New Belgium Biere De Mars

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

A beautiful beer to look at. The aroma is inviting and seductive, a hint of the many pleasures to come. The beer itself is complex: waves of fruit, malt, grass, spice and yeast. Those flavors deepen as the palate lingers. One of my new favorites.

Bottle. Pours a bright orange color with a big fluffy head but not much lacing. The aroma is earthy and fruit/ citrus with sweet brown sugar and bread notes. Very balanced yeasty flavors of orange and bread dough. Very nice beer.

Hazy, bright orange color, as in a ripe apricot. Head is initially thick, fluffy, pure white. Aroma is fresh and fruity, citrus large and in charge. Soon, a supreme hoppiness sets in and makes itself quite welcome in the nose and on the palate. Thrilling and tasty bitterness on the mouth, with a deliciously citric (orange, mostly) finish. Very yeasty, and quite well-balanced. Body is medium, hops are out front, but the brew is altoghether a rounded one. This is a very special ale, and when all the parts come together, I’m left wondering...am I drinking some kind of liquefied orange bread? Quite a nice accomplishment from a brewery of well-deserved fame.

2004 Rating: 4. Pours a hazy orange, with a thin rocky head and decent lacing. Aroma is malty, almost chocolatey, with very faint citrus and floral notes. Flavor is very malty initially, wheat malts very apparent, then a bit of orange zest, and a fair amount of yeast. Mouthfeel is great, creamy and full. Very earthy. 2005: My God, something has gone horribly wrong! Last year, I loved this one, and this year, it’s practically a drain pour. Aroma is sweet and malty, tinges of citrus and beer vomit (I have not smelled this since college). Also has a faint foot odor. Flavor is disgustingly mettalic and unbalanced, yeast overpowers and unpleasant. The kind of nasty you can feel in your nasal passage as you swallow. Very unpleasant. Plus, after drinking it, I felt extremely bloated, had a massive belching episode, and had incredibly foul gas for days. Normally, I wouldn’t mention such things in a rating, but I thought anyone considering this should know. This year’s edition is a beer I never want poured into a glass anywhere near me again. Sick.

12 oz bottle I have kept for about 6 months in the fridge. It is a slight orange-yellow color with a medium head. The aroma is pretty malty with a yeasty component. The flavor is distinctly Belgian with several spices. It is fruity and peppery. The finish is really nice, especially after the aging. Good beer. New: Tasted a fresh one tonight and really got the Brett in the aroma and flavor. Excellent!!!!

Bottle: Very thin, short lived white head on a medium amber body. Immediate aroma is of Juicy Fruit gum! Aromas to follow are catty, light alcohol, and musty, earthy, malt and wet horse blanket. Flavor is well balanced, with some toasty malt, but overall thin! Fruitiness is low, and there’s not much to the flavor. Some earthy flavors up front, hints of bitterness in the very finish, aftertaste is rather bland, but does have some pepper and spicy yeast. Not papery or cardboardy, just bland. Highly carbonated, dry m/f, hints of warming alcohol, and lighter body. Interesting beer! Sort of a clash between a farmhouse ale and a pumkin ale. Seems to be some nutmeg hidden in there, but it might just be the yeast.

Pours bright orange with a little bright white head...smells of hops and citrus, followed by sweet caramel and malt...malty taste with hints of wheat, citrus, and something I can’t define...very light body (lighter than I think it should be)...slightly bitter but clean finish...very drinkable...

As I carefully poured the beer to avoid getting any sediment in my glass I lashed out a quick "dought" when little floaties invaded my beer. Then I read the label and had to laugh as apparently flocuant yeast was added to the bottle to achieve this exact effect emulating the rotating planets. So with yeast circling around in the Mars orange to red beer with no head allowing the fruity aromas to escape the hole in the artificial atmosphere created by the goblet I enjoyed the subtle malt caracters complemented by the slight fruitiness of a typical ale. Overall well balanced and a real pleasure to drink.