Schlafly Bière de Garde

Brewed by Saint Louis Brewery
Style: Bière de Garde
Maplewood, Missouri USA

Dirty orange pour with a big white head. Aroma of bread, sourdough, orange rind, and earth. Had a lot to offer on the nose. Big bready taste, tart with orange and wheaty spices, lemony, grainy. Very well rounded flavor. Complex. Creamy and fluffy mouthfeel with no sharp points to it whatsoever. I really enjoyed this one!

(750ml bottle) Pours a cloudy golden body with a medium off-white head. Flavor of orange peel, caramel, clove, and light pineapple. Flavor of clove, orange peel, earthiness, toasted malt, and some tropical fruits (pineapple, banana, papaya).

Aroma is slightly sour, touch of grain. Taste is slightly grainy also; has a touch of bitterness, but also a nice sweetness. Very solid flavor with a touch of sourness. 838416

Pours a murky lighter shade brown. Aroma is raw grain, a touch of butter, crackers, some caramel, odd. Flavor is malty and slightly sweet, with that buttery flavor prevailing in the end.

Deep golden orange hues glow in a rich amber body. A medium, frithy head is off-white and quickly receding. Clarity doesn’t mesh with preconceived notions of the style at hand. Sweet buttered popcorn brings to light all-too-apparent diacetyl. Beyond that, the aroma is complex and interesting. Caramel is forward and potent, toasted grains fueling the malty fires. Apricot nectar and orange pith are fruity compliments. Peanut brittle is forceful and while pleasing, it’s a sign of a mismanaged brew. Caramelized brown sugar melts as it leaves the vessel. This is interesting though I don’t find it terribly appetizing. Diacetyl is lessened in the flavor as caramel and multiple fruits create a sweet network with a backdrop of tanginess. Acidity is nil, astringency from fruity acids low. The finish is muted, off-dry and caramelly. The mouthfeel is moderately carbonated, smooth and lightly sticky. Average, flawed to a notable degree that detracts from enjoyment at all stages of consumption. The more I drink this, the more I feel like I’m drinking water from a goldfish bowl.

Lumpfest 2008 - malty, spicy scent with a murky gold pour. very sweet and malty. i’d have to try this one again for good measure.

Bottle. Sampled at YEHA. Cloudy orange body with nice head. Aroma is buttery, caramel. Flavor is all butter, light caramel. This was bad.

Here’s a sweet and malty amber ale whose real depth didn’t shine until we washed some turkey down with it. Lovely Christmas treat. Pours dark but bright copper with an off-white head. Malty, cookie-ish nose with loads of sticky caramel and cider notes. Sweet flavor with those biscuit notes and a subtle, lightly bitter, lightly tart edge. Average carbonation. Unbelievable match for the bird.