Castelain St. Amand French Country Ale

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

Bottle. Nose is mildly sour cherry and peach, some strawberry sweetness. Color is the absolutely most beautiful red-orange with a thin white head. Nice balanced flavor, sweet and sour fruits with a slight bitterness. Palate is full bodied and clean with a little bite.

From a 750 ml. caged cork bottle, a bottling date on the back label, I’m purely guessing here, four embossed mashing tuns on the shoulder of bottle, sampled in a tulip glass. Poured a clear reddish tarnished copper with a forthy, foamy, bubbly topped creme beige head, good retention, slowly dissipates into a sudsy lacing, minimal amount of laced sticking. First, a good earthy, musty nose, followed by toasted caramel malts and grains, apples and grapes, a subtle mix of herbs and spice, appetizing aromas. Moderate body with lots of active, micro bubbly carbonation, crisp and dry, tastes of toasted malts, caramel toffee and grains, a light mix of dry herbs and spices, earthy nuttiness, mildly apple fruity, the alcohol is not very noticeable, but does provides a lingering sweet warmth in the palate, a dry caramel toffee finish, a smooth, easy drinkability. The next time I have a chance to visit northern France, hopefully next spring, I will have to make a point of visiting this brewery, so far, everything I’ve had from this French ale brewer has been at least above average, I thought this was first rate, very enjoyable.

Poured a reddish amber hue with a frothy white head, which faded really fast. Aroma was of mild fruits and yeasts. Flavor was a balanced mix of a fruit almost vinous quality and a bitter dry finish.

The Dan Journal #28. 750ml cork and cage bottle. Bottle was dusty but the liquor was clean. Hazy maple amber hue. Spiral white head. Light and slightly musty. Citrusy. Smooth and super creamy. Fruity and lively. Bitter finish. Apples and cinnamon. Cocoa and vanilla. Syrupy. Floral yeasty and delicious. Really easy and tasty.

Tasted at Holiday Wine Cellar. Orange amber color with fluffy white head. Malty aroma with hints of barn yard. Sweet malty taste, spice, and a dry finish.

Tried at Holiday Wine Cellar Beer Tasting. Nice sweet smell of malt. Orange slightly hazy color. Medium to fine lacing. Highly drinkable. Why do I feel like the only one who like this? The maltiness in aroma and flavor is great.

Malty, caramel and honey, small spice notes in the aroma. Pours amber with white head. Malty, crisp, sweet malt, honey flavor. Corked popped really hard but it doesn’t feel very carbonated. Nice beire de garde.

I can tell this is a very old bottle just by how faded and wrinkled the label but i still picked it up. Suprised to see this was such a dark caramel like color with thick foaming of head. Almost no carbonation bubbles seen inside the light weight liquid. Aroma is a sweet toch of malt and very evident caramel and sweet sugar. Flavor is a sweet and sticky tea like caramel. Extremely smooth and almost tastes like a dunkelweizen. Very good shit.