La Choulette Ambrée

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

75cL bottle, BBE sometime in 2004, been in beer fridge since around 2005. Initial pour is almost crystal clear, a few floaters are there but no chunks, with a short lived head that fades to a nice ring on the edge of the glass. Aroma is rather sharp with lots of ripe fruit, candied strawberries, a little bit of cherry pie. Flavorwise, this beer is at it’s peak, gone are the green apple flavors and in are the candied apples with just ever so little notes of sherry. I’m about floored, I expected this beer to be an oxidized mess and found just sheer fruity beauty.

750 ml bottle. Medium head dies very quickly; orange slightly cloudy body. Amazing farmy-sweet-flowery nose, I didn’t want to drink it because I wanted to keep smelling it! Some grapiness in the nose leads into an almost-as-intense flavor profile with grapes, buttermilk and cheese vying for your rapt attention. Wonderful thick, malty mouthfeel gradually gives way to a dry champagny finish. Just amazing, I wish I could get my hand on more bieres de Garde, could be my new favorite style!

Fruity nose, light acidity, hops, malty and rich. A clean aroma, sweet and pleasant with a bit of yeast. Dark orange-amber clear with off-white, almost tan foamy lacing head. Medium-heavy body with solid carbonation, warming effect after. Starts malty and sweet, with musky fruit, yeast and alcohol. Finish is even sweeter, vaporous and deep, close to being velvety in texture. Strong nutty sweet finish. A little dryness comes in to finish, while leaving a sweet tannic residue, like after eating an exceptionally sweet pear or grape.

Bu au Pub Italia (33 cl). Couleur brun sale, peu de collet. Bel arome de malte caramelisé et cassonade. Très bon goût d’orge malté, sucré et ra fréchissant.

Tasted like it was aged in a oak cask. It was so good. Deep orange in color. Sweet fruity aroma. Malty. It tasted like champagne or wine. The alcohol was subtle, not noticeable. Really good.

This is one impressive brew. Deep yellow to orange color with a lasting white head. A sweet, mellow, fruity aroma, with a well blended alcohol undertone. Malty brew that has (oak?) woody undertones blended with a malty, fruity palate. The alcohol, though not hidden, was blended perfectly with the flavor profile to give the beer a wine-like impression. These guys are now 2 for 2 in my book as far as good beer goes.

Bottle. Clear chestnut brown colour with a large off-white head. The nose is malty, fruity, honey perhaps; barnyardy and caramel. Sweet malty taste, noticable but nice alcohol, caramel, fruit and a touch of spice. Nicely balanced. Full bodied, moderate carbonation. I like it a lot.

Dark autumnal reddish brown with a small foam pellicle, slight aroma of turpentine underneath a wonderful plummy malt base. Soft and brisk on the palate, with whiskey like notes and a faint eucalyptus thing in the background, followed by just a little bannana. Alcohol warms, graham cracker and cola on the finish. This really is the kind of flavor that I think of when I think of quality biere de garde.