Bière Darbyste

Brewed by Brasserie de Blaugies
Style: Traditional Ale
Dour-Blaugies, Belgium

Serve in Dimpled mug, English pint, Stein, Yard

Appearance: Pours a hazed, dark amber body with a fizzy, white head that’s a bit on the small side. Light effervescence. Smell: Lightly toasted Belgian malts, fresh spices, and various other fruits try their best to compete with the particularly strong fig juice scent. Taste: Lightly toasted maltiness with a slight hint of caramel candy. A slug of fig juice alongside a small touch of acidity. Also sliced pears and a slow drop of citrus oil. Herbaceous spiciness and thin vein of funk at the midpoint. Herbal, floral hops with only a small, small amount of bitterness. Finishes dry, spicy, and fruity. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Moderate carbonation. Drinkability: Worth a try. Interesting and fairly enjoyable. Hope you like figs!

2005 bottle, courtesy SoLan. The brittle old cage broke when I twisted the wire, and if it were not for a fast and ready thumb the cork would have likely hit the ceiling. The brew pours a crystal clear, pure, dark amber color with effervescing, Champagne-like bubble streams. A thin, ultra-smooth blanket of cream colored foam settles in at the surface. Wet lacing forms big, drooping arches. Aromas include a dry caramel malt base, with notes of fig, dried prune, and raisin lending deep, concentrated, fruity sweetness. Scents of day old bread, funked-out, earthy oak, peppery spice, and faded floral hopping complete the unique and complex nose. The flavor is very dusty and wrought with wild yeast, earthy as can be, with tart, almost sour, fruity overtones. I must say that the combination comes off as being a bit plastic-like, but that might very well be due to the advanced age of this particular beer. Fig and golden raisin again show quite prominently. The palate is medium bodied, dry, and lively effervescent. This is a weird one. Not bad....just weird.

Bottled@Zythos Beer Festival 2009. A stable mediumsized beige creamy head resting on a hazed, pale orangey brown body. Aroma is sourish malty and yeasty with a well prononced spice scent and a note sour/unripe fruits. Taste is more fruity than malty. Fairly dry, clean and citric with spicy undertones. Oily texture. Medium to light body. Interesting stuff, highly drinkable too.

draught at ZBF gold color, special taste, nice flavor gentle pleasant and not common taste

Bottle from Toronado San Diego. Pours a medium amber color with a faint orange glow. A creamy beige head left great lacing. Interesting nose of fig, apricots, and light clove spice. Flavor was sweet and sour.

Hazy apricot colored with massive, fluffy cream-colored head with full retention. Tart cherry/raspberry aroma with cheesy yeasts and a subtle black pepper spiciness. Malty flavor, sweet with notes of ripened plums and dates, and with a subtle wheat tangyness. Finish is lightly sour and dry with just a touch of alcohol. Very nice pillowy carbonation level. A strange beast - seemingly a mix of funky barnyardy saison and malty rich quadrupel. I’m not so sure that the result is better than the sum of its parts, but it is an interesting brew.

pours opaque, nice carbonation, good head. smells like a real lambic (though honestly i don’t smell much fruit, much less figs). i’m new to "real" lambics, and thought i disliked them, but this one is drinkable

Pours hazy light amber with white head. Bready aroma with what I guess are figs. Lightly tart and sweet flavor with some spiciness. Lots of apple, pear, grape and citrus flavors also. Light to medium body with effervescent carbonation. Very much like a saison. Good stuff.