In the Shadow of the Trappists
The Brasserie artisanale Touken is a tiny brewery located in the Trégor, one of the nine provinces of historic Brittany. Created in 2007 by Bertrand Salomon in Minihy-Treguier (Côtes-d’Armor, France), it currently produces only 500 hl per year (13,200 USgal). The brewery’s limited range is brewed according to the methods of the Trappist monks. And, as the founder says, “it’s a question of beers of character, just like the Trégor, a hard country of the Brittany peninsula.”
So, I tried the “Blonde”. This cloudy pale-yellow beer exudes aromas of sweet malt, grapefruit and faint lambic. Indeed, on the palate, we immediately find typical Belgian yeasty notes and a taste of craft cider that may disconcert some. Overall, this “Blonde” is very drinkable, but it will especially interest those who appreciate an acid finish.