BFM Cuvée du 7ème

Brewed by BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes)
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Saignelégier, Switzerland

A tasty as well as entertaining beer. It’s a slighlty hazed, pale amber brew with a huge beige head that slowly collapses around the sides, then slowly sinks while leaving thick lacing behind. (Back at the 750ml bottle - It slowly erupted continuously so long as there was beer left in the bottle. the bottle filled up with foam, then crept down the bottle’s side. Fun to watch.) Scents of powdery pollen, rose petals, cherries, and dried apples work their way through the dense head. The flavor is a light, spicy malt, fruity, has touches of wood, a cirtic zest bitterness, and a splash of alcohol. Nice dry, somewhat bitter finish. Very, very nice.

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13.12.06 750ml bottle, 2006 edition. Those who thought their bottle was #276 might like to know that mine is 276 as well, so, I’m just sayin, I don’t think that’s a bottle number. I had much lower expectations of this brew, and I certainly don’t recall enjoying it quite as much in the past as I am enjoying this bottle right here. First of all, it’s beautiful with a giant beige head, clouded amber brown, and sheeting lace. The aromas are the highlight, for sure, with the floral perfumes of both hops and yeast, fresh cut wood, mild citrus, oh my. The body is full, creamy, and coating. It’s especially round and juicy for a BdG, I think, and with bold flavors. There is a distinct, almost methodical progression of intoxicating flavors here -- beginning with soft wood notes, apple skins, and muscat, rounding over the middle with sweet fruits, peach, mild barnyard funk, and earthy hops, and finishing briskly bitter and floral with strong biting citrus and soothing, coating mineral notes. Late and lingering spice notes (clove) are welcome and unexpected. Gorgeous brew. If it was half the price, I’d drink it three times as often.

2006 bottle shared at Coastal Wine Connection’s monthly tasting. Very light flavors, malty and tart. Big frothy head over a hazy orange body. Bit of a spicy bite. OK, but at $19 a bottle, I’m glad I shared it.

2006 Bottle #276. Slightly hazy brown orange body with tons of carbonation leading to a big ol’ tan head. Dried cranberry over coffee cake aroma with a bit of enticing in the back. Caramelly-sweet start to the flavor with gingery/spice/vine offset. Some peppery yeast in the finish. A tasty ale, it could possibly use a more diverse spicing.

Thanks Dave for this 2006 vintage bottle #00276. The beer pours to a very creamy ultra-tall khaki head atop a nice coppery body with lots of visible carbonation. The aroma is fruity and doughy. Nice hop profile. Nice yeasts. The flavor is grainy with a light tartness. I like the malts in this. Nice subtle spiciness and "Bière de Garde"-ishness. Some lemons. Smooth lightly dry palate.

Huge foamy tan head. Hazy darkish copper. Brown, sugary, fruity hops. Very fresh and lively aroma. Sort of a juicy fruit too. Initial taste of minerally spring water. Now the slightly roasty Biere de Garde taste comes in. Nice flavor too! Sweet minerally water, light woody hopping. Some sweet perfumey yeast. This is really tasty! Nicely rounded and great!

nutty brown color w/ lots of visable carbonation nd a gigantic dense lightly tan head w/ some good lacing. Aroma has a bi of hazlenut, some definate spices clove for sure and some grahm crackers w/ hints of malts too. Palate is nicely coated lightly creamy. Flavor is warming I’d have guessed more than 7.5% abv some lightly spiced hops hint of black pepper hitn of clove some bready notes and something lightly floral in the flavor. Decent beer, definatelly different. Thanks to Dave for sharing.

In short: A wild, dry and tart hoppy beer. Different and exquisite.
How: This rating is for a 750ml of the 2006 version drank late 2007. I also sampled the 2004 version (4.2/5) at a tasting session and it was quite different.
The look: Cloudy dark copper body topped by a little off-white ring of foam.
In long: Nose of apricots and those little dried oranges cubes. Right from the start you know you’re in for something different. Grainy and floury malts with a light caramel presence. Fruity notes are dried oranges, red grapefruits, pineapples, and other acidic/tart fruits. Strong pepper and coriander presence. But it is its unusual hops profile and kind-of-wild yeast signature really set this one apart. A distant reminder of my beloved Hitachino Classic Ale. An amazing different hop fix. Overall very tart and rather dry (sawdust) with a nice wilderness. Hard to describe. The problem is that it is quite expensive and if I drink that on a regular basis I’ll end-up as broke as broke as a hooker at a star-trek convention.