 Ernest (4186), Boulder, Colorado, USA
May 4, 2008
Bottle (BB May/09).
Head is initially average sized, frothy, white, mostly lasting.
Body is dark yellow.
Aroma is lightly to moderately malty (toasted grain, bread, husks), lightly hoppy (flowers, herbs), lightly yeasty (cobwebs, mold), with notes of banana, alcohol, dried pineapple.
Flavor is moderately to heavily sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter.
Finish is lightly to moderately sweet, lightly acidic, moderately bitter, slightly husky.
Medium body, velvety texture, lively carbonation, lightly to moderately alcoholic.
Substantially better than the Goudale, but still a bit husky/rough. Fairly straightforward aroma, but all ingredients are quite apparent and as a result the husky malt can be overlooked in light of the balance and harmony...pleasant interplay of bread, floral hops, and tropical fruit esters. Nice fluffy mouthfeel too, despite not being bottle conditioned. This is on the verge of being very good.
sebletitje (147), Tampa, Florida, USA
Jul 20, 2008 Bottle courtesy of Tony at OTH.
This is another great offering from this French brewery. Not too complex, but it does the job right. Pours blonde.
Aroma is fruity, hoppy and earthly.
Taste is fruity, perhaps some figues that became more present as the beer warmed up to room temperature. Sweet malt, lightly spicy.
bbrock81 (179), Le Mars, Iowa, USA
Jul 19, 2008 750 mL bottle, swing cap. My first (and only) Biere de Garde. Pours a bright, clear gold with a tall, very thick head that lasts a good while. Leaves a fair amount of lace. Aroma is musty, quite fruity (pears, apples), with some spicy and herbal notes and a bit of a sweet perfume (floral). It’s much better as it warms to nearly room temperature. Flavor is quite sweet, light and fruity, with some malt to it, and the same mustiness as the aroma. The finish is medium, and also sweet. Overall, not bad, but really nothing special.
Oakes (6793), Miami Beach, Florida, USA
Jul 3, 2008 Dull golden-beige. Clear (wtf). Whispy head. Perfumey-caramelly character. Fairly simple. The aroma is mainly light caramel, light mushrooms. Far too boring.
FlacoAlto (2039), Tucson, Arizona, USA
Jul 2, 2008 Best by date May 2009; Sampled July 2008
A brisk pour into my 25cl tulip glass produces a fat two-finger thick, pale, off-white colored head. The beer is a clear, lightly red tinged copper hue as it sits on my desk but shows a brilliantly clear, bright gold color when held up to the light. The aroma is sweet with a mix of light pear and sweet malt notes. Grassy grain aromas produce a touch of dried hay, some saltine cracker notes and a touch of biscuit like grain. Mixed in with the noticeable grassiness is a light herbal character that shows that this has a touch of hop character to it. The aroma is about what I would expect from a Bière de Garde.
Lightly sweet up front, but picks up even more sweetness as it rolls across the tongue. This is definitely malt focused for the most part with sweet grain notes, grassy grain flavors, and crushed malt notes of biscuits and light toffee all noticeable. The light-medium carbonation combines with a light hop note to produce a peppery, bitter bite that is noticeable from beginning to end of each sip. This has a fullness to it that envelopes the palate in its velvety texture. Not overly heavy, but it is not a quaffing brew either. This almost has a mint flavor to it that is very light and really only noticeable as it starts to warm up.
This didn’t start out very impressive, but it has certainly developed into a tasty, enjoyable beer as I have been quaffing this. It hits the style pretty well and while it doesn’t cover any new ground, it is well integrated and works nicely. It manages to become more than the sum of its individual components.
Purchased: Plaza Liquors, Tucson AZ
GreatLibations (1241), Sasquatcho, Arizona, USA
Jul 2, 2008 Pours gold w/ a tall lasting head reducing to a thin silky sheet. Aromas of malted tropicals. Medium nectar w/ good carbonation. Rich and malty sweet w/ emphasis on banana, pineapple, and nectarine pulp. The finish lingers w/ mild acidic bittering. Some alcohol is revealed in the flavor. A bit brutish and harsh lacking finesse.
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