BFM Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien 2005

Formerly brewed at BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes)
Style: Sour Ale/Wild Ale
Saignelégier, Switzerland

Serve in Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler

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UPDATED: MAR 14, 2011 Second time around on this beer, first shared by Hoptimus Prime (hopefully future RBian) at jjpm74’s gathering. This time my buddy Artem bought it for us to drink (some of you RB guys know him) because I can’t put forward the cash on this beer. Long story short this beer is amazing, KNOW THAT!!!! It’s an amalgamate of a Flemish Sour and a very strong Belgian or what I like to consider the first IMPERIAL FLEMISH SOUR. That’s right I coined this term (surprisingly it wasn’t an American who came up with the idea, but the Swiss, huh??? Yeah the Swiss, apparently they know how to make some good beer as well). Neck says the bottle is 0276, nice one of the early fills, yessss. Lets get back to the beer:
Appearance: Thick red body with some dark orange highlights, pretty dark.
Aroma: light vinegar followed by strong musky sour cherries. Heavy with sour-sweetness. Some alcohol heft in aroma as it warms.
Taste is supped up sweet Belgian sticky with some tartness and sweet fruit. A generally thick sticky beer, coooool.
Other: a great creation, strong and sour (btw, not a Barleywine). Low bitterness, lowered carbonation and an amazing beer. <BR
Re-rate: shared by Matt, thanks. About 3.5 years older. The beer is aging fine, not as good as it was fresh, much less maltiness underneath and mostly sour upfront, not as delicate and nuanced. But still a very good strong sour. Would be somewhere in the 3.8 area now.

750 ml bottle shared by STLWill at the STL RB Gathering- thanks again, Will! We were all leery of the $19.99 orange sale sticker on this, marked down from $21.99. Will, how could you be so cheap?! Pours a hazy, basically murky amber color with a small off-white head. Aroma of plum, grape, sweet and caramel malts, berries, and spices. Flavor brings more of the same berry fruits, spices, sweet malts, along with toffee, wood, and booze. Light-medium bodied, with a smooth, fruity mouthfeel and low carbonation. Sourness has really mellowed over the years into a smooth, ripened fruitiness. Not bad, though.

Bottle. Thanks, Briank I think? Ruby brown pour with white head. Alcohol is well hidden or aged to be more subtle. Tart fruit light acetic acid, bit of etoh.

Thanks to dedollewaitor. Blind tasted. Pours copper with a small beige head. Aroma is perfume, light vinegar and alcohol. Flavour is acetone, heavy alcohol, light vinegar and basement. Strange beer.

Smells radical - oak, sour red fruits, light funk. The flavor is quite dry, lightly tart, and medium-light funky with a medium bitter brett-y, lightly woody finish.

Bottle @ Blindtasting, Odense, July 2011. Pours cloudy amber red with a small creamy bubbly head. Nose is tart, fruity and vinous with some clearly oxidized notes. Oak, caramel and subdued acetone. Flavor has a bit of cellar. Vaguely over the top.

Deep amber with a small off-white head. Aroma of cherry, vinegar, malt with faint notes of alcohol and turpentine. Oddly un-integrated flavour with lots of alcohol, dusty cellar, mint and licorice, cherry and wood.

Malzig-herber Antrunk, in dem die Säuerlichkeit im Vergleich zu anderen Jahrgängen des Biere nicht die Hauptrolle spielt. Dagegen wirkt dieses Bier in Teilen fast schon süßlich, die trockene Herbe und der Hopfen spielen im Mittelteil eine wichtige Rolle. Im Abagsng natürlicher sauer, hier deutlich malzig und auch würzig, was durch die helle Säuerlichkeit aber wieder etwas begrenzt wird, da diese der dunklen Aromenbildung entgegenwirkt. Vielen Dank dn den Doppelbock für das Bier! /8/11/12/12/11

I completely forgot I even had this bottle, DLD11 seemed like a good time to pop it. Orange murky with no head. Nice tart aroma cherry earthy. Sweet fruits grapefruit citrus earthy sweet.. I would have drank a lot more of this if I wasn’t the driver. Solid. 8/4/8/4/16.

750 ml bottle shared by mreusch. 2005 Vintage. Pour is hazed brown copper with a minimal off white head. Aroma is soft cherry sour, vinegar acidity, along with a light grassiness. Taste is acidic, cherry sweet, oak barrell, all pretty soft and integrarted - nicely rounded. Doesn’t really show the age at all. Palate is medium to heavy bodied, low carbonation level makes this a slow sipper. A touch of alcohol in the finish that plays well with the overall taste. Thanks for sharing this one Matt.

Appearance: pours dark and clear with a bit of cloudiness – like fresh real black cherries. Little to no head, but what’s there is bubbly. Swirls bubbly.
Nose: soured, rustic, and funked. Tart cherries and cranberries, fresh and not dried. More cranberry along with some red rhubarb, raw not cooked. Old musty leather. Almost tannic red wine burgundesque quality which is also earthen. Plum skins.
Palate: clean and a touch thin but not detractingly so. Plum skins, cranberries, and last but not least rhubarb. Long lingering bitter tannic leathery finish. Leather and leather oil. Warmth and spice grows atop the tongue with spiced apples, skins included. Faint cinnamon sticks. Lovely.
Final Thoughts: in terms of cellerability, I’d say the 2005 is about spot on. I’d crack yours open if you so have one and if you have two, still just crack one open and save the other for a future date. After all, in cellaring one never knows for sure.