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

2006 vintage.

Pours clear mahogany with crimson edging. Lively carbonation but a rather short- lived head and zero lacing. Dark fruit and red wine in the nose. Medium bodied with a slickish, oily mouthfeel. Dried plums, dark cherries, red apples on the palate. Finishes nicely tart with an acidity perfect for the depth of character.

 

2007 vintage; drank 3/3/23 @ Owen & Engine.

Opaque purple/red appearance.

No head; no lace.

Balsamic vinegar, vanilla & red cherry notes in the nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

Balsamic vinegar & vanilla flavors; tart red cherry notes on the finish.

Odd, but somehow pretty good? Love to try one fresh sometime...

 

 

 

375ml bottle into a tulip. 2015 vintage, 7 years old.

Dark reddish plum body with no head until the last pour which turns the body muddy brown.

Light tart aroma.

This one comes under the heading, don't judge a book by its cover. The look and faint aroma didn't promise much, but the taste certainly delivered. Strongly sour and tart, lots of dark skinned fruit, sweetness buzzes in and out. Abv invisible, could not believe it's an 11.0.

Mouth closer to medium than full, finish a fruit laden drying sourness.

Overall, excelled Flanders Red. Sorry I went with the smaller bottle.

 

2019 bottle poured at fridge temp but allowed to warm for a while (serving temp is 61 to 64 F). Pours a dark orange/light brown with ZERO head. The nose is intense and insanely good. Tons of sour and funk. Tart. Sour cherries peaches, red wine, lemon, floral, and rhubarb.

The taste is really interesting. The lack of carbonation really makes it punch hard. Tart cherries, lemon peel, funk, sour, oak, red wine, and a slight nutty flavor. Really nice. The alcohol is high but not detectable in any way.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied - low carbonation and dry. Very enjoyable.

 

 

 

 

 

This is my favorite sour, hands down. The mouthfeel is reminiscent of champagne, despite the slender head, and the nose is yeasty with a note of oak. But the flavor is where it truly excels, reminding me of a very fine wine tinged with unripened mango. It's hard to do it justice with words. I could drink St. Good Dog all day, if I could only get my hands on a regular supply.

 

One of my Thanksgiving beers. Taste was excellent but the look and feel a bit off.

Poured into a tulip glass. Clear brown color with little head or lacing. Smell and taste of dry red wine. Oak and warm spice. Cinnamon, tart cherries. Went well with the turkey!

 

 

L: rich burgundy and starts off with a khaki head
S: whisky sour mash, caramel, and wild flowers
T: cherries, tangy, malt, and molasses
F: good carbonation and mouthfeel

My main issue with this is that you call definitely tell this is an 11% beer. Its about as subtle as a smack to the face. Otherwise, quite delicious.

 

 

 

The beer is almost no head and offers an aroma of vinegar and fruit.
The description of the beer is spot on with fruity, acidic and balsamic vinegar hints.
The feel is smooth and balanced with a fruity finish that leaves the obvious sour taste.
I liked that the ABV was well hidden. Excellent beer.

Brewed in 2014, bottled in 2015, and imbibed in 2020.

L: Opaque puse color. A complete lack of head.

S: Vinegar, cherries, plums, dark earth mixed with oak chips, and Manischewitz. The shitty kosher wine notes are unfortunately dominant.

T: Vinegar, cherries, dry red wine, plums, and other dark fruits. Mid palate there are wood and earth notes. The finish is extremely dry with a pretty heavy alcohol burn. The acidity throughout the whole palate is overpowering and ruins the beer for me.

F: A sticky medium-light body with almost no carbonation.

O: Not a drain pour, but not something I would purchase again given the price. The bottle was stored in prime conditions at B. United International's underground warehouse (they literally pulled a case and I saw the box opened in front of me) so there should't be any issues on that end. There is a decent amount of complexity going on here but it is overpowered and obscured by the acidity and sourness. I love BFM but this one is a hard pass for me. If wine-beer is your thing I suggest trying Abbaye De Saint Bon-Chien Grand Cru (in oak barrels) instead, which in my opinion is a far superior product.

 

 

Pours a murky murky red-brown color with a small top off beige head.
Aroma is cherries, green apple, wine, vinegar,oak and raisins.
The flavour is tart and sour with a lot of sour cherry notes, allong with acidic and vineous notes. I also sense some oak notes, while the background has some slight maltiness. Nicely ballanced. Aftertaste has a nice lenght.
Smooth and creamy mouthfeel with a medium carbonation and a medium body.
Not sure if i would call this a biere de garde, but it sure was enjoyable.

 

Hazy cherry amber color with thin white lacing. Tart cherry on the nose with some acidity. Tart acidic cherry from start to finish. Big medium body and silky. There's some warming from the tartness. Recommended.

Look: honey amber l, slightly translucent
Smell: sour, tart, wine barrels
Taste: winey, very tart, a unique sournish
Feel: crisp and puckering
Overall: an interesting dram. For me, this lingers on "I guess its technically a beer" in the same way that a burger with donut buns are hamburgers ha. Very interesting, enjoying about, im not sure I would ever have more than q

Belongs in the 100 class in my view. Enjoyed Beereau in Berlin, on tap, by Henrik the owner. My best Berlin spot.
a) Brown body with lashes of lace.
s) Tart, wine-like, oaky, church-like, incense, plum, more wood shop.
t) Follows all this aroma into a deeper complexity.
f) Wine like, astringent, fruit without sugar.
o) One my favorite beers of all time. Deserves its higher regard.

Nose of red fruit and balsamic vinegar. Flavor has some brett funk, good maltiness, balanced acetic acid acidity. A little cloudy, no head retention. Red - orange in color. Very complex and interesting but a little aggressive for my preference.

2014 bottle at 11%. Some call this a Bière de Garde and others have compared it to an oud Bruin. Very pleasing rusty burnt orange color. Opaque and inviting looking. For the nose I’m getting strong fruits and leather. The taste is intense. The label says slightly sour but it tastes pretty strong to me. Maybe I’m just sensitive to sour beers as I don’t care for them too much. However the taste has a bright feel to it, a lot like orange juice. Very thirst quenching. The taste also is a lot like smoky leather. Like a high back leather chair in front of a toasty fire. Aftertaste lingers quite a while, especially the sour. Mouthfeel is lightly carbonated and crisp. Overall I can tell this is a good beer but it’s just not my style due to the sourness.

Dirty amber-orange body; yeast cloudiness; thin yet lasting off-white head. Initial impression of the smell is fermented cherries but further reflection makes me think of high alcohol and white oak barrel aging. The taste is an intriguing blend of muted caramel malt with a strong sour cherry and nougat combination playing out; tart and mildly boozy. Heavy body; a bit of astringency competing with the residual sugar presence; a sense of alcohol warmth adds to the mix.

First off, the beer strikes me as being more inline with the BA description of Flanders red ale because of its strong wine and sour-like character while there is still a fine level of malt sweetness to be gleaned. Regardless, the beer is unique and intriguing in its character and depth. The oak aging creates added presence and the alcohol presence, while detectable, resides in the background. Different and very nice.

Reddish-brown color, head virtually non-existent, kind of a musty aroma. Taste is tart, but not enough to wince. Fruit flavors of plum and tart cherry. There's an earthy undercurrent too. Amazing how they've buried 11% ABV in the flavor mix. The alcohol content never intrudes. Great old world craft here.

750 mL Bottle. ABV 11%.
Appearance: Cherry red, Off white head, Light carbonation, No retention.
Aroma: Plum, Apple, Oak, Red wine vinegar, Funk, Tart cherry, Brown sugar, Very complex.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, Pucker on finish, Extremely well hidden alcohol.
Flavour: Sour, Musty, Lemongrass, Slight caramel, Red wine vinegar, Fig, Very complex.
Overall: Flanders Red meets Belgian Quad?

Review: 106

Dark, murky amber, like burnt caramel; limited head retention.
The nose is funky fruitiness, ripe apples in a barn, mild dried fruit, lightly floral; maybe some over-ripe apricot and strawberry.
Amazing, complex flavours, fruity + funky + acidic + umami; almost impossible to describe, it's a taste of its own - apple cider, peach pie filling, dried apricot, red currants. All balanced by cider vinegar acidity and tang; off-dry finish, very long; fine carbonation, light and almost flat (which may be poor handling by the retailer); medium body.

This might not be for everyone, but I love the funkiness and weirdness. Needs more carbonation, but again, that might be the fault of the handling.