Southampton Biere De Mars

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

04.16.05 Brewtopia ’05, draught. Orange-gold, soapy head. Light and fruity, grainy, granola. It’s a sweet, gentle, and lightly dry brew. Mild acidity, tart only like a very ripe grape. Some melon and raisin. Full bodied. Might have been better than could be appreciated at a beer fest.

Brewtopia ’05. Very clear yellow with slight wheaty/ lemony aroma. Taste was almost tart like cherry. Some orange/citrus underneath the lemon with a slight amount of hops in the aftertaste.

Sampled at Brewtopia 2005. Poured golden and effervescent with an off-white head. Clean hop aroma, very refreshing. Tastes of lemony hops with a touch of sweetness with a dry toffee finish. Nice, but not particularly distinguishable.

On tap at the Gingerman in NYC. Clear golden/amber color with a fairly thick white head. Aroma is spicy, fruity and malty sweet. Sweet malt flavor with a touch of citrus and coriander. Somewhat astringent on the finish.

750 ml bottle. After having the french country christmas ale last ngiht and the biere de mars tonight it is easy to see why this one has a higher overall score. Better carbonation, better head rention, more spicy aroma, and finishes smoother, with no astringency. Deep copper/light amber and very clear with an awesome tight head with excellent lace. Aroma is complex with lots of farmhouse/barnyard characteristics- hay herbal spicy and some horseblanket. Also noticed some phenols, cloves as well as some fruitiness. The aroma is almost as complex as their saison. Flavor is also very yeasty with an excellent malt backbone of toasted malts, biscuit and bready flavors. Goes down very smooth and is the perfect springtime beer. I will buy this one again, but probably pass on the biere de garde in the future.

750 ml bottle, 2004? Translucent, smooth dark amber-gold, big diminishing snow-white head...sour fruits, fresh herbs dominate luscious but subdued nose, frothy caramel enters later to the accompaniment of leather...sourdough-bready texture dominates the body, medium sweet-sour balance, lemons and sour oranges somewhat old later in the body...creamy yet heavily carbonated, warmly tongue-delighting body. Not my favorite SH, but up to their high standards for sure.

A hazy orange color with moderate hops. Very characteristic of the Belgian/French farmhouse style. Lots of spice notes and rather dry. A capable effort worthy of a look if you like the Biere de Garde style and want to see a great US interpretation.

Head is initially large, frothy, off-white, mostly lasting. Body is hazy medium amber, bottle conditioned. Aroma is moderately malty (toasted bread, cookie, caramel), moderately hoppy (flowers, herbs), moderately yeasty (cobwebs, barnyard), with notes of peach, plum, honey, graham crackers. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, lightly acidic, moderately bitter. Medium body, velvety texture, lively carbonation. Damn! Phil sure knows what the hell he’s doing. This guy is making some of the most authentic French and Belgian style beers in the States, without question. His saison and this biere de garde are on a par with the best in Belgium and France, and that’s an extremely rare thing. This style requires a very tight and characterful balance of malt, yeast, AND hops to get it right, and damned if he didn’t nail it. Nothing short of amazing. This made my jaw drop. Only slightly less rich than Bavaisienne...drier finish as well, which makes drinking the entire bottle go too fast.