Craftsman Bier De Mars

Brewed by Craftsman Brewing Co.
Style: Bière de Garde
Pasadena, California USA

Light amber in color. Aroma is sweet and spicy. Flavor is more sweet yeast and spice, mild fruit with a bitter/sour aspect as well. I have had better saisons, and I like some of their other beers alot more, but all in all, not bad.

Name: Bier de Mars
Date: 12/04/2005
Mode: Draft
Source: Lucky Baldwins, Pasadina

Appearance: clear amber, thin beige head with some nice lace,
Aroma: musty dust bunny aroma,
Body: thin body,
Flavor: malty flavor, touch of wood, hint of sourness, a little barnyard funk, lots of wild complexity, could take days to isolate it all

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 5/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 11/20
Rating: 3/5.0
Drinkability: 6/10
Score: *4

served on tap. poured amber in color with a thin tan head that dissipated rather quickly. the aroma was quite sweet, and the taste seemed to match. quite creamy and delicious. not the easiest beer to finish, but definitely a good take on a saison.

On tap at the Beachwood BBQ. Pours a mostly hazy, deep ruddy amber color with a thin layer of off-white head. Aromas of cherry gumdrops, bubblegum, and a mild white pepper spice. Medium-full bodied, creamy carbonated mouthfeel. Lots of honey and floral rose petals on the front of the palate, but finishes heavy and sticky sweet with a final smack of bandagey bubblegum. Too heavy and cloying to be highly drinkable.

On tap @ Stone - Pours a hazy orangish- amber color with a small off white head that faded pretty quick. No lacing. Aroma is spice, light yeast, and esters. Flavor is the same. Medium body. This is one of the more spicey beers I’ve tried. A good one.

On tap at Stone. Hazzy reddish brown with fizzy white head. Aroma of caramel and fruit. Tick silky palate. Tastes of caramel, malt, fruit, alcohol, and a hint of vanilla with a semi-dry finish.

Sampled on tap at Lucky Baldwin’s, June 2007
This beer sits in my glass with a somewhat hazy, dark amber, purple hued color. It is topped by a frothing, fat finger thick, dark tan head that has some staying power to it and even leaves some lacing on the sides of the glass. The aroma has a pronounced mix of spice and fruit notes; the spices lean towards clove and the fruit notes definitely are concentrated (I get notes of prunes, figs and perhaps some raisins). The malt aromas mix in with the dark fruit notes, but I do get notes of caramelized malt and browned biscuits.

A light carbonation makes for a smooth drinking beer. There is a prominent clove character here, but also a hint of nutmeg and allspice. Dark fruit flavors of fig and raisin come into play. Some cardamom like spice character is vaguely evocative of the flavors in cola. The body has a medium fullness to it and this has quite a bit of heft to it considering I was expecting a lighter beer. This is a nice beer for the cooler months, while not thick, it does have a certain hardness to it.

Barrel Aged draft @ Lucky Baldwins 12/05: Clear amber color with a minmal off-white head. Some funky notes in the aroma right off the bat. Clovey spice, leather, estery. Sweet fruity flavor with caramel notes and a light spice and touch of wood. Silky soft mouthfeel.