Les Bière Des Sans Culottes - Brasserie La Choulette

cerevisiaephilus

Michigan

4.6/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Beautiful color. Really nice light orange. Very vigorous carbonation. Nice persistent ivory white head.

I'm getting straight up Saaz in the nose. I'm not sure if that's right, but it smells like it to me. Also get some nice light honey notes.

Wow. Very light flavor, but just exquisitely done. I get some light honey notes, a very nice light candy malt flavor. Maybe crystal malt, maybe candy sugar?? Very light. Definately get some hops in the finish as well. Almost like a mellow, smooth smooth pils.

Mouthfeel is very well done. Right on. Nice and smooth but not overly thick. Very well done.

Extremely drinkable...wish I had another.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2004 04:40:46 | More by cerevisiaephilus

TappaKeggaBrew

Ohio

3.64/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5

A: Clear, pale gold in color, with a 3-finger head of rocky, white foam; retention was excellent, as was lacing. Would have been a perfect 5, but for the floaties in my second glass (as the sediment from the bottom of the bottle got stirred up).

S: Pleasant, but not potent. Grain, fresh-cut grass, and a fruity aroma similar to a muscato wine.

T: Not much sweetness from the malt; instead, more grain flavor up front. There was a little bit of tart fruit (grapes, maybe some pear notes) in the middle. The finish was mildly bitter hops at first, reminding me of the noble hops found in pilsners; the bitterness became a little more intense (although not unpleasant) the more I drank, and it lingered a long time on the palate.

M: Crisp and dry, very well carbonated.

O: Not a clear winner because its taste, which was just OK, trumped its beautiful appearance.
It is definitely a good thirst quencher on a warm summer evening, but there are other refreshing beers available for a few dollars less.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2013 02:54:56 | More by TappaKeggaBrew

Farnswurth

France

3.75/5  rDev -7.2%

06-01-2013 02:21:29 | More by Farnswurth

thierrynantes

France

3.98/5  rDev -1.5%
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 -7.2%

05-10-2013 19:08:37 | More by twenty5

popery

California

4/5  rDev -1%
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 +5.2%

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

metter98

New York

3.99/5  rDev -1.2%
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 +11.4%

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

cliff1066

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +5.2%

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

Thorpe429

Illinois

2.4/5  rDev -40.6%
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%

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

t0rin0

California

4/5  rDev -1%

11-12-2012 01:40:08 | More by t0rin0

yossarian14

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +5.2%

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

NOLANDMAN

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +23.8%

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

claytong

Vermont

4/5  rDev -1%

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

TheRealBigC

Nevada

3.88/5  rDev -4%
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 -7.7%
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 +5.2%

07-02-2012 20:10:19 | More by PEIhop

Halcyondays

California

4.08/5  rDev +1%
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 -2.7%
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%

12-01-2011 13:18:53 | More by ROGUE16

LostHighway

Maine

4/5  rDev -1%

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

Rochefort10nh

New Hampshire

5/5  rDev +23.8%

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

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

3.48/5  rDev -13.9%
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