by Andrew H Brown

Created on: November 09, 2009

I can't help it. Wherever I go, one of the first things I like to do is search out the local beer. France might not seem the ideal location for an intrepid beer-seeker to flex his taste-buds, but these days, in common with most of the world, brewers are waking up to the fact that some people actually drink beer for the taste and all-round experience, and not just to slake a thirst and get a buzz (that's a bonus).

When we visited the Gorge du Verdon, way down in the south of France, I came across the following beer. We'd visited the town where the brewery is, but I didn't realise that at the time. Not that that matters.
Brasserie Mare Nostrum is one of the leading traditional brewers in the south of France. The brewery is sited just a few miles inland from the coast at Menton, in the pretty village of Castillon.

Since 2001, they have been producing three beers, Blanche de Castillon, La Mentonnaise, and this one, Mare Nostrum Prestige.
All their beers are brewed using natural ingredients and are bottle-conditioned and unfiltered. They also produce lemonade and sodas but this is a beer review...about beer. so the least said about those, the better.

THEY SAY:
"MNP is an ale made with top fermentation yeast and rich with the delicate flavour of Mediterranean spices. MNP is a true 'bierre de dgustacion'. Brewed with barley malts, hops and Mediterranean spices. Ideal at 7-9 C (46-48F)"



The label on the dark brown bottle is a metallic-type thing with a pretty snazzy image of a mermaid. A mermaid with long, flowing grey hair and matching grey beard. It's possibly a merman, or a hirsute escapee mermaid from the Carnie. Anyway, this mermaid/man, has his/her tail wrapped around a firkin beer barrel and is grasping bottle of beer in one of his/her dainty mitts.
Very strange.

MNP pours a fairly cloudy, lightish brown almost teak colour with a quite substantial, off-white head that settles a little, but remains almost to the end and leaves a nice lace pattern on the glass.
The aroma is deeply malty, but also very yeasty with a convincing blue cheese tone. It's also very fruity - mostly grapes and raisins - perhaps some plums, and it has a delicate spicy aroma which, try as hard as I might, I couldn't quite place. Not peppery, more sweet than hot.

It's full-bodied with a velvety smooth mouth feel. The initial taste is sweet and malty and fruity - more vine-fruit, but also hints of pears. It's quite syrupy, and I would say is close to slipping down the slope towards being cloying. It's rich, smooth and viscose, but where's the hops? It seems like not a lot of effort has been put into balancing this beer - either through hopping or heavy malt roasting. It's just not bitter enough and has only a slight dryness in the finish. As you can imagine, the aftertaste is sweet and fruity.


At 6% ABV, this was an interesting beer, and not quite the sort of drink you'd normally associate with the South of France. However, I think the brewers have tried a little too hard to be different. In it's favour, they've kept to traditional brewing methods and used natural, locally-sourced produce, but it's just too darn sweet!
Interesting, but I wasn't overly keen.

Would I drink it again? - Sure. Next time I see a mermaid.

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