Abbaye De Vaucelles
Brasserie La Choulette

July 2011: 750 ml corked bottle, as Abbaye de Vaucelles Bière Blonde Artisanale, from Voldby Købmandsgård, Denmark. Front label says 7.5% ABV, rear label says 7% ABV. Golden colour, pours rather fizzy, large to moderate white head. Moderate aroma of malts, hints of spices. The flavour is fairly malty with a moderate spiciness, which saves the beer from being really boring - but the hops are too moderate.

Purchased at the Nelson Wines, South Wimbledon, London. When I bought it, I did notice that it had already expired for a year and two months (BB March 2005), but I thought maybe a bottle-conditioned Biere de Garde might endure the expiration issue? Couldn't wait any longer, I decided to crack it open tonight. Coming in a 750ml beer bottle, corked and caged. It's brewed FOR the above-named abbey: Abbaye de Vaucelles in France. So I guess it can be called a so-called Abbay Ale in itself. Served lightly chilled in a broad-rimmed goblet.

A: pours a cloudy orangey yellowish hue; fast-dissipating beer head but a constantly mild carbonation
S: quite grainy upfront, also a bit like sweet corns, followed by a flow of sour-sweet, peary+pineapple-ish and a raw, semi-sharp wood-barrel like farmhouse yeastiness expanding in the air; a sweet lemony+flowery fragrant and pollen-ish+slightly metallic note sustains firmly in the background. Not bad, albeit slightly thin and too straight forward--it might have to do with the expiry-issue?
T: sour-sweet yeastiness and fruitiness (sour apple+pineabpple) abound, true to the prototype of a rough, yeasty Biere de Garde, and it's not too sweet nor thick-bodied; a light aftertaste ensues, consisting of more sour fruity yeasts, candy-sugary malts, and a light grainy flavour a bit like a malty lager. Rather thin and short finish, where the palate does turn slightly drier and results in a rather clean ending note.
M&D: the long maturation of this bottle sees the softening of carbonation that is quite often sharp and fierce in this beer style, thus making an ideal mouthfeel to accompany the mild flavour. Very easy to drink and medium-bodied, the beer is a very approachable example of Biere de Garde and quaffable esp. in hot summer, if nothing better could be said about it.