lying almost horizontally in a steel Ice Bucket – exactly as recommended. A huge bang announced the opening, as well as some major frothing with no spillage, as it was all caught in the first of 3 Glasses already lined up. Even from a refrigerated Bottle, the vigorous expulsion of the Cork testifies to the Champagne nature of the beer. Accompanied by 3 Malheur branded Champagne glasses, the Bartender at the Bier Circus poured the beer for us - very carefully.
The beer pours with a massive head at first that does settles; however, the bursting bubbles on the surface are continuously reinforced from streamers below at an equilibrium that leaves a ½” head for some time. It has a pale peach colour with a slightly off white frothy effervescent champagne head. The wide mouth of the ‘coupe’ glass positively oozes strong aromas of fresh peaches and apricots in particular, with additional reinforcements from oranges, lemons and other zingy citric fruits. Fantastic. Initial mouthfeel is velvety; the beer dances on the tongue and tickles your cheeks. The powerful alcoholic strength of this beer is introduced early on, but is not overpowering – it is slowly released in a very careful manner. Fruits, Hops and alcohol are in high in the middle with some dry-bitterness, the finish is slow and very dry with a slow astringent-alcohol finish.
Slightly warming. Simply Amazing.
Was it the occasion more than beer?
Maybe, perhaps! But it is still a damn good beer to celebrate with.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2002 20:36:14 | More by TheLongBeachBum

jreitman

California

4.3/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a golden orange with a thick amount of bubbly, champagne-like head. Tart, fruit aromas are most dominate with a hint of sweetness. A very nice belgian brew with some candi sugar like sweetness, citrusy tanginess and a good mouth filling sweetness. Was expecting less than I got and was pleasantly surprised. A very intriguiging beer that is worth checking out at least once. Not something to make a session beer out of.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2002 13:24:45 | More by jreitman

Gusler

Arizona

4.2/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The beer pours a slightly foggy orange color, the head is mountainous, frothy, long lasting and fine sheets of lace cover the glass. Nose malt, fruit sweet, to me the aroma of over ripe plums, tart, not bad mind you, just something unexpected. Front is malt sweet, the top is middling, and the finish is potently acidic, beneficently hopped, with a “Sweet and Sour” long lasting aftertaste, quite complex. Also the large ABV, gives a nice "tummy" warming feeling, a very interesting beer. Normally something that I don't think would be high on my list, but I do have a few bottles aging away, so let's see what I think next year and the year after.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2002 08:40:29 | More by Gusler