I was expecting some edge from a special "cuvee" ale created by a brewery named after a troll. I wanted some funk; strange unidentifiable spices; and grimaces until my taste buds acclimated to intense complexity. I wanted a nasty, Grimm Brothers' troll of a beer.
Instead,
Cuvee des Troll from Belgium's
Brasserie Dubisson Freres sprl, is the equivalent of a good troll. It wasn't an angry, belligerent monster that terrorizes entire villages and eats children lost in the forest, but a benevolent creature that walks wayward children home, admonishes their parents for negligent supervision, and then makes sure homework's complete, teeth are brushed and bedtime curfews kept. Even the picture on Cuvee des Troll's bottle looked more like a happy
Paul Galdone elf than a
JRR Tolkien description of a dangerous troll.
Cuvee des Trolls is a smooth - oh, so smooth - Belgian golden ale. It poured a cloudy, pale yellow with massive white foam due to the tight carbonation. The elegant, light bodied beer had a whisper of yeast on the initial taste and a fast-disappearing finish. Its hop profile, if any, was invisible, allowing a sweetness to engulf the beer's flavor profile. Its 7% abv was no factor. Cuvee des Trolls was good, but so safe and benign it was boring. You won't find a more approachable, drinkable Belgian beer than Cuvee des Trolls, but don't expect any excitement.
No comments:
Post a Comment