Here's to Beer! New Belgium Le Terroir

As many of you already know, there are many environmental factors that can affect flavor in a wine or beer. Things such as soil, wind, rain, and sunlight all have impact on the flavors of ingredients, and in the final taste of the beverage. In America we use the rather unsexy term “microclimate” to describe these factors. The French have a significantly more sexy term for it: “Terroir”. Terroir literally means “of the Earth”, but has a broader meaning of that flavor of the environment in what you are drinking (or eating for that matter). New Belgium Brewing has adopted the term as a moniker for its dry-hopped, barrel-aged ale.

Le Terroir is an acidic or “sour” beer. Its tartness comes courtesy of the barrel aging process that allows all our little bacterial friends to go to work and create some truly amazing beer flavors. Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, and Acetobacter are some of the usual suspects, allowed to populate the pores of the oak aging barrels. These are usually the bane of any brewery or wine producer, but in certain styles of beer they are welcomed for the sweet-tart flavor they yield. They are the reason that this ale has its unique “Terroir”.

The flavor of Le Terroir is crisp, tart, and refreshing. There is a citric sourness that is reminiscent of lemon or tangerine. There is also a pronounced mango flavor that reminded me of a tart, green mango, or perhaps green papaya. There may be a little green apple in there as well. Hops flavors come courtesy of Amarillo hops, known for a sweeter citrusy flavor. Overall, it’s a very complex beer with a whole lot of flavor going on in the glass.

I wanted to make myself a little lunch to go with this, so I decided to whip up a shrimp salad. I threw in some mango to harmonize with the flavor in the beer. It was a great light lunch that was refreshing all the way around. Le Terroir has a citric component that makes it an ideal counterpoint for fish, as well as creamy sauces that need a little acid to cut through their palette coating quality. Try a light white fish such as halibut or sole in a rich sauce such as a Lemon Buerre Blanc. Shellfish is also great with it. Shrimp, crab, or lobster will be awesome accompaniments.

For a cheese pairing, I would suggest an unctuous, earthy cheese, such as Camembert, Epoisses, or Coulommiers. Cheers!

Rich Coffey is a chef and Certified Cicerone. Find out more about him here.