McKenzie Bavay

Formerly brewed at McKenzie Brew House
Style: Bière de Garde
Glen Mills, Pennsylvania USA

750 mL capped bottle, (2004 version; about a year old, I think): clear golden rose, tall white head that settles into a thin, retentive cream. Dusty grain aroma with soft white grape skins, toasted dough, moss, chalk, stone and fresh herbs. Caramel coated hop flowers deepen a mesmerizing aroma. Elegant carbonation delivers the subtle yeast complexity into the tiniest pores in the tongue. Soft toasted malt and sweet caramel flavours – simple, straightforward but outrageously complex and wonderful. This is a special beer, I wish that my cellar was full of them…

Mostly clear golden amber body with a thick, fluffy, persistent white head. Beautiful malty aroma with plenty of caramel, buttery nuts, orange and apple, vanilla, butterscotch and a bit of hay-like barnyardiness. Thick, creamy and luscious on the tongue. Great, full malty flavors that are slightly sweet with great caramel, toffee, fruits and light hoppiness. Really, this is a great biere de garde with wonderful flavors that mesh extremely well. A beautiful example that has helped bring me back to enjoy this style.

750 ml bottle. Cloudy apple ciderish with a lasting white head. Biscuitty and tangy citrus aroma. Taste is peppery with dates, nuts and orange zest. Some caramel and malts are there as well. Slightly tart on the tongue with a beautiful finish.

Poured a bubbly brownish copper color with no head. Citrus, grape, very fruity, alcohol and even some hops in the nose. Taste was bitter fruits and a slightly dry, earthy finish. Very nice, the fruit really stood out here.

750mL, bottled Nov 2003, drunk on 9/14/06.
Fabulous bottle conditioning job leads to, even at almost 3 years of age, a dense, rocky, mountain of off-white head that is well-retained and provides sheets of lacing. High clarity from being well-settled out, with tiny bubbles still rising in the liquid. Deep orange-magenta with strong copper and auburn hues.
Almonds, pale sugars, rich butter toffee and a decidedly snappy, borderline tart, Belgian yeast are well-integrated in the nose. Sweet, richly extracted malts up front give way to earthy, crusty, more dry flavors and then finish on a lightly acidic, fruity Belgian yeastiness. White bread dough, angel food cake, lots of sweet almond paste-like notes. The aroma is very strong as well, with no alcohol noted. Absent are any stale/oxidized notes.
Creamy sweet malts in the flavor showcase rich, sun-baked honeycakes, minor fruit esters and a touch of vanilla and toffee. Almond notes on the finish grow slightly dry and almost biscuity, while the complex yeast notes evolve from lightly acidic, yellow/red fruits to a more robust dryness and more integrated soft fruitiness. Unfiltered texture is vastly sumptuous, while the frothy, engaging carbonation is done well enough to showcase this beautifully done malt, but keep it from growing cloying. A dry, lightly dusty/earthy note hangs on after the finish, providing more authenticity and dashing any possibility of this being an overly clean, American example. Thanks to Bucknaked for the bottle!
2006 draught at Kennett on 10/7/06.
Favorite beer of the fest and deliciously drinkable. Really the best of both the saison and BdG worlds. Not too heavy on the malt, yet what is there has both honey, biscuits, light graininess and just a touch of toffee. Hops are perfumey, moderately done and give off grass, lilacs, lavendar and I like Ernest’s suggestion of honeysuckles. Very well-attenuated, though not bone dry by any means, without any overyeasting (no meatiness, overt doughiness) and no crude phenols/esters. Strong mouthfeel boasts a moderately tight carbonation, especially given the draught nature. Not too much acidity and a nice lack of nuttiness relative to the style, as a change of pace (no almondskins). Moderate fruity esters are reserved, but aromatic. Very clean for a Belgian, and definitely notable as being American-made, but not in a bad way, in my opinion. I guess you just either like McKenzie’s Belgian approach or you don’t. Raising the score a little.

Yeasty apple cider aroma. Spicy, peppery sage flavors with grassy undertones. Less pungent as it warms. I liked it a little cooler than most beers. Slightly sweet, saliva-inducing finish.

Burnt amber. Fluffy, dusty-white, loose-bubbled head. Toasty, airy aroma of caramel, white grapes, minerals, and herbal hops. Musty yeast, hay, and toasted graham undertones. Soft, bubbly carbonation. Meaty malt notes immediately wrap around an earthy, sharply herbal hop snap and fresh apple skins. Plenty of musty yeast to absorb the understated toffee maltiness. Malts are just supple enough to thwart some of the heavy saltiness. Caramel and alcohol become much more punctual as it reaches room temp. Clean, simplistic flavors in the finish with a lapsing nutty/caramel malt presence amid white grapes, dates, and herbs. More of everything would make this breathtaking. Understatedly elegant, no less.

Light caramel colored brew. Thick dollop of foam floating on top. Doughy biscuit like malts. Very subdued hop presence. Medium body. This is a real sit back and relax kind of beer. Thanks to slob for the trade.