BFM La Salamandre

Brewed by BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes)
Style: Belgian White (Witbier)
Saignelégier, Switzerland

Serve in Tumbler, Weizen

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UPDATED: MAR 30, 2004 My only real complaint is that the aroma is a bit muted compared to the onslaught of flavor that you get from this thing. The finish lingers very gently, but the inital taste impressions are very strong: lemon & orange, sour wheatiness, that white peppery tingle. Huge body, hefty, super unfiltered -- perfect in appearance and palate, just like Brugs in these respects. The malt is really soft, as Josh states. Man oh man, this is good!

Very white, cloudy; Acidic, orangey palate with ample soft malt. Very complex. And definitely not ’dark ruby’.

Has a nice cloudy pale yellow colour with a short head. Aroma of pollen and flowers. The taste is slightly acid and fresh. Nice long and acid aftertaste. Pleasant.

Bottle. Pours orange golden and cloudy. The head is rather minimal. A great complex aroma, a lot of acidity, lemony with orange zest and spices. Geuze character. The sour lemony and orange zest flavours find balancing honey sweetness. An outstanding beer!

Pours a hazy straw color under a faint but lasting oily head. Wonderful nose of sour apple, clove and balsamic vinegar. Complex opening with sweet apple vinegar and clove, finishing with a wheaty tartness, extremely thirst quenching. Palate is soft and medium fill, stay with you. Great stuff and love the mixing of an almost Flemish red and a wheat beer.

UPDATED: FEB 7, 2006 hazy orangeish colour under a little stable white head; spicy (ginger comes to mind) and honeyish aroma (I’m not sure if honey was part of the original recipe ?!); lot of carbonation and a nice, robust acidity which is held up by a clean and regular maltiness; the finish is moderately dry with more fruity (lemon/orange) and spicy notes - a beautiful witbier which is back at its best !

Hazy pale yellow, big foamy, generous white head looks like meringue. Mild aromas offer a light lactic component that reminds of cream. Soft bananas and dough caress the yeast, all in softness. Soaped up lemon slices and pineapple chunks show up if you dig deeper. All the elements appear gradually, shyly displayed parsimoniously, but the house character shines through, a diplomatic approach with a characteristic fluffy body. Expanding bubbles boost the fruitiness, making for a pleasant fruit salad and a supporting sourness. Finishing quite dry. A fun witbier.

Sample from the bottle (750 ml) at the Mondial de la Bière in Montreal, 2006. Murky-pale yellow gold with a fine large lasting head and lacing....intensely spicy aroma, of cardamom and lemongrass, orangepeel and, later, honey-vanilla and increasingly strong ginger....the mouthfeel belies the sweetness and spiciness, much drier with dominant dry fruitiness (orange and lemonpeel), chewy but subdued pale malt and a strong dried hoppy character throughout....beautiful bitter-sweet-spicy balance, lovely use of herbs, smooth and oh so drinkable....one of the best witbiers I’ve had and like the other beers from BFM, very distinctive.

Bottle. Very cloudy blond with a nice fizzy white head. Very nice aroma of sweet malt, fruit, citrus, spice and yeast. It has a touch of funkyness. It has a sweetish honey flavour of grapefruit with a wonderful lemon sourness from the wheat, almost like sherbet in character. Prickly mouthfeel with some spicyness and dryness in the finish but really refreshing. A very interesting beer.

Pours hazy amber with a small head. Nose shows acidic funky notes, doughy wheat, lemon and orange peel. Very refreshing flavours, with some sourness, a bit of wheat and lemon. Well-suited high carbonation and light body. Very refreshing stuff.