Castelain

Regional Brewery in Bénifontaine, Hauts-de-France, France 🇫🇷

Established in 1926

Contact
13 Rue Pasteur, Bénifontaine, 62410, France
Description
Since 1926, brewing has no longer been a matter of chance at Bénifontaine, but rather is an art which has been passed down from generation to generation. From microbrewery to family business, Castelain Brewery has had a loyal following thanks to its artisanal beers and its respect for tradition. Thoroughness, patience, authenticity: these have been the key words for Castelain bières de garde and seasonal beers since the creation of the brewery.

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6.3
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Very, very interesting. Smells..well different, the aroma was pretty heavy, somehow "oily". It had a big white head, which vanished really fast. Very fizzy at first. Lively carbonation. Nothing really strange, but somehow for me, fizzy and biere de garde didn’t go together. Clear golden body. Tastes... different (again)... somehow grainy, lemony (in a sour way, but nice). Maybe honeyish in the aftertaste too. Nothing too special, but definitely an above average beer. It’s possibly underrated. After Ch’Ti "Tripel" I didn’t expect much, so this came as a suprise. Nice owl on the label by the way.

Tried on 15 Nov 2004 at 13:32


5.2
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5

Bottled (BB 06/2006)
Lager color with small white head. Weak, fruity trefoil aroma. Sweet, a bit smokey, malty taste. Medium-bodied. Sweetish hoppy aftertaste.

Tried from Bottle on 07 Nov 2004 at 01:47


5.8
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5

Bottled (BB 11/2005)
Typical lager color. Foamy small white head. Fruity and sweet aroma of banana and apricot. Medium-bodied sugary palate. Sweet apricot, malts taste with rounded mouthfeel. Sweet oily aftertaste. Hides alcohol completely.

Tried from Bottle on 07 Nov 2004 at 01:44


6.9
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Bottled (BB 04/2006)
Dark brown, almost no head. Aroma of banana. Mouthfeel is thin. Easy to drink: sweetish, taste of cream, water melon and banana. Hides alcohol completely. (7/3/7/3/13 3.3)
Re-rate, bottled (BB 04/2006)
Dark ruby, good creamy brown head. Aroma has malts and roast. Sweetish with toffee, roasted malts, licorice and chocolate. Alcohol comes only slightly in the aftertaste. Warming. This feels more like Vienna (with high ABV). (6/4/6/3/13 3.2)

Tried from Bottle on 07 Nov 2004 at 01:26


5.5
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5

Bottle. Dark brown colour, white head. Semi-sweet flavour, not spicy. Aftertaste of flat lager. Disappointing.

Tried from Bottle on 30 Oct 2004 at 12:31


4.3
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 4

Bottled. What do we have here. Looks like a premium lager - deep golden with a white head, smells like a good (if that exists) malt liquor - malt and alcohol, tastes like a very cheap... bock maybe - malt, caramel and alcohol, and actually claims to be a biere de garde and a tripel. Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we have a freak here. Well, the bottle looks nice at least. Maybe it would improve with aging, but I certainly won’t buy another bottle soon.

Tried from Bottle on 30 Oct 2004 at 09:27


7.8
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 9

Surprised to see these low ratings. Poured lightly hazy, golden yellow, full foamy head. Wonderful floral and perfumed aroma of hops, maybe spices. Very nice. Flavor is less exciting, light palate, very very fizzy on the tongue, light acidity, dry finish. Some floral hops, bread dough. Like a beer soda pop - as in the soda pop for 18th and 19th century French farmers. Enjoyable and moderately quenching - I treated this as a lawnmower beer, literally, and I wasn’t disappointed. Dated 10/2002, my label differed from the one pictured above, instead it was this: http://www.beerlabels.com/labels/labels.pl/311/_b_jade_b_french_country_ale.html

Tried on 23 Aug 2004 at 10:36


6.2
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

Opaque yellow. Fruity (peach, blueberry) aroma. Pineapple and a hint of pale malt in the palate. Then it gets bland and crisp.

Tried on 17 Aug 2004 at 02:39


4.1
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 3.5

An orange beer with no head. The aroma is sweet with strong notes of alcohol and hints of caramel. The flavor is sweet caramel with the alcohol leaving You with a burning in the thoat. Much to my suprise the mouthfeel is thin inspite of the 7.5% ABV and the accented alcohol.

Tried on 16 Jun 2004 at 15:09


4.8
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 4

Bottled. Hazy golden. Honey aroma. Sweet with raw, mellow mouthfeel and sugary finish.

Tried from Bottle on 31 May 2004 at 11:28