Gavroche

Brewed by St. Sylvestre
Style: Bière de Garde
St. Sylvestre-Cappel, France

The yeast taste predominates and it is more of a decent Blegium produced outside of France. Reminded me more of a Unibroue than a beer de garde, that flavour being understated. Quite drinkable, some grain and creaminess in mouthfeel.. Nice yeasty head and pleasant aroma.

Sublte notes of cider and malt. Huge thick head. Wonderful white wine port tones, citrus, raisins and a wonderfully fresh hoppy thing at the end. Long finish with alcohol burning slowly. Soft and foamy like no other I’ve tried so far. Truly a positive suprise!

Bottle. Pours a hazy dark reddish-orange with a huge foamy off-white head. Aroma of yeast, grain, dark fruit, a faint sourness and alcohol. Flavour is yeasty with lightly sweet malt, some spices and alcohol. Medium bodied. Not bad but it doesn’t do much for me.

Bottle Best before 2009. Pours fine haze of amber hue, large frothy lightly tanned crown. Gentle smooth nose of yeast and medium dark malts accented with aromatic hops. Like a dark rye bread with caramel topping sprinkled by dry hopped powder. Medium bodied with light earthy character up front, medium is more malty and as suspected finish mildly bitter. All this is very smooth and drinkable. Alcohol has shown good warming qualities, none of the dry stuff here. Very nice all around ale. Remind me of a blend of bit strong British ale and saison.

Hazy umber color with a tall, fluffy ecru head. Toasty malt, with a slightly must basement scent. Hints of raisins, light balsamic vinegar, grapes and wild honey. Light airy and refreshing on the palate. After a few sips this is one acidic brew. Fresh wine characteristics are evident. Mild pale malt is just a mild thought in this this one. Dry, slightly nutty and interesting. Things get slightly warming as I near the end of the glass. Again interesting, but not sure if I would have this on any regular basis.

Very aromatic, floral/hops mainly, but some skunkiness/alcohol at the end. Cloudy amber body with a nice big head. I generally agree with other raters’ comments, nice mouthfeel, but too much bite on the aftertaste.

Aroma is musty and stale with a sort of macro-like pale lager funk. Body is a rich amber and supports a massive, three fingers thick, fluffy off white head. Sweet white fruit and caramel malt make up the fore. Mouthfeel is full and pleasant with medium carbonation. finish is plump with fruit flavors but dry and abrupt. It’s kind of interesting and I think some of its negatives are salvaged by its nice mouthfeel, decent flavor and pleasant sipability.

Brown bottle, 330 ml, best before 02/01/08, purchased on Juiy 1 2006; eye: amber with golden reflections, long-lasting pale beige head made up of rather large bubbles, lacing, good effervescence, clear; nose: caramel, alcohol, pepper, toffee, small dark berries, spices; mouth: in that order, unpleasant aggressiveness, malt, caramel, alcohol, hops, pepper, long sweet finale with a little sting on the tip of the tongue, mildly sweet, mildly bitter, full body, creamy and sticky texture, quite carbonated, filling; overall: not too often FRANÇAIS Bouteille brune, 330 ml, meilleure avant 02/01/08, acheté le 1er juillet 2006; oeil : ambrée avec des reflets dorés, mousse persistante beige pâle formée de bulles assez grosses, bonne effervescence, claire, dentelle; nez : caramel, alcool, poivre, toffee, petits fruits foncés, épices; bouche : agressante, malt, caramel, alcool, houblon, poivre, finale longue sucrée avec un peu de piquant sur le bout de la langue, moyennement sucrée, moyennement amère, corsée, texture crémeuse et collante, très carbonatée, toquante; en résumé : pas trop souvent