Pelican Bridal Ale

Brewed by Pelican Pub & Brewery
Style: Bière de Garde
Pacific City, Oregon USA

Picked up 750ml, 2005 vintage from Liquid Solutions in Oregon. Pours a cloudy light orange amber brew with a thin off-white head that quickly dissolves to a fine film and ring. Aroma of light caramel malt, a touch of toffee, milk chocolate and some funky spice. Taste is medium bodied, lightly carbonated with flavors of roasted caramel malt, peach and a touch of chocolate. Finish is semi-sweet, slightly spicey with a mild bitter aftertaste. Nicely aged Bière de Garde.

Thanks to Skyview for sharing this 2005 vintage. Spice and malt on the nose with a little funk. Cloudy brown orange with caramel and a little more of that funk.

750 ml bottle 2005 vintage poured a clear dark copper with a small lingering amber head. Aromas of fruitiness, carmel, light oxidation, light toffee and a hint of chocolate. Palate was light to medium bodied and smooth. Flavors of carmel, chocolate, light toffee, light cherry and a hint of spice with a smooth malty finish.

05 from Skyview. An aroma of very mild hops. Malt in the flavor and lots of spice, some barnyard character but not sour, at least not yet, but it definitely has a farmhouse quality to it. Cloudy yellow appearance that is right on for the style.

2005 Vintage. Courtesy of Skyview. Dark orange color with a medium head. Aroma of malt and a few spices (anise?). Sweet malt taste with caramel and a little hop. Slight barnyard funk. Very, very tasty.

Thanks to Skyview for sharing. Pours a fiery orangish amber, with a creamy light tan head. Very nice sweet malt, toffee, and ripe fruit. Very vinous sweetness and it has a great alcohol burn as well as some toffee. Tastes more like an aged barleywine than a BDG.

Date: 11/28/2005
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting
Vintage: 2004

opaque amber, thin head, rich malt aroma with lots of ripe fruit and a bit of earthy hops, rich malt flavor, great fruity character, nice balancing hops,

Aroma: 9/10; Appearance: 5/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 10/20
Rating: 3/5.0
Score: *4
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2 years old. This beer has some of the most gorgeous packaging I’ve seen in quite some time; bottle, label, the whole presentation is thoughtfully and elegantly executed, worth mentioning solely because it’s so rarely worth mention at all. The pour is a pretty, hazy orange with soft pink hues. Thick, creamy, very well retained beige foam leaves alarmingly thick lacing on the glass, accented nicely by even thicker rings within. A lovely fruit and earth aroma is so nice it stops me cold. notes of peach, hay, cream, florals, sugar cookie dough, the pinnacle of fresh caramel(odd, this is two years old), melon, vanilla, light cinnamon and hints of light yeast residuals. Alcohol is incredibly well masked. An absolutely breathtaking aroma, marvelous in all its facets, certainly the best nose on a Bière de Garde I can recall running across. The flavor takes a moment to facilitate a yearning for, but once that happens it’s nearly as captivating as the appearance and aroma. Yeast blasts through first, along with a surprising heavy tartness, both unexpected and welcomed. This is followed by medium to medium-high sweetness, nil bitterness, very low acidity and a writhing earthy complexity. Caramel notes are more subdued in the flavor due to an addition of grassiness. The finish is smooth, soft and leaves fresh caramel and earth lingering. The mouthfeel is exceptionally smooth with velvety carbonation and a lightly sticky medium body. What a wonderful beer!