La Bavaisienne

(25cl bottle) Hazy, dark amber coloured hue with yeast chunks and a big and beige foamy head. Sweet and toasted malty aroma with caramel and delicate fruity notes, accompanied by cinnamon spice and draff. Sweet flavour with a touch of burnt bitterness, medium bodied with a moderate carbonation. Draffy, toast-malty taste with a restrained fruit-character and spicy accents; medium-dry, slightly toasty and moderately sweet finish with a lasting caramelly aftertaste. A good but not a great one (11.08.08).

Rating 1000! Bottle from sams in Durham, NC Hazy gold pour with a fizzy white head and excellent lace. Citric aroma. Complex flavors consisting of citrus, bread, malts, honey, toast, and earthiness. A long bitter dry finish

750ml from Sam’s, Durham. Really pricey at $17 but probably the best biere de garde I’ve had. Whereas some examples of this style can be a tad too sweet, this lovely beer manages to incorporate a wide range of flavors - some sweet malts, fruitbread, a hint of caramel - without at all compromising the farmhouse funk and zesty yeast/citrus/spice finish that I really enjoy. Very balanced, well integrated throughout. Wonderful stuff.

750mL bottle. Pours a hazy, golden-orange color; off-white head with good retention and lacing; lots of particulates near the bottom of the bottle. Nicely toasty, citrusy aroma: mild acidity, toasty malts, and honeyed sweetness; strikes a very nice, enticing balance in the nose. Good, very drinkable levels of carbonation. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: lots of citrus, toasted malts, crackers, and honeyed sweetness upfront; intensely drinkable, nicely dry, with plenty of honey and sweet maltiness while still being crisp. Beautiful rendition. Lengthy finish: honey, crackers, and toastiness; nicely dry.

Bottle. Pours light brownish/amber color with a bubbly off-white head. Some fruity sweetness and earthy notes in the aroma. Medium bodied. Slight sour notes and some fruit in the flavor, with some malt and yeast. Somewhat crisp and rather refreshing.