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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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


6.4
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Dark amber with a shortlived head. Honey aroma, with some hay and alcohol. Quite bitter flavour with a long finish.

Tried on 17 May 2004 at 12:53


3.6
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 3 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 3.5

Bottled. Golden colour. Sweet and raw, fruity and buttery. Rounded mouthfeel. Perhaps the worst example there is of the style.

Tried from Bottle on 17 May 2004 at 10:27


4.6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 4.5

Bottled. Dark brown. Sweet and lightly roasty, fruity, raw and sugary. Some grassy bitterness in the end.

Tried from Bottle on 17 May 2004 at 10:26


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

On draught (pression) at Falstaff in Paris. Clear orange color with light bubbles and a medium thin off-white head. Very thin lacing. The aroma is mildly malty and hoppy. Rather thin body with an blandly sour malt flavor coupled with sweet caramel and yeast. The finish comes up a little short, making for a misfire as far as this beer is concerned.

Tried on 13 Apr 2004 at 14:17


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

Clear-golden; big bubbles to slim white rim. Cookies, crystal malts and white candi sugar in the nose. Taste is again quite malty, this time with both honeyish notes, as well as faint grassy hops. Definitely honey retronasal. Rather light palate and mouthfeel. Undercarbonated. I hate these new-style bottles. I wonder if the low carb is a result. To me, Br. Castelain is the North-French equivalent of Br. D'Achouffe here. Became too big and too preofessional to do anything technically wrong, and too big to do anything brilliant. And this is not a real Bière de Garde character anymore.

Tried from Can on 30 Dec 2003 at 14:33


5.6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5

Bottled, 0.7 liter, BB '97 (>8 years old). Very dark red-brown color, small head. Aroma is very weak, some malts and alcohol. Taste is a bit stronger, definitely port-like, strong fruity and a bit alcoholic. Sirupy texture.

Tried from Bottle on 24 Dec 2003 at 04:51