Southampton Biere de Garde (French Country Christmas Ale)

Brewed by Southampton Publick House
Style: Bière de Garde
Southampton, New York USA

Draft @ blind tiger. Pours dark with medium head. Not super attractive or memorable but very drinkable.

750, corked and baled. And I do mean corked--not in the sense of a damaged wine, but in the sense of having to struggle to get the little bastard outta there. Pours a massively surging platinum blonde sudsy head, with some beer nearby. Once it finally settles, it’s a crystal clear dark amber with attractive rising carb and bits of webby-ish lace. Nice spicy, baclk-pepper-y nose. A bit sweet, lightly citric. Medium body, plenty of fizzy carb. If the carb seems a bit too much for you (doubt it would) a quick swirl settles it a bit. Nice spicy, peppery, slightly funky and orangey-sweet mid-palate. This is nice stuff, a nice combination of flavors, all of what ya love about a good bdg. Not actually a heck of a lot going on that’s new, but that’s just me quibbling. This is great stuff.

Been sitting on this one for about a year, and I figured that this seasonal would be a good one for rating #500. I wasn’t overly impressed with the fresh bottle I sampled a while back, and so I find this one a nice surprise. A very handsome amber pour, with an abundant head and carbonation, the beer is promising. Its got a fruity aroma, with a slight citric quality and a good deal of spice. The taste, though, has notable traces of caramel or butterscotch - the real deal, not overly sweet confections. Balanced by mild citrus, a dash of pepper, and some good yeast heft, this one’s a pleaser.

750 ml bottle. Pours a slightly hazy orange color with a very thick, lasting, frothy white head. Aroma is slightly sweet, with spices, yeast, and malts. The flavor is malty, with a creamy slightly sweet maltiness to it.

750 ml bottle(courtesy of beastiefan2k)-An amber body with a nice creamy off white head which has an aroma of spices, belgian yeast , malt, and a little butterscotch. A medium bodied brew with a taste of yeast, malt, some spices, citrus, and a nice dryness on the back end. A nice creamy brew overall and great tasting.

Pours a hazy golden amber with small floaties and a medium bubbly white head. Aroma of bready malt, lemon, Belgian yeast, sweet malts, very nice aroma. Flavor of bready pils malt, noble hops, nice Belgian yeast esters, some spicy dry notes. Well done.

Bottle. Malts smell of moderate cereal and bisquit, light herbs for the hops and a light dough and mustiness for the yeast, with white wine and alcohol. Head is huge, fizzy, white with big bubbles, had some lacing and was fully lasting. Color was a sparkling clear amber. Flavor starts moderately acidic and a little sour, and finishes heavily bitter and sour. Palate is light and dry with fizzy carbonation and finished very dry without astringency. First time for the style. This is something I’m sure I could acquire an acute taste for.

The aroma was earthy with a nice Belgian yeast spice presence. Estery fruit with a cellar/farmhouse character in tow. Caramel malt and a bit of pepper lurked behind the fruit and earth. The beer poured into the chalice clear deep amber with a beige frothy tall head which lasted nearly forever to lace the glass. The flavor was malty, strong with caramel, toffee and a bit of biscuit and toast. The spice in the flavor seemed to emerge from hops and yeast rather than from any spice additions. The flavors were interesting and complex and worked well in concert to present a very nice balance. The finish was dry with lasting caramel and toffee long into the aftertaste. The body was medium with a fairly high level of carbonation and a creamy texture on the palate. Alcohol warming was strong after consumption and a bit of alcohol was present in the flavor. A nice BdG with strong malt throughout. 750 ml bottle, corked and bailed. $8.50.