Thiriez LAmbrée dEsquelbecq (Amber)

Brewed by Brasserie Thiriez
Style: Bière de Garde
Esquelbecq, France

For some reason I thought I liked this one a lot when I had it at a brewfest (bctc?), but when I had this last week, I wasnt nearly as impressed as I was with the blonde or the XXX. Still decent though. Very high carbonation- watch for exploding bottles! Even when taking the wrapper off, this one started hissing (I didnt even touch the cap!!!0 Very tempermental beer. Pours out with a nice amber body- actually lighter than expected- more of a light amber- deep orange. Nice fluffy sticky head though and great lace. Aroma is earthy spicy and floral hops. Herbal dry and spicy flavor with some caramelized malts and a moderately bitter finish. Smooth and dry finish. Pretty good I guess, even though most of these beers remind me more of saisons than biere de gardes.

750 ml capped bottle from Julios in Westboro, MA (Feb 2006). Cellar temperature in a Duvel glass. A fairly loud hiss as the cap is popped, and a vigorous billowy meringue head fills most of the glass....as it dies chunky lace is left and a nearly opaque, yeasty apricot-juice body appears underneath.....the nose hovering above this delightful site captures warm bread, honey and soft ripe fruit (apples, peaches) in a yeasty lightly sour bath.....soon the tongue wants to take part, and it finds syrupy apricots, lightly buttered sourdough and a dash of white pepper....eventually the whole mouth must have it’s due and as the soft liquid goes down, touches of citric acidity and minerals are found amdist the otherwise pillowy soft, moderate-to-highly carbonated, fresh character of this happy, warm beer well fitting the fireside on a very cold, blustery night.

thanks to dickinsonbeer (dick-in-some-beer) Appears a hazy light gold with a chunky head that is from the 3/4 Liter bottle that spewed like a mother in labor. Smell is of plum, grapefruit, spices, and doughy bread. Taste is of the same aromas. Mouthfeel is smooth, mildly sugary, and balanced.

750ml bottle shared courtesy of dick in some beer. Paul had to very slowly open this one over the sink. He mentioned that another Thiriez beer he had was a gusher too. Poured a deep and slightly hazy golden color with a small sized white head. Lots of small particles. Aromas of some spices, pine, citrus, and somewhat grainy. Tastes of citrus, lighter spices, citrus and light yeast. Thinner body.

Poured a hazy amber color with a small, white head that left light lacing on the glass. Aroma of spices, citrus fruits, lemongrass, and tangerine. Taste of caramel malts, light spices, a dry earthiness, some citrus fruits, and light alcohol in the finish.

Thanks to dickinsonbeer. Major, major gusher, might have been from the road trip Paul took this one on though. Pours a hazy golden with a small lacing off white head. Aroma of grapefruit, piney, some other sweetness I can’t pinpoint. Flavor more sweetness and yeast.

Bottle. Deep amber colored, moderately opaque with lots of neat little floaties in suspension. Great big ole’ light khaki head composed of varying sized bubbles. Good lacing. Aroma is much more on the sweeter and maltier side than the other Thiriez beers. Medium bodied with a lively carbonation that dances across the tongue and palate. Malty and slightly drying. Residual malty sweetness in flavor with a pleasant earthy hop bitterness towards the finish. Nicely done as are the others sampled from this brewer.

75cl bottle. brown colored beer, very bubbly, pours with a massive tan head that hangs around. Spicy, earthy aroma, a bit phenolic. Velvety body. Quite malty. Moderate bitterness. At first, it seems to be a pretty simple BdG...malty is its most apparent character...but the spiciness from the yeast(& hops??) really adds another dimension to this beer. Very well done.