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Abbaye De Saint Bon-Chien Grand Cru (Aged In Vin Jaune Barrels)
BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes)
- From:
- BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes)
- Switzerland
- Style:
- Bière de Garde
- ABV:
- 11%
- Score:
- 91
- Avg:
- 4.1 | pDev: 9.02%
- Reviews:
- 32
- Ratings:
- 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 glid02:
Reviewed by glid02 from Georgia
4.42/5 rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.42/5 rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Bottle from the Brick Store - thanks to Sachin for the beer!
Pours a hazy dark orange-copper color with a half-finger white head. The head recedes into a wispy layer on top leaving decent lacing.
Smells of solid funk, green apples, dry grapes, and hints of white wine vinegar.
Tastes similar to how it smells. Earthy funky flavors with a solid tartness are augmented by mild fruit flavors - as with the smell green apples and white grapes. The ending is where the barrel comes most into play with a solid dryness and hints of oak.
Mouhtfeel is good. It's got a nice thickness with surprisingly active carbonation.
Drinkability is very good. I finished my glass quickly and could easily have another.
Overall this was the first barrel-aged version of the Grand Cru and if it's any indication of how the others taste I'll certainly be coming back for more.
Jan 23, 2010Pours a hazy dark orange-copper color with a half-finger white head. The head recedes into a wispy layer on top leaving decent lacing.
Smells of solid funk, green apples, dry grapes, and hints of white wine vinegar.
Tastes similar to how it smells. Earthy funky flavors with a solid tartness are augmented by mild fruit flavors - as with the smell green apples and white grapes. The ending is where the barrel comes most into play with a solid dryness and hints of oak.
Mouhtfeel is good. It's got a nice thickness with surprisingly active carbonation.
Drinkability is very good. I finished my glass quickly and could easily have another.
Overall this was the first barrel-aged version of the Grand Cru and if it's any indication of how the others taste I'll certainly be coming back for more.
More User Ratings:
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
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, 2018Reviewed 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
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, 2018The 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.
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
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, 2016Reviewed by Ciocanelu from Romania
3.9/5 rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
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, 2016Reviewed 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
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, 2016Reviewed 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
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, 2016Reviewed by detgfrsh from Texas
4.24/5 rDev +3.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
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
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