Pépé Marcel
Brouwerij Biermaekers in Gullegem, West Flanders, Belgium 🇧🇪
Belgian Style - Blonde / Pale / Amber Regular|
Score
6.71
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Alengrin (11561) reviewed Pépé Marcel from Brouwerij Biermaekers 5 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5
Strongish blonde by Biermaekers in Gullegem near Kortrijk, made in honour of the brewer's late grandfather; steinie bottle from the Carrefour 'hypermarket' in Sint-Denijs-Westrem (Ghent). Thick and frothy, cobweb-lacing, egg-white, pillowy and stable head on an initially clear, warm 'old gold' coloured beer with pale, 'metallic' orange hue and some lonely bubbles pushing upwards here and there, shifting to a misty peach blonde with sediment. Aroma of ripe banana, coriander seed, clove, straw, cotton cloth, dried out white bread, hard Conference pear, unripe peach, hints of white soap (probably just the coriander again), glue, potato peel, black radish, dried thyme. Cleanish fruity onset, green pear and unripe banana, sweetish but not overly so, lively carbonated with lots of minerally, fizzy effects but not harshly stinging; slick, glueish to even somewhat resinous mouthfeel. Rounded cereally maltiness with a white-bready and ever so slightly caramelly edge, carbonation effects lasting, coriander seed soapiness and spicy phenols (clove), joined by a floral, slightly leafy hop bitterness in the end, yet remaining altogether soft, gentle and smooth, with some maltiness lingering in the end as well as continuing spicy phenols, though not in an exaggerated, medicinal way. Alcohol, in a 'jenever'-ish way, is annoyingly noticeable in the finish too, even a tad wry, which should not be the case at a 'mere' 7.5% ABV, though it is somewhat mitigated by residual honeyish sweetness in the end - something I really do not want to taste anymore at this stage. The grandfather in question, Marcel, was apparently an 'allemansvriend' - a friend to all people - and this beer is intended as such too; well, with all due respect for the late lamented Marcel and I did not know him in person of course, but it seems to me that intentionally making your tribute beer an 'allemansvriend' is anything but a tribute. First of all, there are way too many soulless blondes like this around in Belgium as it is - this cascade of 'allemansvrienden' simply does not stop - and secondly, I have the impression that the entire range of Biermaekers consists of nothing but 'allemansvrienden'. What inspired brewer would willingly want to advertize any of his beers as an 'allemansvriend' to begin with? It is beyond me, and if I were a brewer wanting to honour a late lamented family member, the least I would do is create something memorable instead of the exact opposite. I am sure Pépé Marcel was a good man beloved by all who crossed his path, but this beer does not convey that message at all - even though, it must be said, this blonde by itself is correctly brewed and does not show any technical flaws. It's just... well, boring, ticking all the worn-out boxes of what the average Joe in Belgium expects from an easy blonde, like a more artisanal version of big Leffe Blonde - and this approach annoys me more and more each day.
Harrisoni (26137) reviewed Pépé Marcel from Brouwerij Biermaekers 5 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8
Bottle from Dranken Vandewoude and drunk on a campsite with Nelson. Hazy orange gold colour lasting cream. Hoppy spicy aroma with some esters. Wonderfully cold on a warm evening. yes I liked it. a,spicy slightly deeper Belgian blond. . enjoyable.
jefverstraete (7493) reviewed Pépé Marcel from Brouwerij Biermaekers 5 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Golden colour, white foam. Soft carbonation. Sweet nose of banana, some peach, some herbal (coriander) notes. Medium sweet, light bitter. Ok.