Saint-Germain Page 24 Réserve Hildegarde Blonde

Brewed by Brasserie Saint-Germain
Style: Bière de Garde
Aix-Noulette, France

75cl bottle. Pours golden with a creamy head. Good lacing. Herbal hoppy aroma, good choice of hops. Strong malty backbone. Good balance, good complexity, perfect carbonation and texture. Very good beer.

Bottle 0,75ltr. with cork: One great blonde Biere de Garde with an sophisticated herbal taste with hints of pepper and spices.

Everything I said about the Page 24 Blonde (q.v.) is equally true of the Reserve Hildegarde Blonde. Considering the extensive taste review of TAR I have nothing to add except some nice backstory. The name of the beer is derived from medieval herbalist nun Hildegard von Bingen. She allegedly was the first to write down a recipe for beer in a book containing various recipes for tonics etc. made from plants. The book was lost. However, page 24 of the book was recovered and that page had the beer brewing recipe on it - or so the story goes (told to me by the brewmaster of Saint Germaine) Brasserie Saint Germain have dedicated themselves to sticking as close as possible to this traditional recipe as the base method for brewing their beers. That’s in a name. If you drink one French beer in your life, this is a worthy choice.

Rusty gold. Alluringly creamy and persistent white foam. Rustic yet brightly fruity nose of minerals, dusty yeast, toasted hay, aniseed, dried pineapple, cotton candy, and herbal hops. Whiff of sulfur lurks in the background. Dense and fluffy carbonation. Considerably mouth-filling with a well-rouned lagerlike fullness. Snappy minerals gently lift the rich yet pristine cakey malt base while lending vivid definition and crispness. Residual sweetness teases the palate as it deposits shades of cotton candy and cake to create a magical alliance with the dusty yeast. Yeast coats the palate with a pillow-soft doughy element while the malt flutters about, expressing ample flavor and a tongue-hugging powdery textures with suggestive toasted hay notions. Baked apple flabbiness remains distant enough so as to not weigh down the immaculate attenuation or overshadow the array of subtleties too much. Peppery notes shyly exude throughout, adding yet more layers of nuance. Finishes continually dusty and mineralic, with an artfully subdued punctuation of flavorsome hops which seamlessly morph into a well-polished spicy and herbal bitterness. Beers like this are among the most difficult to craft. This is an exquisite work of art, chock-full of spellbinding subtleties combined with rustic allure and character.

Bottle. Head is initially average sized, frothy, white, mostly lasting. Body is hazy medium yellow, bottle conditioned. Aroma is lightly to moderately malty (toasted grain/bread), lightly to moderately hoppy (honeysuckle flowers, herbs), lightly yeasty (cobwebs), with notes of mint, pepper, dried pineapple, honey. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, lightly acidic, moderately bitter. Medium body, watery/velvety texture, lively carbonation, lightly alcoholic. Awwww, yeah...this is the stuff right here. I had the Ambree on Sunday with TAR and it really rocked me, terrific stuff. And sho’ ’nuff, we have another winner with the Blonde, which I was chuffed to have all to myself tonight. This beer is all about elegance, subtlety, and refinement. So amazingly clean, so beautifully modest and classy! Luscious malt and flowery hop are equal partners in this one, with soft fruity esters and spice to add depth. A truly gorgeous beer whose surface simplicity will inevitably be lost on most. The Shelton team has picked a winner with this brewery.

Cloudy yellow, light white head. Very yeasty and fruity on the nose with some caramel and floral hops. Flavor is very nice. Sweet, tart and lightly bitter on the finish. Good yeasty notes and some nice light fruit. Good stuff.

Une bonne blonde, bien trempée. Profonde en gout et avec une légèreté.

Pours a hazy gold color with a small white head. Aroma are fruity and floral with a honey top. Flavors of bitter fruits and herbs and straw with a little honey finish. Slightly different and plesant beer.