Leelanau Good Harbor Golden

Leelanau Brewing Company
Brewed at Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
Style: Bière de Garde
Lake Leelanau, Michigan USA

A light golden hue fills my glass and a creamy poufy white head makes her presence known. Fading into a light ring and quaint brussels lace with each swirl, I raise my glass to my lips to quaff my very first Biere de Garde, Good Harbor Golden. First her nose; crisp bitter lemon, fresh almost rank sourdough mingles with summer apples and fresh pear. Her body is light and fruity as it caresses my tongue and leaves a more sweet impression on my palate then her initial sour assault. Airy with nice carbonation. After a while, Good Golden Harbor settles into a smooth, effervescent brew with a sweet and sour blend of lemons, sourdough, and apples. A pleasant finish for my first time.
I have no other Biere de Gardes to compare the Good Harbor Golden from Leelanau Brewing too, but what I did taste I enjoyed. Very reminiscent of saisons, yet still able to stand on her own, I look forward to meeting more of her varied and widespread sisters.

750 from Daleliz, thanks again Liz. Pours golden with a bright white head. Nose is sweet and bright with a nice complexity. Really tasty citrus with a very nice complex flavor and a great aftertaste that gets me to continue to want to take another sip. Yummy.

Hazy straw color with a moderate, somewhat dissipating bright white head that ends up being a etched glass looking coating and a bit of lace. Funky aromas with notes of brett, oak, wheat and underneath it all some tropical fruit. The more I sniff the more I catch some malt liquor qualities with heavy malt and a hint of alcohol. Light sweet start, a triple type sweetness that carries throughout. Some sweet floral hops work there way in the middle. More tart than sour, but yet there are some sweet sour flavors. Quite quenching for a brew this formidable. A loaf of bread, some cheese and this in a basket would make for a great afternoon in the countryside.

Pours a hazy straw yellow. I bought this bottle on whim and did not know what to expect. To my surprise it is quite tart. Woody and bretty, has a green apple skin tannin. Real tasty and light on the palate.

Slightly murky straw color, moderately thick big-bubbled head. Mild JP citric funk aroma over mild spicy grains. Moderate brett tartness on the taste, sweet grain, apples, oak. Subtle, but damn tasty.

Straw coloured and cloudy. Nose of pediococcus, wood and a little brett. Taste is pedio, wood, brett, too. Hint of tartness...fun stuff...not too different from other soury funky American experiments but I like it.

This beer is contract brewed at Jolly Pumpkin. Pours clear gold, with a light chill haze. A three-inch head of dense white sank slowly, and a partial skim-coat remained for the duration. A few strings of lacework also. Aromatics are lemony, hay-like, and brightly acidic. Slightly lactic, with plenty of wheat twang and grapefruit. Light bodied and crisp. Tart and quenching mouthfeel. The pallet delivers what the nose promised. Lemon zest, wet hay, grapefruit pith, and clean acid. Slightly prickly on the back of the throat. Finishes with plenty of lemony tartness and cut grass on the farm. This ones a bit cleaner than the JP brews in that the lactic quality is minimal, while the acid is bright and clean. Some more funk would be nice, especially some brett. Mildly sour in comarison to an authentic lambic or other American wild ales, but certainly more sour than any Biere de Garde. Pretty damn tasty on a hot summer’s eve.

bottle shared by JMFG: pours a great golden hay colour with a good white head. aroma is a good funk, slight lemon, barrel, adn a good amount of malts too. flavour is a tart citrus flavour , again with good funkiness and some of the barrel, slight lemon good ber.