From the bottle:
Routes des épices (French for “spice route”) is a rye beer brewed with botch black and green peppercorns. Initially the beer reveals flavours of fresh grain and malt, which give it noes of chocolate, caramel, and fruit. The pepper flavour and aroma is fully revealed in the finish, which leaves a pleasant, spicy, tingling sensation on the tongue
From my notes:
nice thick head, nearly two inches. Beer is a cloudy red color. Smells of pepper. Flavor: hint of caramel and fruit with a spicy, peppery finish. Lightly carbonated. Fascinating test using peppercorns. You can taste and feel the peppercorns in this brew. Complex
I picked this beer up on a whim. I was intrigued by the idea of using peppercorns in a beer. I love spicy food and if the peppery feel and taste could be imparted to a good beer, well I thought that would taste good. And it does! Every sip of this beer I was surprised at the complex, balance, and richness of the flavor. I kept telling my wife and roommate to take a sip and tell me what they thought. Wanting them to share in the uniqueness of the beer! This isn’t a beer you would want to drink every day but it is one you’d want to share with friends! I imagine it’d go great with a nice pepper steak.
Rating (out of five):