Bière du Bouchon
Is/Was Brewing

A finger and a half ecru head initially capped the caramel biere. Fantastic carb release creating tight foam island after the head receded to theto the Duvel tulip’s edge. Some clinging.

Summer fruit flavors ride above the malt in the aromas and taste.

Juiciness in the finish was a pleasant surprise.

Murky orangey brown body, with a steady finger of tan foam. Aromas of sweet dark malt yet earthy and grainy yeast, with esters of apple, lemon, and pear. Taste has he sweet malts as a backbone, apple with some sugars, lemon juice, and general fruity mild esters mingle before the style's patented yeast finishes softly yet powerfully. Lighter body with malt backbone the whole way, yeast is airy, wet and soft on the finish. Really nice work here, paired great with cassoulet

 

 

Canned 9/29/21; drank 11/15/21 @ the Yarchives.

See-through orange/red appearance.

An even pour yielded a HUGE, noisy eggshell head (careful pouring!); a thick curtain of lace.

Strawberry, burnt caramel & soft wheat notes in the nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

Strawberry, burnt caramel & dry wheat flavors, with a strong carbonation bite on the finish.

Flavorful, simple, balanced & effective. I'd have another!

Bright reddish amber, sharp clarity, two fingers of foam, billowing head up to the rim with a drippy halo of lacing.

Aromas of grainy malt and apple esters, faint botanical note.

Tastes malty and somewhat sweet, yeast has some mild pepper phenolics and finishes with a very mild bitterness. Medium bodied with a softer carb level that ebbs away over time. Overall it’s not bad, could use a little more rustic character and complexity.

Santé à « Le Bouchon » !

Just released this month with only 32 ratings on UnTappd. Bought a 4-pack at The Pilot Project. This collab is with a French restaurant in our neighborhood that, for three decades, is well-known and always full. Eponymously (I wanted to use that word because I had to lookup its definition last week), the collab is called Bouchon. I live 1 block from Le Bouchon and 4 blocks from The Pilot Project.) Long story shortened.... It is good to see that Pilot's focus on the brewing/kitchen interface has grownup to a collab with a famous restaurant.

To stiffen the comparison, I drank Bouchon next to the Midwest's classic, Domaine DuPage from Two Brothers in Chicago's suburbs. (I give credit to DuPage for keeping the style alive for American crafters to follow because the French were abandoning its import and, probably, its brewing.)

Bottom-line: Biere du Bouchon has to evolve before it is as versatile and pleasant with food as is DuPage. It matches Dupage's amber Looks. But Bouchon has a prettier can (very French.) Bouchon could be less bubbly, slightly prickly on the tongue; possibly good for cutting through French butter fat, but Feel could be softer (perhaps softer grains can help.) Both biers Smell mostly of sweet malt and both are well-balanced.

But all said, Bouchon has a good start. I will give it a Taste review with the second can. Until then, a votre sante' !

10/17/21 Had a 2nd can. Some to wash down lunch. But I kept most of the can for a dinner of leftovers and it improved the meal. This is my primary test of a good farmhouse ale: does it improve average cooking? Bouchon does ! But I also noticed that after being open for five hours, its rich maltiness was more noticeable. I'd like to taste-test Bouchon against some other favorite de Gardes, but for now I'm counting @ Untappd as is my habit.