Gyle 59 The Queens Legless Liz
Gyle 59 The Queens Legless Liz (500ml, 3.8% ABV)
Brewed for a pub called The Queens in Corton Denham, Dorset, Legless Liz is an interesting proposition: a Belgian farmhouse beer with relatively low alcohol and a dose of American hops.
The bottle suggests you can drink this with or without the sediment mixed in, so I try half a glass of each. The first half looks like it’s come from a dehydrated athlete; the second looks like they’re about to be stripped of their medals.
Thankfully, the taste is a lot better than this suggests.
It pours with a mass of foam that can only be described as Belgian – it’s huge and lasts long enough for the more artistic to make a quick sculpture. The tart apricot aroma may seem odd to the aficionado of British ale, but is typical of a Belgian saison yeast.
At 3.8% it’s a predictably light-bodied beer, but this by no means translates to a lack of flavour. It positively bursts with citrus, apricot and nectarine flavours, while also showcasing a lip-smacking tartness. It’s juicy, thirst-quenching and very, very drinkable.
In the second, yeastier half of my bottle the fruit flavours were more muted, but the body seemed thicker, and the texture more like a milkshake. Personally, I’d opt for the clearer pour, but the choice is yours.
The Queens must be chuffed to have a beer like this on tap. It deserves to sell by the bucket-load.
Written by Richard Salsbury