Flossmoor Station Avante Garde Biere de Garde

Formerly brewed at Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery
Style: Bière de Garde
Flossmoor, Illinois USA

murky red brown with a lush cream head that is consistant and laces beautifully. bready nose that just for a second i thought might have some brett in it, maybe it was the banana scent asserting itself? lovely nose. slight tartness in the flavor like grapes. sweet key lime flavor. shortbread in the finish. rich doughy dark fruit, like the taste left after taking a bite from a plum or straberry ( not the sweetness, but the meaty backbone vine taste)hard to describe this complex gem accurately.

Served at the Chi-town Flossmoor gathering, goblet: Hazed brown coppery hue with a lasting creamy head and left very good lace on the glassware. The aroma has notes of grain, caramel, floral hops, pear and strawberry esters, coriander, and a hint (just a hint) of Belgium yeast esters, a tad too weak IMO. The taste however shines with a nice fruity tone over a mild malt base supported by slight bitterness. Wonderfully balanced and oh so drinkable. The finish even displayed a moderate woody dryness. This may not be quite to style (but not that far off either) but is highly enjoyable, I would have had more but there were other beers I wanted to try.

On tap at the brewpub. Pours copper thin white head. Dominated by dark fruits with traces of biscuit malts. The most enjoyable part of this brew is a slight musty component that lingers about. Well done.

(Draught) Pours a deep amber body with a moderate off-white head. Aroma of toasted malt, toffee, fruitiness, and spices. Complex maltiness, milf hops, light fruit, and herbs.

#905 On tap at the brewery on 10/21/2006 at the 2nd monthly meeting of the Chicago Ratebeer group.

Hazy clear copper with a thin white long last rim of head. Nose full with yeast and cream. Taste sharp with bannanna peel, yeast and slight hop backbone.

Pint at FS - Aroma is fruity with a nice malty finish. Pours dark copper with a small head and good lacing. Flavor matches aroma. The palate is very creamy and smooth. Easy drinking 7%, but not complex enough to be great.

Very lively fruit component in both aroma and following through in the flavor...apples and pears. These fruits combine with the 7% abv in the finish to create a definite sherry or apple brandy sort of effect that I found rather uniquely refreshing. Very upfront yeastiness as well, visible in both the overall fruitiness and a yeasty/bready sort of characteristic. Quite a nice brew all the way around.

Poured a sepia/copper with a septic haze (sounds worse than it looked) with a thin, cream-colored head & halo. Fruity cherry aroma with defined yeastiness as opposed to the malts I was expecting. Mid-bodied with a malty/tart flavor and a sweet tea finish. Rather complex... I found big hops and caramel sweetness pushing to the forefront at varied intervals. My staple of the afternoon, I had three goblets with no complaints (although I didn’t find the milf that bu11zeye found... but boy was I lookin’!)

<font size=-4>On tap at <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Station, Flossmoor, IL 60422<font size=-1>