Bellerose - Brasserie des Sources

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

3.8/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

A 330ml bottle with a BB of August 2013. Picked up a while back from Trembling Madness in York. A silver-medal winner in a Parisian competition; the label describes it as a blonde beer brewed with three hop varieties. The French have decided to embrace modern brewing styles....

Poured into a Delirium chalice. A hazy golden-amber hue with good carbonation and tons of flocculent sediment floating around (possibly coagulated protein). Produces a large head of creamy white foam with decent retention; this slowly subsides to a thick surface layer. Aroma of fruity yeast esters with hints of light malt, grass/hay, spice, a touch of coriander, mild citrus and faint tropical fruits. A warming whiff of booze lurks in the background.

Tastes of light malt with a yeasty character and a dry finish. Notes of fruity yeast esters, peppery spice, coriander, earthiness, grass/hay, faint citrus and stewed hops. Well-attenuated, with a hint of solventy booze in the background. The aroma hops don't come through so much in the flavour. A subtle bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is velvety smooth, accompanied by tingly carbonation and a slight spiciness. Dry, with a lovely creamy body. Somewhat astringent, followed by an aftertaste of fruity yeast, earthiness and stewed hops.

Very nice - tasty and balanced. It looks good, with a predominantly yeasty aroma/flavour illuminated by subtle aromatic hop notes. The body is great; it glides over the palate like silk. The influence of Belgium and the US are discernible, with a yeast profile that reminds me of a Belgian blonde and hopping that recalls an American pale ale. A solid effort that goes down almost too easily; worthy of your time if you come across it.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2013 22:11:55 | More by jazzyjeff13

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.93/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A: Pours a clear medium golden yellow in color with moderate amounts of visible carbonation and some light amounts of lemon and straw yellow highlights. The beer has a finger tall fizzy white head that slowly reduces to a thin film covering the entire surface of the beer and a thick ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Light to moderate aromas of citrus/lemon, yeast, herbal, and some light fruits (apple).

T: Upfront there is a light amount of bready malts that is followed by a light amount of light fruit (apple, lychee, and pear) sweetness. There is a moderate amount of yeast and herbal notes - maybe lavender, black pepper, and grass/hay.

M: Just heavier than light bodied with moderate to heavy amounts of carbonation. Crisp upfront with some light amounts of dryness in the finish.

O: This was a pleasant surprise (found it at the convenient store next to the BYOB restaurant I was having dinner at and bought it on a whim) and had some decent hints of saison as well. Easy to drink and paired well with the spicy pepperoni pizza I was enjoying.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 01:45:37 | More by dbrauneis

justintcoons

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

11.2 oz bottle poured into a tulip pint.

Appearance
Golden straw with 2 fingers of fluffy, white head that leaves behind some excellent lacing. Good clarity with lively carbonation.

Nose
Golden apple, nectarine, hay, pilsner malt and lemongrass.

Taste
Pilsner malts, golden apple and hints of peach. Notes of potpourri, dried hay and lemongrass.

Mouthfeel
Medium bodied, crisp, clean and drying.

Overall
Interesting and quite quaffable.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 17:45:54 | More by justintcoons

rdickey

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A: Pours a clear amber/gold into a tulip. A brilliant white two-finger head lingers and leaves nice lacing as it slowly collapses.

S: The nose is nicely balanced. I get citrus hops, herbs, some grassiness and bready yeast.

T: The taste pretty much echoes what was previewed by the nose. As it warms, the herbal notes move more to the fore and are joined by floral and fruity elements that I had not noticed before. A very well put-together beer.

M: Bellerose is very crisp, light and almost airy in the mouth. It finishes very dry.

D: Very high. This is a pretty complex beer, which is pretty easy to overlook because it is so well constructed. Despite the complexity, and because of the construction, it is highly, highly drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 02:21:20 | More by rdickey

mwilbur

Minnesota

4.33/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 750 mL bottle into tulip.
A: Pours a clear golden yellow with moderate carbonation producing a 1/2 inch white head. Excellent retention. Hint of lacing.
S: Honey, herbal notes, sweet melon, minerally mustiness, and a pleasant subdued floral note. Quite nice.
T: Tart fruit and a dry mineral note up front. Then comes a pleasant and fairly delicate melange of herbs (very similar to a chamomile tea) and floral (lavender) notes. A distinct note of lychee. Finishes like a dry sparkling white wine.
M: Light body. Some carbonated effervescence. Lightly sweet with a slightly oily feel. Pleasantly dry finish (more wine-like, not a hoppy bitter dryness).
D: An eminently drinkable brew. Very nice for style. Delicate, complex, and intriguing. Refreshing and wonderfully sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2013 05:25:23 | More by mwilbur

DaveAnderson

Minnesota

3.81/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Pours a hazy, pale straw color, generating a substantive foamy head of bone white. After 5 minutes or so, this mostly recedes, leaving thick gobs of lacing uniformly from its original height on down.

As soon as I smell it, I wish I were enjoying this in summer. It's yeasty and bready, with notes of pears, apples, and lemon oil. And dandelions. On the tongue, it is all of this and more. It is tart without being sour, quenchingly bitter, and maybe even tannic.

It's light and bright, and slightly sweet. Carbonation is soft. This is easy to drink, and would seemingly pair with almost any food. It's a nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 06:23:21 | More by DaveAnderson

Dope

Massachusetts

4.09/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A: Pours a clear golden amber. Enormous frothy and fizzy white head. Fades very slowly with excellent head retention. Huge island of foam persists. Big fluffs of lacing everywhere on the glass.

S: A very crisp and refreshing aroma. Lots of light citrus with lemon and oranges. Light grassy notes and some yeasty bread and black pepper. All light and crisp. Very saison-esque.

T: Lots of sweet citrus up front. Lemons yes, but primarily oranges. Kinda orange marmalade-ish. Has some melon in there too, cantaloupe? Has a bit of a tropical fruit taste in fact too, too light to really identify but it's nice. Some bread in the middle. Spicy in the finish and into the aftertaste, primarily black pepper I'd say.

M: Very smooth and medium bodied. Higher carbonation gives it a fluffier mouthfeel too.

O: Very nice biere de garde. Very saison-esque but it's lighter and crisper than most with a nice hop presence (but it's no west-coast IPA of course). I guess I would describe it as a mild ipa and a saison hybrid. Tasty.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 05:23:17 | More by Dope

StJamesGate

New York

4.05/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Palest bronze with a lumpy white carpet of foam that rings and speckles immediately.
Big yeasty nose with some lemon peel and herb underneath.
Baguette crust, green apple skin, and flowers, an ester hit, maybe a bit of lychee like the label says, then Noble spice hops with a hint of tangerine peel.
Leafy herbal end and long yeasty linger. Light to medium, lively, creamy, some cling.

Nice to see France getting in on the American-influenced beers (along with Britain and Belgium) - this is pitched as an IPA/biere de garde hybrid. Three hops in here (from 3 continents, apparently), and I'm guessing there's both traditional and US in there, along with NZ tropical fruit. Adds up to a multi-layered hop kick which, together with a very soft body, makes this very easy to drink and a great dinner table beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2012 15:24:46 | More by StJamesGate

Guerra

4.58/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bellerose is a very  interesting beer.
Firstly for his taste. It is very original, tasty and spicy with a kind of fruity taste.
Secondly for his design and concept. Bellerose means 'Beatiful rose' in french. On the bottle and all the packaging, we can see a pin-up. She gives to that  beer a funny and glamorous touch.
I recommend that french beer 'Bellerose' for all the beer lovers who want to discover and appreciate new flavor and taste! Enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2012 14:58:55 | More by Guerra

Adrien

Louisiana

4.48/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bellerose is a tasteful beer with fine aroma of litchis and citrus fruit that give to the beer a very refreshing after taste. By poring the beer into a glass, I was able to appreciate it’s nice bright colour; typical for this IPA style of beer.
What I also like with this beer is the bottle and the label itself. It gives a very French and glamorous touch to the beer with a retro and vintage look!
To sum up my "Bellerose experience", I would say it is the perfect beer to share with some friends around couple of nice French cheese!

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2012 14:01:05 | More by Adrien

beerbuddy11735

New York

4.85/5  rDev +20%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

My drinking beer buddy on his recent trip to France and Belgium brought back some local bottled beers for me to try. Bellerose was one he found in France. Who knew the French make some pretty great beers besides wine. This Belgian IPA pours like a typical IPA with some medium carbonation. Smell was right on with American craft IPA with hints of hops and taste was hoppy but not overwhelming so probably IBU in middle of the pack. Overall this IPA is one I like but my local beer store does not carry it.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2012 10:54:59 | More by beerbuddy11735