La Bavaisienne Blonde Ale
Brasserie Theillier

La Bavaisienne Blonde AleLa Bavaisienne Blonde Ale
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From:
Brasserie Theillier
 
France
Style:
Belgian Blonde Ale
ABV:
7%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.79 | pDev: 13.19%
Reviews:
20
Ratings:
26
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Dec 05, 2014
Added:
Jul 24, 2006
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
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Ratings by albern:
Photo of albern
Reviewed by albern from Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
This is a beer that is growing on me bit by bit. The appearance is an orange amber color, mostly pale, with lots of yeasty bits floating about. There is a soapy white head, tons of lacing, and retention is excellent. The smell is cardoman, clove, allspice, maybe a whiff of flowery ester. This is a very well carbonated beer with a ton of yeasty backbone. The taste is indicative of the aroma, same spices come through, perhaps a little more cinnimon, more big malty tastes somewhat reminiscent of a marzan, and lots of yeast. Did I mention the yeast? The beer is good, not great, the ABV I would have guessed to be a bit stronger, in that there are some alcohol notes coming through in the finish, absent the throaty harshness. Worth seeking out. L'Chaim.
Apr 18, 2008
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3 by olradetbalder from Sweden

Dec 05, 2014
Photo of seedyone
Reviewed by seedyone from New York

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%
Oct'13. From bottle at Rattle n Hum, NYC. This one was way above expectations. Slow going as it's very thick/heavy on the tongue. Flavorful, to say the least. Bottle is 25.4 oz & that's plenty for 2. My only issue is it is not as refreshing as I expected. I know blonde ales are a bit on the 'heavy' side, but this is almost chewable.

07/18/13 In bottle at Rattle n Hum, NYC. A rather confusing brew but the standout trait was as a sour. Yeasty but otherwise fairly nondescript. The bottle may have been past it's prime, so I'll reserve final say.
Sep 28, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by coedwards from Louisiana

Aug 31, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by tommy5 from Michigan

Mar 12, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by mscudder from Georgia

May 22, 2013
Photo of coreyfmcdonald
Reviewed by coreyfmcdonald from Georgia

4.06/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
750ml bottle into a tall tulip

A: Pours a slightly hazy light copper color with quite a few floaters moved around by the effervescence of the carbonation. A finger of dense white head foams with great retention and lacing.

S: Lots of citrus starts out, though not sour at all - really it reminds me of a candied lemon. Quite phenolic, I get clove and orange peel. Fairly musty as well.

T: Similar to the aroma, but sweeter. Strong clove, orange peel, and candied lemon peel along with a toffee sweetness in the background.

M: On the thick side with moderate carbonation.

O: A nice sweetness mixes with spices well in this beer. I'm not overly familiar with the style (Biere de Garde, as the bottle says), but this is nice.
Apr 24, 2013
Photo of superspak
Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina

3.54/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
750 ml bottle into tulip glass, no bottle dating. Gusher upon opening, not surprised. Pours a cloudy golden orange color with a nice 1-2 finger dense off white head with good retention, that reduces to a dense cap that lingers. Some very nice thick soapy lacing clings to the glass. Aromas of big pear, grape, apple, lemon, herbal, floral, grass, earth, bread, honey, caramel, and light funk. Pretty nice and well balanced aromas with good strength and complexity. Taste of grape, pear, caramel, honey, apple, lemon, earth, floral, herbal, grass, bread, and light pepper. Light bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of light fruits, herbal, floral, earth, grass, bread, pepper, and honey on the finish for a good bit. Well balanced flavor profile with good complexity. Light-medium carbonation and medium body; with a fairly creamy and very slick mouthfeel. Alcohol is well hidden with only a slight warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a pretty good Biere De Garde. Some nice flavor complexity and balance; and quite smooth to drink.
Jul 02, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by jisak74 from Sweden

Mar 21, 2012
Photo of pixieskid
Reviewed by pixieskid from Germany

4.31/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
Not sure how it got labeled a "Belgian Pale" it clearly says Biere de Garde on the label (the french label at least).

A buddy of mine, who hooked me up with a bottle, described it as "French Country-side in a bottle", can't argue with that!

Despite the tons of floaties in the bottle, none of them were visible in the glass. Poured a beautiful light orange hue with a billowing 3 finger head.

Aroma; yup french countryside; floral and grassy with a hint of citrus.
Taste; matched the nose great with notes of floral hops, lemongrass, a touch of earthiness from the yeast, and finishing with a light, clean bitterness.
Mouthfeel; would benefit greatly if it were a bit more crisp.

Overall; this thing is killer , just wish they would print a better label for sale in France so that we could sell it at La Cave a Bulles.
Dec 01, 2011
Photo of Thorpe429
Reviewed by Thorpe429 from Illinois

3.3/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Bottle picked up at Belmont Party Supply in Dayton a month or two back. Served in a Mikasa tulip.

Pours alight copper color with a very thin white head and a bit of lacing. Thin collar throughout. The nose caries plenty of bread and a bit of caramel. Light earth. Flavor is similar. Really tame, even for a biere de garde. Light-medium body and slightly chewy. Average carbonation. Decent enough, but not a game changer.
Nov 19, 2011
 
Rated: 3 by LSUPT from California

Nov 17, 2011
Photo of drpimento
Reviewed by drpimento from Wisconsin

4.44/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
MMmmmm mm! Fab beer, tho not quite as good as the amber. Poured with a nice off white foamy frothy head and good lace. Color is a hazy amber with some dark sediment bits settling out. Aroma is delightful fresh cut grass and clover, spice, malt, yeast, a little fresh leather, hint of apples. Flavor's the same with malt emphasis. Great body and carbonation. Super easy drinking, almost hard not to chug. Except for a bit of a greasy end.
Mar 28, 2010
Photo of csais75
Reviewed by csais75 from France

4.3/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4
Golden honey color. Biscuity and spicy aroma Taste is bready, fruity and spicy with a delicate bitterness at the end. It is not smooth. There's a certain rustic rudeness. It is like a trip in the country, with herbal and floral notes. its main quality : grant this hardness with a more refreshing side. Can be consumed in summer thanks to its refreshing power or winter if you want to focus on its rich flavors
Mar 12, 2010
Photo of chinabeergeek
Reviewed by chinabeergeek from Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
750ml green bottle, purchased directly from the case to avoid light exposure and skunking. no date found. tasted in mid-may 2009. poured into tulip.

bottle was another moderate gusher, but it was anticipated, so i didn't lose much.

golden honey color. clear. big, off-white, 4-finger head, fades gradually to constant thin wispy layer. amazing lacing, almost curtain-like in many places.

aroma: biscuity, bready malts, hints of caramel and fruity esters of apple, pear, white grape, flowers, touch of farmhouse mustiness, balanced by grassy hay and herbal noble hop notes. faintly sweet spice and gentle phenols in back, with more very fragrant noble hops too.

taste: almost pilsner-like, malty, bready, with noble hops, but then distinguished by esters and farmhouse character, with spicy and herbal phenols. moderate, grassy bitterness.

light to medium body, smooth w faintest touch of astringency in the finish. tingly, moderate carbonation can give fluffy and creamy character.

interesting why the score is so low. part of the reason might be the green bottle. i've tasted skunked samples of this beer before. also, classification as a belgian pale might throw people off as well. it's kind of an amalgam of belgian pale, pilsner, saison and biere de garde.

a bit pricey though...
Aug 28, 2009
Photo of ccrida
Reviewed by ccrida from Oregon

3.56/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
Undated 750 ml bottle with a little dust around the collar and lots of loose sediment at the bottom, picked up a couple months ago and cellared since. Poured into my large Gulden Draak tulip, La Bavaisienne Blonde is bronze with a disgusting amount of suspended particles under a very large white head, which is slow and rocky to settle, leaving big hunks of foam. If it wasn't for all the suspended particles, I'd give it a 4.5.

Smell is caramel and spicy, earthy hops, with a fair bit of mustiness and those classic French orange esters, not as strong as Jenlain, et. al, but I have to assume it's from the same orgins...Overall, it reminds me of hiking on a rainy spring day, perhaps taking shelter in a damp limestone cave. I'm surprised how hoppy this is, clearly dry hopped, probably with plugs that broke apart and weren't filtered before bottling! I should say that while there were some darks flecks in the head that look like hop particles, most of the floaties look liked coagulated protiens and yeast...

Taste is similar to the nose, but most dominantly hoppy, spicy with a firm bitterness that is balanced by the caramel malt and citrus esters, with noticeable but clean alcohol as well. Like the aroma, it's bold, assertive, and well done, with a fairly clean, fruity and bitter dry aftertaste. I love the fact that some of these farmhouse ales are hoppier then a lot of the so called Belgian IPAs! But make no mistake, this is a very well balanced and tasty saison.

Mouthfeel is medium and slick, with a crisp dry finish. The chunks are harder to detect then they look, but anytime I feel the slightest speck, it reminds me how gross they are visibly...and the fact is, you can feel them. Letting the first glass sit for awhile, as I served this at fridge temp anyways, they never really fell out of suspension.

Drinkability is reduced by the floaties, period. Forget about the nice taste is or that they're hard to feel, they look nasty and turn one off from the whole idea of evening drinking this beer. Like Abbey Des Rocs, I'm sure people have poured a glass and dumped the bottle without even trying a sip. And while that would be a big mistake, the fact is, the brewery should seek to avoid this situation! As enjoyable as it was, I don't see myself buying another one of these to enjoy around the house, there are plenty of tasty saisons without the chunks...
Aug 25, 2008
Photo of brentk56
Reviewed by brentk56 from North Carolina

3.9/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Appearance: Pours a hazy golden color with chunks suspended in the liquid; sturdy head retains and laces well

Smell: Tobacco, floral elements and yeasty

Taste: Opens with a biscuity flavor that moves in a yeasty, earthy direction by mid-palate; after the swallow, the noble hop bill comes into play, providing a floral and grassy bitterness

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body with moderate to high carbonation

Drinkability: Fairly complex for the style but not something I would want to drink very often
Mar 12, 2008
Photo of ChainGangGuy
Reviewed by ChainGangGuy from Georgia

3.68/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Appearance: Pours a clear, orange-yellow body with a small, fizzy white head.

Smell: The aroma is a mixture of candied lemons, fresh-picked flowers, as well as dust-strewn peaches and pears.

Taste: Sweet, light maltiness imparts a sugar cookie flavor. Lightly acidic. Hint of yeast. A floral hoppiness, along with the taste of lemons and a medium bitterness help to shoo away some of the sugar for a bittersweet finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Moderate carbonation.

Drinkability: It's good (certainly better than I was expecting).
Dec 17, 2007
Photo of Sammy
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

3.78/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
A soft easy-drinking blond. It so goes down easy. Not overly sweet. Nice head and pleasant aroma. Pure blond colour.
A harder-to-get French beer. Really a blond and not a biere de garde as reported elsewhere. Yes, the French can make other styles. Great for late summer, early fall before the heavy beers.
Sep 16, 2007
Photo of rallison
Reviewed by rallison from California

4.15/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Purchased from O'Brien's.

Pours a clear copper amber color with a 1 finger fluffy white head that settles to just a little lacing (subsequent pours have a ridiculous amount of sediment - protein, yeast, etc).

Smells nice - Belgian yeast, earthy notes. Refreshing.

Taste is very yeasty. Refreshing flavors here - nice touches of sweetness balanced by the sharp, earthy yeasty flavors. Some spicing here too. Overall, easy to drink - and quite tasty.

Mouthfeel is just right - the perfect level of carbonation to keep it just light enough.

Drinkability is very good - extremely refreshing, but with just enough body and flavor.

Overall, recommended. Maybe not worth the cost and effort involved in finding it, but a very nice beer nonetheless.
Jul 30, 2007
La Bavaisienne Blonde Ale from Brasserie Theillier
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 26 ratings