Discovery Amber Ale
November 1, 2007 Lochristi, BelgiumGreen’s Beers
Lochristi, Belgium
Imported by Merchant du Vin
Tukwila, WA
Available: nationwide
This gluten-free beer is brewed from millet, rice, buckwheat and sorghum instead of barley.
ABV: 6
ABW: 4.8
Color: amber
Bitterness: 32
Original Gravity: 1056
(reviewed by Owen Barstow) Extreme effervescence and a “fizzing” head; cider-like aromas and sharp, winey notes. Thankfully, these soon warm into familiar, rounded tart notes reminiscent of a Flemish brown ale. Background has flickers of cocoa, leather and tobacco. Very soft in the palate and surprisingly gentle. Distant musty and sapid notes lurk behind caramel sweetness with a balancing oaky sharpness. An extremely smooth finish, followed by a very late clean, metallic hop bite. The tip of my tongue is infused with clove-flavored numbness. Unusual cereals soften this beer beautifully.
- Michael Jackson
The easiest way to understand how malt and barley proved over several millennia that they are the best grains for brewing is to drink a gluten-free beer (no barley, wheat or rye). Fortunately brewers continue to tweak alternative grains in an effort to deliver a genuine beer experience to Celiacs. One of three Belgian-brewed beers from Green’s, Discovery better subdues the astringent thumbprint of sorghum-based beers than any I’ve found. Reddish-brown with distinctive caramel notes, its greatest strength is a bright floral nose.
- Stan Hieronymus
Michael Jackson
Author of Ultimate Beer, the Simon & Schuster Guide to Beer and numerous other works on drinks, Jackson has created legions of converts to fine beer.
Stan Hieronymus
Editor at Realbeer.com, a professional journalist for 40 years and amateur brewer for 15, Hieronymus is the author of four beer books, including Brew Like a Monk.
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