Fare well, Pierre -- she TRIED to keep you in business!
Written: Feb 21 '01
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Classic Belgian white at a good price, widely available
Cons: The doors are locked; the last barrel rolled off the line in December 2000.
The Bottom Line: Have a last taste of this fine brew while you still can -- there's not much left.
|
|
|
| scmrak's Full Review: Celis White |
Reviewer's note: the factual material contained in this review draws heavily on information gleaned from the Austin American Statesman over the past months, particularly an article in today's [21 Feb 2001] issue.
Hats off to two people who tried their best. Pierre Celis, who tried singlehandedly to wrest Texas beer drinkers out of their vats of Budweiser and into the microbrewery revolution; and Ms scmrak, who did her da**edest to see that he succeeded. Alas, both failed, but not for lack of trying.
In case you're out of this particular loop, the Miller Brewing Company shuttered the doors of the Celis Brewing Company (right here in Austin) at the end of December. They claim they're looking for a buyer for the brewery, which was built in the early 90s at a cost of $11 million and has a capacity of perhaps 23,000 barrels per year. Any buyers out there? I hear it's going cheap...
Pierre Celis, native-born Belgian, built the Austin-based brewery in hopes of capitalizing on the microbrewery revolution. But he apparently didn't reckon with the regional beer drinkers' dedication to the output of Annheuser-Busch, which comprises about 50% of the 18 million barrels of beer sold annually in Texas (Miller controls about 23%; Coors, another 15%). When his Belgian-style ales (Celis White, Grand Cru, and Dubbel) couldn't keep the brewery afloat financially, Pierre branched out into more "American-tasting" brews, including Celis Pale Bock, Celis Raspberry, and Pale Rider. But alas, the market just wasn't there. Having sold 50% of his brewery to Miller in 1995 with an option for a buy-back in three years, Pierre found himself unable to cover the note and turned the entire brewery over to Miller. And we all know what Miller did with the place.
So long, Pierre -- and good luck back home in Belgium.
Now, about that other person: Ms scmrak... Celis White is absolutely her favorite beer (even more than yours truly's best homebrew efforts). And the main reason why she likes it is exactly the same as the reason why Texans quaff millions upon millions of gallons of watery swill every year: it is an absolutely great thirst quencher on a hot summer day.
Celis White is (or was?) a wit, which is under no circumstances to be confused with a wheat beer. It's a "white" beer, so named because millions of yeastie beasties precipitate out of the beer when it's cold, giving it a cloudy, whitish appearance. Never fear, though, wit (a classic Belgian-style ale) is eminently drinkable -- just remember to leave a few drops in the bottom of the bottle when you pour to contain the bulk of the yeast sediment. The beer is crisp and light, with a clean finish: exactly what you want after fighting Austin's traffic jams for an hour or so every evening. Celis White's hop level might have been toned down a bit for American palates (compare it to Hoegaarden Wit some time), but it still has far more character than that stuff pulled around by the Clydesdales. The beer is infused with small amounts of spices during the brewing process, the flavors of which add a faint spicy character to the palate. Some aficionados suggest a drop or two of lemon to heighten these flavors, but Ms. scmrak takes hers straight (like a real frontier woman!) All in all, Celis White's a light, spicy, well-balanced beer that maintains much of the characteristic flavor of wit while remaining refreshing. More complex, heavier flavors are available in Dubbel, if you're so inclined. It's not a back-yard barbecue beer or the kind of keg you set next to second base in your softball game, but instead marries well with light summer cuisine and picnic foods.
So why bother with a review of a defunct product?
Two reasons: one, there's still a back stock of Celis beers available for your sampling pleasure, and two: a da*n good beer deserves an epitaph.
Hats off to you, Pierre. You came, you brewed, but you were sort of like the Charlie Tuna of the American microbrewery scene: "Americans want beers that advertise good -- not beers that taste good."
Or something like that.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.