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France
 scrapes in  decent  good  excellent  sublime
Brasserie de Cimes, Piste Noire (France)
This biere ambrée pours a nut brown colour with an off-white, quite persistent head. The aromas on the nose are all about caramel and malt, with notes of bran and a little herbal character, and some fruity tones too. On the palate it is thick-textured and extremely sweet, with a flood of rather sugary flavour joined in the mid-palate by fudge and chocolate notes, some red fruits, but the sweetness really dominates and for me begins to cloy slightly. An interesting enough beer, and it has character, but you'd have to like that sweetness. 5.9% ABV, 33cl, £1.39, Beersofeurope, .  |  |
Castelain, Ch'Ti Blanche (France) 
This big bottle is closed with a cork and wire topping. A cloudy wheat beer, Ch'Ti Blanche pours a pale yellow/white with a moderate white head. The nose is nettly and pungent, with a grassy character and rather modest hints of coriander and clove spice. There's a slight smokiness, and hints of of an estery banana note. On the palate it is quite full, with a clean, underripe white fruit and lemony style. There's a subdued spicy quality in a beer that is easy to drink, but not terribly distinctive. 4.5% ABV, 75cl, �2.99, Asda.  |  |
Castelain, Ch'Ti Triple (France)
This large, wine-bottle sized Ch'Ti is closed with a Champagne-style cork. This is the Triple, top-strength beer of the range, presented as a "bière de garde", or beer for keeping, on the label. It pours a rich golden colour with quite a thin, and quickly dissipating white head. On the nose there is a soft blanket of honey and biscuity malt, but a nice cut of hops too, and a certain floral, confectionery, aromatic quality. On the palate there is a noticeable sweetness; a slightly cloying saccharine quality, that is joined by much more bitter hoppy notes and a fruity, ripe apple and pear character. This is quite a "sticky", thick beer on the palate, that has a syrupy finish. It is certainly quite complex, though I did not find it easy to drink. It would be an interesting one to lay down. Also available in a 33cl size. 7.5% ABV, 75cl, �3.49, Waitrose. |  |
Fischer, Adelscott (France)
"Bière au Malt à Whisky" it says on the label, for this beer made with peat-smoked malt. The colour is a dark, burnished amber with a cream-coloured head that thins quite quickly. On the nose the aromas are quite complex, with hints of good cider, malt and a touch of smoky, iodine-like peat, though it is not particularly whisky-scented. In the mouth this smooth and creamy beer is intensely sweet as it strikes the palate, with a burnt orange and marmalade tang and a caramel note. That smoky, roasted barely note persists. Not a totally convincing beer for me, but it is different, and has genuine character. 6.6% ABV, 33cl, �1.49 - �1.79, The Offie, Onlyfinebeer. |  |
Kronenbourg, Premier Cru (France)
This is a special beer from Kronenbourg (brewed in France) that is a big step up in class from the standard 1664, coming in a dramatic opaque blue bottle and weighing in at 6.0% ABV. It pours quite dark and golden, with an off-white head. The nose is aromatic, with hoppy, quite estery scents of herbs and spices over rich malty, toasty notes. On the palate a clove-like edge adds bite to fine crystal malt flavours that have lots of bittersweetness about them, with a good oily hop bite. To me it is a style half-way between a strong lager and a lighter bitter. 6.0% ABV, 50cl, �2.19, Safeway, Sainsbury's. |  |
Kronenbourg, Wel Scotch (France)
I believe this beer was brewed by Kronenbourg as a direct response to Brasserie Fischer's very successful Adelscott - a "whisky beer", brewed from peat-smoked Scotch whisky malt. This one declares "au malt des Highlands" on the label. It is slightly lighter in colour than Adelscott, and has a fast dissipating head. There are ginger and plum nuances to a malt-loaf, raisiny nose. On the palate it is sweet like Adelscott, with a subtle coriander spiciness and more ginger and clove - a much spicier beer. It doesn't have the substance of Adelscott, and the sweet finish is a lot more cloying, with less complexity. Purchased in France. 6.2% ABV, 25cl. |  |
La Choulette, Ambré (France)
(RP) Russet-coloured French beer with a spicy and bitter orange aroma and a hint of chocolate. Bitter, peppery hops burst through on the tongue, balanced by rich grain and a Grand Marnier orange fruitiness. The finish is sweet to start, dominated by fruit, chocolate and grain, but peppery hops break through and provide a bitter finale. 8.0% ABV, 33cl, �2.29, Beersofeurope, Onlyfinebeer, , Pitfield Beer Shop.  |  |
Saint-Omer, Bière Blonde (France)
Purchased very inexpensively in France, this has the same ABV as the beer labeled "Reserve de St. Omer Blonde" available in the UK, but I'm not certain it is an identical brew. It has a bright gold colour and thinnish white head. Aromas are sweet and malty, but fresh, with a mineral character and a little grassy note. On the palate it is quite full and thick in texture, with lots of lemony fruit and a bit of hoppy bitterness, with much sweeter, though light malt notes too. A good beer that almost got three stars: it is refreshing and tasty, but in the final analysis, nothing to write home about. 5.0% ABV, 25cl. |  |
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