New Belgium Biere De Mars

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

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.

My first saison, my first New Belgium in my New Belgium worthy glass. Cloudy orange color with a tall white head. Aromas of lemon fruit, and an earthy yeasty smell. Not sure if this is what people call barnyard... Flavor is lightly fruity with lemon and peach, the finish is sorta zesty with some black pepper. Medium body with a dry texture. Thanks to Doppelganger for the bottle.

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.

Tap at brewery: Hazy/orange in color. A rather dry palate. Lemon gives a nice zest with citrus notes. Very light and pleasant.

Bottle. Pours a hazy golden yellow with a very nice white head. Yeast and citrus on the nose. Flavors are saison meets belgian ale like; sour, sweet, and spicy. Bread throughout along with lemon with some spice. A tad thin but refreshing and nice merger of style/flavor. Thanks to jhammerly for the bottle.

The Biere de Mars poured a cloudy yellow-orange with lots of tiny floating sediment. It had a fizzy, white head that quickly went to a thin layer. It has an earthy, fruity aroma of lemon and maybe coriander with some very slight hops. Its taste was sweet malt up front, with quite a bit of lemony citrus, some floral hints, and then a crisp finish. Overall, a nice refreshing, lighter beer.

Tap at Gingerman (is this place ever busy?) Ft Worth. Dark gold, hazy with a thick white head. Nose is spicy, a bit funky with some musty yeast notes. Taste is saison at first, musty, dirty, funky with light spices that fade a bit on the end.. Just a touch of alcohol on the end. Very easy to drink and I welcome this in my frig when I see the bottles.

very dry, nearly tart. some yeast but otherwise lacking in esters in aroma. well balanced, nicely bittered, hops support this beer well when little else does. very light funk, light lemon aromas come out to play after a time. otherwise this is a bit dull.