BFM Cuvée du 7ème

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

Easy pour led into an obscene head that went beyond the level of a root beer float...although not totally discouraging, this appeared to be a bit over the top. Once the head subsided a bit, the brew was pretty good...nice hoppy aftertaste with some caramel flavors up front. Aroma had hints of light fruits and bread, but was not very strong. I would concur with a recent review that noted cinnamon in the nose...very unique! Palate was nice and smooth... Might snag one more of these to cellar for a while, but otherwise, this beer was very expensive for the taste...a good drink, but nothing special

poured dark amber brown with a decent bubbly head. nice hop aromas (pine, astringent). flavor is weel balanced and enjoyable. nice spice and medicial hops with a chewy yeast/malt backbone. medium mouthfeel with a pleasent filling finish.

2006 vintage. Strange brew here. Pours a cloudy, ruddy golden-honey color. A massive, frothy, tan colored head just spews from this thing, taking its sweet time to settle down to a drinkable level. Eventually, the nose emerges to reveal a funky concoction of sweet honey, dry grassy hops, caramel, citrus, and musty, earthy yeast notes. Right off the bat, you know this isn’t your standard IPA or Biere de Garde, but rather an interesting hybrid of the two. Flavors continue down the long, strange path. Honey really plays a big role, lending its signature natural sweetness. The hop character is dry, grassy, musty and spicy. Fruity notes include oranges and nectarines. Medium-full, round mouthfeel. More of a slow sipper for me. Finishes pretty clean, with a bit of the earthy yeast lingering. Very interesting, and fairly enjoyable brew.

2006 Bottle. Maybe one of my friends opened this wrong but the amount of head that spilled out of this thing was unreal. The bottle was half foam. Dark orange haze with the equal amount of bubbly foam atop. Large amounts of of debris and yeast in the bottom. Mouth is yeast, spice, and notes of orange. I agree with FlacoAlto ’s review.

Lightly hazed dark amber color with a taller beige head. Mild pine and citrus hops in the background add some depth the the pale malt and yeast profile in the aroma. Yeast adds a bit too much and this comes across as a "belgian" more than an IPA. Woody pine and pale malt again are embraced with a citric bitterness and a true yeast character. In some ways an IPA, in some ways a belgian ale, and yet in some ways just a beer looking for an identity. A nice brew to set back with.

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.

(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.

2006 Bottle #276 (Which I guess everyone in the U.S. has?!?):
Super large tan head pops open immediately unop taking the top off. The head stays on the beer nicely and helps accentuate the deep amber coloured body with strong orange highlights. Aroma of yeast, bread, lemons, wheat, coriander seed and a bit of hops. Medium-bodied; Spicey and grassy hops in the taste up front - pretty nice and bittering. Complex finish - very carbonated with a good wheat backbone. Aftertaste shows good complexity, the bittering hops definitely show through without harsh aftertastes. Overall, a good beer (a crazy stretch for a Swiss IPA), but great to try! I sampled this 75 cL bottle purchased from Sam’s Liquor in Chicago, Illinois on 25-January-2008.