Rince Cochon

Image courtesy of artisanwinedepot.com

Inspired by a facebook post featuring my brother-in-law hoisting a hefeweizen from Drake’s Barrel House near San Leandro, CA, I searched the cellar for something in the wheat beer family that I could enjoy, and I came up with a Rince Cochon Belgian Blonde Ale, from Brouwerij Roman, N.V. in Mater Oudenaarde, Belgium.  It’s as close as I could get on short notice but I’m not complaining.  Rince Cochon (translation:  Rinsed Pig) is light gold with a ton of meringue-like head and carbonation, and Brussels lace like there’s no tomorrow.  Rince Cochon is a biere de garde, or farmhouse beer, brewed in the style of farmhouse brews of Northern France and Flanders, brewed in the winter when the air is free of unwanted living organisms that could affect the taste, to be consumed in the summer.  This is a bottle conditioned ale, but the sediment in this case is pretty well packed in the bottom of the bottle, because the first glass poured was fairly clear.  There’s some banana and some lemon zest in the bouquet, and a rusty tartness on the tongue.  There’s a good malt presence in the flavor profile and the finish is dryish on the back of the throat, but still mouth-watering.  An ABV of 8.5% warms the gut, as well as the heart.

83/100 Belgian Blonde

(I prefer Belgian Brunettes)