Brasseurs Biere de Garde

Old 750 ml bottle likely from early 2000’s shared by Beastiefan2k. Thanks! I had this beer years ago in an even older bottle, but was never able to find the entry. Eugenes bottle was better from what I remember of the older one. Hazy amber with particle floating around thin head. Musty, old cork aroma, dank basement stale and mildewy chlorine-like funk with a bit of old pool toy that has also grown some mildew. Flavor is stale crackers, old crumbly cheese, mildew funk, stale bread, and a lame lemony tart citrus finish with more bland old malt- stale and corked all the way through but not entirely bad. Thin malty cidery and brown sugar in the middle with some oxidation as well.

Old bottle shared by beastiefan2k. Clear amber beer. Aroma is lightly oxidized and cardboardy but with a rich fruity aroma as well. Lightly earthy with a bit of sour fruitiness. Tastes sort of like red licorice. It’s lost quite a bit... very thin body. Lingering corky finish. Definitely showing it’s age.

Very old bottle shared by BeastieFan2k. Darkish pour, light head. Aroma is old cellar, musky, cobwebs. Very oxidized, sherry and port notes. Flavor is thin, with some pear and orange, but quite thin and past it’s prime. No surprise there really. An experience for sure. Aged surprisingly well really for the type of beer.

Old 750mL bottle found at New Beer. Cork comes out with a lot of schmutz on it. Aroma is old, cork-y and very musky, plenty of cardboard. Age has not been kind to this beer. Taste is a but better with light tartness from the age, malts are like old stale bread and still age and cardboard. I am so surprised of a dud from Huyghe.

750 ml bottle. Found at Sam’s Wines in Downers Grove, and kept it for about a year. Finally opened to find a rusty cage and a dry, almost shrunken cork, so I’m worried some air may have gotten in. Pours a deep brown with no head, in fact except for a few strggly bubbles, the beer is almost still. The smell of aged malts is nice, though. First taste has iron to it, like I had poured over the residue of the cage or foil. Taste is of beef broth and reisling over heavy dark malts. Gotta admit its pretty good, just don’t know if it’s what the brewers intended.

Date: 10/21/2006
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting

opaque yellow, whispy white head, huge tart granny smith apple aroma, good body, lots of apple flavor, nice gritty sweetness, light tartness keeps it balanced,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Drinkability: 9/10
Score: **4

(750ml bottle) Pours a cloudy orangish-brown body with a spare off-white head. Aroma of apple, dustiness, and light herbs. Flavor of caramel malt and apple.

750ml bottle with a (dry cork and oxidized cage) pours a good looking mahogany/vermillion with a cream-colored head that fades fast to halo. This has basement yeastiness with sour vinousness... moldy aromas are overpowering to the point where I fear my allergies will act up! Flavor finds defined maltiness that is caramel in nature before opening up to white wine and vanilla. Ends sour with fruity esters. Enjoyably different and a good value at $5.99/750ml.

Note: Everyone keeps mentioning the "1984 Vintage", and while my bottle displays a 1984 Merchant du Vin copyright, I seriously doubt that’s the same thing... it’s probably the year they copyrighted the name or the label. You may be able to copyright a recipe, but you can’t copyright a beer.

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp?PlaceID=20>Foremost Liquors, Oak Forest, IL 60452<font size=-1>