Portsmouth Bière de Garde

Very strong fruity esters with light touches of higher alcohols/phenolics and a touch of buttery diacetyl. Hazy amber-brown coloured body is topped by a low, off white head that recedes to a lasting cover. Grainy and sweet with plenty of tannins and fruity esters. Texture is quite syrupy with somewhat low carbonation. It almost seems that this one isn’t quite ready. On tap at the Extreme Brewers Fest 2006.

Deep amber in color with a small white head.Aroma of dark fruit,alcohol and warming toasted malt. Fruit and spice flavor on top of a warming alcohol and malt body. A big version of a BdG, in fact bigger than I’ve had previously, almost a strong Belgian brown ale.

Generous white head comforts the light orange coloured body. Interesting sweet/tart combination greets the nose with a good estery fruitiness hinting at pineapple, peach, banana, white grapes, light tannins reminiscent of herb tea. Its malty nature remains globally sweet, drawing the line between dough and biscuits. Soft yet persistent carbonation is efficient in asking for the next sip. Rather exotic an example, avoiding the mustiness, earthyness of my favourite examples, but surpassing them in fruit range and the mouthfeel is solid. Could just be a bit drier as seems to be the case with every Portsmouth I’ve had, but this sure didn’t feel like 8.5%.

Draught version, sampled at EBF ’06. Authentic amounts of esters and mildly perceptible alcohol notes rise up to greet me, but are quickly lost amid a flurry of sweet, almond and honey covered maltiness. Light bits of vanillin and touches of bubble gum dry things, while a plethora of nectarines, peaches, pears, apples and other fruits finish the aroma. The flavor is quite clean, though the alcohol, through a bit of a sharpness, is notable on end. Chico yeast used for this one, really keeps things fairly clean, though the higher than normal fermentation on this one as well, adds more fruitiness. Thick almondine sugars, vanilla frosting and cakey sweet malts assail the palate, while hop apparency is low, adding light notes of floral bitterness. Fair amount of dough and light white pepper suggestions on the finish. Thick, heavily creamy mouthfeel is broken up by the moderate carbonation.

Caramelized golden raisin addition, cask version. Powerfully sweet, caramelly and certainly very fruity. The raisins are front and center here. Both the nose and flavor get a sweet, sugary, raisiny boost that seemed unncessary in an already heavily malty example. The flavors are done right, but it just dosent work in this situation. Low carbonation on the cask version further exacerbates things. Cloying, unfortunately. Numbers are for the draught version.

Sample at EBF 2006. Lasting bits of head and surprsing lacing coat the plastic atop a hazy bright apricot body....musty, farmy nose, really quite funky and weird with more than a bit of the barnyard animal character that ought to disgust but instead interests, touches of citrus keeping it in check....body is rather sugary, too sweet really with candied fruits, though some earthy herbal notes help out...interesting how much better this was than the same brewer’s saison, tasted at the same time.