New Belgium Biere De Mars

Bottle at Don & Charlie’s in Scottsdale, AZ. Faint, malt aroma. Slightly hazy amber in color. Small, mostly eroding head. Fizzy. Not much lace. Fair amount of flavor. Some allspice. Interesting and unique. Not outstanding but no flaws and some flavor to keep things interesting.

Golden orange without much fizzle. My first sample was out of a disposable plastic cup in a Las Vegas hotel room. It was good then. A couple of bottles made their way back with me. Shockingly, it tastes even better out of a glass vessel. Slightly acidic twang. Maybe a little thin as it slips down the throat. Nice notes of lemon zest and hop spice, not surprising for an American interpretation.

Foggy amber orange color, faint white head. Aroma is citrus, floral notes, caramel, and dried fruit. Taste is slightly hoppy, with fruit and caramel accents.

Definately unfiltered. Golden-orange colored with a small white, fluffy head that disappates fairly quickly. Nose is faint but nice with orange peel really showing through. Also, lemon, floral, grassy, and a belgian yeastiness. Palate is fizzy and very slightly oily with a medium to full body. Flavor is nice, citrusy(orange and slight lemon), slight breadiness, slight sour flash, floral bouquet, and a touch of underlying caramel maltiness. Finish is quick and dry with slight acidic souness. Definately no saison, should be in the biere de garde category(if it exists). Very interesting, easy to drink, and really asks you to have another.

Getting a tip that this years batch was much better than past (2005/2006), I went ahead a gave the Biere De Mars a try. Poured a light orangish color that looked intriguing. The aroma to me was not much of anything, and if anything, wasn’t great. This hit my palate and sent shock waves of hoppiness, and bitterness, with almost a sour taste to it. I was not impressed, as I have had much better saison style brews.

Bottle. Poured into a worthy glass with a gorgeous fluffy head atop a lightly hazt amber body. Nose is of brettanomyces and fruity citrus. Palate with great, filled with lightly bready malt flavors and silky fruit flavors leading to a slightly dry finish with citrus and a bit of lingering acidity. Excellent version of a rarely brewed style.

12 oz bottle that came in a lovely box from Larry Pitonka (thanks!), BBD July 06, served at cellar temperature in a Corsendonk Christmas Ale glass. Just a touch of fizzy off-white head tops the opaque murky golden-amber body....nose is lemony, lightly farmy, sour-doughy, rather faint at first but with growing pungent floral qualities....the lovely fluffy, slightly fizzy mouthfeel supports a fruity, somewhat sour body that offers up hints of lemon, rosemary, honey and sour cherry....finish is rather herbal and dry with faint mineralic notes....mouthfeel turns a bit syrupy when warmer. All in all a fairly nice rendition, though no one would ever mistake it for Belgian.

Tap at the Six Arms. Hazy dark brown beer. Nice sweet caramel malts underneath a great tart aroma. Some great fruitiness, cherry, orange peel mixed with a soft woodiness. Vineous, white grape flavour. Body is still quite full, but there is great balance here. Lots of tasty funk. Dryish finish, despite all the sweet malts up front. Oaky tannic flavour and a lingering woody, resiny finish.