The Broken Truck
de Garde Brewing

 

Man if I had to put potentially the best beers of 2022 against each other, it might be this and that Gueuze from New Glarus. Whooo boy, some good'uns. This is the '22 bottle.

Pours yellow out on the river. Summer winding down, let's finish it up. Hits some amazing funky sour spontaneous notes. And they said it couldn't be done on this side of the pond. Just a delight to smell. The best of what Tilamook has to offer. Boasts fresh french oak feels, bugs, grapefruit, lemon rind, bleu cheese, green apple yogurt. The gang's all here.

The taste was such a nice thing, great bottle on one of those awesome yet sad close to summer beers. Made it memorable. Its vibrant, fresh cut hay and oak alongside some citrus wedges like you just stomped some kids at youth soccer. One of the best expressions of brett ever in a beer. Sawft body too, never felt too acidic or sour. This is honestly better than most Belgian gueuzes. I realize given the demographics of beer nerds, they're going to keep fetishizing Western Europe, but I'll be more than happy to take any of these Wisconsin and Oregon gems off your hands.

 

Opened up No. 6 (1/20), 7 (1/21), and 8 (1/22) together and tasted side-by-side.

All three boasted a beautiful golden yellow on the pour, with frothy, aromatic head that was slow to settle into the body of the beer.

No.6 brought notes of lemon zest, oak, and white grape must on a sweet, musty backbone. No. 7 came on sweeter, with more of a citrus candy quality and a bit less Brett character. The oak component had more of a "freshly cut" aroma to it, and preceded notes of bleu cheese that I didn't get on No.6. No.8 was probably the most distinctly unique; white wine like with 7, but more of a grapefruit-specific citrus quality and a deeper complexity of wet hay and an overall better balance of sweet & funky.

The palate on all three of these were led predominantly with drying tannin and bitter citrus peel. The oakiness was relatively similar amongst the three and bolstered the flavor influence from the yeast bill, however while No.8 showed its youth with the least amount of bitterness, 7 & 8 had comparable dryness and a more noticeable citrusy bitterness. No. 6 was also had the highest level of residual puckering tartness.

Light-bodied, dry, and lightly bitter mouthfeel to all three. As mentioned, varying levels of tartness / acid, but all very soft in their carbonation and smooth in the finish.

Overall, I'm honestly surprised with how similar each vintage of these beers was. Each had their own unique nuances, but when broken down you could find very similar characteristics on both the nose and the palate with both, characterizing a predominance of fresh oak, Brett, bitter citrus, drying tannin, and a noticeable albeit subtle funky/cheesy quality on the backbone. Definitely fun to have these all side-by-side.

OG batch 1 Broken Truck.
Classic de Garde taste, similar in quality to all of the "Bu" beers that were bottled during the brewery's infancy.
It lacks the nuance of Trevor's newer offerings; minimal funk, lesser barrel treatment, aggressively sour.
Overall, a legendary beer whose story was greater than its contents.

 

 

 

 

 

Appearance - The beer, from a double sealed bottle, poured a golden color with an aggressively bubbled white head.

Smell - The brett character came out in the nose with a degree of bitterness.

Taste - Grass, green apples, and a brett character that really stands out. The finish had a bitter earthy quality. It was not particularly sour, but it definitely brought the funk.

Mouthfeel - The carbonation was aggressive, quickly sweeping away any sweetness.

Overall - No fruits or adjuncts are needed. This was great.

 

#103, good stuff!

 

 

 

 

 

Bottle courtesy of chardlogic.
1/21 bottling.
#7 batch I believe.
Label states blended from the last four years.
Really great blend. Tastes like an authentic aged gueuze from one of the Belgian masters.

 

 

 

 

Solid beer - great balance to everything. Also great color to this beer and amazing offering. Looks like straw and has a dankness. Tastes like Belgium from Oregon.

 

 

It poured a hazy peach color with a foamy white head. The nose is earthy, musty and very floral with notes of lemon and melon. The taste is surprisingly bitter with heavy notes of grapefruit pith. Minimally sour but still has that lambic funk with a cider quality and mild lactic acidity. The mouthfeel is light bodied with mild acidity. Its actually not harsh on the palate, quite easy to drink.

Overall: its a great beer. Not as complex as I expected, but its simplicity is not a bad thing. Its quite similar to to FFG Last Four Winters in Wisconsin and New Glarus Vintage series. It would be fun to have them all side by side.

 

 

 

 

 

7 February 2021 - Beer #227 - BA Top 250 Alert!

Acquired via trade
Rank: #86 on Beer Advocate

Appearance: 5 - looks a bit like apple juice. It's as clear as can be with a lovely, fluffy white head.

Nose: 4 - smells just like The Lily. White wine. EXTREMELY funky.

Taste: 4 - weird, it's actually kind of bitter. It's very sout, but it's got this vinegary quality to it. Good, but not amazing. Like a fine gueuze.

Mouth: 5 - bubbles galore. Impressive how it doesn't feel overly carbonated despite the bubbles.

Overall: 4 - tasty, well made, but odd.

Cheers!

 

Really awesome and complex offering from De Garde. As a member, this beer is one of the ones I most look forward to each and every year. Absolutely worth seeking out.