A Taste of… Jenlain Blonde

Brasserie Duyck
BP 6
59144 Jenlain - France

Tel. +(33) 3 27 49 70 03
Fax. +(33) 3 27 49 74 81

Preface: As you can see from the picture above, this tasting was not done “in house”. In fact I had some help in sampling this brew and I thank my good friend Mark for the use of his living room as a setting for the tasting and his taste receptors for their participation. His comments are bracketed.

This bottle of Jenlain Blonde was obtained from a reputable retailer and kept refrigerated after being purchased. Its retail cost was $8.95(US)


Appearance: This is a slightly cloudy brew, light amber with light brass tones… lightly carbonated with a slightly dense bone white head of small bubbles that formed a full head.

Aroma: First impression is a slightly toasty sensation with a touch of green grass/wet hay. The second impression revealed a bit more malt. It should be noted that there was a plate of sliced smoked ham in the near vicinity that did make an aromatic impression. In the lip-to-sip the sweet aroma/flavor stepped forward.

Mouth feel: The initial mouth feel is pleasantly effervescent, almost creamy, with little carbolic acid spike.

Flavor: The first impression, after the creamy mouth feel was of hard rock sugar candy. The second impression added a slight touch of caramel. The third taste reveled a malted grain flavor. Throughout there was little hint of hops. (This is a refreshing beer that would be really good on a hot day.)

Finish: The sugar candy flavor dries out and leaves a slightly citric finish on the pallet.

Comments: (This reminds me of a Duvel I had once… refreshing and not too heavy.) I am not unfamiliar with the Jenlain line of brews and will admit to having been a fan of these brews for a number of years. The bland cheddars and smoked ham that I tasted with this brew did little to add to the flavors of the brew or help me appreciate what character there was in the cheese. A sharper cheese, perhaps a bowl of steamed mussels would have been a much better idea. In fact a tin of sardines in light oil with a crisp loaf of bread would have been even better.

The brewery site: http://www.duyck.com/

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