St. Sylvestre 3 Monts

Brewed by St. Sylvestre
Style: Bière de Garde
St. Sylvestre-Cappel, France

Clear blonde with a very small white head that quickly disappears. Smells like a hoppy cider. Taste is mainly very sweet/sugary with apples/apricots and a very strong presence (more than it should be for an 8.5%). Soft carbonation. Feels syrupy and rough, even raw. The French make excellent cheese.

A Mes rate: 75cl bottle from that great offy in Cheadle of which the name escapes me right now. Is it really this good or am i just a little drunk? This poured from the bottle spitting head all over the place and I couldnt stop it. Sat on the desk we debated how it looked for all the world like a pils. Nick even made the point of it being able to sit next to a Stella and be downed by some Burberry wearing chav not knowing the difference. To you and me however, my fellow beer rating dorks, you can tell straight away that this is going to be special. Amazing nose. Full of sweet banana and vanilla but thick with malt and spice and just a touch of yeast. I just can’t get over that smell. The initial smack in the mouth is of alcohol and it fully backs up the intentions it has already made apparent in the aroma. This is going to get you drunk. A creamy palate with a delicate spice like start this transforms in the mouth into something like an alcoholic vanilla ice cream. As soon as that hits you and your taste buds dont know what is going on, a bitter hoppy finish rounds it all off beautifully. Amazing length for the style, and trust me usually this is not my style. This is something very special and I could drink a lot more of these. Great first sample. As Nick said even the old dregs, the last millimeters, that have been sat on the desk for a while now are fantastic.

Pours hazy gold into a tulip. Fluffy white micro head. Funky grass and hay notes. Smooth with a fizzy cream bitter honey and a lasting bitter finish.

Pale golden colour with a thin foamy white head. Malty aroma with a brewmash note, a vague fruityness and hints of flowers. Malty, grainy sweet flavor with yeasty notes and a spicy finish.

Poured a light golden color with a thick head that disipated quickly. It has a floral aroma with a hint of spice. The beer has medium carbonation with a nice hoppy flavor and medium bitter finish.

Bottle shared by <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/ViewUser.asp?U target=blank> mds, thanks Mike. Golden colour, lasting off-white head, very small patchy lace. The aroma was bready, light spice, some lemons, light honey and grass. The flavour was doughy and bready, some yeast and spice, grassy, some floral hops. Bitter dry mouthfeel, medium body, medium carbonation. Finishes light, buttery, lingering. Not to bad.

Aroma: Pilsnermalt, fresh hops, sourish as of white currants & lemon balm, candisugar, soft floweryness, rich, aromatic. Appearance: Yellow like cider (a bit orange), greentinged, white foam for head, looks really fresh. Flavor: very soft, soapy bitterness, rich (some sweetness), slightly acrid, (malic acid?), bitter aftertaste of alcohol and flowers. Palate: fluffy, pretty sticky/doughy (sort of fat...), pretty dull, refreshing and musty. It feels heavy. Like eating cookies. Even though I’m not superfond of it I suspect this is the kind of beer you’re gonna get abstinence from.

Poured a crystal godlen color with a very respectable head that laced quite well. The aroma was sweet, somewhat of honey and grass. The flavor really brought out both and was somewhat disappointing, much like a strong european pilsner type lager, transitioning to a bit of a hefeweizen upon warming (light bananas). Mouthfeel was carbonated. A decent beer, nothing to write home about.