After reading about BDG in Farmhouse Ales and Brewing classic styles, I developed and brewed a recipe for an amber BDG, which follows, below. Please bear in mind that I have never actually had an authentic BDG, and this may be off the mark. Commercial examples are sometimes described as deriving a bit of flavor from being corked; I used the oak as an attempt to simulate that, but really, I suspect it contributed something very different. I can't quite remember what I was trying to accomplish with the two different yeasts. I think I had hoped that the it would get some character from the ale yeast but the lager yeast would help continue to attenuate as I lagered the beer. I added them both at primary, and kept the temps in an area where the recommended ranges for the two yeasts overlapped.. It occurs to me as I describe the recipe that it is pretty weird and probably not recognizable to a anyone as a BDG. Regardless, this was pretty good. Amber Oaked Biere de Garde Batch Size (fermenter): 5.75 gal Estimated OG: 1.066 SG Estimated Color: 16.0 SRM Estimated IBU: 31.3 IBUs 5 lbs Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) 5 lbs Vienna Malt (Weyermann) (3.0 SRM) 1 lbs Wheat - White Malt (Briess) (2.3 SRM) 8.0 oz Honey Malt (25.0 SRM) 8.0 oz Special Roast (Briess) (50.0 SRM) 4.0 oz Crystal, Medium (Simpsons) (55.0 SRM) 2.0 oz Roasted Barley (Simpsons) 12.0 oz Homemade Candi Syrup, Amber 1.00 oz US Brewer's Gold [9.90 %] - Boil 65.0 mi Hop 9 27.1 IBUs 1.00 oz Strisslespalt [2.60 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 10 4.2 IBUs 1.0 pkg California Lager (Wyeast Labs #2112) [12 Yeast 11 - 1.0 pkg European Ale Yeast (Wyeast Labs #1338) [ Yeast 12 - 1.00 oz Medium French Oak Chips (Primary 7.0 day Flavor 13 -
Followup: After spending that time thinking about but not drinking authentic versions of BDG, I came away with an impression that it is a loosely described style that can cover a lot of range with regard sensory perceptions. I have since wondered whether anyone really feels secure in the style's guidelines and boundaries. I almost seems to be a designation for a beer from the region of France more than it is a beer with specific characteristics. For example, if you gave a beer to an experienced judge without saying what style it is, would a judge be able to pick it out as BDG? I can't recall ever seeing a BDG take a ribbon in a competition, for example, which makes me wonder whether the style lacks attributes that judges can easily recognize.Given my own insecurities and practical inexperience about the style, you should probably take anything I say about it with a grain of salt. You'd be better off drinking some "classic" examples and reading a copy of Farmhouse Ales. Use both sensory and verbal information to develop your own approach to the style. Edit: sorry for the lengthy responses. I clearly have been waiting for a meaty discussion on this style.
Peter, IMHO a Bière de Garde is ‘defined’ by a noticeable/prominent malt backbone and restrained ‘Belgiany’ yeast produced flavors. Below is something I posted previously in a thread entitled Saison vs. Bière de Garde: “Farmhouse Ales (Saisons, Bière de Gardes) can be ‘tricky’ since there is a lot of variation even within a given style. I have tasted a lot of Saison beers and they can vary considerably in flavors. I have also had a fair number of Bière de Garde beers. In general, I have noticed that: · Saison beers are typically very dry (they have low final gravities) and they have ‘Belgiany’ flavors of spices and fruity flavors (the Saison yeast strains produce phenols (spicy flavors) and esters (fruity flavors). Some breweries also add spices to their beer which ‘ups’ the spicy flavors of these beers. · Bière de Garde beers tend to have more pronounced malty flavors and the ‘Belgiany’ flavors are more restrained. The brewers of Bière de Garde beers tend to use a more neutral yeast strain to ferment these beers. Once again, the above bullets are generalities.” Cheers!
I have never homebrewed a Bière de Garde but the below recipe from Brewing Classic Styles looks tasty: Grist Continental Pilsner Malt: 11.5 lbs. Continental Munich malt: 3 lbs. Cane Sugar: 1 lb. Steeping Grains CaraVienne: 0.75 lbs. Black Patent: 1 ounce Hops Fuggle 5% AA, 60 min. 1.4 oz. (25.6 IBUs) Yeast WLP011 European Ale or Wyeast 1388 European Ale Cheers!
Have you seen the beersmith recipes? rewer: homebrew4less.com Batch Size: 5.00 gal Style: Biere de Garde (16D) Boil Size: 5.70 gal Style Guide: Color: 11.3 SRM Equipment: My Equipment Bitterness: 20.3 IBUs Boil Time: 60 min Est OG: 1.091 (21.5° P) Mash Profile: Single Step Infusion (64C/147F 90mins) Est FG: 1.006 SG (1.6° P) Fermentation: My Aging Profile ABV: 11.3% Taste Rating: 30.0 Ingredients AmountNameType# 8.83 gal The brewer's water Water 1 11 lbs 8.0 oz Gambrinus Pilsner Malt (1.6 SRM) Grain 2 2 lbs 16.0 oz US Munich 10L Malt (10.0 SRM) Grain 3 12.0 oz US Caramel Vienne 20L Malt (20.0 SRM) Grain 4 1.0 oz US Black Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain 5 16.0 oz Sugar - White Sugar/Sucrose (0.0 SRM) Grain 6 1.4 oz UK Fuggle [5.0%] - Boil 60 min Hops 7 4 pkgs Wyeast 1338-European Ale ( #) Yeast 8 I have been lucky enough to have many beers since we lived in the area for many months. I find many saison and biere de garde tasting nearly the same to me. Some say the BDG are malty and less spicy. Its subjective of course, but I think they are really almost the same beer (styles). Meaning you can brew each many ways. I guess you can say teh Northern France area is a farmhouse ale in the BDG style and a Belgium farmhouse is a Siason. if you been there its a tiny area. Really there is no styles IMHO, but hey MJ made them up.
another good 1 Brewer: Fred Bonjour Batch Size: 5.50 gal Style: Biere de Garde (16D) Boil Size: 8.60 gal Style Guide: BJCP 2004 Color: 15.3 SRM Equipment: Brew Pot (30 Qt) and Igloo Cooler (10 Gal) Bitterness: 22.8 IBUs Boil Time: 150 min Est OG: 1.077 (18.4° P) Mash Profile: Infusion 143 155 166 Est FG: 1.016 SG (4.0° P) Fermentation: My Aging Profile ABV: 8.1% Taste Rating: 38.0 Ingredients AmountNameType# 9 lbs 12.0 oz Pilsner (2 Row) German (1.7 SRM) Grain 1 3 lbs 4.0 oz Munich II (Weyermann) (8.5 SRM) Grain 2 12.0 oz Caramunich II (Weyermann) (63.0 SRM) Grain 3 1.0 oz Black Malt (Hoepfner) (600.0 SRM) Grain 4 1 lbs Brown Sugar, Dark (50.0 SRM) Grain 5 0.2 oz Magnum [16.8%] - Boil 150 min Hops 6 3.0 oz Strisslespalt [1.8%] - Boil 20 min Hops 7 1 pkgs German Ale (Wyeast Labs #1007) Yeast 8 Taste Notes First Place Club Competition, Submitted to National COC Notes Awards: First Place Club Competition, Submitted to National COC 7/26/2005 it seemed a little young--needed more time to smooth out better. Brix 19.4 1.077 (OG) 9.3 brix fg Based on Farmhouse Ales - Biere de Noel This was brewed as a wedding ale for my son and his bride, thus the name "the Two Bonjours" in French of course.the Wedding is 28 May 2005.
Here's mine. It's pretty good. 8 lbs pilsner 1.5 lbs munich .5 lbs aromatic .25 lbs caramunich Mash at about 152°F I use stisslespalt hops, aim for 20 IBUs with the latest addition at 20 minutes. Ferment with 05 at about 65°F.
pweis909 Thank you for your help and effort. I have just did some reading on this book Farmhouse Ales: Culture and Craftsmanship in the Belgian Tradition and realize that BDG is vague style. As a home brewer my option are five different Ale yeast or six Lager yeast. on top of all, it require long time low secondary stor(age), sometime on the verge of freezing temperature. How can you define BDG as Ale or Lager? Thank's again Cheers
As pweis noted, BDG is a loosely defined style. I've also not had many commercial examples, and most of what I know comes from Markowski's book. In fact, according to Markowski, the current commercial examples aren't that authentic because garding is apparently a recent technique. I've brewed kolsch-like and alt-like beers as well as ambers and called them biere de gardes. I tend to cold-condition everything so I've always done that with BDGs. I use a French or Belgian pils, and a bit of either Munich or Vienna, and sometimes wheat. If I'm going for a darker, maltier version I add some combination of Biscuit, Aromatic, Brown, and Carafa. Brewer's gold or perle for bittering, and strisselspalt at 30. I've pitched White Labs European, French, and Kolsch and try to ferment at 62-64. It's a fun style to play around with. Cheers!
If you could go over or find this beer http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1682/5214 its a nice example of the "style"
Sorry but been show up on BA beer style page doesn't make it a distinctive beer style. From a Homebrewing point of view it's very vague style. Read the page 85 - 91 and get the amount of option you can make BDG. Cheers
One thing that Ive noticed in all BDG is sort of a funky/earthy note that Ive heard called a cellar-like quality, to my tastebuds its an extremely subtle bretty/wild yeast/sherry yeast flavor
Just an example. ME and the wife house been over in that area for the last 15 years. I have had just about every version that sold to the public. I was just finding French beer I think is fairly close to my idea of what I think is typical for the style IN MODERN TIMES that I enjoyed. Nothing more. That said of course BDG is a WIDELY made beer. yeasts are all over, wheat is used etc etc. Its like Saison it was made to keep and after that its up to the inventor of the recipe. No 1 without a time machine knows for sure, but I had 1 or 2 or 30 in the mid 1970's. LOL They were all different then. Make what you want to.
