Biere De Garde
Church-Key Brewing Company

On tap at the Morrissey House, London, ON- Decants a mildly hazed lemony yellow with a thin and large bubbled head. Very interesting aromas bring back my childhood. Orange freshee and lemon drop, some herbal/floral qualities and yeasty funk to round things out.Citric bitter and funky flavour profile has lemon, floral and yeasty flavours with a touch of biscuit. Medium light body, a tad thin, but that is only a minor detraction. Lengthy citric bitter finish. Very good effort. Thanks Mark!

The pint had a deep gold colour with a solid, white head that showed excellent retention and left chunky lace on the glass. Definite barnyard aroma, like a stable full of wet hay. Very grassy hops that reminded me of the animal feed pellets that kids get at the petting zoo. A bit earthy and slightly vegetal in the nose as well, with light spice and celery seed. The flavour has a smooth sweetness and crackery malt character. Light bitterness. Some earthiness here, along with a bit of graininess in the finish. This pint was served a little too cold, but the flavours came out as it warmed. Full mouthfeel with lively carbonation, just short of syrupy. This is my pick for best Church-Key product I've had. An interesting take on an uncommon style - at least in Ontario.

Off tap a clear golden colour, great fluffy, cloud like capping, leaves awesome lacing. Very damp smell, some candyish fruity notes in the hops, eventually yeast settles in. An equally damp, weighted mouthfeel, quite hefty, though a very dry finish?! Great carbonation, smooth almost like a CO2 can. Flavour yeasty - getting a little barnyardy. Does become 'farmhouse' like; I guess "hay" as others have coined, though I'm sure that's not the right word. Leaves no aftertaste, quite clean. Some malt comes through in the back part of the mouth. I find this a little unsettling. While I can acknowledge this as well crafted, I can't say its overly tasty. It is fairly limited, and I still have yet to be impressed by this brewer. All the same, not a bad rendition of the Biere de Garde style and glad to see it brewed, hopefully more to come!

Over-the-top creaminess. Served by Joe himself at Smokeless. Very good mouthfeel, some wheat, corriander, a bit of citrus peel, some pepper. OK in taste,Way too cold was my opinion of the difficulty of the pour.A good attempt at a unique style and that should be commended.
Another batch two month's later at C'est What was bleach and undrinkable.

Had it mid-2006 at Volo and it really hit the spot.

On tap at Volo. Pours a clear golden, very small white head, some spots of lace and settles to a ring. Smell is sweet, citrus and orange peel, some wheat and a little yeast. Taste is sweet, with citrus and orange, wheat/grainy consistency, dry finish. Mouthfeel is light bodied with medium carbonation. Really not too bad, I could drink a glass of this. I was hesitant because of Church Keys reputation but this biere de garde is an interesting decision to make, and they didn't ruin it. Credit to them for brewing this different style.