BFM Cuvée du 7ème

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

First off, this beer really isn’t an IPA. But it is really good. Pours a rather nice deep orange color with a thick and lastning white head. Solid floral hop aroma with light yeast and perhaps a little allspice. Slightly bitter start gives way to an extremely bitter finish. Definitely a solidly hoppy beer but but in the end it has some earthy notes and a light spiciness that really prevents it from being IPA like. Still, I’m rather impressed with this new wave of extra hoppy European beers. Severely underrated. ***At the time of this rating, this beer was categorized as an IPA.

Sample provided by jasonp. Hazy amber body with a large beige head - lasting, nice lace. The nose is lightly sweet and earthy with caramel, berries and hints of darker fruits. The flavor is very vinous with hay, bread dough and cotton candy. Medium body is soft with moderate, gentle carbonation.

750ml bottle vintage dated 2006. Also the label refers to this beer as a Bier de Garde, not a Belgian Strong dark as it is currently listed in the BA database. Pours murky amber with orangy hues. A vibrant, off-white head of three inches swelled up before a slow retreat. Plenty of webbed lacework remains throughout the glass, as well as a solid skim coat on the surface. Aromatics lead off with pink grapefruit, peach skins, oaky tannins, and earthy undertones. Lemon pith, wet hay, and dusty boards follow through along with hints of wet sock and funky cheese. Plenty of acid, earth, and fruit. Light to medium bodied. A creamy and drying mouthfeel. Crispish. Peach pits, grapefruit pith, lemon spritzed grass, and pineapple skins lead off the pallet. Dried apricots, tannic wood, and bitter, dried greens follow through. Finishes with a lingering bitterness, drying oakiness, and peach skins. Very complex with a nice level of tartness. Plenty of acid without being overbearing or sour. Big ups to my SD connection for such a great extra in a trade!

Sampled 8-1-2007. I have actually had this beer several times prior to now. Somehow I never took the time to review it. I guess I was too busy enjoying it at Spuyten Duyvil to care about reviews. Pours a dark brownish with orange tint and it is completely clouded. Nice crème head. Spices are on the nose as in an airy light orange citrus. Flavor is a thick mix of spices. That is the astounding theme here. Spices and a bit of funk. I feel like just biting into a thick bloody steak as I drink this. Feel has an attacking carbonation that is firm on the tongue. Liquid is pretty well bodied too. I say this is very drinkable, though the mass of spices assaulting the palate will definitely turn some people off. But hey, I like it. Enough to have had it a third time already.

2006 750 ml bottle. IPA it’s not at all, but it is good, being a unique amalgam of Belgian blonde and saison tastes, with just a tiny hint of lambic sourness. Enjoyable and a bit lemony. If you like this, you’d also like Flemish Primitive.

Bottle from Ledgers in Berkeley, CA. Hazy dark amber color with a decent creamy beige head. Light seeded fruit aromas over roasted malt/caramel. Seems a bit acetic. Medium plus body with creamy carbonation. It is quite astringent. Woody maltiness follows the fruity hoppiness. The finish is like sucking wood. Arguably a very light touch of funk. The sort of IPA where the hop results in something other than bitter. There is arguably some bitter, but astringent is a much more appropriate term. My mouth seems to be dehydrating. A beer to enjoy rather than guzzle. Going down pretty fast though. Very good beer.

Thick, dark-copper/reddish-brown, murky body. Big bubbles. Spicy aroma - much like a Belgain beer woul be rather than an IPA, and it is very enticing. Slightly sweet, caramel notes and hoppy. The hoppiness is somewhat subdued, yet it has a strong, pleasant bitter finish. Very full flavored.

Bottle shared with Blankboy, GregClow, Mds, and Hogtown Harry, Harry’s bottle. Hazy murky orange/brown, small white head. Great yeasty/barnyard aroma - fruity. Great taste - yeasty, wheat, slightly bitter finish. Quenching. Top marks, another winner from these guys.