Blanche De Chambly – White Ale on Lees

Unibrew, USA Inc., Shelburne, VT

Beer Info: (From the site) “Blanche de Chambly (White of Chambly) was the first bottle refermented ale produced by Unibroue. It is brewed from a blend of pale barley malt, wheat malt and unmalted wheat, to which we blend selected spices and hops. Blanche de Chambly is only partially filtered, retaining its natural cloud of yeast that is characteristic of the original white ales brewed during the Middle Ages.” Blanche de Chambly (White of Chambly) was the first bottle refermented ale produced by Unibroue. It is brewed from a blend of pale barley malt, wheat malt and unmalted wheat, to which we blend selected spices and hops. Blanche de Chambly is only partially filtered, retaining its natural cloud of yeast that is characteristic of the original white ales brewed during the Middle Ages

Another in the 750 ml category I’ve been lucky enough to find at one of my local stores. I think I’ve pretty much milked it, though, so it’s time to move along to greener pastures. Anyway, regardless of its size and style, I really do enjoy the corked bottle and its similarities to Champagne. The scents after opening are a bit malty, quite bright, and nicely crisp and wheaty.

As it is a white ale, the color is a bright, vibrant yellow with just a hint of a head. Once poured and subsequently opened up, the nose becomes a bit more wheaty with a slight background of citrus. Its resemblance to any other white ale is not lost on its appearance and its shared beauty with others of its family is very evident.

Sadly, there really just isn’t much to it. Sure, it’s a white ale, but, unfortunately that just doesn’t liven up its dull flavor at all. It has notes of spices like coriander and also rinds of citrus, but neither are are as obvious as the crisp and full-bodied wheat and even yeast overtones. This is not to say it’s a bad beer by any stretch -as it is certainly a classic- it’s just that it’s slightly low on the excitement scale. It’s an easy drinker, so that’s nice for those not inclined for a sipping brew, and it would certainly go well with pastas with cream sauces or even saltier fare like ham. Decent, but dull.

Rating: * * 1/2

White ale means (here, at any rate) white ale. Just nothing worth its price or even dirtying a glass.