The Archer
de Garde Brewing

4.89/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Wow--I thought vin lee was about as good as a beer-wine hybrid could be, but this is on another level in terms of the quality of the grape presence, complexity of the base beer, and interaction between. Maybe the most sophisticated beer I've had.

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4.92/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

De Garde has murdered the various Bu varieties, but this right here was magnificent.

Served in a Cantillon Balloon glass

Looks great- A bright red tone with some pink hues from medium carbonation. Head poured with a half inch of foam than settled a bit but stayed visible.

Smell was vinous grapes, light berry, prickly lemon and light barnyard funk.

Mouthfeel was perfect, Jammy enough to somehow feel rich, while crisp and lively from the carb level. It was nice that as extreme as this beer was it did not just burn out my tongue and gums like some acid/vinegar bomb.

Taste was funky and crisp with some nice grape contributions. The Jammy fruit flavor is present throughout smell and taste, and made it hard for me to believe it was pinot grapes and not a wine-barreled berry beer. The tart was strong, nice acid that gave me a good pucker, but no so much to overrule the jammy flavor. The carb and potent acidity allowed this to drink like some kind of sparkling fruit drink like a mimosa or something, popping the fruit flavor and tartness into my nose. Sour was a light yogurt flavor I have found in many De Garde beers, with a little more horse blanket/barnyard funk that was probably more of a smell characteristic.

Overall this bottle banged with many of my favorite Belgian Lambic offerings. This was still markedly American in execution- more intense tart flavor and fruit flavor, a little less balance. The awesome jammy and vinous flavors totally allowed for the more extreme sensations here, however, and what you get is a lot of everything without too much of anything. All told, this was my favorite offering out the stellar De Garde beers I have tried. This is worth hunting down, although I think the existing bottle count may be extremely low.

Revisited again 5/25 - the beer is a little thinner with more nucleation- really lively and tart. Fruit has become more subtle as one would expect with age. Still great, a good amount different.

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4.44/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Crazy delicious. Cranberry hue with light pink head that recedes nicely. Very pungent funk and wine notes. Taste follows very well. Not overly tart great mix of notes. Finishes dry and crisp.

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4.54/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

4.06/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thank you, Sam.

A mildly hazy pink with a dense white head with good retention and lacing, this looks solid. The nose is a delicious blend of pinot noir grapes and a grassy funk on a lactic base beer. Funky, earthy, grassy with a soft vanilla note. The palate opens sour with plenty of grassy funk to go with the fruity Pinot noir grapes. Delicately fruity with a nice tannic feel. Earthy, mildly mushroom like notes are present. Drying, sour on the finish with a lingering grape character, this beer is excellent.

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4/5  rDev -9.5%

3.98/5  rDev -10%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

3.79/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

4.25/5  rDev -3.8%

4.25/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

3.75/5  rDev -15.2%

4.21/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4.59/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

Appearance - Hazy red amber. Golden color when held to the light

Smell - Fruity , wine aroma, funk, oak

Taste - dark fruit flavors, wine, pleasant sourness, very complex, just very well executed and balanced.

Mouthfeel - Medium carbonation, small bubbles, light

Overall - This was an amazingly well crafted beer, very harmonious and delicious, drinkable buy very complex, overall one of the best DeGarde beers I have tried.

Serving type: bottle

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4.43/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Ruby purple pink color.

Tons of grape and tannin flavors. Nice amount of wine characteristics. Red and white. Oaky. Funk and fruit with some tartness.

Lighter bodied. Nice carbonation. Good feel.

Really solid.

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4.5/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

3.84/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

After finally getting a chance to try this beer I was let down. I just had higher aspirations due to the hype preceding this beer. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't that great.

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4.06/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

4.5/5  rDev +1.8%

4.25/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4/5  rDev -9.5%

4/5  rDev -9.5%

5/5  rDev +13.1%

4.07/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

4.5/5  rDev +1.8%

4/5  rDev -9.5%