BFM Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien 2006

Bottle. Poured a medium and hazy amberish color witha smaller sized off white head. Aromas of earthiness, leather, funky, some wood and fruity. Tastes of caramel, earthy, oaky woodiness, citrus, and light vanilla. Semi sour and tart finish.

Pours a transparent dark copper amber with a wispy-lacing light tan head. Earthy, tart, leathery nose has a touch of oak and light fruity tartness. Body starts with a citric and oaky cherry tartness along with some mild caramel sweetness and earthy, cheesy complexity. Finishes lightly bittersweet and tart toward a crisp, puckering finish. A nice Flemish sour.

Second vintage BFM sampled at Cellar’s Wine & Spirits in St Paul, MN. Pours a cloudy dark amber brew with a fast dissolving off-white head that leaves behind thin lacing and ring. Aroma of light sour dark berries, a touch of vanilla, yeast and barnyard funk. Taste is medium bodied, well carbonated, with flavors of dry oak, some vanilla, tart dark berries and some powdery yeast. Finish is slightly sour and dry with not as much alcohol kick as the previous year but still decent.

Very good Cloudy brown appearance and significant carbonation that quickly dies away. Some sediment in the glass. Wine flavors and dry hops. Quite sour, surprisingly sour really, until I logged in to see it was a sour rather than a bier de garde. Lots of oak, some wine character; and a solid malt base. Some sugar, cherry for sure, as well as pomegranate. It has kind of a rustic feel.

Pours a hazy ruby brown into a snifter. Cherry and oak aromas. Smooth and slightly sour cherry with a lasting oak finish.

Bottle, 750, from SL. The pour was orangey-brown, huge amount of mini carbonation bubbles steadily rising to the surface, huge honkin’ carbonated head, bottle gushing/erupting shortly after opening. The aroma was funky sour fruits, gentle sweet cherries underneath, some funk. The flavor was wonderful, light sour grapes and cherries, faint touch of lemons, oak, brett funk, even some semi-sweet partially plumy malts, a good blend of it all. The malt depth behind this "sour" style is very impressive, it’s the Duchesse done with class (I’m a cheap Duchesse gopher), class beyond all measure, wonderful. Alcohol at 11%? Simply unbelievable. Mouthfeel was the only downfall, huge gusher, erring on the overly carbonated edge of things, good malt base, though, to this Flemish Sour style ale.

1000 bottles earmarked for the US. Bottle from Ledger’s in Berkeley (and there were 2 or 3 more there today). Aroma is sour, a little earthy, a little sweat, bit of wood. Color is a hazy garnet tinged amber with a beige head that left rapidly. Medium bodied with fizzy carbonation. The flavor is astringent cherry and wood; goes towards dry sherry; lots of complexity besides all that. The finish is woody and dry, mild heat, slightly vinous, yet sourish cherry still comes to mind. Could be the merlot from the barrels. It becomes more like red wine as consumption progresses. Something to enjoy with good food or a good book or a good friend.

Bottle, from Julio’s Liquors. Poured hazy ruby-brown with a large tan head that diminished quickly. Complex aroma with malt, earth, wood, mild hops, spice and some tannins. Sweet at first, with spice, oak, earth, and mild smokiness. Some notes of brandy and sherry. Long finish with spice and alcohol. Another winner from BFM.