Craftsman Bier De Mars

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

Draft at O’brien’s. Pretty good stuff. Medium Amber red color with not a lot of head. Aromas were sweet with a bit of cherry in there. The rest was very malty. Malty flavors and a bit of wood from the oak aging. I like it.

(Draft: 2005 Stone 9th Anniversary Festival in Escondido, CA) My first beer of this festival is a good one. This version of Craftsman’s Biere de Mars is barrel fermented with Brettanomyces, so it’s probably a bit different from the standard version. The nose is somewhat sour, spicy, fruity, some banana and general funk. Similar notes in the flavor, with banana and spices, but also some tart cherry from start to finish. Moderate bitterness in the finish is the only thing I’m not liking in this beer. Amber color, fully clear, with a steady stream of carbonation bubbles rising through the beer. The off-white head is small on the pour, but slowly subsides to a broken film, leaving some patchy lacing. Light-medium in body, very clean and refreshing. Nice start to the festival.

re-rate 6/24/07, on tap at the stone bistro, enjoyed it tremendously, an explosion of flavors. original rating Had this at the Stone 9th anniversary party. This was barrel aged w/ brett. This is a Very Tasty beer. Lots of complex flavors. It’s a hazy brown color. Ithoroghly enjoyed it.

Sampled with SoCal RB guys...thanks to whomever who brought this...Smoked bacon notes with hints of licorice. Corn husks are also detected. Barnyard notes. In a way, this resembles a rauchbier. The aroma is all over the place. Moderate/severe hazy copper/amber color with a small white head. Nice flavors- sweet, fruity banana-cloves. Sugary to start. Finishes bitter and a little astringent for me. Nice flavor.

This brew pours with an amber-orange body topped by a thin to medium thick head with some lacing. The aroma is slightly sweet with lots of banana notes, some clove and some yeast. The flavor is slightly sweet yet a touch sour with notes of clove, a little banana and a touch of yeast. Medium bodied and dry.

Poursa golden yellow hue with a small, frothy white head. Aromas of pine, citrus and yeast. Flavors of butter, pine, citrus, and flowers.