BFM Cuvée du 7ème

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

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

Hazy dark golden orange colour displays a fat, foamy and regular shaped off-white head. Gently yeasty nose expressive on the herbal, green, woody and sprucey hops. Floral and spicy. I don’t know if they used spices or their yeast strain is just that good, but for a yeast-lover, it joins the realms of the greats, bottle-conditioned IPAs with complex aromas that go beyond hops (hitachino classic, alpine exponential and company). This one mostly focuses on aromatics, the bitterness being restrained, though it’s strikingly dry. Citrus and pine resin grow in importance toward the finish. Fair maltiness supports it all, sweetish and caramelly. Unnoticeable alcohol.

Although BFM markets the 6 types of hops, the bitterness is well contained, and most substantiated in the finish. Superior tasty Belgian dark, with herbal aroma. Some caramel, grassiness, bold taste for merely 7.5%, citrus, coriander,

Bottle from Super Saver. I never in a million years would have pegged this as an IPA. The pour spurts its frothy load into the tulip glass with a turbid deep coppery/ruby edged tumescent appearance. The aromas are of an oaky dry tart element, with some peaty malts, spicy florals, and funky grains. The flavor is caramel malty but on the dry side, with mid-palate dry floral spicy notes and some hopcitrus and a good deal of peaty earthiness. Not bad, but a little too dry for my tastes.

Bottled. Poured a medium orangey-caramel with a tall, creamy off-white head… left nice lacing as it went down. Aroma picked up soft floral and dusty lemon with more (different) floral coming shortly afterward.. soft and intriguing with some unidentifiable spicage and sweet cherry rounding it out. Dusty cherries, very dry floral, and an array of chalky spices characterize the flavor.. left a sticky, odd finish. Smooth and creamy on the palate with some prickly pepper notes.. higher carbonation.

750 mL bottle from beastiefan2k. This one was a serious gusher. Pours cloudy dark orange, heavy particulate, huge off-white fizzy lasting head, excellent lacing. Aroma is heavy malt (bread, cereal, meal), average hops (herbs, grass), heavy yeast (dough, musty, leaves) with notes of light alcohol, banana, cask and wood. Medium bodied, sticky texture, fizzy carbonation and a bitter finish. Short duration, light sweetness, moderate acidity and heavy bitterness with a salty flavor.

A tasty as well as entertaining beer. It’s a slighlty hazed, pale amber brew with a huge beige head that slowly collapses around the sides, then slowly sinks while leaving thick lacing behind. (Back at the 750ml bottle - It slowly erupted continuously so long as there was beer left in the bottle. the bottle filled up with foam, then crept down the bottle’s side. Fun to watch.) Scents of powdery pollen, rose petals, cherries, and dried apples work their way through the dense head. The flavor is a light, spicy malt, fruity, has touches of wood, a cirtic zest bitterness, and a splash of alcohol. Nice dry, somewhat bitter finish. Very, very nice.

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Cloudy amber with a very small head. Fruity malty aroma with a light buttery note. Malty and fruity flavor with a light hoppy finish.

5th July 2008. Cloudy brown beer. Strong orange and grapefruit with a little spice. Dry zesty finish. Just a shade too sour to be great.