Biere de Garde

That's a seriously good question that I'd also like to find out about. I'd figure that most of the beer styles which were originally brewed in the winter and spring for keeping or drinking during the summer, such as biere de garde, saison, marzen etc, aren't made with that in mind any more. That's not necessary now we have refrigeration (and with the current obsession that a lot of us have for freshness) so I wonder how/if the recipes have changed, and if you'd get the same kind of result if you cellared the modern versions. The ancestors of English pale ales, stock ales, were brewed to be kept, sometimes for years, and were highly hopped compared to today's pales, but for the preservative action of the hops as much as for flavour. We'd hardly consider cellaring a pale ale today.

 

just opened a 2008 Southampton Biere de Garde the other week at BASC.
maybe a touch over-carbonated at this point but still a very refreshing with just a slight tartness.

as for examples to cellar, the Abbaye de Saint Bon Chien series from BFM is fantastic!

 

This.

Had '06 - '10 recently, INCREDIBLE.

 

2005 Abbaye de Saint Bon Chien was a beer that opened my eyes! Truly a unique experience; nothing like I had had prior, nothing like I've had since.

 

the '05 is the last vintage before the recipe change that dropped it down to 11%.
the <2006 vintages are pretty much my white whales

 

2006-2010 are available at a few of the better stores throughout Minneapolis/St Paul, if you're on the western side of the Dairyland.

 

Hit me up for specifics if you're interested.