I'm told that Telenn Du is an extremely commonplace beer in Brittany. This particular bottle was suitcased over to me by the sister earlier this year."Bière au blé noir" is all the description the brewery is willing to give us -- "black wheat" being the local name for buckwheat. It's 4.5% ABV and a dark garnet colour in the glass. The pillowy off-white head and a creamy texture had me immediately thinking of stout as I drank it. That impression is helped by the prominent chocolate and coffee flavours in the foretaste, as well as the tangy hop bitterness. What sets it apart is a spicing which I'm guessing is yeast-derived, giving it a bit of a Belgian feel, with the white pepper of La Chouffe coming to mind in particular. A mushroomy umami effect arrives at the end.
Overall, it's rather good, giving most of the things you might want from a porter or stout. I'm sure they don't drink it by the pint in Brittany, but it would absolutely work.