Abbaye De Saint Bon-Chien (Zymatore) - Chardonnay Barrel -
BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes)

 

interesting beer here, on tap at bull and bush, you sure pay for it, but its definitely cool they have it, and absolutely worth trying. better head than i remember the base beer having, with a hazy dark red body to it, looks thick and dense, long legs like a big red wine on the sides of the globe. smells good, i get the tannic chardonnay right away, and of course the oak, but this smells overly developed on the sour side to me. its vinegar with the lacto, what is biere de garde about this? that doesnt seem correct to me. anyway, i like the way the chardonnay brings out some of the texture in the grain, feels big and tastes big. in the flavor, the subtleties of the wine and wood are lost to the enamel peeling acidity, wow this is hot. for mouthfeel, i have to consider belly feel too, because in the mouth its fine, a little overly acidic, but big and smooth still, with some carbonation. in the belly though it churns and burns like a shot of distilled white vinegar, a negative for me. it was hard to get through even a small pour, and all of these aspects exacerbate with temperature. i know this is crazy wild beer, expensive and rare, but frankly i didnt love it as much as i hoped i would. unique for sure, and i like the influence of this particular barrel treatment, but its a few sips and done for me.