Category Archives: Bière de Garde

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes), Bière de Garde, Switzerland

BFM Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien Special Blend Bordo Casks 2018

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Brewery: BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes)
Country: Switzerland
ABV: 11%
Style: Bière de Garde
Other Notes: Special blend Bordo casks 2018

Brewer Description: (from bottle in French) Bière atypique aux notes épicées et balsamiques avec une belle acidité, la est élevée en barriques de vins rouges plus d’un an, puis assemblée.

(translated to English) An atypical beer with spicy and balsamic notes and a nice acidity, is aged in red wine barrels for more than a year, then blended.

My rating: 3+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.96
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 750ml bottle, 2018 vintage, special blend Bordo casks. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear dark reddish copper colour with pretty much no head and no lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, dark fruit, plum, prunes, dark berries, vinous, wood, oaky vanilla notes, with a splash of balsamic.
Taste: Sour, tart, dark fruit, plum, prunes, dark berries, red wine grapes, vinous, wood, and an oaky vanilla note.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with no carbonation.
Overall: It’s got good aroma and flavours, but the lack of carbonation made it not nearly as good as the original. The lack of carbonation just seemed like it was missing something.

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4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Bière de Garde, England, Mills Brewing

Mills Bière de Garde

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Brewery: Mills Brewing
Country: England
ABV: 5.8%
Style: Farmhouse Bière de Garde
Other Notes: Mills Brewing make beer with minimal modern intervention, relying on local wild yeast cultures and the influence of nature to ferment.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Bière de Garde was made from a blend of three contrasting brews produced in January, July and October 2018. The blend produced an easy drinking, dry, malt-forward taste with balancing bitterness and funk. The beer was lagered in bottle at ambient temperature over winter, before completing maturation in the summer months of 2020.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.88
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, bottled in November 2019, with a best before date of November 2029. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: It was a slightly hazy golden orange colour with an almost three finger frothy white head that had decent retention, and eventually settled to a thin cap, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Tart, fruity, citrusy, orange zest, lemon sherbet, apple peel, slightly vinous, oak, hay, funky, musty wet wood.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, grape skin, slightly vinous, lemon zest, green apple, oak, funky, musty wet wood.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied, with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Not so much opportunity to try many Bière de Garde’s, but this was enjoyable and easy to drink.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Bière de Garde, Casey Brewing & Blending, USA

Casey Bière de Garde

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Brewery: Casey Brewing & Blending
Country: USA
ABV: 8%
Style: Farmhouse Bière de Garde

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Ale aged in oak barrels.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.11
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, bottled on 14th April 2016. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A cola brown colour with an orange hue, and a one finger tanned head that settled slowly to a thin cap while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, cherry, plum, red grape, oak, caramel, lemon zest, and a splash of herbal notes.
Taste: Sour, tart, lemon zest, herbal, cherry, plum, red grape, vinous, oak, caramel, and dark malt notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Haven’t had the opportunity to try many Bière de Garde’s, but this was an enjoyable dark sour beer with a balanced malty, tart, and fruity mix.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Bière de Garde, The Lost Abbey, USA

Lost Abbey Avant Garde Ale

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Brewery: The Lost Abbey
Country: USA
ABV: 7%
Style: Bière de Garde

Brewer Description: (from bottle) From the French word “Garde” meaning something worth keeping. This Farmhouse Style Ale is a most delicious companion to a loaf of freshly baked bread from the oven. Grab a seat on the porch, some soft cheese and a tree ripened apple from your grandmother’s old orchard. Relax and watch the evening arrive as the afternoon sun is consumed by the illuminating moon over the gardens. We brewed the Avant Garde for you, our friends and families. Here’s to things worth guarding over.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.98
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 1 pint 9.4 fl oz bottle, bottled sometime in 2015 (as far as I can tell), and poured into a d’Achouffe tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a clear copper colour with a big two finger off white head that dissipated fairly quickly but left decent lacing.
Aroma: Generally quite light, sweet malt, toasty bread, orange zest, apple, pear, earthy and spice.
Taste: Biscuity, light berries and caramel with a touch of honey, peppery spice and light alcohol.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: This was nice, enjoyable and easy to drink.

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4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes), Bière de Garde, Switzerland

BFM Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien 2014

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Brewery: BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes)
Country: Switzerland
ABV: 11%
Style: Bière de Garde
Other Notes: Ale aged in oak barrels

Brewer Description: (from website) Don’t be afraid of sour beers! Love them! L’Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien is an antique beer, a strong sour ale with 11% abv, aged in old wine oak barrels during one year. After the aging period, the different casks are blended together in order to obtain complexity and lots of flavours. Saint Bon-Chien is one of the world’s flagship’s sour beers coming from a mixed fermentation. It first ferments with wine yeast, then during the cask’s maturation, lots of microorganisms coming from the casks change the beer’s flavour profile.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.39
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 250ml pour on tap of the 2014 vintage at Moeder Lambic Fontainas into a Moeder Lambic snifter glass.
Appearance: It was a slightly hazy dark amber brown colour with a one finger tanned head with good retention and nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, plum, cherry and oak.
Taste: Sour, tart, balsamic, plum, cherry, oak, lightly medicinal plus hints of grape bubblegum sweetness.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with light carbonation.
Overall: Very nice! A bit boozy and a little sweet but still delicious.

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