Grand Cru
Brasserie Castelain

 

 

2018: Pale Ale (fermentation haute) 8.5% ABV - usually described as the Belgian style known as ''bière de garde'', and more generally, just 'bière de dégustation'.
Pours a clear, deep gold color, with an abundant, creamy top.
Complex, herbal nose.
Full body, with strong barley malt flavors. Subdued sweetness, soon overcome by somewhat bitter, hoppy-mixed-with liquorice aftertaste.
My conclusion: a pleasant experience, a very interesting and enjoyable beer. But just once will do. Thank you.
My quest for the Graal must go on.

A rather beautiful colour - hazy amber red with clumps of ? floating. Generous head disappears leaving good lacing.

Smell is rather like fresh fruit with wet dark soil. Meaning.... sweet and musty.

In flavor it's fruity and alcohol and fruit and some astringent flavors not unlike home made fruit wine. Complex ! Very complex but from a few disparate ingredients, not just dumping the kitchen sink in.

The castelan blonde by this brewery is more straightforward- showing off the excellent malt profile- but this... this is something!

Reviewed 10/12/12

L: Pours a gold-copper color with large head and very visible carbonation. Pretty serious lacing going on as well.

S: Spicy saison-like esters mingle with a nutty and caramel maltiness with subtle noble hops. Maybe best described as rustic.

T: Nutty and somewhat grainy, with caramel-like malty sweetness, but not in the cloying fashion of most biére de gardes I’ve tried. Some perceptible alcohol in the taste and probably a bit more (grassy) hops than most BDG’s. Fairly sweet finish.

F: Just above medium body with medium-high carbonation.

O: The good news: Best biére de garde I’ve had to date. The bad news: it still hasn't quite sold me on biére de gardes. Still, I wouldn’t mind having this again, but maybe next time I’ll pair it with food.

 

Poured from the bottle into a tulip glass. Good give off the cork, minor twist and she pops out nicely with no effort and nothing crazy either. Date on bottle back Nov 30th 2013. Good Till? Bottled on? Not sure.

A creamy one finger off tan head is made, not much else on that except a simple sheened thin puck, slightly creamy but dissolves quite a bit. Body color is real interesting. Gotta love this style, such a varied animal. The body color is very translucent, deep shiny brass tangerine orange, just barely see through if slightly cloudy. Microfine carbonation on the sides in faint streams keep that head going. For a blonde biere de garde I'd figure yellow, but nope there you have it. Really love this shady and bright brass orange quality, unlike any color I've seen before. Lovely looking brew.

Aroma has a sense of sugary caramel, and lots of sticky taffy like notes. Nice mild dry floral sense, quite "airy" if I could say, almost like perfume but still quite subtle as the sugar notes dominate the brew. Doesn't seem to hint of farmhouse much but that's ok, it's certainly pleasant, and has a very distinct caramel flavor on the nose to it.

Palate really takes a nice change. Sweet caramel definitely is the flavor profile but finally other factors jump in the mid palate. A refreshing light body with a grassy dry quality hits all over. Mild earth tones finish, barely hinting a little at pepper, but come out more like dried herbs of thyme and mint with a real light finish. Breath mint quality aftertaste but very herbal and far less sweet than the bouquet indicates on the palate it seems from first go. Mouthfeel is surprisingly unexpected and light, but it works nicely. Easy light drinking herbality matches with a mild tea and toffee green earth flavor all over.

Fun neat beer. Not amazing, probably not everyones cup of tea either, but delicious and I love the light character and hinting dryness that takes much of the sweetness into some delicious herbal depth. Aged probably pretty lengthy, probably not fresh, but still quite delicious. And if it's still 2 years expired, still solid drinking.

 

A light fruit nose with some traces of over ripeness with light malt aromas. It pours brilliant amber under a 2” rapidly dissipating foam cap that leaves intricate lace. A faint cola note seasons a fruity palate with touches of over ripeness joining light malt flavors. A hint of wet cardboard approaching leather suggest some age but it is not offensive. Crisp, slightly above average carbonation and a slightly above medium body to a touch more help make a refreshing, drinkable beer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purchased this Growler at Bierkraft. and found it to be an exceptional example of the style. Caramelized sugar, Vanilla, and Banana in a glass. Loving it from top to bottom. Golden color with a creamy head.
IPA is BS. Save the Hops and Boycott IPA. Slinger, Brooklyn NY.

 

P: A bright copper body with floaters and a generous creamy whipped off white head. Wet lacing swarms the edges.

S: Toasted malt, crusty Italian bread, stone fruits, salty caramel, licorice, spicy booze and musty cellar yeast.

T/M: An odd seltzer water, apple peels, toasted caramel, wood and aged grain. Waxy vegetable skins, coriander, musty yeast, bread dough. Different spices that I can't really pin down but creates an odd profile towards the end. Medium body with a spicy bite.

O: Decent but nothing really shines here. The taste is kinda odd and really seems lack luster. Once warm the flavor becomes more coherent and balanced.

Poured three fingers of head on a clear, amber colored body with lots of bubbles visible.
The aroma has a light floral scent with a touch metallic.
The taste is light fruit: apple and pear; with a mild sweet finish.
The texture is crisp with moderate carbonation.
A decent beer, nothing special.

B+

750ml into a tulip. Pours a crystal clear fresh from the mint shiny new copper penny, minor off white head required an encouraging pour, minor lacing.

The aroma is of honey and spiced fruits although altogether very low key. a sweet exotic candy

Flavor begins with smooth honey caramel which is interrupted by a quick phenolic note which sits in for bitter, followed by the aftertaste which is short lived but pleasant. Sweetness works well here, zero bitter, zero dry - no earth, no musty. Shy of medium smooth mouthfeel.
with warmth it shines
cheers
jd

 

Had this one while out in New Orleans! Served from tap into a snifter. Poured a golden yellow-orange with a half finger white head that subsided to a minimal amount slowly. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, wheat, grain, spice, and fruit. The flavor was of sweet malt, fruit, spice, wheat, grain, and dark fruit. It had a light feel on the palate with medium carbonation. Overall this was a fairly good brew. While this one really didn’t have a lot of complexity going on with it, it still managed to be quite enjoyable and easy to drink. For the style this one was pretty much spot on and rather pleasant. The flavor did fall a little short as I wish there would have been some more complex flavors going on, but it still managed to keep me interested throughout the glass. Definitely worth trying at least once if you get the opportunity.

 

A Strong, Blonde Biere' De Garde!

Poured in a white wine glass from a 750ml corked and caged bottle. A very pretty golden color with a quickly vanishing 1/2" head despite the vigorous pour. For a flat bottomed bottle there was quite a bit of pressure and the cork flew nearly as far as a champagne cork!

I've never had a beer of this style. I'd purchased Phil Markowski's book on French farmhouse ales due to my love of Saison. Having brewed a few tasty Saisons with his guidance I decided to do some research on Biere' De Garde and went shopping for some examples before putting together a recipe. That is how I found this bottle in my favorite local bottle shop.

Grassy hop notes on the nose firmly backed up by some aged pilsner malt. More bitterness on the tongue than I would have expected from a "standard" beer of this type, but quite pleasant. Finishes malty and sweet with considerable bitterness and carbonation on the tongue. The yeast is present from start to finish and works quite well with the other flavors.

Having little experience with this style I found this to be a very interesting and drinkable beer. Coming from a person who loves pilsner malts in lagers I found this to be very interesting. The malt has a bit of a funk rather than the clean crispness found in a well made lager, but the basic flavor notes remain. Like comparing a well made sharp cheddar to an aged example.

Apparently this is quite rare with only 6 reviews! Thanks to The Cork in Torrington, CT. Just a dusty bottle in the back of a cubby :)

On tap at Avenue Pub

A: Pours a murky, golden/orange with a reddish hue. A two finger white head forms at first, but quickly fades and leaves little lace. Looks really still.
S: Sweet malt, bread and biscuit with musky yeast. Sweet and honey like. Some esters as well.
T: Follows the nose with sweet malt, caramelized sugars, bread and biscuit. Musky yeast and finishes with some fruity esters.
M/D: A medium body and carbonation. Though a bit muddled, and not as clean as I would like, and wish it was a bit more crisp. Easy to drink. Enjoyable for the most part.

A very nice example of the style. Though the mouthfeel is just a bit to muddled for me. Still worth a try for fans of the style.

750ml served in a Duvel tulip.

A - Pours a clear golden orange with a fleeting white head. No retention and a few small specks of lacing. Cool looking bottle.

S - Earthy grain, black tea, applesauce, some peach alcohol.

T - Starts off with a clean sweetness, strong malt presence, peaches, honey, grassy bitterness, chalky minerals, the bitterness hits hard on the finish. Finishes sharp and crisp.

M - Moderate stingy carbonation, medium body, crisp and clean finish.

Lots of sweet malt with grassy hops presence. This was ok. Nothing really wrong with it, I just didn't love it.

Pours a light golden orange, faint haze, moderate head. Scent brings a bit of earthy soil, light musty grain, some honey like sweetness and a splash of dark pitted fruit. Taste a bit brighter with an added touch of citrus... earthy and grassy, lightly sweet, some fig, alcohol noted. Moderate bubblyness but smooth body, dry. Some decent qualities, but not unique enough for repeat visits.

 

Pours a light, clear, orange color with a reddish hue. A lot of carbonation creates a very bubbly white head, almost like the head on a cider or champagne, instead of a beer. The head goes away very quickly.
Smell has a light, floral smell to it. Strong nutty sweet smells to. Even a bit of green apple.
Taste has a very nice balance to it. Strong nutty malt tastes, almost like those of a nut brown are balanced with a floral and Earthy hop taste. A little bit of apple and orange taste too.
Mouthfeel is really nice. A very bubbly and refreshing mouthfeel without being crisp or harsh at all.
Drinkability is great on this beer. A lot of interesting tastes going on that are very balanced. One of the more refreshing beers I have ever had with such a strong taste profile. A great beer to pair with food or enjoy in the summer. Glad I could get my hands on one of these.

Received from Beer of the Month club. Resounding pop from cork release. Pours a clear orange-gold. Has a tight bubbled white head that fades over couple of minutes to just edge of glass. Leaves a trace of lace here and there. All aroma is subtle. Herbal, grassy, floral, honey. Taste is good balance of sweet malt and herbal bitterness, toasty, grain finish. Medium body and carbonation. Leaves a thicker more lingering, smooth mouthfeel. I enjoyed it in a tulip and served with parmesan cheese crumbles.

Poured from 750 mL bottle into tulip.
A: Bottle opens with a loud "pop!" Pours a clear light golden color with large amount of carbonation producing a 1 inch bubbly white head.
S: Nice funky earth, minerals, hint of sweet caramel malt, honey, and Belgian yeast.
T: Nutty sweetness, hint of citrus, and a modest amount of farmhouse funk to keep things interesting.
M: Smooth, sticky sweet, with a slightly oily feel. A very clean, lager-like feel. Light-medium body. Hint of bitterness in the finish.
D: Quite refreshing and an easy drinker (for 7.8%). A solid example of style. Note: would be best enjoyed with a meal.

A: copper/golden orange, trace white head, little lacing

S: malt, caramel, nut, grain

T: mild fig, malt, caramel, nutty grain, hint of grassy finish

M: med body, smooth/solid carbonation mouth

O: Rare to find French beers, got this from Rare Beer Club (thanks
to my amazing wife). Enjoyed it, but no need to seek it out.
Many newbies to craft beer would enjoy this fine friend.

GOOD, NOT MUST HAVE!

 

 

 

According to Beer Menus, this weighs in at an un-biere de gard 7.8%. On tap at Blue Monk. New and the promoted most richest on the BDG style that they do.Yes more hoppy than usual, perhaps this would be better aged. Light orange coliured body, and tasted more like a wit beer. Not bad drinkability but getting yeast and then rather astringent in the finish. French Belgian BDG IPA style?Expecting more with the title Grand Cru, n'est pas?