Biere Aux Marrons
Brasserie Bourganel

LOOK -clear deep bronze with quickly disappearing head that leaves no lace. Completely headless on settling.

AROMA - sweet, deep caramel, a bit worty, very light spicy/herbal hop, earth, nut, bark, vanilla, blackberry leaf, horehound, whiff of alcohol, maybe faint sulfur

FLAVOR - tastes like a solid but unremarkable brown ale, light toasted bread crust character dominates, not as sweet as I expected, low indistinct esters (cherry?), low herbal hop flavor, maybe an almond skin note, and a really nice drying finish. No noticeable bitterness.

MF - medium bodied, medium-low carbonation, nice grippy/chewy texture.

OVERALL - I paid $9 for a 12 oz of this because I read about it in a book years ago but had never seen it. Deducting the value of my satisfied curiosity I gotta call it a waste of money. Really tasty and balanced brown ale but does not come off as farmhouse, do not really notice the chestnuts, and find the beer pretty forgettable. This is one of those beers that breaks my heart because it would be a great go-to session pick but the price makes that a ridiculous proposition.

this one has been sitting around awhile, but its held up super well for being so low alcohol and all. its a maroon colored ale with a malt profile like a belgian dubbel, brewed with chestnuts, incredibly interesting. it kind of starts like a saison with a little old world estery yeast, then comes the rich malt, fuller and bigger and deeper than is common in something that isnt real strong, toasted nuts, some earthiness from the chestnuts, fig and raisin and rum notes, even light unbrewed fresh ground coffee and cocoa notes, but its not roasty or dark like that. tons of vanilla too, they must add some, its desserty, and doesnt seem to have fermented down at all over time, brown sugar and vanilla last ling through the finish. i really like the beer, like its depth of flavor, upbeat carbonation, and old world almost farmhouse vibe for not really being that type of beer at all. awesome sweetness, which i rarely say, but the vanilla element is great in here. i think i wanted more chestnut flavor, but i like what they add nevertheless. a surprising and delicious beer, very much unique and one of a kind to me. i havent seen this around in years, i wonder if they dont come to colorado anymore. that would be a shame...

Bottle purchased at Chocolate and Vines in Rochester, NY.

This smells like watery chestnuts, a bit of vanilla, and old soggy bread.

The taste is similar. This is really quite light and unremarkable, if it wasn't for the chestnuts and vanilla added, this would have essentially no flavor. It's watery, light, and super boring, unfortunately.

This is light bodied, quite thin, and quite watery, with a lower level of carbonation.

There isn't much to recommend with this one.

 

 

 

 

Bought at Total Wine Tustin CA on 10/4/14. Nice head that disappeared quickly. It's a Newcastle Brown type ale with smooth chestnut and vanilla notes. I believe it may have lost some of its head and intensity of flavors due to travel and handling. Anyway I love chestnuts so this one is worth a tumble.

 

 

 

A: The beer is clear amber in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation along with some large particles visible floating in suspension. It poured with a quarter finger off white head that quickly died down, leaving lacing on the surface and a collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of chestnuts are present in the nose along with hints of vanilla.
T: The taste mostly follows the smell, except that the vanilla is a little stronger and there are additional flavors of nutty malts along with bits of sweetness.
M: It feels a bit more than light-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: You can definitely taste the chestnuts in this beer, although it's a light-bodied nutty ale (similar to a watered down version of a nut brown ale). In this respect, it's very easy to drink.

 

Served on-draught into Meteor stemware at Cafe 203 in Lyon, Fra nce. Cost was 3.00 Euro.

A: Pours a one finger head of slight cream, fair thickness, and terrible retention. Cloudy copper colour.

Sm: Bright fermented fruit ester hops - raspberry or cherry probably - and heavy caramelized malt. Very pleasant and fresh. A moderate strength aroma.

T: Caramelized malt is nicely restrained, joining with the full barley to form the foundation. A bit too much caramel. Nice bright fruit ester hops - probably raspberry and cherry. The fruit is subtle but luscious. Quite complex compared to expectations. Built and balanced well. Heavy chestnut is present throughout and comes to fruition on the climax.

Mf: Smooth, wet, and tingly. Fairly complementary of the flavours.

Dr: Easy to drink but not quite refreshing. Three quid per 25 cl is pretty steep by French standards.

Bright light amber with a film that trails. Caramel and chestnut on the nose.
Light caramel malt front then big sweet sticky pecan pie with faint vanilla/sandal wood spice (noble hops?) and a touch of roasty nut. Crisp, some cling, light to medium.

A blast of chestnut flavor, yet not overly sweet. Very drinkable. An easy-to-like autumn beer.

Pours a perfectly clear darker amber/brown. Thin crème head. Nose is marrons, I guess. Whatever the heck those are. Flavor is fairly smooth. Kind of like a doughy cookie really. Or biscuit as they say in many parts of Europe. It's got marrons in it? Okay, sure. I can buy that. Feel is smooth on liquid and the carbonation is slightly lower. Overall an interesting beer. Certainly unique and not too bad. Might be a bit too pungent or sweet for some, but certainly merits a try based on its unique qualities alone.

Beer bottle (33cl.), tasted in 2002.
Bourganel brewery using traditional products of Ardeche, chestnuts and blueberries with beer tasting fruit.

Apperance : Amber color, with white foam head.
Smell : sweet, characteristic of chestnut flour.
Taste and mouthfeel : chestnuts, round mouth
Drinkability : an average beer in the style Belgian ale.

Dry. Light carbonation that attacks the tongue. Sweet smell. LOADS OF NUTS! Excellent use of marrons. The back of the mouth tingles at the carbonation and then goes bone dry at the taste of the rich, dusty chestnuts. I am thirsty for more and more with each sip. This is by far the best of the three beers offered by Ardeche’s only brewery. The brewery is also worth a stop if you’re in the region. Make sure to check out the ice cream next door and the castle in the near by hamlet of Aubenas.

Orange copper color, decent head. Chestnut and hot caramel in the smell. Some sweetness too. The taste is a nice, rich and somehow floury chestnut flavor, with some dark malts, and something similar to a watery caramel. The citric sweetness is combined with a pinch of vanilla. Very good mouthfeel, with a very light hop flavor. Refreshing, easy to drink, very nice. An original French microbrew.