Bière de France: Part Deux - Flanders
On our final night in Paris, we had our best meal of the whole trip at a wonderful restaurant called L'Ourcine. Everything about the experience was great. Careful time and consideration went into all aspects of the meal, including the beer. They only had two beers available - both regional artisanals from Brasserie Thiriez in Flanders.
La Rouge Flamande
80 / 100
The bottle was poured into a chalice and yes, it was rouge.
It had a pleasant aroma: dark cherry with strong malt and caramel flavors. It's flavor was less sour than expected, which is traditional for a Flanders Red Ale. The malts were the most prevalent taste with hints of fruits and raisins. It paired well with my meat dish, so no surprise to see a cow's head on the bottle.
La Blonde D’Esquelbecq
82 / 100
My buddy ordered the bière blonde, which was admittedly better than my choice. Bastard. Same style chalice for the unfiltered fizzy yellow nectar. Aroma of cloves and yeast. The taste was quite refreshing - some lemon, lots of yeast which even lent to some breadiness. Lots of flavor and quite drinkable.
