Le Petit Prince

This beer had good malt and yeast development in the aroma that included wheat, straw, leather and a slight aspirin-like scent. Subtle esters are lurking in the background, but are not very distinguishable over the fermentation characteristics. The color is a pale straw with cloudiness from the yeast and proteins. A pale white head holds the glass and hovers over most of the beer’s surface. The flavor is dominated by grapefruit rind and wheat malt, but underneath, some Brettanomyces-derived earthiness and subtle spice are also detectable. The grapefruit character lingers through to the finish. The sourness of the yeast is not overly intense as the wheat and other malts bring enough malt backbone to bear. It is unclear if this malt balance will hold over time, or if the Brett will continue to develop and chew through those malt sugars, but the mouthfeel is creamy from the wheat (despite the Brett-driven fermentation). The grapefruit rind and an aspirin-like character provide some puckering in the finish. Overall, this is a good and relatively straightforward interpretation of a gueuze-like beer. If you like grapefruit that is not the result of hops and a balanced level of sourness, you should give this beer a try for yourself.