Tasting

What does a buckwheat beer taste like? Telenn Du is dark brown and tastes of roasted malt with a fine bitterness reminiscent of the galette. Buckwheat also lends bread a slightly nutty, earthy note, and that comes through similarly in the beer. At 4.5% alcohol, it's not a heavy beer, which is exactly what makes it so food-friendly.

For comparison, try beers from Coreff—the Ambrée, say, with its caramel note, or the Brune with more roasted malt. Both serve here purely as flavor reference points.

Telenn Du also comes in a large 75cl bottle, meant to be shared between two. A stemmed glass or a tulip glass captures the aroma best, though a simple tumbler will do in a pinch. Both glass and bottle should be clean, so the foam doesn't collapse.

The right serving temperature is around 8 to 10°C (46–50°F). Any colder, and you barely taste anything; any warmer, and the beer turns flat and heavy. When pouring, tilt the glass and let the beer run down the side; at the end, straighten the glass and give the foam a finger's width of room.

A calm three-step approach helps when tasting: first smell, then let a small sip move around your mouth, then pay attention to the finish. With a buckwheat beer, it's worth focusing on that bitterness at the end, since it's the beer's signature trait. Eat some galette alongside it, and you'll quickly understand why the two belong together in Brittany.