Les Bière Des Sans Culottes - Brasserie La Choulette

BuckSpin

Maine

3.85/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Presentation: 750ml cagetop bottle (best by date of 6-17-08) in a tulip glass

BAside: anyone else find it amusing that a beer named after pantless French freedom fighters has a label with a topless woman on it?

Opened with a noticeable "Pop", poured very softly & slowly with a faint crackle. Initially the nose is soft, muted, damp wood, moist soil, the aroma of walking thru a humid secluded woods in the cool of the morning, long left to nature's whimsy and full of green life & brown decay. With some time to bloom it grows brighter, faint echo of caramel & some old spices, with a perry-like sweetness, but yet still very clean. With subsequent pours mineral & rock qualities release, slightly musty, traces of old bread and very mild cheese.

A pencil's worth of tight, minute, pearl white foam faded quickly to a floating island with an edge ring that laced slightly. A repour intent on agitating it succeeds as I'm rewarded with a solid 2 finger's of more voluminous bubbles, sticky, sculpted, much more pleasing to the eye. An "old gold" describes the body, brassy & warm, reminiscent of aging pine, crystal clear with a nice parade of bubbles rising furiously thru it.

Its worth noting that this was initially poured at the BA suggested temps, but its definitely getter better in the aroma & initial taste as it warms. I would suggest drinking this at cellar temps to start.

Soft, semi-sweet, yet on the arid side of semi-dry, traces of summer corn, soft spice and room temperature pears. Malts are very soft and echo of the tender innards of artisan bread loaves, but not the crusts. A faint, piney quality is present as is some grassiness and adds some counterweight & a slightly bitter aspect, which is welcome. I definitely would drink this lightly chilled....ironically just as the bottle label says. Lesson learned. Luckily its a large bottle.

The crunch on the tongue is very muted, subdued. A "twang" of some sort is present, slightly bitter, even a peep tart, but I can't put my tongue on a comparative taste. Overall the mouthfeel & effect is very nicely balanced and clean.

It begins to grow softer, drier, more bittersweet on the palate (which is now just screaming for some cheese, bread, light fruit, a simple cured meat to go with this) and finishes very clean, slightly filmy, a tad thick with a bittersweet coated feeling.

This is an odd call. Its no taste roller coaster, but its not supposed to be. It is very clean, has some subtle sophistication, most refreshing, and would be a perfect aperitif beer, especially with the items I mentioned previously, Would also be dead on with most oily fish, a fruited/zesty salad, a simple sandwich made of few yet impeccable ingredients. A very versatile beer. I'm relatively new to this genre and these & Saisons are growing on me in their simplistic complexity. Its certainly worthy trying and would be highly recommended to pair with simple fare or to just enjoy quietly and enjoy a nice, easy to drink beer that has a few secrets. Give it a shot.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2007 01:19:58 | More by BuckSpin

thierrynantes

France

3.98/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Beer bottle (75 cl.) purchased from V&B, tasted in 2013.

Appearance : golden color, with white foamy head.
Smell : grassy hops with herbal spices aromas.
Taste & mouthfeel : malty and fruity flavors, and spicy notes.
Drinkability : a good beer in the French style "Bière de garde".

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 17:19:52 | More by thierrynantes

twenty5

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -7.4%

05-10-2013 19:08:37 | More by twenty5

popery

California

4/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a nice bright golden amber color. Pretty clear, but I can see a lot of floaties in the bottle. Big off-white head. Good retention and lacing. Aroma is full of sweet pale grain flavor. Lots of fruit. Pears, apples, grapes, apricots, dates. Mild herbal, grassy hops. A faint medicinal note. Just tons of pilsner malt favor. Taste is similar. It starts sweet with that fresh, pale malt flavor but finishes dry with some funk and mild hop bitterness. More light fruitiness, big pear note particularly. Some musty apple/grape skin flavor and feel. Feel is light but full. There's some prickly carbonation but it's generally quite smooth due to the full body. Very easy to drink. Goes well with some soft goat cheese. Fun to find a nice example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 06:40:49 | More by popery

olfolxholme

California

4.25/5  rDev +4.9%

04-03-2013 02:38:42 | More by olfolxholme

metter98

New York

3.99/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

A: The beer is clear light golden yellow in color and has a moderate amount of carbonation. It poured with a finger and a half high bright white head that has excellent retention properties and consistently left a thin head covering the surface along with some lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: There are aromas of fruity yeast in the nose along with some hints of farmhouse yeast.
T: Like the smell, the taste has some fruity flavors of apples but is a little more balanced with notes of farmhouse yeast and hints of grainy malts and earthiness.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a bode rate amount of carbonation. No dryness is noticeable.
O: This beer is very easy to drink, partly because it isn't as malty or earthy compared to other beers in the style. It would pair very well with French cuisine.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 01:02:52 | More by metter98

marcobrau

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +11.1%

01-19-2013 20:49:58 | More by marcobrau

cliff1066

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +4.9%

12-28-2012 01:56:59 | More by cliff1066

Thorpe429

Illinois

2.4/5  rDev -40.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Bottle courtesy of Huhzubendah. Served in a taster glass. Pours a clear golden color with a nice white head. The nose starts out with some grain and a bit of yeast, but is then somewhat overtaken by skunked hops. Very unfortunate. Flavor is similarly skunked, but to an even greater level. Light-medium body and high carbonation. Ugh, another victim of the green bottle.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 18:45:21 | More by Thorpe429

VernonKell

Michigan

4/5  rDev -1.2%

11-15-2012 22:06:30 | More by VernonKell

t0rin0

California

4/5  rDev -1.2%

11-12-2012 01:40:08 | More by t0rin0

yossarian14

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +4.9%

09-12-2012 13:21:06 | More by yossarian14

NOLANDMAN

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +23.5%

09-06-2012 05:31:26 | More by NOLANDMAN

claytong

Vermont

4/5  rDev -1.2%

08-14-2012 23:58:57 | More by claytong

TheRealBigC

Nevada

3.88/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a pretty clear golden color. Smell was slightly floral, sweet, kind of like champagne. Taste was close to a saison, but not as grainy. Had a little bit of a fruity backend and a mildly sweet beginning. Bubbly feel was nice. Overall a good, pretty affordable Biere de Garde, but I wouldn't say it's definitive for the style.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2012 21:47:50 | More by TheRealBigC

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.73/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Rustic grain flavor, well melded maturity, and deep levels of refreshment all pay tribute to the French Biere de Garde style with Belgian influence and French prestige.

Pouring a bright honey-gold color, the beer carries a mild haze that seems to have been largely cleared by age. Champagne-like carbonation pays tribute to Belgian beers as it builds a fluid stark white head with great retention that's constantly fueled by the carbonation underneath and lacing with a mix of intricate patterns and isolated pockets of foam.

Firm pilsner aromas hold a rich bread, yeast, and sweet scent that hedges on butter and corn. Elegant malt aromatics borrow fruit notes from the yeast and form the scent of grilled apples, peaches, and figs. Very light in floral hop presence, a faint herbal tea-like note can be detected under the corn and grain.

Grainy-sweet to taste, and with the light starchy flavor of fresh kilned barley, the beer's rustic malt flavors reveal light corn, caramel, and honey flavors to match that of bread dough and flaky buttery crust. The full flavors of malt support the esters of apple, peach, apricot, and figs that all seem in the over ripened variety. Balanced by mild acidity and light pepper and smoke from the phenolic yeast compounds, somehow the ale escapes any meaningful hop flavor or bitterness. Instead a light taste of raw tobacco and tea leaves support the sweetness and buttery roundness. Slight fruit acidity and an overall flinty minerally taste cleans up the beer heading into finish.

Full bodied for pilsner-rich ales, the starchy body is aided by the fullness of buttery compounds that coat the mouth and give fatty impressions. Those fuller textures linger deep into the finish and gives the beer a satisfying and extended closure of straw-like medium dryness and mineral snap.

While it's easy to read too much of the saison style into this beer, its fuller impressions and malt-forward demeanor gives this beer a juicy malt profile and refined mellow taste. This beer is a very rewarding and round version of the style.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2012 04:49:30 | More by BEERchitect

PEIhop

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +4.9%

07-02-2012 20:10:19 | More by PEIhop

Halcyondays

California

4.08/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 mL green bottle, why green, stop it, thankfully this bottle shows no signs of skunk, this is a classic beer, I know of it thanks to the legendary Michael Jackson, and I've wanted to try it for years,

A: Pours a rather clear goldenrod to yellow orange. Light soapy white head, with good retention, mild lace.

S: Very interesting nose. I get a lot of walnut and peanut oil initially, but this blows off and by the end of the bottle it's more classic biere de garde in the Jenlain style. Lots of grassiness and sourdough bread.

T: Nice nuttiness initially, with some pils style malt and earthy hops. Very much to style, some herbal ale characteristics come in on the back end.

M: Light to medium-bodied, frothy carbonation, real nice piney grassy aftertaste.

O: Nice to see a 750 under $10, and this biere de garde is quite good. Complex, not as good as Jenlain Ambree, but few are. Good stuff, it really is a nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2012 07:18:10 | More by Halcyondays

KDawg

Illinois

3.93/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

poured from bottle into a tulip. Pours a nice gold color with a very foamy head.

excellent and balanced aromas of grains, bits of funk, straw and citrus notes as well

Very good flavors of citrus, grains, and a nice touch of funky dryness on the back end. Nice smooth feel, but lacking a bit in the middle

This is just lacking a slight bit to make it really good. Still a very enjoyable biere de garde with some nice dryness on the end

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2012 04:57:21 | More by KDawg

ROGUE16

Delaware

4/5  rDev -1.2%

12-01-2011 13:18:53 | More by ROGUE16

LostHighway

Maine

4/5  rDev -1.2%

11-28-2011 13:30:10 | More by LostHighway

Rochefort10nh

New Hampshire

5/5  rDev +23.5%

11-25-2011 22:16:46 | More by Rochefort10nh

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

3.48/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Yet another discounted beer.

A-Pours a hazed honey color. Head grows and dies. Head does leave consistent lacing.

S-Nose is quite sweet. Sugars and some floral notes. A bit bready too. A bit a barnyard aroma too. Yeast and pale juicy fruits.

T-Sugary sweet and flowery. Tastes a bit like overly sugared sweet-tea. Pretty mild. Has some earthy tones that are accompanied by the yeast.

M-Very soft and smooth feel. Carbonation is mellow. Slick. Medium bodied. Easy sipping.

O/D-A pleasant, albeit unmemorable beer from a foreign land. For $3 at a discount, I am happy to have tried it. Nothing crazy but tastes alright.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2011 23:04:00 | More by VelvetExtract

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Straw-yellow to the light, perfectly clear and bubbled Champagne-style, this is a handsome and delectable looking ale. Be careful smelling it - I had hardly dipped into the glass but with this tall and fluffy a head it's incredibly easy to get your nose wet. And as the glass (which becomes mummified) will attest, a foam mustache is also unavoidable. (It might be a perfect score if not for the insistence of yeast sediment.)

Saisons have been known to have some pretty funky characteristics and, indeed, this one, although considerably light-struck thanks to the green bottle, smells remarkably (oddly) like Dijon mustard. How very French. While token notes of wheat malt and barnyard must are appreciated, there's a distinctive Dijon-like spice that almost makes me want to sneeze.

Skunkiness is noted in the aroma, but the taste confirms that this beer is still in fine form (and nothing like the bland European lagers we usually find skunked in green glass bottles). More refreshing than complex, it tastes of hay, liquid grain, golden apple and is peppered with a little bit of zesty spice. Continental malt is appreciated on the finish, but it comes to taste like corn starch with hints of Vegemite. It's more likeable when cold.

Living so close to one another, it's obvious the French and Belgians exchanged a few secrets. This French ale captures the musty, farmhouse character of Belgian classics while combining it with classic Champagne-esque bubbling and the fresh acidity, muscular body and dry finish of a Chablis. Indeed, this is a seamless substitute for a mild white wine.

But alas the musty and corn-y elements make the beer significantly less appealing by the second half of the bottle. The skunkiness (why use green glass?) grows more apparent and the graininess becomes oily and overly sweet. The yeasty invaders make themselves known, contributing off-notes that are a little sour and not so tasty. The marks must be lowered.

Whether labeled a saison or a bière de garde, the fact remains that this is, as the late Michael Jackson wrote, where France meets Belgium. While it needs some improvements (no green glass please!), there's no sense offering this beer in anything less than the 750ml bottle; it is the ideal thing to share amongst friends or guests, especially where things like cheese or crackers are served, and is a delightful accompaniment to a relaxing weekend afternoon.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2011 19:49:58 | More by biegaman

gatornation

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

from 750ml bottle with BB date of 050912

A- pours a almost clear golden yellow color with a fluffy white head and tons of lacing on side of glass

S- funky,floral , earthy notes of a saison with some grasst musty smells

T- to me very much like a saison ,floral funk up first , with a touch of citrus hops,grassy hay and wheat with a touch of malts balance out the flavor

M- well carbonated thru-out,smooth creamy with some leftover spice

O- to me drinks like a tasty saison,very easy to drink the whole bottle on a warm summer day like today

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2011 19:07:17 | More by gatornation