La Choulette Ambrée

Brewed by Brasserie La Choulette
Style: Bière de Garde
Hordain, France

This amber ale poured with a nice beige head, eliciting a sour malty aroma. There was something special about the yeast (it seemed as if it were cultured from Chimay yeast) that resulted in a bit of carbonation. The flavor was musty, hoppy and nicely balanced. In my opinion, this is one of the better French ales, especially if one is fond of the "farmhouse" style.

Bottle (330ml) - tulip glass. Poured cloudy orange with a big creamy/rocky slightly off-white head, intricate thin lacing left behind. Aroma redolent of sour corn mash, hops, a bit of coriander, alcohol and sweet malt - a little earthy yeastiness in the back. Flat, greasy mouthfeel, tastes of corn starch, white wine, orange peels - some subtle hops and a sour, wheaty note overall. A little flatter than ideal, but well blended and balanced with enough going on to keep me searching for "what’s that taste???!"

Bottle from Carrefour, Calais Won the Medaille d’Or Paris 2004 according to the sticker label on the bottle. Reddish amber colour with a caramel/white head. Lots of malt on the nose and some kind or freshly washed green vegetable? Lots of caramel malt in the flavour and the sweetness is balanced by the relatively astringent hop finish. Excellent balance, will buy again when I go to France next week.

[bottle from peckhams] pours an amber colour with a decent head. the nose is malty with some caramel notes, vanilla and yeast. excellent smooth body with a slightly sweet finish.

Bottle, Smokeless Joe’s. Amber colour, very active, thick white head. Subtle spiciness in aroma, but it didn’t leave an impression. Sharp, carbonated, malt taste with and odd mustiness to it. Tasted slightly strong as well. It seemed a bit odd to me, but became much more drinkable as it warmed. One of those beers that might strike me differently every time I tried it. This time it was just ok.

Bottle conditioned, from York Beer Shop. Amber bronze, fluffy white but shortlived head and moderate condition. Gentle caramel, low peardrops and a delicate, almost English, hint of peppery hop in the nose. Slight tangy fruitiness in the mouth with quite a bit of residual sweetness and an earthy, musty hop note. Sweet caramel tempered with more earthy hop bitterness in the finish. Doesn’t seem like an 8%er.

The packaging consisted of a green 750 ml bottle, with a champagne style cork, and a wire cage. When the cork was pulled, a satisfying pop revealed that the yeast had been nicely active in the bottle. Poured into a 16 oz wine goblet, the body was clear amber red with moderate carbonation, and could be easily mistaken for a wine. The aroma was also somewhat wine like, with notes of cherry and oak and very little if any hops. The taste was smooth and refreshing. The body was very dry and woody with an astringent tartness, but almost no sourness. Fruits like cherries, red grapes, and pears were also abundant. Floral hops showed up in the middle of the peppery finish. Mouthfeel was surprisingly full. This Bière de Garde tasted much maltier than my previous experiences with beers from the related style Saison, and exhibited fewer funky flavors. Overall this was quite an enjoyable beer, which will most definitely turn me into trying more of its brethren.