Last night, I drank this…
Green beer from France… I like that it had a regular cap and a flip top. I guess they figure some won’t finish it in one sitting. I did, though, because I am a lush.
I posted about it in the local Facebook group for beer drinkers. One person commented “Would not, could not”, an obvious reference to that classic Dr. Seuss book, Green Eggs and Ham.
“He doesn’t like green eggs and ham…”
Actually, that was a fairly astute comment. A lot of people wouldn’t try “green beer” because it doesn’t look natural. When we think of beer, most of us think of something like this…
I wish I could have had one of these yesterday…
Well, folks, I’ll be honest. Brasserie Du Mont Blanc La Verte certainly isn’t the worst beer I’ve ever tasted. But it’s also far from the best. Weighing in at 5.9% ABV, it’s not exactly a weak brew. It’s kind of refreshing and slightly sweet and citrusy. I didn’t think this particular green beer was that interesting, though. My curiosity is somewhat satisfied. I’ve tried something new and different and it didn’t kill me, just like Dr. Seuss promised.
I also posted a picture of the green beer in Honest Craft Beer Reviews, a great Facebook group for beer lovers. A group member there said that the beer I tried was not a good representative of green beer. Actually, what he wrote was that this beer was not a good representative of French beer. It could be that green beer just isn’t all that good. Here’s what Beer Advocate had to say about it, anyway. At least it was better than this horrible hemp beer I drank on Christmas.
This tasted like dirty ashtrays. It was gross.
But I have had other hemp beers that I’ve liked a lot better, so maybe this green beer from France was just an anomaly. It kind of reminded me of a radler. It was light, herbal, gingery, and somewhat refreshing, but not really beery. Someone on Beer Advocate said Brasserie Du Mont Blanc La Vert had little head. Actually, I got a lot of head from this beer. There were still foamy cobwebs on the glass when I was finished with it.
Another person wrote that this beer is related to Chartreuse, which is something I haven’t yet tried (just know about the color). The same poster mentioned something called Genépi, which I have never even heard of. Guess I will have to investigate that soon! I think I ordered another green beer from Saveur-Biere. Maybe that one will clue me in as to why green beer exists.
ETA: I was asked to photograph the green beer in a glass. I thought I had another bottle, but it turns out what I have is Genépi. Genépi is a flower that grows in the Alps. So I’m going to try it right now… Yes, it is only 9:00, but this is for the good of the community! 😉
Cool bottle. Check out the top. You pull it just like one of those old fashioned tabs on soda cans.
I was a little hesitant, because I wasn’t sure if I was doing it right… but I did manage to open the bottle with no help from a “church key”.
This is what it looks like in the glass. Ten minutes later, I still have a little head.
So on initial tasting, Genépi tastes a lot like Brasserie Du Mont Blanc La Verte. It also has 5.9% ABV. It also is light, refreshing, kind of gingery. I think it might be alright on a hot day. It’s very thirst quenching if you like the flavor. Actually, I think I do like the Genépi a little better than the first green beer, if only because it’s in a smaller bottle… Just kidding. It’s really not bad, though people who prefer stronger, more traditional beers may not want to waste their time with it.
I was curious about these green beers I kept seeing on Saveur-Biere and wanted to give them a try. I can’t say I’d never drink them again, but I can say there are a lot of other less traditional beers I’d choose over these. I’d rather have a kriek, for instance. But on a hot day, if these were offered and I was thirsty, yes, I’d drink them.