Beer – #332 – Renaissance – Bière de Garde

Indeed from the tap to the growler – Renaissance Biere de Garde

This s an 8.5% ABV beer – that’s a Barrel aged French style farmhouse ale, I have the equivalent of 6.71 drink units 680-700 calories worth….

Mysterious little number though, not a lot about it on the inter tubes. So anything I make up is all my own work.

This is Brewed by Renaissance Brewing in Blenheim, New Zealand, of course as a Biere de Garde.

It looks cloudy and chestnut brown. Fruity sugary aroma on opening, slightly sour.

(you can tell I’m making it up).

Actually you know that’s really interesting to drink. It hints at sour but delivers something altogether sweeter and caramel rich, not bursting rich just sweet and pleasing.

Oaky roughness, citrus notes, this is really a drinkable drink, nice yeasty notes too.

The Pdubyah-o-meter likes this a lot at 9. Really an unusual beer to be drinking in NZ, The last one I had was a complete nonsense, and not from around here. I like the refreshing taste of this, the way it offers up sweetness, and the a little sourness.

The worst you could cruelly say is perhaps this is like home-brew. But it really is chuffing good home brew if that’s the case and show me the way and I’d make this.

The double dip review

Am I enjoying it? Yes, I actually am enjoying this more than I had thought
Would I have another? I have lots of other in the bottle.
Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Yes, this would be a beer I’d take to a place of deep discussion and pondering, or your lounge or kitchen to outside in the evening air.

It seemed like an Elton John kind of evening, I was rocking the Bennie and the Jetssssss on the way home

Biere de Garde

A traditional classification for the farmhouse ales of France and their sometimes-untraditional new-world counterparts. Bière de Garde is today generally a warm fermented strong pale ale – sometimes blonde, sometimes amber, and has much in common with Belgium ales. Medium bodied with hints of caramel or toffee. Cellared smell and flavor are characteristics. The name means “beer for keeping”.