BFM Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien 2006

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

Serve in Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler

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caramel body, off white head. average retention. the nose certainly fits the bill for flemish red: apple cider vinegar acetobacter, solvent / metallic phenols, subtle oak. very light traces of alcohol in the nose, less early and more late. a lot of caramel syrup and strong brown sugar as well. hearty and sweet / salty mixed up front with the brine-like saltiness becoming amplified in the finish. solvent / taste of pennies is noticed mid-palate and increases with temperature. slightly warming finish when chilled, more boozy as it warms. the carbonation and acid are quenching and the mouthfeel is perhaps the highlight of this beer. it actually seems well-crafted and directed at a palate experienced with wine. overall it’s suprisingly enjoyable, even if this vintage is a touch too phenolic, giving it a dishsoap smell and flavor as it approaches room temp.

Hazy brown pour with a sizable off-white head. Aroma holds lots of oak, vanilla, brine, brown sugar, cherry, plum, and tart fruity funk. Flavor is pretty solid; more cherry, wood, and vanilla, though the funk becomes slightly more subtle on the tongue. Not as full-bodied or complex as the Rodenbach Vintage I had last night. Palate is a bit thin, and it’s just not a great melding of flavors. Still tasty, but not excellent.

Pour is a hazy brown with amber highlights, off white head. Nose is vinegar, cherry pits, dark fruits, sweet bread, oak, and lemon peel. Flavors fall in line, but they don’t seem to mesh as well as I would like, and I think that is what is holding this one back. The Dark fruits that I’m pulling from this bottle is different in a good way, but again - it fuses poorly, overall. Sweet, sour, alcoholic, cherry skins, oak, dark fruits, cake, it was simply good, overall.

Wife brought this back from Belgium. Ruby red grapefruit color with small white head. Flemish sour nose with cherries and sweet vinegar. Nice tart cherry flavor with big tartness and sourness. Body isn’t as much as I’d like, but enjoyable beer.

Bottle (thx Travlr). Pours hazy red-pink with an off-white head. Flavor is cherries, sour funk, balsamic vinegar. One of the first sour beers I’ve liked.

Bouteille de 750 ml. Arômes de vin rouge, de brettanomyces et de cerises sûres. Robe rougeâtre et très trouble, légère mousse et effervescence moyenne. En bouche, la bière se montre relativement corpulente pour une bière sûre, présentant beaucoup de fruits rouges et de notes vineuses. Les brettanomyces et le fût de chêne sont également présents. Finale lactique où pointe également l’alcool. Très bon, manque simplement un peu de finition pour être exceptionnel.

750mL courtesy of Travlr. Pours a slightly hazy, deep ruby fire iridium with a thinning, creme head. No head really sticks around. Nose is sour: balsamic, sharp burnt cherries, Flemish lactic cultures, tannic oak, sharp red wine vinegar. Taste is tannic oak, sharp vinegary sourness, sweet red cherries. Vinegar, tart lemon, citric tartness and red fruits abound rather than complex, deep, lactic and fresh sourness. Dry, chalky palate. Not really integrated to the point where it is unclear whether the sour cultures have improved this beer or not. Feels like the body has been robbed and replaced with lemon and hot vinegar.

Bottled 75cl. Courtesy of Bov. Funky, complex and delicious. More carbonation than expected.

(750ml bottle thanks to Mora2000) cloudy ruddy brown-orange with a lasting ring of tan bubbles and good lacing. Nose of wet wood, acetic acid, light moss, tart cherry and pipe tobacco. Taste of earthy barrel, cherry tobacco, nice sourness, cranberry, very wet wood, and well carbonated. Nice sour linger. A bit too sweet and tobacco-ish.

Bottle. Pours dirty brown. Nose and taste of tart cherry and apple, oak and farmhouse funk. Dryish finish. Medium body. Good overall sour.