BFM Cuvée du 7ème

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

Bottle courtesy of Knightly Spirits. I had to pour this quickly: upon opening, instant foam erupted from the bottle and did not cease flowing. Once I frantically filled my glass, I noticed a gorgeous muddy orange color over a large tan-ish head. Aroma is decadent; noticeable traces of caramel, hops, dark fruits, and oak on the nose. This is an IPA? Tastes more like a Rousse de Garde, like it says on the bottle. Heavy caramel and flame-fired wood, definite noticeable hop presence, but not enough for me to consider this an IPA. Slight astringent alcohol bite in the finish. High carbonation, full body. Very nice. I will probably purchase another bottle in the future for aging.

In the 330 mL flip cap bottle at Beertopia. Pours light copper with a ginormous off-white head. Very highly carbonated. Aroma is yeasty and a bit like pie meringue. Aroma is floral and nectar-like. Perhaps a bit of blue berries. It tastes nothing like the aroma. Pronounced quinine flavors not unlike tonic water. Has an unusual hop bitterness for such a style as this. The hops remind me of some cheap malt liquors. Some caramel flavors emerge at warming. Starts to get very candy sweet at room temperature. There’s a residual lingering bitterness on the entire tongue. Really mild, but nice.

Bottle. 2006 vintage. Amber-brown (somewhat murky) beer with a big beige head. Slightly tart aroma, light malt and earthiness. Tart flavor with earth/spice and lemon and herbal tones. Medium body. LIngering tartness with herbal/earthy tones.

Bottle and served in my other NB worthy glass: Deep amber hue with coppery highlights, fading frothy head and spotty lace. The aroma has notes of cherry pits, apricot, caramel, rye bread, hint of barnyard yeast and sadly some medical cleaner and phenolic activity.

The taste is moderate acidic fruits over layers of pale malts. Some herbal and earthiness found as well. The finish is lightly peppery and woody. The mouth feel is lively and dry with that damn medicinal aftertaste. Okay but there is something about this that I found stand-offish, very disappointing.

(IPA...say what?, yo admins please change this)

Wow, rediculous head of insane and intense bubbles. It actually poured a 4 inch head in my goblet. 2 inches of which were above the glass. Frothy medium sized bubbles that reduce to a dense creamy foam on top. Fruity aroma (apricots) with some caramel, spices and floral hops. Color is a slightly hazy dark amber. Light, crisp and fruity with a noticable alcohol presence. Very smooth with a decent malt backbone and more spices. This is really not an IPA. A typical belgian quality brew. Enough earthy and herbal notes that this could easily be classified as a saison. Some hops and biterness are present but they are muted by the other flavors. Finishes kind of dry. Damn foams keeps surging out of the bottle. Lingering herbal notes. A decent brew but no IPA

This orange-colored biere de garde poured with a frothy beige head and a barnyard aroma. The flavor is a bit funky with a nice fruity malt base, a long dry slightly bitter finish and a caramel aftertaste.

Pours a bubbly, cloudy burnt orange color with a big, foamy, light tan head. Smells pretty spicy with a sweet malt backbone mixed in with some hops. The hops werent as powerful as I was expecting. The taste is also quite malty and spicy. Definite bitterness lingers in the aftertaste and shows up in the finish. Pretty unique beer, but I dont see how this is classified as an IPA. Didnt really taste like one at all.

(750ml Bottle, 2006 vintage) Pours a cloudy amber-brown body with a huge long-lasting rocky beige head. Aroma of vinous, raisins, and toffee. Flavor of toasted malt, some light sourness, plums, raisins, floral hosp, caramel, and cocoa. The style should be classified as a Biere de Garde or Saison, but certainly not an IPA.