Abbaye De Saint Bon-Chien Grand Cru (Aged In Vin Jaune Barrels)
BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes)

Abbaye De Saint Bon-Chien Grand Cru (Aged In Vin Jaune Barrels)Abbaye De Saint Bon-Chien Grand Cru (Aged In Vin Jaune Barrels)
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From:
BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes)
 
Switzerland
Style:
Bière de Garde
ABV:
11%
Score:
91
Avg:
4.1 | pDev: 9.02%
Reviews:
32
Ratings:
62
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 07, 2021
Added:
May 25, 2009
Wants:
  10
Gots:
  8
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by DavoleBomb:
Photo of DavoleBomb
Reviewed by DavoleBomb from Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4
Poured into a snifter. Big thanks to SteveFinny for this and all the other versions. Never had any of these and never even heard of them. VJ2, brewed in 2009.

2.5 A: Pours a completely still, murky plum color. No evidence of carbonation.

4.5 S: Potent vinous character. Lots of sherry, which is probably a combination of slight oxidation and the barrels used. I'm wholly unfamiliar with vin jaune, so I'm not quite sure what that contributes. Anyway, the nose on this is powerful and complex past the grape components. Lactic tanginess, strong tart cherry, apple, melon, and plenty of plum. Toffee, faint raisin, plenty of oak, and vanilla.

4.0 T: The taste is intensely oaky with a strong tannic component and a moderate astringency. Again, big vinous aspects featuring sherry. Lactic tanginess and rotting wood funkiness. Tons of cherry flavor with apple, melon, and plum falling far behind. While the nose had some sweetness to it, the taste is definitely on the drier end. Light toffee. Booze is very well hidden. Tasty and complex.

2.5 M: Medium body. While this isn't horrible without carbonation (probably due to the grape influence), it still suffers for it. Feels pretty much like a heavier wine.

4.0 D: I enjoyed this quite a bit. Super complex and tasty. The astringency lowers the drinkibility, but all in all this is a good beer.
Jul 18, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.14 by KarlHvK from New York

Mar 07, 2021
Photo of REVZEB
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois

4.29/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Interesting beer. Has the full bouquet of of berries, apples, and funky oak as the original does, but then has a sweet acidity, almost giving a cane sugar, red win booziness to the beer in the taste. The smell is yeast and flowery fruit forward in comparison. Sour yet sneaky bready, while having intermittent acidity. Not as good as the original, but a fun twist.
Oct 31, 2018
Photo of GreesyFizeek
Reviewed by GreesyFizeek from New York

4.39/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Had both the VJ1 and VJ2 side by side. As far as I understand, this means the '08 and '09 versions of the same beer. The VJ1 was much better, so the rating will reflect VJ1.

The VJ1 pours a light and murky amber color, with a very small head, and not much lacing. It looks still. The VJ2 pours basically completely still, with a murky brown body, and no head or lacing.

The VJ1 smells like cherry juice, apple juice, raspberry jam, toasted bread, oak, bready malt, and just the slightest hint of vinegar. The VJ2 smells mostly like tart and funky apple juice, with some red wine vinegar, and vinous fruity aromas.

The tastes for each of them basically mirror the aromas. In the VJ1, I get a huge fruitiness here, a veritable fruit basket of cherry/apple/raspberry- certainly a sour and funky bramble jamminess. There's lots of oak, and a big wine character from the Vin Jaune barrels. The lack of carbonation in the VJ2 kind of flattens the flavor a bit for me, as I mostly get vinegar, apple cider and apple juice, oak, and red wine here.

The VJ1 has a nice creamy and full body to it, while the VJ2 is thin, but silky and basically uncarbonated. The VJ1 is easily way more drinkable to my palate.

The VJ1 held up incredibly well for a basically decade-old beer. The VJ2 didn't really, but both were really fun to try.
Jul 25, 2018
Photo of peensteen
Reviewed by peensteen from Canada (ON)

4.29/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Deep ruby red colour, no lace and no head. Smell is fruity, big cherry and berry notes, a bit jammy, funky and oak , quite vinous, very nicely layered, complex and interesting. Taste starts out quite vinous, oak and cherry, fruity and similar to the nose, more wine like flavours, a bit tart and lightly sour. Lightly carbonated, medium-full body. Quite nice, complex and interesting , worth a try for sure.
Dec 20, 2016
 
Rated: 4.85 by beerrat from Virginia

Dec 05, 2016
 
Rated: 4.25 by bobv from Vermont

Nov 01, 2016
Photo of Ciocanelu
Reviewed by Ciocanelu from Romania

3.9/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Hazy dark amber color with no head. Aroma is quite interesting, like a flanders ale mixed with lambic. Slight acetic notes and farmhouse funk. Taste starts with balsamic vinegar acidity, sour fruits like cherries and raspberries, dry, red wine. There is some barrel character but I get only the wood, no extra complexity. Medium to light bodied, medium to high carbonation. It's quite good but not very different from the standard version.
Oct 29, 2016
 
Rated: 4.45 by HopBelT from Belgium

Oct 23, 2016
 
Rated: 4.16 by MI_beerdrinker from Texas

Oct 13, 2016
 
Rated: 4.5 by DeadeyeOTDO from Arizona

Aug 27, 2016
Photo of Huhzubendah
Reviewed by Huhzubendah from District of Columbia

4.31/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Bright copper body with a tan head of broken bubbles. Aromas of oak, black currant, wine, funk, well water, mineral. Sour and tangy with light to medium acetic character. Tasty.
Jun 25, 2016
 
Rated: 4.11 by BEER88 from North Carolina

May 20, 2016
 
Rated: 4.12 by valkyre65 from Texas

Apr 05, 2016
 
Rated: 4.5 by Lucoli from New York

Apr 04, 2016
Photo of Phyl21ca
Reviewed by Phyl21ca from Canada (QC)

3.83/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Bottle: Poured a light reddish color ale with a large off-white foamy head with OK retention. Aroma of sour notes with some oak and cherry notes that are really dominant. Taste is also dominated by oak with some sour cherry notes, some acidity and quite a bit of vinous notes. Body is full with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. Pretty solid sour with loads of vinous notes but maybe a tad too much acidity going on.
Feb 16, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by ArtZan from New Jersey

Feb 01, 2016
 
Rated: 3.96 by bb-magic from Florida

Jan 23, 2016
 
Rated: 4.46 by joemochas from Florida

Jan 17, 2016
Photo of detgfrsh
Reviewed by detgfrsh from Texas

4.24/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
On tap. Pours a dark brown. Tracing of bubbles. Smells sour. Medium feel with a sour finish. Alcohol is present but not overpowering. Overall very good, reminds me of some Belgian sours I've had.
Dec 17, 2015
Abbaye De Saint Bon-Chien Grand Cru (Aged In Vin Jaune Barrels) from BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes)
Beer rating: 91 out of 100 with 62 ratings