New Belgium Biere De Mars

Brewed by New Belgium Brewing Company
Style: Bière de Garde
Fort Collins, Colorado USA

Bottle. Pours cloudy, golden orange with a thin to non existent white head. Very yeasty aroma with some banana and a bit of lemon coming through. I do get some lemons and orange in the taste along with grains, wheat. Finishes with some a sour lemon and apple peel taste. Very easy drinking beer.

Not quite what I was expecting. Pours a hazy orange with almost no discernable head. Oily in the glass. Tastes sugary with some light grassy notes. Aromas of hay and grass seem to quickly give way to sugary smells.

Has a medium barley malt aroma. Cloudy orange body with off white head. Flavor of wheat and mild to medium sour lemons. Got a dose of the yeat on the finish. Decent brew.

Had this at Vail Beer Fest. 2-oz sample in a snifter. Beer pours a murky medium-yellow color with a small, frothy, off-white, mostly diminishing head. The aroma is moderately malty with notes of toasted grain, lightly hoppy with lemon with moderate yeasty notes of barnyard, basement and dough. I also think I smell just a trace of rose tucked somewhere in the back. The flavor is lightly sweet with an average-length, moderately bitter finish. The body is light, the texture is watery and the carbonation is lively. I don’t think this is a bad beer, but in comparison to other Saison’s I’ve experienced, this one was lacking in complexity, spicyness and acidity.

A mixed bag... Pours cloudy orange with small to medium off-white head. Lots of sediment. Nose is mildly cloying with a hint of rot, but mostly citrus fruit. The flavor is complicated, blended with fruit, bitter orange peel, lemon, rather sour and somewhat off. This is not always bad (see my rating of the Oud Gueze) but is missing something here. My impression is that the wild yeast strains used in this beer, being new country, are not yet ready for prime time. Nice, complicated mouthfeel.

I have always considered this brewery a little over-praised, but they do make some interesting seasonals. This one has a great look -- a cloudy burnt orange (go Longhorns). Pretty, delicate head. Dry and lightly spicy, from nose to finish. Sturdy but not heavy. Most beers that are ’not for every one’ tend to be for me. This one is not an exception.

Despite my loyalty to New Belgium, and my near undying fealty to their cause I had no idea what to expect from their new post-Christmas seasonal, the Biere de Mars. It’s celestial name has a mysterious scientific charm to it, and the label lends it an extirpated Gaelic appeal. Also, Frambozen was a success, so I had similar hopes for the NBB Saison, but I was mostly disappointed. The taste is spotted with citrus flavors, mostly orange, but is otherwise oddly bland. The remaining background isn’t exactly bitter as it is extant; I notice it, but couldn’t really care less. The texture fits what flavor there is nicely though. If the flavors are insubstantial, the Biers de Mars almost makes up for it with its epic appearance. The beer itself is a cheerful orange-tangerine color, clouded from one end of the glass to the other. And the foam appears to have been designed by Sir Christopher Wren. Half of it was piled lopsided on one end of the glass. A talented sculpture could no doubt switch his medium from clay, stone and marble to Biere de Mars foam. I plan to give it another chance, but my first experience was something of a let down. Here’s hoping take two has the same charm and a taste to match.

orange and hazy colors. nose of citrus and flowers. easy to drink with lemon citrus lightness and crispy watercress. surprising high alcohol for the flavor of this beer.