Chamomile Ivy
de Garde Brewing

 

2022-01-28
750ml capped/corked bottle served in a little Cantillon glass. 2021/02 batch. Bought it a few days ago at Special Brews.

Pours very clear brassy-gold with a very generous head that fades to a ~3 millimeter thick layer that is sustained by large amount of carbonation. Little or no lacing. Smell is oaky and tart in a dry white wine way, a fruitiness that's hard to identify. Interestingly, I wouldn't actually pick out chamomile at all.

Taste really continues the oaky and fruity theme from the aroma. A couple stabs at identifying the fruit: unripe stonefruit, cherry mixed heavily with wood. Also has a little bit of a bitter finish. Still tart.

Mouthfeel is very dry, light, effervescent. Overall, very nice.

drinking beers from de garde is a special experience every single time, they are all so good, so distinct from what else is out there, and some of the beers i look the most forward to in the entire game, and this is another wonderful release, oak aged wild ale with chamomile flowers and two years in oak. the clarity and liveliness of this are insane once the cork is out, totally effervescent, radiantly golden and sunny, hugely fizzy and high white headed, delicate looking, immaculately refined, visually intoxicating, no real sediment in the bottom of the bottle either. the aroma is world class, brett forward lambic funk, heavy wet oak maturity, a little mouthwatering pucker with a lemon note, and the herbal sort of tea-like chamomile making it light and springy and alive despite being so obviously long aged, incredible depth and balance and appeal. the flavor is also wildly complex, lambic type wild beer first, totally fermentation driven and magically so, but a whole lot of nuance here, marshmallow root, gentian, elderflower, summery pinot grigio, cork and oak and light vanilla, musty basement and hayloft, minerals and slate, graphite and silver, its crazy what i get out of this, especially as i let it sit, and it really is vary lambic-like. insanely complex brew with white tea, clover honey, and jasmine character as it warms, the chamomile really is a flavor agent in this, super cool, and its kept light by all the effervescence. amazing mix of flavors and textures here, just enough from the grain, epic ferment, not too much acidity to want to drink the whole bottle. this is close to perfect beer, at the level i expect from these guys and then some, one of my favorites in their absurdly impressive lineup, and worth of our christmas eve celebration in every way. not to be forgotten, i hope to drink this again someday! expensive but worth it.

Brewed with Oregon Chamomile flowers the beer is Noted fornits smell which has a bit of pine ness to it. A bit bitter and also wild in taste. Solid stuff.