So our newest seasonal offering is the elusive biere de garde. (fyi-next up is a hefeweizen). This hard to find style of beer is new to many craft beer drinkers, even if they have been at it for a while. Originating in the Flanders region (north) of France, Biere de Garde is a farmhouse-style ale brewed in the spring on self sustaining farms with the intention of supplying the family and workers throughout the summer months when it was too hot to brew. Therefore they needed to have a little higher alcohol content. Ranging from golden to brown these malty beers are mostly characterized by a complex maltiness and little to no hop character. Some examples have a spicy or herbal character and could even be earthy or musty from long periods of storage. Most examples you will find bottle conditioned in corked and hooded bottles, a possible connection to the nearby champagne region??
Well that's the history lesson for the day. My question is, will anybody drink it? People are wary of things they don't understand. Unless our customers are the adventurous type, they may not take it out for a spin. Plus, it's pretty easy for our servers to explain a golden ale, a pale ale, a stout-but what about this style that they have never tried, let alone heard of. It's very drinkable. Heck, in layman's terms, a biere de garde can be called a French/Belgian amber ale. It's not hoppy, it's not roasty, it's not too high in alcohol, it's not offensive in the slightest. And the best part about this style is that it is not boring either. so... will you try it?
2 comments:
Definitely. Though I'm curious if the beer can sustain intrigue without much hop character. I guess I'm a little worried that the beer would become "boring", but I'd be very anxious to try one out.
C'mon guys. How the Bier de Garde been going so far? Knocked off its garde? I came a tried it, liked, want to come for more when I can. Are the barrels going to be cracked this Friday?
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