Duyck St. Druon de Sebourg

Brewed by Duyck
Style: Bière de Garde
Jenlain, France

330 cl bottle in tulip, served at the <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/illinois/chicag Leaf. Makes a better bière de garde than the abbey ale it professes to be, but a good value at $5/bottle. Lightly malted smell, a slightly hazy corn kernel yellow under a thick, fluffy Belgian head that turns to seafoam. Slightly sour smell once my nose fits in the glass. Taste has the sweetness of Belgian pils malt. Some cherry tartness, then dryness in the same sip. Notes of black pepper and cardamon, too.

Pours crystal clear golden with playful carbonation and an off-white head. The aroma has bready pale malt, lots of yeast, some cream and light spice. Medium / light body that is smooth and velvety with light sharp carbonation on the finish. The flavor starts with what is on the aroma along with some lemony citrus. The finish gets a kind of sharp with a light medicinal taste that isn’t really off putting. Not a great beer for the style, but I would gladly have this again.

750 ml bottle. Hazy golden pour with an average white head. Aromas of banana, bubblegum, lemon, and spices. Palate is a bit on the thin side...a light peppery taste with a slightly dry finish. Watery, but yet some flavors push their way through. Some saison characteristics with the dryness, but a little less interesting.

Draft at the Seattle International Beerfest. Clear gold body with a thin white head. Nice lemon and grass nose. Well balanced attack. Lots of lemon and grass and gloral notes on the mid-palate. Nice and light. Not much finish. Hides the alcohol well.

Pours light amber with a one finger white head. Aroma is mostly malt with a hint of sourness. Flavor is light with some sweetness and a bit of a biter hops finish, Nothing spectacular here, but not bad.

Sampled May 2007
Pours with a frothy, initially two-finger thick, pale tan colored head that has a touch of staying power to it. The beer is a brilliantly clear, bright gold color that leans a bit towards a light copper color. This smells a lot like a cheap macro-lager; specifically typical aromas I associated with macros that have lots of adjunct grains added. Smells of corn, some grassy hops, a touch of green herbal notes, perhaps some DMS and some dusty cracker-like grain towards the end.

The taste is quite sweet, and there definitely seems to be quite the signature of DMS; cooked corn and even a touch vegetal. There are some grassy, slightly herbal hop flavors here as well, though not nearly enough. Touches of orange peel and an astringent, green finish seem to round out the flavors here. This is not nearly as bad as my description might seem, but it is certainly uninspiring and even simplistic, despite the DMS

Light grassy aroma, with sweet, honeyish malt. Brassy gold color with a decent white head. There is some very light lacing. Thin bodied. Thin fruit flavors, a bit of sour. Light yeasty spice notes. The finish is dry, and there is a bit of bitter! Reasonably flavorful. Grows on one.

Bottle, corked. 6% ABV. Blonde, hazy, foamy head. Flowery citric aroma with a touch of honey. Malty sweetish, citric, slightly perfumed and flowery flavor. Just a tad thin. Honey. Likeable bière de garde.