Bière des Sans Culottes

Brewed by Brasserie La Choulette
Style: Bière de Garde
Hordain, France

If it weren’t for the serious historical reference, I’d put the Sans Culottes beer right up there for best humorous name contender. But it’s a good beer too. The foamy head is voluminous and poofy, like egg crate foam, and the body is gold, with the respirative power of hot tub jets. Really a good looking beer. The aroma is clean, fresh and crisp, but also flavorful. Belgian yeastiness, lemon, wheat and a pils freshness gives this beer the signature smells of summer drinking, even without a satisfying sugar bite in the aroma. That bit comes in the taste, which is still pils-esque, but deeper. A mineral, clean quality mixed with an aloof dryness and engaging sweetness, a touch of lemon and a genuinely "beery" taste makes this Sans Culottes simple but quality drinking. I think it tastes a bit more like an Imperial or Double Pilsener with a touch of apple juice, but it maintains a nice balance between that breeziness and flavor. As I repour the remaining half of the beer into my glass I’m in utter awe at the head formation which looks more like a Castle in the Clouds, high, elevated and lumpy, than it does a beer head.

[1385-20080524] 1pt9.4floz bottle. Burnt oil and wet grains aroma with lots of wet toast. Slightly hazy, orange brown body with a quick creamy white head, lots of floaties and some lacing. Flavour has lots of grainy burnt canola oily yeast. Medium body is heavy. An eye-opening sniff.
(c/o biegaman, w/ others)
Overheard: "You keep your hands off my xenophobe!"

75cl bottle. Pours clear golden with a white creamy head. Aroma is sweet malty. Very matured nose - round & vinous with fruity notes. Taste is sweet & bready & ends very dry without any notes of hops. Smooth & slick palate. Slightly metallic. Drinkable!

750 ml BB 1/25/2007... pours a pale golden or rich yellow with a vigorous white head and a few random floaters. aroma of chocolate chip cookie dough... yeast, brown sugar and grain. the flavor is the same along with some honey, vanilla and woodiness. somehow it’s dry but still a bit sweet? very mild spiciness on the finish. medium body with a rather lifeless mouth feel. kind of a boring beer and lacking any complexity or depth...

Bottle from Bottleworks. Nice peach amber with a thin white head. Aroma is light floral, with a caramel maltiness, and alcohol sweetness, faint citrus. Taste is caramel, toffee, alcohol sweetness. A little sweeter then I like my biere de garde’s.

botella 250 Ml. Cerveza con un sabor excivo a malta.

Bottle (750ml corked & caged). At 2nd Annual Summer Saison Tasting - beigaman’s bottle. Gold, plenty of floaties, smallish white head. Background aroma of caramel malt and yeast, up-front a huge wave of dry oily grain. Extremely malty sweet taste, reminded me of watered-down Crown brand corn syrup with yeast - not altogether a bad thing, but perhaps too sweet and lacking in complexity. Thick, somewhat flat mouthfeel, just a hint of grassy bitterness to ameliorate the cloying sweet linger - actally pleasantly nice, but needs more depth and way more spice/yeast.

Sampled at Jans Saison tasting! Thanks! Appearance: Cloudy orange with a small white head Aroma: Honey and aerosol (?) grassy too. Flavour: Sticky honey, toffee with some malt and brown sugar, quite a creamy finish too.