Chapeau Exotic
I often find myself always gravitating towards American craft beers. My new beer goal is to try and sample more beers from European breweries. I came across my first import to peak my interest in Whole Foods, in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. It was the Chapeau Exotic Lambic, which was flavored with Pineapple. I have had several lambics before, but never pineapple flavored. Being the tropical beach bum that I am, I had to try it.
There was no bottling date or “drink by” date on the bottle. The ABV for this lambic was delicate 3.5%. I served this beer from its 12oz capped and corked bottle into champagne flutes.
No head topped the beer. The carbonation was very high, reminiscent of a champagne. The body had a dark gold color and a slight cloudy clarity.
The aroma had a mild intensity with a tart, cidery fruit aroma. The very mild flavor was tart with notes of light malt sweetness and cider. I got pineapple on the finish, maybe because I was really looking (and hoping) for it. The beer really did not have the flavors I was anticipating.
Light body had tingly consistency with a clean finish. There were no alcohol characteristics. The flavor duration was average.
I was let down with this beer. I was really hoping for more fresh pineapple flavor but it tasted more like hard apple cider. If I were to pair this beer with food, I would pair it with a light summer salad.
Beer Score 2.85/5.0
Then I remembered ...