Biere De Garde
Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant

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From:
Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant
 
United States
Style:
Bière de Garde
ABV:
7%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.81 | pDev: 10.5%
Reviews:
9
Ratings:
20
Status:
Active
Rated:
Apr 13, 2018
Added:
May 19, 2008
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
A classic French farmhouse beer. Amber-colored and brewed with lager yeast at elevated temperatures to bring out malt accents with slight fruit and spice notes.

25 IBU
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Ratings by jbaker67:
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Rated by jbaker67 from Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +5%

Feb 17, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.12 by grover37 from District of Columbia

Apr 13, 2018
 
Rated: 3.75 by micropale from Pennsylvania

Mar 27, 2015
 
Rated: 3.33 by Guden from Maryland

Mar 08, 2015
Photo of mdfb79
Reviewed by mdfb79 from New York

3.73/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
From 12/23/14 notes. Had on tap at the new location in Ardmore, PA. 4 oz. pour as part of a sampler. They called it "Biere De Ard" due to it being in Ardmore.

Pours a clear amber color with one inch of off white head and moderate carbonation evident. Spices, grains, wheat, bread, fruity malts, apples, earthy malts, dirt, and floral notes. Medium body and moderate carbonation.

Overall a decent beer.
Jan 08, 2015
 
Rated: 3.25 by jodybrutal from New Jersey

Oct 21, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Durandal_777 from Pennsylvania

May 27, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by touchmeimsac from Pennsylvania

May 20, 2013
 
Rated: 2.5 by Thorpe429 from Illinois

Jan 27, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by phishbone23 from New York

Jan 23, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by troegaarden from Pennsylvania

Oct 14, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by PittBeerGirl from Ohio

Nov 22, 2011
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Reviewed by JAXSON from Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
2009 notes, this was the "Brett Biere de Garde" given to me by one of the brewers.

Out of a 750ml bottle. Pours a hazy plum-tinted amber with a really creamy persistent head. Aroma is first of wild bretty yeast, elvolving in a really interesting way to bready, fruity malt. Strawberries and caramel. Extremely full flavor palate, with lots of red fruits and a really strong bready, cookie like quality. A touch funky for sure, but not particularly sour. Thanks bro for the bottle. A nice experiment, very hearty and a touch wild.
Nov 09, 2010
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Reviewed by MarvinSnyder from West Virginia

4.18/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Notes from 5/12/10 - poured into a tulip glass - special reserve 750ml bottle - corked

Appearance: Pours a burnt sienna with amber highlights and a huge, frothy, white head. Nice soapy lacing.

Smell: Some earthy and floral notes, light kettle caramelization, fruity esters, and an almost undetectable hop aroma.

Taste: A rich malt sweetness balanced by spicy tartness. Also, elements of citrus, white pepper, and herbal bitterness are at hand. This beer has a minimal alcohol presence. A dry finish similar to champagne.

Mouthfeel: High Carbonation! This beer has a silky feel that rolls along the palate. Nice!

Drinkability: Very high.

Comments: I have been impressed with Iron Hill since my first visit to one of their brewpubs. I always make a point of picking up any of their special reserve corked beers that are available.
May 13, 2010
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Reviewed by DIM from Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
a: This was a slightly hazy coppery amber color. It was served to me with a whisp of a frothy cap.

s: Sweet caramel with some citrus and bready grains. Mildly earthy overall.

t: Sweeter than I expected, but it worked pretty well. Caramel and orange flavors backed by lightly funky grains.

m: Creamy carbonation and chewy body.

d: Very nice. On the sweet side, but quite tasty.
Apr 24, 2010
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Reviewed by akorsak from Pennsylvania

4.12/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Served on-tap at Lancaster.

A: The bière de garde is a lighter amber ale, more orange than brown with a translucent glow. Not much head to speak off.

S: The nose is a combination of sweet malts and citrus rinds. The orange especially stands out, adding sweetness to the lightly toasted malt body.

T: I really like the malt-centric aspects of the ale, a warming toasted flavor that isn't overly concentrated. Matching the malts are orange rinds, citrusy and formidablem along with just enough wheat to be noticeable. Much sweeter than the Erin Shea, it serves as a strong contrast.

M: The mouthfeel is malty with a sweet finish. The orange burst is very nice.

D: I'm not a fan of bières de garde but this one worked for me.
Mar 13, 2010
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Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Still in real-time this afternoon. They have a Mug Club Double Points special going for football, but I am drinking out of tulips, goblets, schooners, and the like. A mug would be too much, plus I like to see a beer when reviewing it.

Arrived with a finger-and-a-half of light-tan head with low retention, becoming wisps fairly quickly. Color was a reddish-amber with ruby highlights and good clarity. Nose was very fruity, think apple, pear and a little cinnamon. The cheat sheet reads that it "was brewed with a lager yeast at elevated temperatures". Aha! A Steamy Frenchy! As a sailor, I knew a few of those. Back to the present. Mouthfeel was medium with a definite spicy bite on the tongue and an overall dryness. It is supposed to be "malt accented", but I think the yeast was forward on this one. The finish was an interesting admixture of spice and slightly tart fruit. Very nice.
Nov 01, 2009
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Reviewed by ffejherb from Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On tap at Iron Hill Lancaster on 10/10/09.

A - Clear deep amber body with reddish hues, almost like a glass of iced tea, with a finger's width of ecru foam that settled into a patchy film and subtle spotty lacing. Head flared up nicely with each swirl of the glass.

S - Bready, grainy malt character with lots of fleshy fruit akin to apple and pear. Slight licorice notes also emerge. Some cereal malt characteristics also come out of the background.

T - Fruity and spicy notes mingle with a prevalent yeast character suggesting fruity esters reminiscent of apple and pear. Hints of licorice and brown sugar sweetness in the middle. Some light hop bitterness appears in the backend, which imparts a hint of citrus character and floral notes. Finishes with a distinct grainy malt character that is representative of the style.

M - Medium bodied and quite effervescent with a syrupy texture and mild hop bite on the palate.

D - Nice Biere de Garde overall with all of the requisite elements including the distinct bready and grainy malt attributes and spicy, fruity characteristics.
Oct 11, 2009
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Reviewed by Risser09 from Pennsylvania

3.62/5  rDev -5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
16 oz American Pint Glass - 2008 - Fridge Temp

Had the chance to experience this one on my first outing to Iron Hill Brewery/Restaurant in my home town.

Appearance: Pours a deep brown with some raspberry edges and highlights. The head reaches 1" and is a light tan color. Retention is fleeting and settles to a whisp on top of the beer.

Smell: A malt profile melds well with a certain earthiness of wood and vegetation. Toasty almond oil lingers in the background.

Taste: A sweet beer built on malty goodness also serves up a spicy yeast to add to its character. I think this one is predominantly full of earthy flavors like tree bark, leather and raw cacao. A lingering dryness makes for an interesting brew.

Mouthfeel: A chewy beer with a little carbonation and some spice thrown in. The malts are clean and so is the alcohol. I would say this is a medium bodied brew.

Drinkability: If it weren't for the pairing with a 4 mushroom pizza, this beer wouldn't have scored as high for me as it did. The earthiness from beverage to entree was streamlined and satisfying. I would prefer other offerings from the brewery, but this was a great attempt at the style, nonetheless.
Jun 23, 2008
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Reviewed by Slatetank from Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
I got a nice surprise the day I stopped to check out Iron Hill and they had this on tap-served chilled in a standard pint.

A - A deep caramel brown w/ deep chestnut hues and very good clarity. The head is about 1 finger high and light tan that gradually settles to a crust w/ a very fine bead.

S - Crisp, clean malty and nutty w/ subtle hints of cocoa and gentle woody hop notes. The overall aroma is toasted, simiar to a bock w/ a hint of Belgian spice in the yeast

M - The perfect mix of malt creaminess w/ support in moderate carbonation and a toasted feel mixed w/ subtle yeast and hop spicing. The finish is clean w/ a memory of malt. Full, very mild w/ no alcohol in the feel to speak of, but nice med full body.

T - A flavorful toasted malt note-biscuity and gently nutty w/ a touch of wheat flavor. It tastes almost as it looks w/ a medium roasted barley and sweet caramel aspect. The hops are more woody which accents the flavors of the malts very well. I love the nutty, bready grainy notes w/ a sweet edge that lingers on w/ Belgian yeasty dryness that gives a more attenuated and clean flavor toward the end of the glass. The beer begins as good as it ends which seems to make a difference to me lately. I can see how the belgian stout Iron Hill has yet to make would be incredible in the hands of the Paul Rutheford. I could go on but this subtle taste w/ superb craftsmanship makes me ramble.

D - This couldn't get much more drinkable to me. Biere De Garde just hits the mark in every way - smooth, malty, clean and has a very refined flavor that I wish more seasonals had. Toasty Belgian and mid strength 6-7%, it makes for an excellent Belgian Lager session w/ Flavor! Kudos Paul and Iron Hill!
May 19, 2008
Biere De Garde from Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 20 ratings