New Belgium Biere De Mars

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

2005..are we doing that with this beer? I’ll start by saying that I’ve looked forward to this one each year since first buying it. As with most NB beers (I haven’t had La Folie), I find that I slam dunk (dump?) the thing into their own "worthy" glass to attain any head at all, let alone the two finger’s width their website advises one to acheive. Not to worry though, by my own admission I like the brewery enough to have purchased said glass. Anyway, this white head I struggled to create, dissipated quickly leaving me to taste this year’s batch. Wheaty aroma with an orange zest highlight. Very full body, which is quite pleasing. Tastes of citrus and a bagel with cream cheese? Sounds funny, but that’s what I’m getting here. This one is always fun and worth the purchase.

Bottle. Poured a cloudy deep orange with an average frothy off-white head that lasted and had good lacing. Good complex citrus and cereal aroma. Medium body with soft carbonation. Same good complex bitter sweet flavor with a moderate finish. Good brew.

22oz bottle. Pours a slightly hazy orange with a small white head. Aroma of grass, hay, orange, slight brett zing, old lemon, sourdough bread, and maybe some yams. Tastes malty with sourdough bread, orange, nutmeg, slight pumpkin spice, light brett to keep things funky, and leafy hops. Finishes with yam flavor on the throat, slight brett, and leafy hops. Medium bodied and drinkable. Quite nice, sessionable, and flavorful. I give this credit for being unique as I don’t think this taste muchs like any other biere de gardes (how many have I actually had?) or brett beers.

Pours a hazy deep orange, with a more lighter yellow tone to the outside. Aroma is malty, smells like bread, with some sweet malt notes. Flavor is spicy, lots of floral notes to it, as well as a little lemon and honey and a sweet alocohol finish. Thanks to Larry Pitonka for this one!

12oz 2005 - Solid opening waft followed by gentle cirus notes added to the belgian yeast. Cloudy orange with a small white quickly disapating head, litttle lacing. Flavor is of a very smooth belgian yeast and malt with a touch of lemon. Lasting flavor that asks for more. Overall a nice smooth ale that would taste great anytime of year.

This copper ale poured with a fluffy white head and a spice and yeast aroma. The flavor is much more mellow than I expected, yet very flavorful, with a nice malt base, lots of interesting spices and a subtly bitter finish. Surprisingly, not very sour.

22 oz. bottle. Pours a thin head, over a slightly cloudy copper (SRM15) body.....nose is citrus (lemon), ginger, light sweet malts, caramel, and barnyard funk....taste initially is sweet malt, then gingery lemon, then Brett like finishing light sourness, and funk....mouth feel is medium, carbonation fairly high. As it warms a bit it opens up and the complexity at all levels increases. This is a nice creation.

Cloudy orange with thin white ringing head. Aroma is apple, pear, yeast. Flavor is yeast, wheat, lemon and apple peel. Smooth body.