Abbaye De Saint Bon-Chien Grand Cru (Aged In Rhum Barrels)
BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes)

Brewed in 2010, bottled in 2011. Tra la la Sweet Sixteen. Very sweet sour, rhum forward, sour creeps up on the palate, via mixed fermentation. Light brown wood colour, no head and only faint carbonation. Very addictive on each future sip. Aged very well.Rating 4.1

2011 vintage.

This one pours a still and murky brown color, with a small head, and no lacing.

This smells super strongly of old funky rum, with vinegar, acidity, brown sugar, spice, and sweet malt.

This is definitely one of my least favorite entries in this series, as it's just acidic, vinegar-heavy, and harsh on the palate. The lack of carbonation dulls the good flavors here- the rum adds a nice spiciness and the malt character is great. However, the acidic, pruney, and vinegary aspects of the flavor just dominates here.

This is basically completely flat, with a lifeless mouthfeel to it. It's definitely a slow and tough sipper.

This has been the only one in this series that I've truly not liked.

A barrel-aged funky Barleywine from Switzerland? Yes, please!

Pours black cherry-beige, somewhat cloudy. A bit more ruby-colored than a typical Barleywine.

On the nose, notes of cherry, nuts, lime, vinegar, berries, vineal qualities. Taste is much the same with a "punch" of funk. Oak shows through. Exceptional.

On tap at Moeder Lambic.

 

 

Thanks to Kyle for sharing.

A - Poured into a standard tulip a haze rusty hue with next to no head, in fact, looks still.

S - Aromas of apple skins, super faint malts, no alcohol, hardly any rum at all.

T - Taste is apple skins, faint sweet malts, no rum, light sourness, no alcohol. Rather one dimensional.

M - Mouthfeel is no carbonation, flat, slick. Not much booze.

O - Overall this beer was alright. Not nearly as complex as I'm used to from these guys. Nice light tartness. No rum though.

Serving type: bottle

From cellar, brewed in 2010, bottled in 2011. L: Pours hazy brown with very little carbonation and a thin tan film on top. Looks like a glass of unfiltered prune juice.
S: Tart, winey nose with ripe to over ripe fruit, citrus, and vanilla. Not much rum.
T: This is a very tart yeast driven beer featuring more fruit and wine notes with a faint malt presence with brown sugar in the background. Has some sherry to port qualities with less alcohol. The oak and rum become especially apparent in the finish. Rum and wild flavors linger.
F: Petillant with an almost grainy, unfiltered texture, medium body.
O: Tart, refreshing beer with a complex palate and an oaky, rummy finish.

One of the best beers I have ever had, from one of the best breweries on the planet. unbelievably complex...Makes me happy my work has a cellar program.

 

Poured from a 37.5 cl bottle. Into a goblet. Brewed in 2010 - bottled in 2011


Pours a deep ruby red color with no head and no carbonation present. No lacing is present throughout the experience.

Smells of lactic acid, sweet malt, maple syrup, rum. Smells pretty bland compared to other grand cru sours that I've had.

Tastes of sweet brown sugar, Madeira, port wine with a sour beginning. Initial sip of this beer is sweet as pie, literally. It has the flavor of a pecan pie without the pecans...meaning straight rum. It has a sour middle due to the lacto and a dry finish with lingering flavor.

Mouthfeel is slick on the tongue and has zero carbonation. Not sure if this is the achieved goal for this beer but it does not fit the characteristic of the Biere de garde style.

Overall...this beer was aged over 3 years, one
Of those years was in rum barrels. It's safe to say that aging beer in rum barrels is a bad idea. I would never attempt to do this not would I condone this in future brewing endeavors. The sour profile ends up losing it's diligence and becoming a sub profile of the beer.

I've heard that BFM does awesome things so don't let this be an end to all ends. If you enjoy sour persuebeers try some other offerings.

 

Brewed 2010, bottled 2011.

No fizz at all when the cap is popped off. Uh-oh. Beer is dark amber in colour, brownish. No head whatsoever.

Nose contains oak, rum, balsamic vinegar, some dark fruit.

Taste is like the nose. Oak is very strong, and the rum is strong but not overpowering. Moderately sour, with a vinegary and vinous flavour. Alcohol is well hidden. Some fruit flavours. The rum adds sweetness, and works fairly well. A bit of a rum aftertaste.

Full bodied, no carbonation. Quite mouth-drying, and somewhat heavy.

Overall, pretty good. Much better than the reviews make it out to be, in my view.

 

 

 

Sampled some a couple months ago from a bottle of the same collection - that was better than this, but still well short of amazing...

A: very cloudy/murky, dark amber or red-orange - no head, scant big bubbles pouring from a height - couldn't help some sediment falling in, fairly big flakes/chunks - totally looks bad/infected - not appealing at all...what is this supposed to be?

S: at first, it smells vaguely like an oud bruin or, better, an extra malty gueuze - certainly vinous (red) - little bit of a diaper scent - somehow, the alcohol doesn't poke through much at all

T: not good - no malt, just dull, vaguely estery flavors - near complete absence of depth or complexity - comes off as malt-wine blend that's just starting to turn awful - bordering on vinegar - ironically, not bad enough to spit out, but no enjoyment

M: like the taste, noticeably watery, primarily up front - a mellow honey-like (yet watery) roll in the finish - dry, but with a silky film coating the mouth - late alcohol warmth

O: maybe this could have been saved had they corked it? a lil méthode champenoise in this shit - I'll take the regular Bon-Chien any day over this

Bottle picked up at Vintage Estate in Boardman, Ohio. After a poor experience with the Spirit Barrel version, I'm really hoping this is a serious step up. Served in a BFM goblet. Nose has a distinct rum presence. Flavor is moderately acidic with some cherry and white rum. Alcohol. Medium body.