Schlafly Bière de Garde

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

From a beautiful bottle. Rusty red with a staying wisp of light foam. The aroma is almost smoky, can it be? This drinks with a fantasticly rounded complement of fruity esthers, a hint of active yeasts and a base of sweet malt. This is a beauty. (#3369, 3/31/2008)

Objectively speaking: My first Schlafly. A moment I’ve been expecting for years. A rather hoppy example, yet with rich, chewy malts underneath. Americanized, but respectful and masterly crafted.
I like: Beautiful champaigny looks. Tight white head. Fresh cereal nose. Original pumpkin notes. Spicy display without letting varietals being picked out. Fair dose of herbal hops fit perfectly. Full-bodied, but not thick. Expansive carbonation feels authentic. Very engaging from start to finish.
I dislike: I like it all. Original and delicious! Not so much yeast nuance, but it just lets the rest shine.

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!

On-tap at the Taproom, served in a Schlafly Imperial Pint Glass. A good looking start, cloudy orangey hued tarnished copper with a frothy off-white, creme colored head, good retention, small rings of laced sticking at the top of the glass. Light whiffs of earthy must, clove and herbal spice, followed by a tart orange and pineapple fruitiness. Estery alcohol and toasted sweet malts at the edges. Well rounded feel in the palate, airy, creamy moderate body along with a slickness that covers the tongue. Nice spicy flavor in the beginning, earthy must, clove, anise and herbs. Mildly tart fruits, orange, pineapple and banana. A good backbone from the toasted malts, nutty grains with light touches of sweet caramel. In the end, a herbal hop spiciness becomes more pronounced, helping to provide a nice dry finish. The alcohol is barely noticeable, just a nutty, fruity low grade warmth in the mouth. Lively, fresh taste, I was very impressed by this Bière de Garde, another top notch beer from Schlafly. This is currently on-tap at the Taproom and the Bottleworks, plus 750 ml. bottles are available all over the St. Louis area. I was talking to a couple of patrons at the Taproom who told me they prefer the bottled version over the tap. I am going to pick a case of bottles before I leave St. Louis, I feel confident that this ale will only improve with age.

Bottle. pours a clear lite orange color with no head. Oily looking brew. Malty with yeasty good sweetness. Light nutty flavors in the finish.

Capped 750ml bottle. I really like the design, btw. Served in a NB snifter outside on a beautiful fall day. Aroma is yeast, corriander?, caramelly sweetness, musty cobwebs, earthiness, and some light fruitiness. The aroma opens more as the beer sits. Amber colored with a small but persistent white head. Initial taste is malty, caramelly & yeasty, with some spicy (black pepper) & earthy (rye) notes following. Full bodied. The finish is malty, but not really sweet. It would seem to be a good example of the style, though it is a style that I am not in love with. Well done, Schlafly.

The pour reveals a cloudy amber color with a thin white head. The aroma is complex and very seductive, malt, spices, fruits and funk tingle my nostrils. The flavor is also very nice, a good, solid malt is joined by fruits, spices and funk, the funk doesn’t take all the place in the mouth, it’s well moderate, there’s also some sweetness. The body is medium with a nice creamy texture and the carbonation is soft. This is the first beer I sample from this brewery and I’m highly impressed.

Cloudy orange. Fair head. Dusty caramel and straw aroma. Flavour of caramel orange and saison. Tasty refreshing.