La Bavaisienne Ambrée

Name: La Bavaisienne Amber
Date: October 28, 2009
Mode: Bottle
Source: Rare Beer Club
Appearance: hazy amber, fine off white head, drippy lace
Aroma: sweet fruity aroma, lots of fruity esters, light spicyness
Flavor: rich fruity flavor, sweet esters, light balancing spicyness
Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.4/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **+ /4

750 ml. Big, frothy, off-white head, long lasting. The body is cloudy amber. Aroma of caramel, cookie, flowers, mustiness with notes of peach, orange and earthiness. The flavor is moderately sweet and lightly bitter. It finishes lightly sweet, lightly acidic and moderately bitter. Medium body, watery texture and lively carbonation. The caramel notes remind me of an English ESB. Nice dry bitterness in the finish that overtakes the sweet caramel and fruit. Clean, easy drinking. Solid.

Well carbonated dark copper-amber. Big head. Light clean nose; light earth and spice with a faint fish scent. Earthy caramel and base metal flavour. Lots of caramel in the finish and aftertaste.

750 ml bottle poured a clear amber with a small lingering amber head. Aromas of toasted malt, fruittiness and spice. Palate was light bodied and crisp with a dry finish. Flavors of toasted malt, apple, pear and spice with a crisp dry fruity finish.

Bottle, amber orange with good tight foam, aroma is grainy metallic, flavor of some fruit and grainy sweet finish

750ml Bottle: Aroma of malts, honey, grains, light hops, and light yeast. Poured orange/deep amber in color with a small, loose, tan head that lasted throughout. Clear. Lightly sparkling. Flavor is medium sweet. Tastes of cocoa, malts, grains, light yeast, slight caramel, slight honey, light hops, some earthiness, and some toasting. Medium body. Chalky texture. Average carbonation. Sweet, malt, grain, and slight yeast finish is chalky.

750 ml bottle. Musty, funky aromas, malty caramel, with a spiciness on the nose. Pours golden amber with a thick white head. Good funky malty flavors, caramelly, spicy, musty flavors, very earthy, pumperknickle bread, finishes with a malty sweetness with just a hint of tartness in the end.

750 ml corked and caged bottle purchased at Zipps in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Pour is lighter cordovan mostly towards the ruby end, topped with a nicely formed 2 inch off white head. Pretty lacing left behind as the head falls slowly. Aroma is softly sweet (brown sugar) maltiness and nice grass earthiness. Some initial skunk on the pour, that clears quickly. Very gentle nose, inviting. Taste is the nose, soft brown sugar and slight burnt caramel sweetness of the malt and the yeast characteristics of grass and earth. Nice melding, very smooth beer. Palate is low carbonation, medium bodied with a pleasant residual sweet finish. Probably the nicest Bière de Garde I have tasted.