Le Batteur
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store

Le BatteurLe Batteur
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From:
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store
 
Michigan, United States
Style:
Bière de Garde
ABV:
6.1%
Score:
83
Avg:
3.67 | pDev: 10.08%
Reviews:
21
Ratings:
87
Status:
Active
Rated:
Sep 05, 2021
Added:
Apr 11, 2010
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  3
Delicate pale malts with a touch of wheat and Tettnang hops are fermented in wooden foeders (formerly used for wine) with three different strains of Brettanomyces yeast and Pediococcus. The end result is funky and fruity with a bright, tart finish.

This beer is one of three that make up our Jazz Series. The French term for a drummer, Le Batteur takes its name from a component of a classic jazz trio.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by BEERchitect:
Photo of BEERchitect
Reviewed by BEERchitect from Kentucky

3.53/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Of the three beers that comprise the "Jazz" serries, it's this one that comes the closest to capturing taste and texture of French farmhoue ales. But even with it's grounding in pilsner malt and woodish accents, it preferrs a simplified palate compared to more authentic versions.

The beer opens with a glowing gold color that diffuses light through an even yeasty haze. Capped by a stark wihite cotton-textured foam, the ale retains the session and laces the glass spottedly with a quiet confidence.

Pilsner-like aromas fill the nose but bring with it the fruity lemon and apple accents that Belgian saisons enjoy. But without the spices, the biere de garde relies on corkish wood notes to achieve balance and complexity.

More of the same manifests in taste as the full pilsner flavor commands the flavor profile. Bready and somewhat grainy, the beer seems to borrow a moderate wheaty taste to give a fuller taste. Pleasantly acidic and with a kiss of hay, both the hops and yeast work to impart intrigue and refreshment.

Fuller in body than either German lagers or saisons, the beer's added heft is rich, creamy, and bready throughout- only waivering a bit through the middle palate in order to allow the mild sulfury acidity, tame hop bitterness, and alcohol warmth to assiste the the balance to finish.

Even with the notes of wood, acid, wheat, and hops, the beer is still rather tame and simplified when compared to the more rustic, earthen, and often well cellered versions of norther France of sourthern Belgium.
Oct 20, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.06 by Nunya from Ohio

Sep 05, 2021
Photo of MikeWard
Reviewed by MikeWard from Pennsylvania

3.76/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75
Crowler picked up at Sabatinis, Exeter Pa this morning.

Faintly dull yellow body. Initial bright white head fizzes out to a broken ring and little covering. Carbonation is persistent though.

Smells tart and sour, and has a nice white wine hit.

On tasting, follows the nose. No fruit, which would have helped. There is a light funkiness.

Mouth is around medium. The fiinish though, is non too pleasing. The tartness becomes quite bitter, and there is a coating of the tongue.

Overall, I found that treating this as a higher alcohol beer and sipping somehow lessened the bitterness and coating. Always looking to expand my palate with harder to find styles, but this particular drink doesn't quite work for me
Dec 12, 2020
 
Rated: 3.75 by HardyA34 from Michigan

Sep 02, 2020
 
Rated: 4.2 by Valdez_Mescalito from Michigan

Nov 28, 2019
Photo of UsedMalt18
Reviewed by UsedMalt18 from Michigan

3.81/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Bottle poured into a glass,
this beer was a bright yellow with a white cover, there was a little haze, nice lacing,
this beer had aromas of sour fruit – lemon, pineapple, grapefruit and some faint orange in the background,
brett funk, some spice and hints of herb, notes of aged sour fruit, faint wood and light malt,
the flavors were light sour citrus fruit, pale malt with a little bread, a little spice,
some malt and fruit sweetness,
there was a light sour bitterness at the finish,
the mouth feel was light medium, it was creamy on the lips and there was average carbonation,
the nose had more funk, sour fruit and aged fruit notes than the flavor,
I enjoyed the nose more than the flavor, a nice drink.
Oct 26, 2019
 
Rated: 4.04 by Gemini6 from Michigan

Oct 22, 2019
Photo of superspak
Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina

4.13/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
750 ml bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 9/19/2019. Pours lightly hazy pale golden yellow color with a 2 finger fairly dense and fluffy white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Nice dense spotty foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big tart tart lemon, lime, orange, peach, pear, apricot, mango, melon, red/green apple, white grape/wine, oak, hay, straw, herbal, floral, grass, wheat, cracker, and white bread; with lighter notes of peppercorn, leathery/musty funk, white wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/funky/acidic/spicy yeast, wine foeder, and and moderate pale/wheat malt notes; with big strength. Taste of big tart lemon, lime, orange, peach, pear, apricot, mango, melon, red/green apple, white grape/wine, oak, hay, straw, herbal, floral, grass, wheat, cracker, and white bread; with lighter notes of peppercorn, leathery/musty funk, white wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Light-moderate Brett tang/tartness, and yeast/wine tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart/tangy lemon, lime, orange, peach, pear, apricot, mango, melon, red/green apple, white grape/wine, oak, hay, straw, herbal, floral, grass, wheat, cracker, white bread, light pepper/leathery/musty funk/vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic/spicy yeast, wine foeder, and and moderate pale/wheat malt flavors; with an awesome malt/tart/tangy/spicy balance, and no puckering/astringent flavors after the finish. Fairly crisp finishing. Light-moderate increasing dryness from tart/tang/spiciness and carbonation. Medium-plus carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/grainy, and acidic/tangy/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol for 6.1%. Overall this is an awesome wild Biere de Garde. All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic/spicy yeast, wine foeder, and and moderate pale/wheat malt flavors; very smooth and fairly crisp/refreshing to drink with the mellowly acidic/tangy/tannic/drying finish; great soft feel for the style. Awesome well rounded Brett/Bacteria/Saison yeast complexity and wine foeder presence/integration; with a great pale/wheat malt backbone against acidity. Minimal residual sweetness with crisp dryness. A really enjoyable offering, and impressive style example as expected of the brewery.
Oct 06, 2019
 
Rated: 3.77 by WillieThreebiers from Connecticut

Apr 25, 2019
 
Rated: 3.73 by firkingroovin from Illinois

Jul 25, 2017
 
Rated: 4.31 by gratefulbeerhead from Indiana

Jul 24, 2017
 
Rated: 3.75 by mklisz from New Hampshire

Dec 28, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by Lucoli from New York

Dec 14, 2016
 
Rated: 3.42 by Futbolmanby from Michigan

Oct 22, 2016
 
Rated: 3.74 by MI_beerdrinker from Texas

Oct 13, 2016
 
Rated: 4.03 by jaydoc from Kansas

Oct 10, 2016
 
Rated: 3.74 by Feldpausch from Michigan

Sep 30, 2016
 
Rated: 3.31 by oriolesfan4 from Maryland

Sep 20, 2016
 
Rated: 3.96 by Zazzi82 from Tennessee

Sep 20, 2016
Photo of pat61
Reviewed by pat61 from Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
I'm drinking mine on tap at the Pig & Fiddle on 14 Sept. 2016. It arrives hazy gold under a thin white foamy film. It has a citrus and light bread crumb nose with spice and traces of over ripe fruit to banana in the background. A pleasant lemony tartness runs through the palate with a mildly tart start followed by some yeasty fruit notes and then a return to more tart notes. The malt smooths out some of the rough edges of the tartness. The tartness is medium while the malt is medium to medium light. The body is medium light and the carbonation is above average. This is a very refreshing and agreeable summer beer.I rate it 85.
Sep 15, 2016
Le Batteur from Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 87 ratings