A gift from one of my church elders upon his return from Geneva, Switzerland, this beer not only sports the image of Reformed Theology's elder statesman, but it bears instructions that it is to be consumed at "4° - 6° C even outside the hours of devotion." I don't want to hype this beer up too much, but I was a bit timid about trying it, considering how it was brought by hand from the Fatherland and it has the image of Calvin on it. But I had a home-grilled hamburger for dinner, and decided this was the right moment to break open this intimidating brew.The initial appearance of the beer, once poured, is golden and cloudy with a nice half-inch head on it. Calvinus is lightly carbonated with small bubbles throughout. I didn't care too much for the smell of it, to be honest, but I was pleasantly surprised by the sweetness of it. There are strong hints of citrus and barley; I almost felt there was too much of a sweet/citrusy presence, really, but it also seems to have a lot of complex flavors going on that I am simply too inexperienced to identify. The aftertaste was very faint, and not at all bothersome. I remember remarking to my wife after drinking it that it didn't leave a stinky funk in my mouth like Guinness tends to do. All in all, it is very easy to drink and an extraordinary refreshment after a long day of hard work.
Writing about it makes me want to drink the second bottle I have saved, but alas, I'm saving that one until the world collapses around me or until Jesus returns and decides to have dinner with me before blowing everything up.
The last line of this post made me laugh so hard I nearly peed myself.
ReplyDelete