I’ve been a fan of The Bruery since I first discovered their beers (within a year of them opening for business). They make a great many sour ales, barrel-aged offerings, and strong Belgian styles. They make everything with a flair and panache not often found in new start-up brewers. And The Bruery has won many awards for their beers, thus far.
I recently spied a new Bruery offering on the shelves of a local BevMo store. Named Jardinier (the French word for “gardenerâ€), the label describes this beer as a “Golden Belgian table beerâ€. At only 4.9% ABV, it certainly would be a lighter brew, worth pairing with most meals. Naturally, I had to give it a try.
On pouring, the beer is a very pale gold, almost looking like one of the industrial lagers that control most of the beer market. Fortunately, the similarity ends there. There is a quick, fizzy carbonation on pouring, which soon settles into a finger-and-a-half of head. It doesn’t stick around long, but the lacing lasts for the entire drinking experience.
The aroma is a blast of hops, smelling almost exactly like lemon blossom, with a slight undertone of grain. This seems, at first, to be a hop-bomb.
Upon, first sip, yes, it IS a hop bomb. Well, somewhat. You see, the lemon blossom smell carries into the flavor. It is a citrus rind bitterness that introduces itself to the palate first. But it doesn’t have much of a lingering finish and dissipates rather quickly. Oddly, the hop bitterness actually DECREASES as the beer warms, with a grainy maltiness coming to the fore.
Overall, I would say that if you are a fan of The Bruery’s “extreme beersâ€, you may not like this one. On the other hand, if you like an extremely well-executed summer refresher, or even a beer to pair with spicy meals, Jardinier fulfills that role as well or better than anything else you may find on the shelves. I heartily recommend it.
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Tom Becham. Tom Becham who? You mean that guy who lives in Oxnard, CA? Reviews beer and brew related businesses? Is always posting to Facebook all that liberal gunk and how his co-workers are weird or irritating or… TOM BECHAM?????????????
NO idea who you’re talking about. 😉