BFM Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien 2006

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

Bottle shared by durhambeer - thanks, Bob! I enjoyed this far more than the 2005 recipe. The pour is cloudy, like a very old, highly sedimented port or something like that, but with lively carbonation from the bottle conditioning. The nose is intensely yeasty, with notes of dark cherry and oak all over the place. Sour, lightly vegetal in a sense, but mostly suffused with flavors of wood and tannins. It’s nicely complex even if the profile is ultimately a bit indistinct.

From 75 cL bottle, thanks to Papsoe. Pours hazy brown with a light off-white head. Lovely dried fruit and slight acidic aroma. Flavour is slight citric and lovely caramel sweet and slight roasted. Dried fruity. Nice acidic finish.

Bottle opened Christmas 2008.

Bottle gushes on opening, emitting a strong sour-with-oak aroma. It pours a cloudy brown with a foamy tan head. Rich, full flavors, dark fruits under a dominant sour ale body, oak, chocolate-covered cherry (those old liquour-filled ones that used to be such a delight at Christmas), raspberry and peat. I am extremely impressed; this is a truly great sour ale, deeply complex. Not sweet but not cuttingly dry on the front side, but beautifully dry (without being lemon-juice acidic) on the close. Alcohol is hidden like nobodys business. I would have called it at 7-8%. I am sorry that I will probably never get another pass at it.

<i>Courtesy of Philippe &#40;Bov&#41;, 2 years old</i>
Brown color; the head quickly reduces to few floating islands. It´s a classic BFM: good body, caramel flavor, and the typical sourness, that gives a fruity touch too. The aroma develops some light cigar too, leather, chocolate. The flavor is very dynamic. Some chocolate also in the final. The alcohol perfectly complements this solid brew. Very good.

750 mL bottle. Pours rusty brown with big fizzy beige head. The aroma is plum, cranberry, some oak and vanilla, a little bit of semi-sweet chocolate, and distant decomposing wood sourness. The flavor is tart and oaky with lots of dry red wine notes. It gets richer toward the finish with some bitter chocolate and dark fruit. There is alcohol and toasted oak in the aftertaste. Dry and pleasing.

Bottle. Pours tawny with an average, frothy, light brown head, mostly lasting with good lacing. Aroma is heavy malt (cookie, caramel, straw), light hops (herbs), average yeast (horse blanket, barnyard) with notes of apricot, grape, and plum. Full bodied, alcoholic texture, lively carbonation, and a bitter finish. Average duration, moderate sweetness, acidity, and bitterness.

Blended October 2007 #00276 Big sediment in a deep reddish brown with a nice few fingers of quickly collapsing tan head. Aroma is oaky sourness, some sour cherry and a wincing tartness. Very light body with an acidic profile. Very dry and some alcohol slips through in the end.

Courtesy of JSturm

Bottle: The aroma consists of caramel, sour dark fruits, vinous notes, and alcohol. It pours a hazy orangish-brown with a small beige head. The flavor starts with caramel, sour fruits, and vanilla. The finish is lightly oaky with some noticeable alcohol. Light-medium bodied with soft carbonation.