BFM Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien 2006

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

22oz bottle. Generously provided by Kevin at our regular monday tasting. What a hell of a beer. Pours a deep red. The nose is amazing on this beer. Cherry and grape with a rich caramel nose. Some hints of apple skins. Taste is just astonishingly tasty. One of the tastiest beers I’ve ever had. Caramel and dark fruits show up at front perhaps tipping us off to what this beer once was before time in the barrell. Followed by layers of sour cherry, and grapes. Huge long and immensely satisfying cherry skin aftertaste, similar to the Cantillion Lou Pepe Kriek. What an astonishing beer.

Presentation: It was poured from a capped green 1pint 9.4oz bottle. The bottle reads hand crafted in 2006 at 11%abv. aged in oak and blended October 07. Also there is what I think is a bottle number or batch number on the neck label that reads 00276. Appearance: The body has a dark and murky appearance with a dark brownish burgundy color and some lighter reddish high lights. Near the edges of the glass there are some tine bubbles of carbonation. The head is a small, creamy off white layer of foam that slowly fades to just a small ring of tiny bubbles. Lacing is slick and minimal. Smell: Its aroma has nice tart fruit, funky earthy yeast notes with a hint of oak. Taste/Mouth: The flavor starts with a semi-sweet malty base with a wonderfully complex mix of dry tart fruit, funky earthy east and wood. Some fruit notes that pop out are sour cherries, dry wine like grapes, and tart apple skins. All these flavors work in perfect harmony and its 11%abv is well hidden. It adds another layer of complexity and mellow warmth to the palate. It has a medium body with a silky light texture and soft carbonation. Notes: This beer shows outstanding complexity, balance and sophistication. I could sip this all night paired up with a nice plate of fine cheese and fruit.

Dark hazy beer with a nice beige head when pouring. The head disappears. This beer has yeast inside the bottle => Bottle refermented. Tasting gives alot of fruit. Like drinking some fine Kriek, but !!! There’s no fruit inside ! This Swiss handcrafted "Ale de Garde" has been aged in oak barrels and blended into near perfection. Nice mellow lacto-acid with great funky characteristics, and this in combination with woody tannin favors (oak barrels) similar to the finest Oude Gueuze, even comparable to great French wine. Yes, that much is going on inside that truely wonderful brew. There’s more: Raisins, Cinnamon, Port wine, Whiskey, wood bitterness, candi sugar........ warming alcoholic. 11 vol% is a lot, and tasting has to be done with care. Much appreciated !!!

Beer pours with little carbonation. Smells great, a mix of sour, spice, and funky oak. Tastes amazing. A lot like red wine , with dried cherry, mustard tang, and rich woodiness all balanced perfectly. Actually worth the cash .

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.

Wow, very nice. Pours reddish brown with a small tannish head. Sweet/sour/oaky vinous nose. The flavor is very complex; I caught cherries, carmel, leather and, notes of wine; there is some alcohol but everything else going on seems to over-ride it. It finishes dry and lingers but isn’t overwhelming. I bought the first bottle of this on a whim, since I have bought 4 more and consumed 3 of them (1 by myself on a very good day and 2 at tastings) and I’d buy more if I could. This beer is worth the price to me, I’ll love to see how it ages.

Amber pour with a medium beige head. Aroma is sour, grassy, citrus. Taste is nice tart/sour with a cherry note. Very drinkable. I would like another bottle!

"Amazing. Poured a orange color with ton of bubbles and massive head. Aroma was tons of sourness light fruits some cherry, and general almost sasion like smells. Flavor was there. light fruits plenty of sourness after looking at the bottle not sure where they hid the alcohol but it wasn’t there at all. AMAZING "