Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien Grand Cru (Aged in Oak Barrels)
BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes)

A good wild aroma and taste, but even 375 is too much not to share. Some complexity, no flaws, but it is a sipper. Light brown colour. 2016 vintage. Has held up.

375ml bottle - 2016 vintage

Pours cloudy dark maroon red with a thin light khaki colored beige foam head. Smells like dark cherries, light chocolate, roasted malts, toasty bread, woody oak, red wine, caramel, molasses, toffee, dark dried fruits, plum, raisin, fig, berry, hint of vanilla, with floral earthy herbal grass. Tastes vinous, tart and acidic, balanced with malty notes like dark caramel, molasses, toffee, toasted bread, light chocolate, woody oak barrel, red wine, black cherries, dark dried fruit, plum, raisin, fig, berries, subtle vanilla, with some floral earthy herbal grassy hops. Feels medium-light bodied, slick and smooth with moderate carbonation. Overall a really great barrel aged grand cru ale.

Second of three Abbaye de Saint Bon Chien at this tasting. Winey red in color, little to no head, lots of oak and wine on the palate, musty nose, slightly prickly body, and noticeable tart. Good but least favorite of the three bottles - other two were 20 anny bordeaux and 2017 pinot + another barrel.

Brewed in 2016, bottled in 2017, and imbibed in 2020.

L: Pours a burgundy red color with good clarity. A minimal head forms but almost immediately fades to a slight ring around the circumference of the glass that stays for the whole glass. Lacing is almost non-existent with just a few spots left on the glass.

S: Vinegar, cherries, vinous grappa, plums, slight raisin notes, and a touch of oak and earthy funk.

T: For me this follows the nose pretty closely, but a little too acidic for my tastes. The sourness hits hard on the front of the palate but fades by the finish which is dry with a minimal alcohol burn.

F: A sticky medium-light body with low carbonation

O: While my rating reflects the craftsmanship and complexity of Abbay De Saint Bon-Chien Gand Cru it is not my favorite from BFM. It is too acidic for my tastes and honestly this ale has more in common with wine than it does with beer, which is not necessarily a bad thing given ones tastes.

375 ml. bottle.
Brewed 22 July, 2016.
Bottled 11 December, 2017.
Moderate to vigorous pour yields a light pink head over a dark pinkish mahogany body with some lacing. Head dissipates rather quickly. Nose of oak, red wine, citrus, and dried dark fruit. Taste of strawberry, raspberry, grapefruit, red wine, and oak. Hides its 11% abv very well and finishes with grapefruit, sweet red wine tannins, and tart berries. Wow, what beautiful Biere de Garde! Nice silk-like feel and overall, yet another AdSBC variant that is to my liking, and then some!
Cheers!

Pours a cloudy reddish brown color with a thin foamy head. Head retention is virtually nonexistent and lacing is decent. Sour, tart raspberry aroma. Very sour raspberry jam taste. Light to medium bodied with mild carbonation.

Poured at fridge temp, but allowed to warm (as directed on the label). This one pours a dark red/brown with almost no head. Nose is full of peach, oak, cherries, funk, and leather. The taste is insane. Sour upfront, with a deep leathery barnyard funk on the back end. Throughout is peach skin, apricot, strawberry, earth, oak, horse saddle, yeast, grass, and maybe a bit of spice. Mouthfeel is dry, and the alcohol is well hidden. This is a real treat - one of the most unique beers I have tasted in quite a while.

The ratings are strict middle rating pay no attention to them. I'm not the right person to grade this sour/acidic/tart/alum-y ale. I saw "Grand Cru" and thought yeah - something like Gouden Carolis GC. Oh, no, no, no. The malt doesn't take a backseat -- its in the trunk where the spare usually is.
But, as it warmed (and I suppose as my palate adjusted) it became drinkable -- and from the first sip I really thought there'd be no finishing this one. I don't know, do sours age more like (oh, brother) wine? So this is kinda green? (bottled JU 2017) and a little airout as allowed a bit more roundness. Yes its drinking better, but I'll probably return the other bottle anyway ($19/). Yeah, I got 2, thinking "Grand Cru"! but in the traditional Belgie Weg not Jurassic Schweiz.