BFM Cuvée du 7ème

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

(750ml bottle) Enormous beige head atop a hazy amber body. Aroma is medium sweet, herb, orange zest. Taste is medium sweet, herb spicy, herbal, some caraway, grassy, light caramel, peach. Some floral once it warms. Moderately dry finish with light alcohol warming. Medium body, holds the alcohol well.

Bottled (2004). Nutty brown, decent still tan head. Fruity (apricot, plums) with a Brettanomyces-yeast aroma. Sour, loads of dried, sweet prunes here. Fruity and sweet - I like it!

Bottle thanx to Alex. Orange colour with a off-white head. Yeasty, light fruity, light sour aroma and a sweet light sour, fruity taste. Medium body with a dry sweet sour finish.

(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.

Hazy dark golden orange colour displays a fat, foamy and regular shaped off-white head. Gently yeasty nose expressive on the herbal, green, woody and sprucey hops. Floral and spicy. I don’t know if they used spices or their yeast strain is just that good, but for a yeast-lover, it joins the realms of the greats, bottle-conditioned IPAs with complex aromas that go beyond hops (hitachino classic, alpine exponential and company). This one mostly focuses on aromatics, the bitterness being restrained, though it’s strikingly dry. Citrus and pine resin grow in importance toward the finish. Fair maltiness supports it all, sweetish and caramelly. Unnoticeable alcohol.

Bottle... Cloudy, orange ale with a small, creamy, off-white head. Earthy, citrusy nose of grapefruit, lemon, oak, orange, pine and bread. The complex flavor is an unholy union of breadsy yeast, sour lemon, bitter grapefruit, earthy hazelnut and sweet malt. Medium-bodied with mild carbonation. Lengthy, bitter-sweet, then tangy, dry finish. Strange brew. Good stuff, though.

2006 bottle sampled on 5/23/07: Pours a hazy dark copper with a large, airy off-white head. Aroma of slightly oxidized, earthy caramel malt with some mild piny hops. Body starts with a touch of light caramel and lightly earthy bitterness balanced toward a fairly full finish. True to style, and seems to have aged fairly well.

copper-orange colour, giant creamy head, aroma of grapefruit with citric and buttery notes, some hazelnut too, a bit acidic, good malt body, very strong and tart bitterness, the finish is very long and very hoppy, dry and showing more citrusy and grapefruity notes - aggressive, disturbing and very good; there are tons of hops here !