“BIERE DE GARDE is a style from Northern France, malty, complex, lean and very refreshing. Deep golden in color it exhibits flavours or malt, white stone fruit and spice. This is the kind of beer that would have been drunk in high quantities by the sailors of Laperouse from Kamchatka to Australia. The legend goes that the beer took them of course and therefore reached Botany Bay eight days after the first fleet.”
Served in a stemmed tulip. Hazy golden orange appearance. The pour doesn’t really stir up a great deal of head, swelling to about half a cm before settling to a ring. A wet and streaky lace is seen as we imbibe.
There’s quite a fair bit going on here. Plenty of fruity esters, yeasty spice, angostura bitters, caramel and subtle woody/oak tannins coming through. It has flashes of saison-like candied citrus with a very light funky sourness tucked in right behind. Maybe just a hint of herbal hop and alcohol poking through as well. Very neat.
The palate is somewhat dry, woody and grainy which develops a bit of warming booze as it progresses. Just a suggestion of lemon drops and honey that has a spicy and herbal hop character cutting in. The finish is again a little dry and woody with a mild alcohol warmth in the tail.
The texture is light and drying. Co2 is moderate and the body mild-medium.
They’re kind of strange beers these – complex and typically woody and funky but the fruity aspect adds a certain freshness to it. This one is light and pretty easy to put back but we wouldn’t say it’s all that sessional. Not bad.