La Choulette Ambrée

Brewed by Brasserie La Choulette
Style: Bière de Garde
Hordain, France

une bière trop amère pour moi. Ca doit être le houblon qui doit être en trop grande quantité, en tout cas, il ne me reste pas un gros souvenir affectif.

Bought this bottle even though it is past its BBD based on the marking on the label, which was ’02-D-07’, thought I would take the chance, has a medium red or so pour with a foamy off-white head, there are some floaties in the brew, the head thinned out, red pour has brown and dark bronze hues at the sides, leaves some bubbly lacing on the glass, aromas of toasted malt, caramel, faint chocolate, there is a good amount of malt aroma, smells like this is aged in wood, there is an ‘old’ smell to (from age or because it is past its BBD?), it smells musty to (for the same reason?), flavors of faint spice, toasted malt, some caramel, faint alcohol warmth - not much though, some apple with a faint citrus, finish has fine pepper feel and is dry, there is an off flavor, oxidation from past its BBD? has a medium mouth feel, maybe some Beire de Gardes do not age to well past their BBD, I will need to try a fresh bottle of this beer.

clear amber, large smooth offwhite head. Sweet malty, nutty aroma, crisp. flavor is quite smoked or roasted, malty, a little sweet. maize, fruity notes, alc shows clearly when warming up. this reminds me most of a cheap strong beer, but with some interesting comlexity added in, unbalanced.

750ml Bottle: Aroma of malts, nuts, grains, and a slight hint of cocoa. Poured deep amber/copper in color with a large, creamy, rocky, off-white/slight beige head that diminished but lasted throughout. Cloudy. Lightly sparkling. Full of tiny particles throughout. Very good to excellent lacing. Flavor is light to medium sweet. Tastes of malts, nuts, grains, slight paper, a hint of tobacco, and a slight hint of cocoa. Medium body. Smooth texture. Soft to average carbonation. Sweet, malts, nuts, grains, and slight tobacco finish. 8%ABV is undetectable.

appearance is mostly unclouded ruby, quite striking. head reduces to and remains a film quickly. aroma is lightly crunchy toffee brittle. mouthfeel is totally unexpected, very soft and pillowy. more caramel in taste along with nutty notes not unlike a dopplebock.

Bottle. Amber. Light head. Bready caramel nose. Woody caramel flavour with hardly a trace of alcohol.

For the price, I should’ve liked this beer better than I did. Started off well with a foamy off-white head and a clear dark copper colour, and nicely carbonated to boot. (Another one that looked like a Pepsi!). Aroma was almost absent but for an inkling of malt, but that’s all. Taste was pleasant but all I could detect was maybe some coffee? Odd beer, probably ideal for washing down one’s Freedom Fries.