Castelain St. Amand French Country Ale

Brewed by Brasserie Castelain
Style: Bière de Garde
Benifontaine, France

Great farmhouse ale. Amber color with caramel, banana flavoring. Similar to a belgian dubel.

On tap at the Ginger Man. The aroma was very buttery, and biscuity. Some caramel and other swetness thrown in. The appearancw was a cloudy orange/amber, white head. The flavor closely followed the aroma, except it was a little sweeter, a little more caramel. The finish was also like buttered bread, low in hops, mildly sweet. Not bad at all, not outstanding. Like any B de G , it probably needs aging.

22oz bottle. Poured a pale gold, kinda hazy. Creamy thick head that collapses quickly but leaves beautiful lacing. Aroma is spicy with some herbal notes, grass hops and peppery yeast. The flavor doesn’t have much of that in fact its quite earthy and malty. Nice peach notes and a grassy hoppiness with some black pepper and sweetness to finish it out. Very balanced and a good example of the style.

Tap at Ginger Man. Very, very pale golden beer. The aroma shows just a touch of light straw. Lightly fruity nose with a touch of pear quality. A light herbal and earthy nose on the back of the palate. Warming brings up a touch of peachy aroma that works pretty well with the flinty/minerally malts. Herbal and grassy hops add a bit of complexity. It’s nothing crazy, but it’s a decently tasty brew. Quite spicy on the back... a nice tasty BdG.

Sample from January 24, 2009 Beer Club meeting. Cloudy orange color with a very thick, frothy head. Sweet, sour aroma. Flavor is almost creamy, very fresh and floral. Very good! Almost soapy...

750ml Bottle: Aroma of malts, butter, yeast, mashed potatoes, light malts, must, and popcorn. Poured orange/amber in color with a large, dense, off-white head that diminished but lasted throughout. Hazy. Sparkling. Excellent lacing. Flavor is lightly sweet and lightly bitter. Tastes of malts, butter, yeast, artificial sweeter, herbs, caramel, cardboard, and potatoes. Medium body. Tingly, slightly sticky texture. Average carbonation. Yeasty, buttery, caramel finish.

Clear copper with a white head. Nice pale bready malt, light pit fruit aroma. Light body with a frothy mouthfeel. Flavor starts with yeasty, dusty pale malts almost lager style, with a touch of light pit fruit sweetness. Finish is dry and chaulky. Pretty straight forward flavors here, not much depth, still very drinkable.

Dark orange. Thin short living head. Strong caramel aroma hinting at dark oranges. Thin and watery. Tinny but grows on you a little. Flavour hints at chocolate and orange with stronger light caramel.