Abbaye De Saint Bon-Chien Grand Cru (2018 Les Demons Demi Muids)
BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes)

Label said aged in Rasteau wine barrels, I think this is right.

This one pours a dark-ish brown color, with a very small head, and a little bit of lacing.

This smells pretty tart, with pear and apple, red wine vinegar, toffee, chocolate, very tart black currant, and balsamic.

This is a little bit too tart and slightly vinegary for my personal preferences, but it’s still an interesting beer all the same. There’s some nice toffee and chocolate from the base beer, but I’d want a bit more sweetness here to balance out the heavy, heavy barrel character.

This is light bodied, and quite acidic and tart. It’s quite a slow sipper.

This isn’t quite top tier for this excellent series, but I still enjoyed it.

Cellared 2 years. Brownish dark red with no head. Very vinous version of AdSBC with earth, smoke, and dark oak emphasized in nose. Taste adds big earthy spiciness, dark fruits are dried, barrels dominate over time despite considerable tartness. Kind of messy with some clashing on the finish. Feel is hotter with vinous and savory texture, dark and full. Not for me, worst in the series as the beer doesn't seem like a good match for the barrel

Laid down to rest in 1935 casks of Rasteau wine barrels, the Grand Cru version of Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien sees greater intensity from the influence of grape and vinous spice to take the brand to a whole new level of taste.

Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien Grand Cru (Les Demons Demi Muids) settles with a virtually still rusty and foggy reddish-brown hue. Jaws tightening and nose tingling aromas of intense fortified grape, dark fruit, vinous sourness, peppery spice, leather, boozy heat and a mild acetone character nearly overwhelms the nose. Scantly sweet but saturating with savory flavor, the initial taste is plump with drie and pitted fruits, dry jam, steely caramel and fruity tobacco.

As its intense sourness teases and taunts the tastebus, the middle palate carries a sense of juiciness pulls from the esters of dark cherry, fig, date, currant and raisin for an intensely sour brandy-like taste. Hints of port, madeira and red wine give the taste a strong vinous identity with impressions of candied grape, cider, grappa and balsamic adding powerful sourness and piquant spice. A late taste of tobacco, leather and peppery wine carry an oaken quality as a low-lying bitterness comes with a tannic-like balance.

Medium bodied for sour ale and trending dry, leathery and dusty, the beer is unapologetic with its acidity while finishing peppery, savory and dry with a quick aftertaste of cherry, grape and linoleum.