Northmaen Rousse - Brasserie De La Chapelle

bckayaalp

New York

4/5  rDev +5.5%

12-25-2012 05:19:28 | More by bckayaalp

kaneel

France

4/5  rDev +5.5%

12-28-2012 22:38:05 | More by kaneel

NightINgale

Quebec (Canada)

4/5  rDev +5.5%

12-02-2012 02:48:39 | More by NightINgale

BMoldy

New York

3.53/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Tasted on 09/27/11. From notes:

A: Vigorous pour yields a 1-finger light brown head. Very cloudy, light chestnut/dark honey in color. Poor head retention. No lacing to speak of.

S: Floral/herbal hops are slightly more dominant that the toasty, somewhat toffee-like malts.

T: On the sweet side, with a pleasant caramel maltiness, but tempered well by the hops. Bitterness fades quickly to sweetness, as does a very mild spiciness/nuttiness.

M: Full, soft, creamy mouthfeel that finishes light. Very mild carbonation. Alcohol warms a little, but is far from evident in the taste.

O: Kind of bland for such a big beer. I'm sorry to say I'm a little disappointed with this one. My other experiences with Northmaen (Yggdrasill, 11 siècles de normandie...) have been pretty good, but this one was generally underwhelming. Balanced in its own way, but otherwise not too interesting. No spiciness or yeast profile to jazz things up. I'd give it a "4" overall, but I took off .5 for the disappointment. Definitely plan on trying their other offerings, though.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2011 20:10:51 | More by BMoldy

GClarkage

California

3.55/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

10/30/08- Purchased at Ledgers in Berkeley, CA.

Presentation- 750ml bottle. Poured into my Duvel tulip. Did not look for freshness info. Label looks different that pic here, so I am assuming it's a fairly fresh bottle...green to boot.

Appearance- Semi cloudy orange-yellow pour. About a 3/4 inch head, settles at a slight rim. Leaves some minor spotty and streaks of lace.

Smell- Smell was average at best. Some grain like macro scents, but on the other hand it had some light fruityness and a dash of spice.

Taste- Not skunked at many green bottles are. Quite smooth. A light lemon flavored base with a nice amount of confectioniers sugar...not to much, not to little. A small amount of peppery spice as well. No real farmhouse attributes or sourness, but also had a slight honey flavor.

Mouthfeel- Nice carbonation level. Not a real aftertaste, maybe a slight remnent of honey and sugar. Very smooth and crisp as stated above.

Drinkability- Not a top saison, but not a bad one either. A bit better than average and certainly drinkable and worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2008 00:50:58 | More by GClarkage

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Very good white head that leaves an excellent ring of lace; light amber in color, cloudy.

Barnyard aromas of cut grass and stale hay

Like a cross between a gentle Abbey Ale and a Biere de Garde; the taste improves as it warms up. Mild flavor with a slight sour aftertaste. Good full body with generous carbonation.

This is a beautiful looking beer and an excellent choice to have while visiting France.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2007 02:01:49 | More by smcolw

jed

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Presentation: 33 cl brown bottle with art designed to look like an old tapestry. Parchement graphic on the side with information about the brewery. The bottom of the label says that this beer is from "Lot 1," to be consumed before 6/2005.

Appearance: Pours a very dark, clear brown that looks like old wood. The head is basically nonexistent, with only a tiny amount of lacing lapping the sides of the glass. The color is remarkably consistent throughout, so much so that the beer almost looks like dark syrup.

Smell: Herbal hop aromas mixed with grass and raw grain, complimented by a hint of apple sweetness. Near the end of the glass, I caught a whiff of almost pure alcohol solvent, which knocks the smell down on this one.

Taste: Hops? In a French beer? Mais … c'est incroyable! Nose is mainy hops and toasted malt. Midway through, more prominent raw grain flavors. Finish is dry, with nice apple and honey sweetness and grass flavors. Alcohol is almost completely concealed. This beer has the strongest hop presence of any French beer I've tried, which is nice in this land barren of American style ales. Similar to Jenlain's excellent Bière de Garde, but this one has more intense hop bitterness and a drier cider sweetness. Very tasty.

Mouthfeel: Nothing extraordinary, a very smooth beer hurt only by thin mouthfeel as it warms. 4.0

Drinkability: The first French beer I've had that would work as a flavorful session beer.

Until I tried this one, I'd never heard of the brewery, and I've never seen this for sale in a bar. If you're in Paris, you can pick up a bottle at the Bootlegger in the 15th arrondisèment (see BeerFly for details). A very good, hopped-up take on the bière de garde style from a genuine French craft brewery. If you can find this, buy it!

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2004 18:48:02 | More by jed