La Petroleuse
The Brewer's Art

Poured from a cork and cage bomber into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Pours a cloudy honey brown color with thin off-white head. Scant ring of lacing.

S: Sweet caramel malts... honey and fruit.

T/F: Sweet and fruity... just like the nose. Molasses and brown sugar, raisin and plum, honey. Slightly herbal... mild hopping for bitterness and to clean up the sweet malts. Fairly light bodied... aggressively carbonated. Creamy... medicinal at the finish.

O: A reasonably good beer. A little sweet and not as complex as I was hoping but very drinkable. One I'd have again but wouldn't seek out.

 

 

 

A nice example of this style. One of the better ones I have had. I am not the biggest fan of this style.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A biere de garde, eh? This strikes me as a mesh of belgian pale ale and some biere de garde characteristics. I think it carries what you'd want to see, but there is the unfiltered edge to it that kind of clogs the experience and is a slight detractor. Carbonation is a bit too aggressive also. Overall, not too shabby really. And it's growing on me over time.

Poured on tap into a chalice at Brewer's Art.

A big golden amber orange body that glows nicely. Served with a very creamy top, slightly tan colored with very thin bubbles set together. Not much noticeable carbonation, but nice in this glass.

Big punch of yeast on the nose, and large amounts of maple sugar like sweetness. Quite nice, with some good dryness as well.

First taste is a tonic water quinine then some the maple sensing sugar action kicks in. Nice controlled almost french toast like sweetness but with a yeasty punch. Tight carbonation, almost dry white wine like finish with some creamy character to match also.

Not too bad overall, not much farmhouse like senses, but definitely good controlled dark Belgian sucrose that comes out more like maple. Very nice.

Poured from a 750 mL corked & caged bottle into a matchy-matchy Brewer's Art goblet. Moderately gentle hand. Label reads, #191 9/20/2014. This has been in the cellar for about a year.

A: Orange-amber with good clarity. 1.5 fingers white head that fades to a coating at 2 minutes. Light lacing.

S: Malty fruit. Floral notes. Orange. Grape. Apple. Spice & pepper. Toffee. Caramel. Traces of indistinct hop. Initially there were some faint soap, acetone notes that disappeared with the first sip.

T: Malty sweetness with interesting herbal character initially. Followed by strong (black/white) pepper notes. A light English-type hopping on the back end closes with a fairly dry finish. Perceivable alcohol and a bit boozy for 7-8% ABV. Pepper. Spice.

M: Moderate, creamy carbonation with a moderate body. Solid.

O: Ok, full disclosure: I've only had about half a dozen different Biere de garde in my beer-drinking life, max. However, this one is the best. Nice malt, good balance, and really love the pepper notes. Overall, a pretty complex brew. Not sure if the extra year of aging made much of a difference, though.

Prost!