Vosges La Bête des Vosges

Brewed by Brasserie Artisanale des Vosges
Style: Bière de Garde
Dommartin-Les-Remiremont, France

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

La Bete Des Vosges has almost no head, just a thin, off-white film. The appearance is a dark, murky orange, with lots of brown solids floating about. Some bubbles are streaming up, but no lacing is left behind. There is coffee-like sediment left at the bottom of the glass. The aroma is of over-ripe fruit, like prunes. It also tastes like prune juice more than beer, and is closer to brandy or wine than beer, as far as flavor goes. Mouthfeel is medium to heavy, and it’s a gamy liquid. The finish is not unlike fruit juice, but there is a barley presence in the aftertaste. Well, this is an unusual beer, to say the least. However, I did slowly sip it, and enjoyed it more as it went. I say it’s worth a try, if you can stomach it. RJT

Sehr süßer und CO2-armer Antrunk mit aufgebauschter und künstlicher Malzigkeit. Zu süß bleibend, die anderen Aromen lassen dagegen nach, erst im Abgang kommt eine nun zum Glück wenig süße Würzigkeit auf, die auf der malzigen, nun leicht herben Note basiert. Ein unausgewogenes Bier! Danke an DerDoppelbock für das Bier! 6/6/7/7/6/6

330ml bottle. Nice beige head, light brown colour. Aroma of hops, coriander, malts, alcohol. Taste is grassiness and malts, lots of alcohol, syrupy wood notes. Complex and a little strong but pretty good. Dry finish.

Pale copper beer with a good yellowish tinted head. Dough, banana, condensed milk, couscous. Again couscous in the mouth, milky, special grains, not dry without getting sweet. Creamy, slick MF, feels heavy despite lively carbonation; fruity aftertaste. Strange, strange flavours... Infected, I daren’t say, but peculiar all the same. Oxydized malts? Thanks to Stefaan!

Small tan head. Light brown body. Spicy perfumy soapy papery brown sugar aroma with earthy notes. Weird. Dry-sweetish papery lavender and spice taste with dusty caramel notes. Light body. Mild, buttery mouthfeel. Dry buttery papery caramel aftertaste with herbal notes. Very clear and vivid taste. Also fairly harmonic and drinkable. I quite enjoyed this. (0.33l bottle, Village de la Biere, Strasbourg.)

Bottled 33cl. Courtesy of Saarlander. Clear deep golden/ amber with an off white head. Aroma of peach, candi sugar, turkish delight, rose and coconut. Sweet, fruity and sticky. Pleasant. Thanks a lot Aaron!

Cider color with big, diffuse bubbles upon a flat body. Fragrant with deeply aged malt, packed with earthy, smoothed out carmaelized melanoidins, wood mustyness and a gurgling creek of alcohol. Smooth, lightly syrupy body that is almost entirely without carbonation. Intriguing aged malts, some wood character, traces of bubblegum and maple. There is a lot melded into this beer and it is deliciously mellowed by time. A nicely done, authentically experienced artisan-style ale.

5th November 2008. Cloudy brown beer. Low carbonation. Sweetish caramelly nose with a faint whiff of orange. Starts with creamy malt running in to an unusual taste of Sangria! Definite orange and a little mandarin with an undertone of red wine and port. Unusual and very tasty.