Piece Surrender

Brewed by Piece Brewery & Pizzeria
Style: Bière de Garde
Chicago, Illinois USA

Serve in Stem glass, Tulip

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tap at piece. served too cold, in a tulip. sitting next to the dysfunctionale, looked identical. in other words, a pretty nice red/orange. no head. used hands to warm up, and a lot more complexity came out of the taste. i don’t remember much about the aroma, except that at first it smelled hoppy to me. then once i tasted it, it was super super malty. then i was smelling a lot of malts. as it warmed up, the sour character became predominant. a little bit of belgian funk, a bit of candi sugars, a bit of spices. actually pretty reasonable balance and complexity.

Dark, hazy orange with a thin, white head. The nose is big of fruit. Loads of tropical fruity esters (mango, pineapple), sweet oranges, brown sugar, coriander, fresh dough, some herbal (roses) notes and hints of mild graininess. The body is moderate and enjoyable if a little more aggressively carbonated than I usually prefer for the style. The body is quite a bit sweeter than in my experience with the style. The finish has a crisp bitterness and a fairly pronounced spice kick. This is really unique, in my eyes. The elevated sweetness, pronouced yeast and esters and strong spices are not what I typically understand for Bière de Garde. Additionally, there seems to be no caramelization of the malt, which I think is normally quite appropriate. However, the flavors are tasty in their own right and it’s cool to try. I wonder what a Piece example of my idea of BdG would taste like?

On tap at Piece. Poured a hazy toffee/chestnut with a short-lived off-white cap... slight rising carbonation. Spicy, malty, and rustic feel to the nose... with coriander and mild rust, caramel and lemony herbs laced with alcohol... very enjoyable and intriguing. Spicy malt middle in the flavor with a mild herbal bitterness at the edges of the palate... coriander and lemon accents throughout... alcohol warmth emerged in feel and flavor as the drink warmed. Very tasty! Spicy tartness from coriander and lemongrass on the palate... a little flat across the middle... long herbal finish. Really enjoyed it!

Copper pour with rich off-white head. Nose has a yeasty fruitiness. flavors are slightly sour apples and pears with a light herbal or floral spicing highlight. Very slightly tart in the finish. Very drinkable now and could probably benefit from aging.

On tap at the brewpub. Pours a medium copper with a good sized head on it. Aroma and flavors are dominated by estery fruits such as pear and apple with pepper and coriander spices finishing it off. Quite good.