French Country Christmas Ale (Biere De Garde)
Southampton Publick House

French Country Christmas Ale (Biere De Garde)French Country Christmas Ale (Biere De Garde)
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From:
Southampton Publick House
 
New York, United States
Style:
Bière de Garde
ABV:
6.6%
Score:
90
Avg:
4.03 | pDev: 12.16%
Reviews:
68
Ratings:
82
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 01, 2016
Added:
Jan 17, 2003
Wants:
  32
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by iatethecloudsfor:
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Rated by iatethecloudsfor from Vermont

3.25/5  rDev -19.4%

Jan 04, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.73 by Pete_IV from New York

Mar 01, 2016
Photo of stakem
Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania

1.9/5  rDev -52.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 1.75
I have been wanting to try this beer for years. No exaggeration, I contiuned to regret not buying bottles when I was at the brewery and able to years ago. Big thanks to cosmicevan for reaching out to me and sending me one of the freshly released ones.

750ml bottle poured into a matching Southampton oversized snifter. The brew appears amber colored with huge, excessive khaki head that slowly fades leaving patchy lace.

This sadly smells phenolic with green yeasty notes and mineral characteristics. A faint touch of bready grain is evident but its hard to find behind the hints of plastic, green vegetal matter and carbonic aspect.

The taste unfortunately reiterates what the nose warns: green and yeasty with some phenolics, warming alcohol and slight fruity character like pear and apples. Sadly the dominating character of this brew is a young yeastiness tasting like vegetal matter and plastic.

This is medium in body with moderately high carbonation. The alcohol presence is warming and sadly this brew has really missed the mark. There is no way this came out the way they intended which is sad. Id love to try a "good" bottling of this but this fresh offering is bad.
Feb 19, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by gcare02 from Pennsylvania

Jun 13, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by pjkelley82 from New York

Dec 22, 2013
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Reviewed by cosmicevan from New York

4.07/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Swung out to the brewery to pick up some bottles of this years vintage and grabbed a pint. Brew arrived in a pint. Nice transparent copper color with a thin had that bubbled away quick but left a thin skin of bubbles on the surface. Nice rich color and streaky leaving. Nose is fairly muted but one can detect nice caramel almost buiscit notes. Taste is more if the same but far more toasted. Nice crystallized malt. Really nice body. Very balanced. Really drinkable and enjoyable bdg. makes me really enjoy a style that i otherwise couldn't care much for.
Dec 13, 2013
Photo of xenjoiii
Reviewed by xenjoiii from New York

4.03/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Served on tap at the Southampton Publick House - 2013 Vintage (brewed and bottled at the pub) bottles are now available as well!.

A: Two fingers of white head that receded to a thick layer of froth.

S: Notes of caramel, and fruit (dried apricot and peach). The yeast shines through, as well.

T: Follows the nose with notes of sweet caramel (maybe toffee?), followed by a burst of fruit and spice (yeast). The fruitiness becomes prominent as the beer warms.

M: a fortified body, moderate carbonation, and despite the sweetness, a rather dry finish.

O: On par, if not better, than last years vintage. Another high quality beer from Evan. This beer is a well hidden christmas treat, for us locals. Cheers!
Dec 10, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by POTABLE83 from New York

Oct 18, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by gory4d from Texas

Sep 10, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by yourefragile from District of Columbia

Jan 27, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by wertschy from Pennsylvania

Dec 21, 2012
 
Rated: 4.25 by pknyc from New York

Dec 16, 2012
Photo of Darkmagus82
Reviewed by Darkmagus82 from Texas

3.48/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
Served on tap in a 10 oz chalice glass

Appearance – Poured a very hazy yellow-amber colored brew with a one finger just off white colored head. The head faded relatively fast to give a light level of lacing.

Smell – The aroma was rather light overall. It consisted of a toast and bready aroma mixed with a lighter fruit and some notes of a spiced aroma of nutmeg, clove and allspice. With these are some light honey sweetness and a good dose of yeasty smells.

Taste – The taste starts out of a toasted bready and yeasty flavor with a lighter orange citrus taste. As the taste advances, more orange citrus and some apple flavors come to the tongue and mix with some light honey flavors. Soon some spiced flavors of nutmeg and coriander as well as a lighter banana and pepper flavor come to the tongue. These flavors bring the flavor profile to its end where they mix with a light herbal and floral note to leave a somewhat light yeasty and fruity spiced flavor on the tongue.

Mouthfeel –The body of the beer was on the thicker side for the abv. with a carbonation level that was on the lower side. The body and lower carbonation made it more of a slower drinker then it normally would be, but were overall very nice for the yeasty and lightly spiced flavors of the brew.

Overall – A decent brew, although nothing really to exceptional for the price. It had a good level of complexity, but in some ways was a bit too complicated and confusing as some of the flavors really did not transition and meld together well. One to try, but not really one I would go to back to again and again.
Dec 04, 2012
Photo of joefuzz
Reviewed by joefuzz from New York

4.77/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
2011 vintage

Super gusher watch out....pours golden orange with a huge white head.

Smells of biscuit malt with a very belgian smell.

Tastes of white grape, apple and peach and a very nice sweet maalt aftertaste with some sort of saison yeast strain

Mouthfeel is light drinking with fairly hight carbonation

Overall another amazing offering from phil-era southampton. I can only hope they can continue this tradition of amazing beers.
Nov 27, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by jfcaa193 from Canada (QC)

Feb 18, 2012
 
Rated: 5 by Beertracker from Oklahoma

Jan 27, 2012
Photo of mltobin
Reviewed by mltobin from Connecticut

3.83/5  rDev -5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Served on-tap in Brooklyn last month, from notes.

Appearance is a deep orange and copper tone with an off-white head. Its` nose has spice, honey and some caramel. The taste of this biere de garde contains some bread, light malts, hay and a small amount of fruit. It is all subdue, too much perhaps. Mouthfeel is low, dry finish. One of the better choices from this style imho.
Jan 11, 2012
Photo of rfgetz
Reviewed by rfgetz from New Jersey

4/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a lightly hazed amber, decent head and retention. Scent brings musty wet hay and spicy yeast before notes of toffee and roasted nuts present themselves. Taste follows scent with an initial push of musty hay, dried grain, moderately spicy and lightly bready yeasts, nice dry toasted nut and toffee flavors throughout. Rustic comes to mind. Medium bodied, lightly grainy on the palate yet smooth. Overall a very nice seasonal offering that doesn't make it all about the spices.
Dec 15, 2011
 
Rated: 4.25 by GrindFatherBob from New York

Dec 12, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by PittBeerGirl from Ohio

Nov 23, 2011
French Country Christmas Ale (Biere De Garde) from Southampton Publick House
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 82 ratings