Pilsener as interpreted by Charleroi's leading microbrewery, bottle (indeed with zebra pattern - apparently evoking the colours of the city's coat of arms) bought at the Bois du Cazier site in nearby Marcinelle. Foam tries to creep out of the bottle neck some five seconds after opening, but no gushing. Thinnish, finely 'Brugse kant'-like lacing, snow white, breaking head retaining well around the edge and in flat islands in the middle; initially clear pale straw to golden blonde robe with lively visible sparkling, misty and more yellowish with sediment. Weak aroma, hints of pita bread dough, even some sourdough, pumice, cold chamomile tea, faint notes of gypsum, grass, dried sweat, dry linen cloth and sweetclover - "des arômes peu complexes" indeed. Fizzy onset, sharply and very minerally carbonated but I guess this typifies the genre, some green apple acetaldehyde and a vague hint of unripe hard apricot somewhere, supple and slender mouthfeel; minerally accents keep accompanying a cereally and thinly doughy pale malt flavour with dim sourish undertone (more of a minerally nature than truly sour - the carbon dioxide, I presume), to a thin finish with more bready notes and a light grassy hop bitter touch which pleasantly lingers for a while. The fizz keeps bubbling into the throat - but as said, high amounts of effervescence are typical for the style and generally there is nothing unnatural or 'off' to be found here: this Zébrée indeed resembles the unpasteurized 'regional' Pilseners Belgium had in large numbers many a decade ago. Simple as intended, but clean, 'honest' and fully natural, so by all means a much better option than the pasteurized, cheaply made, totally bland versions the macro breweries keep forcing into the throat of the average 'pilsjesdrinker' in Belgium. Delivers exactly what it promises: an old-fashioned, humble and straightforward 'ambachtelijk pilsje', of a kind popping up in Belgium more and more often in recent years (see Zenne Pils, the Pils 13 iterations, Troef, Papy Vandepils and so on).

On tap at the brewery. Clear golden, white head. Malty, watery, very light. Tad sweet, bit oxidized.

Bottle. Light hazy colour, white foam. Some malty sweetness, medium bitter finish, some citrus. Ok.