2008 Woodie Awards
Belgain Brew
Beer Review
By Chris Phillips, Hilary Brown
4/18/07 - Features
This week, we'd like to give our loyal readers two perspectives on a unique, truly Belgian beer. Comprised of wheat, hops, and malt, Iris is a lambic beer. Lambic describes the fermentation process: it ferments in the open air between October and May. After several months of open-air fermentation, the beer is placed in barrels and left to complete its development. The Iris is comprised of 50% dried hops and 50% fresh hops and undergoes a fresh-hopping after being in the barrels for two years, and is then bottled.
Appearance -
[Chris] It has an orange-yellow color, with low to medium carbonation-it pours with two fingers of very thin head. The head, itself, does stay around for a while.
[Hilary] The color is golden-yellow, with light carbonation. To me, this looks how a beer should look.
Smell -
[Hilary] It smells acidic, with woody undertones. It's very hoppy.
[Chris] I agree, it's fairly acidic; I'm definitely smelling the woody hops. However, I'm also smelling a slight amount of bitter herbs and I can't quite tell whether it's the malt or the hops. I'm thinking that the bitterness is coming from wheat.
Taste -
[Chris] On the front end of the beer, I tasted a slightly sweet bitterness that seemed to come from the bitter herb smell. This taste was almost immediately drowned by a taste that reminded me of a bitter lime salt. It has an acidic aftertaste that almost evokes vinegar, to be honest.
[Hilary] It tastes bitter, and very acidic. It tastes more like wine than beer. The taste is very sour and has understated wheat undertones. The aftertaste leaves an impression of lingering bitterness.
Mouthfeel -
[Hilary] The carbonation is very smooth and the beer sits lightly in my mouth. It doesn't feel very thick.
[Chris] It's a pretty lightly carbonated beer. It's pretty watery, but more chewy than I had expected, based on the color.
Drinkability -
[Chris] Definitely an interesting experience. While I'm not going to run to buy another bottle, I wouldn't shy away from trying it again.
[Hilary] I really enjoy this beer-perhaps because it is so unique. This is actually the second time that I've had lambics from this brewer and I would definitely go out and buy another bottle.
Note: Neither The Oredigger nor the Oregon Brewing Company condone the consumption of alcohol by people under 21 years of age.
Appearance -
[Chris] It has an orange-yellow color, with low to medium carbonation-it pours with two fingers of very thin head. The head, itself, does stay around for a while.
[Hilary] The color is golden-yellow, with light carbonation. To me, this looks how a beer should look.
Smell -
[Hilary] It smells acidic, with woody undertones. It's very hoppy.
[Chris] I agree, it's fairly acidic; I'm definitely smelling the woody hops. However, I'm also smelling a slight amount of bitter herbs and I can't quite tell whether it's the malt or the hops. I'm thinking that the bitterness is coming from wheat.
Taste -
[Chris] On the front end of the beer, I tasted a slightly sweet bitterness that seemed to come from the bitter herb smell. This taste was almost immediately drowned by a taste that reminded me of a bitter lime salt. It has an acidic aftertaste that almost evokes vinegar, to be honest.
[Hilary] It tastes bitter, and very acidic. It tastes more like wine than beer. The taste is very sour and has understated wheat undertones. The aftertaste leaves an impression of lingering bitterness.
Mouthfeel -
[Hilary] The carbonation is very smooth and the beer sits lightly in my mouth. It doesn't feel very thick.
[Chris] It's a pretty lightly carbonated beer. It's pretty watery, but more chewy than I had expected, based on the color.
Drinkability -
[Chris] Definitely an interesting experience. While I'm not going to run to buy another bottle, I wouldn't shy away from trying it again.
[Hilary] I really enjoy this beer-perhaps because it is so unique. This is actually the second time that I've had lambics from this brewer and I would definitely go out and buy another bottle.
Note: Neither The Oredigger nor the Oregon Brewing Company condone the consumption of alcohol by people under 21 years of age.
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