Roots To Boots: Biere De Garde
Ballast Point Brewing Company

 

 

From a snifter via Jungle Jim's. This mighty fine brew pours a nice honey
amber color with a very nice head of white foam that falls fast with no
staying power, no ring, no lacing. Fruity yeast esters give off a nice banana
and bread note with nice herbal notes with a touch of apple and cracker. Flavors
expand vastly on the nose with apple and cracker swimming in banana bread
notes from the yeast with a touch of apple and light stone fruit notes of subtle
peaches. Very nice mouth feel; medium body, warming on the back, lightly
dry, and a nice subtle effervescent carbonation that is lightly prickly and
darn nice. Overall, a joy to try and a treat for the senses.

Solid.

Cheers

On tap at Ballast Point Miramar...and one of the surprise favorites of the night. Not really what I think of when I'm thinking Biere de Garde, but still enjoyed it very much. Pours a slightly hazy pale brown with smallish head. Nose brings spicy yeast notes that are very unique and interesting...almost Fantome-esque. The flavor has more malt than I expected and a big of sweetness to go along with the spice notes, but cuts through it crisply with no cloying feeling. It is really a difficult beer to explain and quite complex. No off alcohols at 8% either. Certainly worthy of an "R&D" label.

 

 

 

 

a well made beer, and i like this roots to boots project, but im not sure this is the best example of the style out there by any means. its clear and light brown in color, a little deep amber, nice three quarters inch white head, airy and wispy. it smells nice too, big toasted malts, sweet, but short of the brown ale chocolate depth. what is interesting to me here though, is how clean and seemingly sterile this is. i like biere de garde to be as yeast driven as it is by the malts, and this most certainly is not, almost flavorless on the yeast front, nothing belgian or french or funky or rustic about it at all, its too clean, and even though the malt flavor and nuance is great, it ends up being a little bit one dimensional, especially for the style, that yeast element really is missing. i like the beer well enough though, light and easy drinking for its strength, never would have known it was this strong. medium bodied and smooth, not too carbonated, sort of delicate even on the feel. this is good not great, as a malt forward sipper its excellent, but as a biere de garde type, it needs a more flavorful yeast profile to hit the mark, at least for me...