8.3/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
Rich golden colour; yellowish good head, gone fast. Grapey (but with a raisin touch) nose, some very slight cookie hint. Taste is perfect marriage between the grain and the grape (malt and real fruit, 'stead of esters). Sweet, slight acidity, no bitterness. Only the mouthfeel betrays the wooden lagering. Tannines are there, serious adstringency in the right way. WOW - this is my Southampton favourite so far. This is a classic to be cherished.
Tried
on 02 Oct 2003
at 04:44
7.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
(draught) Pilsner-like golden beer; little white head. Very delicate-fruity nose (I get passionfruit - or is that suggested by the wit-passion alongside? maybe very sweet grapefruit). Tart, fruity taste - again grapefruit or passionfruit. Just a bit grssy, or freshly drying hay. Yoghurt-like finish. Light to medium bodied. Aftertaste is again something very passionfruit-like. This is a very nice Saison. Same as with the Brooklyn - it needs ironoxide. USA brewers seem to think Saison were delicate greenhouse beers - they weren't, they were quite robust!
Tried
on 02 Oct 2003
at 04:38
7/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Dark brown with reddish shine; slim white head, gone in seconds. Brett-like nose, slightly phenolic. Both very fruity and yeasty with all the esters. Taste is a sharp combination of bitter (dark malts) and tart sourness which is fruity, like sour grapes or unripe fruit. Mouthfeel is dominated by both alcohol- and acidburn, diluting the full body a bit. The wild yeast/Brett character sits uneasy upon the big trappist characteristics. Pity, as it deserves better, a lot of the individual characs are right - the combination isn't there - yet, as I'm sure this beer is constantly under development.
Tried
on 02 Oct 2003
at 02:54
7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 10
Overall 8
Pale cloudy orange. Little head, not stable. Very fruity nose, citrus, passionfruit, obviously very fruity yeast - a tad too exotic for a Belgian trappist... Taste is meaty, fruity, yeasty. A bit phenolic. Mouthfeel - its strength. Very dry, giving a perfect counterbalance for the fruitiness of the flavour. I pick up very little Brett, if any at all. Yet it is used. If Orval is the target - long way to go still. Problem is Orval is a very mixed batch of yeaststrains. This beer is complex, but not yet in the Orval way.
Tried
on 01 Oct 2003
at 15:43
7.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
2002 Bottle consumed in 2003. Pours a pale gold/light yellow. Slight clouding. Poured a lot of off-white head. Smells like champagne with wheat? Interesting, has a sweeter smell as well. Starts off muted, a little bit of grape acidity comes out and here come the grapes, but quickly it is backed by an even if somewhat bland wheat flavor. Texture is wonderful, not too watery like champagne, but not coarse or peppery like a chardonnay. More of a chewy barley texture. Not really tasting too much barley malt, though the chardonnay dosent dominate. Has some doughy flavor. As it breathes and the more I get used to it, the better I am liking it. The finish is quite peculiar, slightly sour with an almost lemon zest appeal, followed by a honey sweet aftertaste that is pleasant. Is medium bodied, but I suspect more barley malt would come out were this warmer (drank this one like I was going to drink champagne). A great effort and a great beer, definitely want to get more.
Tried
from Bottle
on 25 Sep 2003
at 22:19
6.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Hazy orange-amber. Earthy, woodsy, musty aroma. Yeasty, sourish. Notes of caramel malt, peaches, pears. Refined, not 100% to style, but few really good BdeG's are.
Tried
on 18 Sep 2003
at 00:36
7.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Re-rate: Cloudy amber. Aroma is strong - alcohol, celery, spicy, light hints of caramel. Sugary sweet, little bit caramelly. Complex but very sweet right now.
Original rating: Hazy amber. Aroma shows alcohol, pepper, caramel, toast and crackers. Hoppy, spicy taste backed by a full maltiness. Spices and hops are the feature of the finish. 7-3-7-4-14 = 3.5
Original rating: Hazy amber. Aroma shows alcohol, pepper, caramel, toast and crackers. Hoppy, spicy taste backed by a full maltiness. Spices and hops are the feature of the finish. 7-3-7-4-14 = 3.5
Tried
on 17 Sep 2003
at 21:17
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle #2:
Slightly hazy orange/copper colour with a great dense off-white aroma. Sweet spicey aroma. Thin-bodied; a bit sour to start, but finishes full and flavourful. A bit reminiscent of a flemish sour, but more flavourful. Overall, a good beer and worth trying...pretty much spot on to my first bottle. I sampled this beer at Joey_Capps' on 13-September-2003 in Hamilton, Ontario. Rating for this sample: 8,5,8,4,16.
Bottle #1:
Amber in colour, a generous off-white head and trillions of small bubbles rise from the bottom. Very strong yeastiness with clean aromas (coriander) and a bright sweet scent. Medium-bodied; Very carbonated, strong grassy hops in the taste as well as earthy, mushroomy and musty flavours last a long time. Aftertaste plentiful with yeast, wheat and a showing of a bit of hops and more crazy flavours: grass, metal and freshness. Alcohol is pretty noticeable, so is the carbonation, but both are very nice! Not anything wrong with this beer, definately a lot going on with it, which makes it even nicer to try it! Since this is my first Biere De Garde styled beer it's tough to say that is above average, but regardless it is pretty good and worth trying to find. I bought this 75 cL bottle at Beers of the World in Rochester, New York and sampled on 29-August-2003. Rating for this sample: 8,4,8,3,16.
Slightly hazy orange/copper colour with a great dense off-white aroma. Sweet spicey aroma. Thin-bodied; a bit sour to start, but finishes full and flavourful. A bit reminiscent of a flemish sour, but more flavourful. Overall, a good beer and worth trying...pretty much spot on to my first bottle. I sampled this beer at Joey_Capps' on 13-September-2003 in Hamilton, Ontario. Rating for this sample: 8,5,8,4,16.
Bottle #1:
Amber in colour, a generous off-white head and trillions of small bubbles rise from the bottom. Very strong yeastiness with clean aromas (coriander) and a bright sweet scent. Medium-bodied; Very carbonated, strong grassy hops in the taste as well as earthy, mushroomy and musty flavours last a long time. Aftertaste plentiful with yeast, wheat and a showing of a bit of hops and more crazy flavours: grass, metal and freshness. Alcohol is pretty noticeable, so is the carbonation, but both are very nice! Not anything wrong with this beer, definately a lot going on with it, which makes it even nicer to try it! Since this is my first Biere De Garde styled beer it's tough to say that is above average, but regardless it is pretty good and worth trying to find. I bought this 75 cL bottle at Beers of the World in Rochester, New York and sampled on 29-August-2003. Rating for this sample: 8,4,8,3,16.
Tried
from Bottle
on 04 Sep 2003
at 19:42
8.9/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bottle #2:
Hazy orange/light amber colour. Very nice white head that lasts. very sweet, fruity and spicey aroma. Full-bodied; Coats the mouth nicely, shows good character all the way through. Aftertaste very spicey and sweet. A great beer, definately worthy! I sampled this beer at Joey_Capps' on 13-September-2003 in Hamilton, Ontario. Rating for this sample: 9,5,8,4,17.
Bottle #1:
Alright, here it is...rating number 500! I picked this one because every ranking aside from Silky was above a 4.0 and as soon as I enter my rating, it becomes a top 50 beer! 750 mL bottle, Orange label, cellar temperature. Crystal clear amber colour with hints of orange. A perfect frothy white head leaves the most exceptional lacing on the glass i've ever seen. Zillions of small bubbles rising from the bottom are very nice. When pouring the beer, bubbles come from the neck of the bottle, appearing similarly when pouring champagne. Smells of yeast, sugar, bread, spices and some alcohol. Very nice smelling, but I don't consider it to be perfect. Full-bodied; Yeastie, sugary, spicey (coriander perhaps, definately curacao--orange peel) and a bit of caramel (burnt sugar). A great mouthful, very pleasant taste and a sweet aftertaste, with lingering spices and somewhat yeastie. Truly a bottle that everyone should try! One of the best beers I've had in a long time, and very happy that it was #500 for me! I bought my 750 mL bottle at Beers of the World in Rochester, New York. Rating for this sample: 9,5,9,5,17
Hazy orange/light amber colour. Very nice white head that lasts. very sweet, fruity and spicey aroma. Full-bodied; Coats the mouth nicely, shows good character all the way through. Aftertaste very spicey and sweet. A great beer, definately worthy! I sampled this beer at Joey_Capps' on 13-September-2003 in Hamilton, Ontario. Rating for this sample: 9,5,8,4,17.
Bottle #1:
Alright, here it is...rating number 500! I picked this one because every ranking aside from Silky was above a 4.0 and as soon as I enter my rating, it becomes a top 50 beer! 750 mL bottle, Orange label, cellar temperature. Crystal clear amber colour with hints of orange. A perfect frothy white head leaves the most exceptional lacing on the glass i've ever seen. Zillions of small bubbles rising from the bottom are very nice. When pouring the beer, bubbles come from the neck of the bottle, appearing similarly when pouring champagne. Smells of yeast, sugar, bread, spices and some alcohol. Very nice smelling, but I don't consider it to be perfect. Full-bodied; Yeastie, sugary, spicey (coriander perhaps, definately curacao--orange peel) and a bit of caramel (burnt sugar). A great mouthful, very pleasant taste and a sweet aftertaste, with lingering spices and somewhat yeastie. Truly a bottle that everyone should try! One of the best beers I've had in a long time, and very happy that it was #500 for me! I bought my 750 mL bottle at Beers of the World in Rochester, New York. Rating for this sample: 9,5,9,5,17
Tried
from Bottle
on 24 Aug 2003
at 19:23
7.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
2002 Vintage: Copper colour, tan head. Sweet smell, definate hoppyness. Strong malt presence in the taste along with an adequate amount of hops. Musty flavours in the palate, some toffee as well. A pretty good 'Old Ale'! I had this one out of the same bottle with DougShoemaker given to us by Lyle Ostrow at Premier Gourmet in Buffalo, New York.
Tried
from Bottle
on 24 Jul 2003
at 07:19