Les ambrées ne sont déjà pas un style facile, mais ici la brasserie de la Semois prend ici une option particulière avec version qui s'apparente à une ambrée brettée. Il serait intéressant de connaitre la levure utilisée. Le visuel est sur un ambré voilé surmonté d'une mousse blanc cassé de 3 mm. Le nez est étrange avec du caramel, un alcool se ressentant, une légère acidité et des relents de détartrant type Canard WC. EN bouche, un côté bretté apparaît, ne s'intégrant pas bien à la base ambrée traditionnelle. Sur l'attaque il y a même une légère acidité qui est présent, avec donc un cocktail caramel, pomme, levure sauvage et alcool qui n'est pas très emballant. Si de légères épices apparaissent en seconde bouche qui est également plus intense, l'ensemble reste globalement linéaire. Sur l'arrière, l'alcool se renforce quelque peu, mais sans que celui-ci soit avenant. Final d'une bonne longueur mais qui n'apporte rien. Toutes les frangines ne se ressemblent pas.

New but classic Wallonian 'ambrée' from Semois, apparently brewed at Sainte-Hélène in the Gaume region; bottle from Geers, filled to about two and a half inches from the top - not quite the generosity I'm used to, but anyway. Opens with a hissing sound but no gushing. Thick, creamy, dense, yellowish egg-white, tightly membrane-lacing, well-retaining head over an initially as good as clear, pure and deep copper-tinged amber beer with even a vague rosy hue. Aroma of moist toasted peanuts, rosehip, old apple peel, persimmon, damp sourishly smelling tree leaves, red raspberry juice, wet paprika powder, rose petals, caramel candy, dried orange flesh, hints of spoiled tomato soup (onsetting oxidation no doubt), rusty iron (again: oxidation), old frangipanes, red rooibos tea, raw leek, industrial white bread. Sweetish onset with a souring edge but more sweet than sour, hints of red apple, persimmon, light banana, touch of unripe peach; rather softly carbonated, slick and supple, bit resinous mouthfeel, tad thinnish, if not watery for a 7+% ABV beer. Peanutty and caramelly malt body, sweetish with a bitterish toasty edge, on the thinnish side again, more bitterness in the finish thanks to a rooty, floral hop bitter accent; some apple peel and persimmon effects lingering. Ends fairly hop bitter but with clearly noticeable, not too flattering 'rust'-like oxidation retronasally, lending it a somewhat metallic feel; toasted and hoppy bitterness do effectively dry the finish, though, and the alcohol remains well hidden. Quite pronounced caramelly malt sweetness persists but the hops, in their basic, bittering, rooty form, eventually make up for the watery impression I had in the onset. Too bad for the oxidation - I guess this bottle had been standing on Geers' shelves for too long - but I can imagine this being a fine beer when it was young, classic as it may be; other than the oxidation, which in this case is not the brewer's fault, I find no truly offensive off-flavours, and I also find a good balance between caramelly-fruity sweetness and finishing toasty-hoppy bitterness. Not an unpleasant beer in its basic make-up, well done, but this type of strongish ambers are to Wallonia what blonde 7% tripels are too Flanders - nothing new under the sun.

Sampled @ Brassigaume 2017. A almost clear orange golden beer with a small off-white head. Aroma of soft reddish malt, caramel, spruce. Taste of red fruits and red malt, caramel and herbs.

F: gusher alert, really huge, off-white, long lasting. C: deep amber, hazy. A: malty, yeasty, fruity, dusty, cherries, cocoa. T: malty, yeasty, fruity, bit of earthy, cocoa, light soapy, high carbonation, medium to full body, really over-carbonated, almost gusher, taste is ok, 33cl bottle from Spar supermarket in Oostende.

Pours dark amber, rather clear. Small white head. Smell is unfresh malts. aged ( no BBD marked on the bottle, should be somewhere between 2013 and 2017. I asume it’s past the best by, than ? Taste is sweet, bit port, aged malts, bit metallic, mild aromaic, some chocolate notes, which is rather unique for an amber ale. Actually quite OK , with a very nice aftertaste. But this is clearly out of date and I assume the best by date was 2013 / 2014. Please, if you have the numbers ready to mark, on the label, than DO mark them !

Imported from my RateBeer account as Semois La Frangine Bière de Gaume Ambrée (by Brasserie de la Semois):
Aroma: 8/10, Appearance: 4/5, Taste: 7/10, Palate: 3/5, Overall: 14/20, MyTotalScore: 3.6/5

4/III/14 - 33cl bottle @ home -BB: no marking on the side to indicate a date (2014-245) Thanks to Dominique for the bottle!

Little cloudy dark orange beer, small creamy off-white to light beige head, little stable, non adhesive. Aroma: dried fruits, caramel, some chocolate, bit sweet. MF: lots of carbon, medium body. Taste: bit sourish first, fruity, cherries, red berries, come caramel, dried cranberries. Aftertaste: some chocolate, caramel, sourish touch, toast, malty, bitter hops. Still good, but the lesser of the three Frangine beers I've had.

Sampled draft @ Brassigaume 2013. Hazy amber with a white head. Nose is rye booze, caramel, watery with iron & sweet metals. Taste is boozy, bitter leaves, rye, dark bread, wild grains, syrupy, brown sugar, bitter herbs lingering in the finish. Syrupy body. Technically there is nothing wrong with this but it doesn’t work for me.

draft @ Marché des Produits Luxembourgeois, 19/09/2012. Ambrée trouble, col blanc cassé. Arôme malté grillé avec un bouquet rappelant plus les fruits rouges/noirs. Pointe de caramel et léger bouquet noisette. Palais présente une rondeur de bouche en comparaison à la blonde, le tout est fruité avec ce profilé de fruits rouges. Garde en retrait une douceur fleurie. Ici aussi, la levure ajoute une épaisseur de bouche allant presque vers le terreux. Petit pointe sucrée et malt cara, le tout relevé par une brève amertume citronnée.