Grand Cru Brut

Galea Grand Cru, the first beer ever by this now acclaimed Antwerp microbrewer, but refermented with champagne yeast and sold in 75 cl bottles. Snow white, moussy, breaking but stable head on an initially clear, deep ‘old golden’ beer with some protein flakes here and there, misty with sediment. Aroma of sweet prosecco and even Riesling wine, banana, coriander seed, green melon, kiwi, melting rubber, bubblegum, apple juice, young abbey cheese, hints of sweat, soap, calvados and plastic. Fruity onset, lots of banana, red apple and ripe pear, fizzy – or perhaps indeed ‘champenoise’ – effervescence but in a ‘harder’, more large-bubbled way than in actual champagne; full, sweet-bready malts with soapy edge and white candi syrup sweetness lingering on top, towards a very fruity finish, adding elements of sweet white grape and lychee as well as a floral and lightly cheesy hoppiness, a powdery champagne yeast effect and warming, calvados-like alcohol, but also something phenolically plastic-like which I found rather unpleasant. Needs more dryness or indeed ‘brut’ effect (see Malheur Brut, the archetype in this ‘style’), too sweet and phenolic in this form, but I suspect the bottle had past its prime already a bit as well. Galea impresses much more in the pastry stout register.

Pours clear blonde, small white head hmfades rather fast. Scent is fairly dry and sharp, mild isoamylacetate. Bit malty. Taste is sharp, tad bitter. Higher carbonation, tad sweet, medium intense banana. Apart from the high carbonation, this is actually quite drinkable.

olen beerfestival

24 February 2019. Wieze Bierfestival - cheers to Meeki, Ama Deke & the lovely Anke! Clear pale golden with a quickly thinning, foamy, off-white head. Aroma of ripe peach, melon, pineapple, banana, wheat, grain, yeast, bit dank & cheesy. Taste is medium fruity sweet, apple, peach & pineapple supported by yeast, white bread & a sourish lemony edge, medium spicy bitter too with some pepper & grain, faint white grape. Dryish, grassy hoppy finish, lingering yellow fruit, some honey, yeast, and slightly wry white wine-like alcohol. Medium body, slick texture, lively carbonation (effectively too much). To me, this doesn't really provide added value compared to the regular version - just more carbonation.