Douze - BFM Brasserie Des Franches-Montagnes

UCLABrewN84

California

3.75/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

On tap at Congregation Ale House in Long Beach, CA.

Pours a hazy orange with a foamy bone head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, earth, and herbal hop aromas. Taste is much the same with earthy hop flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer with some solid aromas and flavors.

Serving type: on-tap

04-23-2013 02:54:34 | More by UCLABrewN84

avalon07

South Carolina

3.33/5  rDev -16.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had an orange-yellow color and a cloudy texture. Some particles floating around. There was a half inch of foamy, fairly long-lasting head. Fair lacing.

S: A sweet, fruity, slightly hoppy aroma. Very nice.

T: Tasted of light, tropical fruits (mango), apples, fruit esters, a hint of malt, and some hops. One of the big problems with this flavor is that it's a bit on the watery side. Much too thin to be effective.

M: A below average amount of carbonation with a very harsh, almost acidic (yet somehow dry) finish. Light-bodied.

O: A wildly uneven beer if there ever was one. It has some good qualities, but still comes up short.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 21:33:44 | More by avalon07

mltobin

Connecticut

3.88/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on-tap at Novare Res in Portland, Maine. Nice to see something from BFM that I have not tried before. It pours a bright orange color with a small white head, that ends up with plenty of lace. The nose has apple, brett, caramel, some other fainter characteristics. While, the taste lemons, earthiness, some barnyard funk, mmm, this is pretty nice. Mouthfeel is easy going with a dry finish. An interesting APA, which ended up being one that I liked very much.

Serving type: on-tap

01-05-2013 23:28:02 | More by mltobin

Beer-A-Lot

Virginia

3.58/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Birch Bar:

Tasted and felt weak and a bit watery to me. Not nearly as good as their other offerings. Maybe it's that I don't care for this style as much. Smooth tasting but not as vibrant as I'd like. After a great sour, I guess it's just not as pronounced of a flavor.

Serving type: on-tap

12-01-2012 03:38:01 | More by Beer-A-Lot

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Out of a firkin at Kraftwerks in a glass.

DOUZE pours in the glass a golden color with a brown underlay thrown in there. Some lively foam on top for a few, quickly fading but leaving some spots. Looks nice up to the light with a bright orange hue. Smell is quite fruity with some orange and mango and pale malt, with other ingredients. A mineral scent opens up. Taste is leveled between light fruits and light malt (pale) with a earthy quality. Small citrus with orange and apricot. The salt adds something that I cant describe here. A slight tart hit towards the end. Feel is a small step up from light with some bubbles and life from a freshly tapped firkin. Not really spritzy. Im interested to try this in a bottle. La Douze is an interesting beer with a different take on a pale ale (if it is a pale ale) but may take some time getting used to.

Serving type: cask

03-20-2012 05:57:04 | More by onix1agr

timtim

District of Columbia

4.5/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

bottle states that the beer was brewed in 2010. pours a burnt golden orange with a healthy, very off-white head that holds and leaves lace. nose is fruit, mineral(not salty, but like essence of french riviera in spring or the scent of the wind rolling off of the alps into nice... really unique, familiar and wonderful), caramel, herb and a touch of bread. can't tell if the fruit is from the hops or the yeast. taste is herb, pepper and fruit on bread kissed by and amplified/harmonized with minerality. wonderful balance. medium body that seems soft, yet crisp. just a tingle of carbonation. very minimal bitterness. definitely some mineral in the end. another truly amazing beer from jerome and bfm. wish i would have been hip to this one a little sooner. i would love a few more bottles.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2012 00:46:22 | More by timtim

womencantsail

California

4/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle shared by Richard.

Pours a cloudy golden orange color with a rather large white head. The nose is fairly sweet and malty with a nice bread character. The fleur de sel comes through nicely and gives the beer a subtle saltiness that plays nicely with the fruitiness from the yeast and hops. The flavor is quite yeasty and bready, almost a bit like a saison. The salt adds a touch of earthy character that works nicely. Medium bodied with high carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2012 06:07:57 | More by womencantsail

bluejacket74

Ohio

4.03/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle, brewed in February 2010. Served in a tulip glass, the beer pours a hazy golden/amber color with about an inch white head that stayed around a long time. There's also a good amount of lacing. The brew smells like citrus, apricots, salt, pears, and some herbs. It tastes like peppery spice, apricots, lemon peel, citrus, salt and also has a light herbal/floral flavor. Mouthfeel/body is light/medium, it's dry, refreshing, and is well carbonated. I think this is an interesting (and good) brew. It's pricey at $17.99 a bottle, but I liked it and think it's definitely worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2011 23:43:51 | More by bluejacket74

petacutlasaurus

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Rebetez and BFM kill it again. I missed out on this when a keg came to the Old Town Pizzeria Paradiso, but lucked out when it hit Connecticut Avenue Wine and Liquor - big thanks to Al over there!

Expectations are immediately high when the label reads "Jurassian Salty and Fruity Golden Ale - The Fleur de Sel de Guerande, a noble sea salt from the Bretagne region in France, is used to accentuate the flavors... Pair it with Green Poultry Curry or Seafood. Sante!"

Now, there's a few claims here that buyers are probably tempted to call bullshit on immediately. For instance, what is a "Jurassian" salty flavor and am I going to notice the regional tinge or the nobility in the saltiness? Answer: Jurassian = of the Jura region of Switzerland where this is brewed, and, no, no, almost certainly not. Then there's the pairing recommendation. Alright, noted, I'll drink this in 2014 when I next sit down with some Green Poultry Curry.

Thing is though, it really lives up to the label. The beer's got a phenomenal saltiness and sweetness that come together really well among an even more enjoyable citrus/light fruit combination. Beautiful pour and awesome aroma. Nothing to fault, here. Just a bit of difficulty tracking down the curried dishes he recommends, but I bet it's worth the search.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2011 22:32:26 | More by petacutlasaurus

kingcrowing

Vermont

3.65/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

On cask poured into a wine glass.

Pours a very hazy amber apricot color with a almost non-existent head. Nose is tart, fruity and a bit salty.

First off the Mouthfeel is a bit watery and mellow with lowcarbonation. There's a light bitterness but not over the top. Smooth, refreshing and drinkable.

Serving type: cask

06-27-2011 23:39:34 | More by kingcrowing

hoser

Alberta (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Last time I had a beer from this brewery it gushed all over a restaurant that had no corkage rules in Montreal blocks away from Dieu du Ciel. Paper towels, a bowl and a mess.

This beer is very entertaining Cantillion, de Ranke with a bit of a flinty finish all in the same breath. It really reminds me of de Ranke XXX bitter okay maybe a light version with a twist of Cantillon. More Saison than gueuze.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2011 23:31:48 | More by hoser

oberon

North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

American Pale Ale not so sure, although it does have some American hop character.Poured into my Ommegang chalice a hazed peach infused light golden with a well formed tight one finger white head that held well.A mix of citric hops and cork-like yeasty notes along with light sour funk,a really nice mix of Belgian and American going on in my opinion.Flavors are yeasty with some sherry like flavors along with that cork,left coast citric and resiny hop flavors hit nicely in the finish.The salt comes in the aftertaste and gives the beer even more dimension.Wow what a cool beer,if I was to categorize it I would say Belgian pale with an American hop twist.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2011 22:29:41 | More by oberon

DefenCorps

Oregon

4.25/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

American pale ale? Hardly. Delicious? Most certainly. On cask at Max's before the Agalloch show, an imperial pints' worth.

Mildly hazy orange with a dense, off-white head with great retention but no lacing. The nose is fantastic. Mildly salty and herbal with basil and mint, along with a well-rounded hop character, tropical and citrus with lemons, tangerines and pineapple. Malt character is light, all I get is a mild sugary sweetness. Opening up as it breathes, the Brett character really does assert itself. The palate opens salty, mildly Bretty with bandaids and plastic (but done right) as well as a little clove. This is well-complemented by the herbal and fruity hop character, the contrast between the Brett funk and the bright citrus and tropical fruit is interesting. Bitterness is low, this leans heavily on the flavor hops.Drying and mildly Bretty on the finish, this beer is medium-light in body and carbonation. Great stuff, one of those few beers that's interesting, unique and still immensely drinkable

Serving type: cask

03-24-2011 03:16:20 | More by DefenCorps

Neffbeer

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750 ml bottle into an Allagash glass.

A: It pours a murky straw yellow color with some beautiful orange hues. The head is white and massive with a very, very slow fade. Lots of lacing and cloud-like foam.

S: The hops are definitely up front, herbal and floral with a spicy backside. The salt is noticeable, briny and oceanic along with a yeasty bread aroma. I can distinctly detect peaches and apples as it begin to warm.

T: I don't know where to begin on this one, salty and quite savory. The floral notes from the hops are detectable and the yeast is certainly front and center. There is some saison like funkiness at work here. Pepper and honey also come to mind.

M: Medium bodied with a long dry finish.

O: This is an extremely interesting beer that is drinkable beyond belief. It is light and refreshing and at the same time deep and complex. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2011 01:11:08 | More by Neffbeer

brystmar

New York

4.03/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

On draft at the Gingerman in NYC.

A: golden hazy with white head and good lace.

S: funky yeast, citrus, salt! More funky yeast.

T: wow, pretty crazy. Starts off almost watery, turns sharply bitter, but takes a salty turn about 3 sec after swallowing and proceeds to get even crazier with funky yeast left and right. Super interesting but not sure it's totally up my alley here.

M: medium bodied with almost zero carbonation.

D: very easy drinking, pretty light overall, but still really interesting. Another unique brew from BFM!

Serving type: on-tap

03-13-2011 06:36:25 | More by brystmar

smakawhat

Maryland

4.15/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured first out of the cask freshly changed at Pizza Paradiso.. Me first! Me first! heh heh.. a little cool though but still do-able. Poured into a twelve oz. tumbler. Listed as BFM La Douze.

A cloudy faint orange is present upon the pour, with some real nice yellow lemon like hues. Nice looking creamy light off white looking head with nice small super small pin size bubbles. Very good lacing while finishing as well.

The first note on the nose is salt, but also gets into the typical borderline iodine. The salt smell is pre-dominant but there are floral flower notes behind it, I also felt like I got a small whiff of smoke also.

Taste is of course salty, but with the cask like quality, a tolerable salty melted butter, that gives way to a giant big open air floral garden. It's like tasting a giant nursery. Extremely soft bodied and on the finish is just barely a hint of tangerine citrus. Drinking this feels like swallowing an enjoyable ocean breeze.

This is a real interesting brew, but I think I would definitely need to eat food with this instead of just casually having it by itself. It's still a great drink though I have to give it that.

Serving type: cask

03-09-2011 01:36:51 | More by smakawhat

crossovert

Wisconsin

4.1/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750ml green capped bottle.

IT pours a hazy orangeish peach color. The head is big, white, and fluffy. It recedes with a thick wall of lacing.

The smell is rather interesting. It definitely has an oddly savory scent to it. It is also quite fruity.

It tastes like a mild sour ale. It is a light tartness. It is mostly fruity with some citrus, tropical and the salt accentuates it nicely.

I am not in a position to give this thing a proper review but this beer is great.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2011 01:33:54 | More by crossovert

brentk56

North Carolina

3.9/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Arrives with a cloudy amber colored liquid topped by a modest head that leaves just a hint of lace (this is on cask, after all)

Smell: Bready, with cidery and earthy hop tones

Taste: Opens bready, with a growing cidery tone of green apples; earthy hop tones and yeasty elements arrive by mid-palate but the salt, which I had been expecting all along fails to make its appearance until after the swallow

Mouthfeel: Medium body with gentle carbonation

Drinkability: The salt adds an interesting dimension, but after a while I found myself focused on it and, after a while, decided that I would like the beer better if it weren't there; still, I admire Jerome's creativity and it was great to meet him at the Fork and Barrel where this beer was served

Serving type: cask

02-21-2011 15:38:27 | More by brentk56

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.33/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Seeing this beer at all is always a good thing, but on cask?

At Max's today.

The beer pours a sligtly hazy honey gold color with suprisingly good head retention and lacing. The nose is classic douze, with white pepper, honey and light sweet malt. On the palate, this beer is pretty amazing. In addition to what I picked up on the nose, this beer has a considerable barnyard funk and light sour component as well. The finish is fairly dry with some light bitterness, and I'm impressed by the amount of flavor I get in this (relatively) low alcohol beer. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a fairly long finish. Drinkability is just terrific, with the alcohol in this beer barely an afterthought.

Very nicely done...

Serving type: cask

01-15-2011 17:42:29 | More by johnmichaelsen

DoubleSimcoe

New York

3.78/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

BFM La Douze on cask at ChurchKey in Washington, DC.

Appearance: Served in a small brandy snifter, comes with a light head but very frothy, white and fluffy around the edges. Lots of bubbles. Barely any lacing, little retention. Hazy orange color, very Belgian looking.

Smell: Nourishing! Like the artificial flavor you'd put on bagged chips to make it taste like a real foodstuff. Fruity too, cider or apple juice. Feels like the countryside, aromas of barnyard.

Taste: More apple, this time resembles mini sour apples, green and tart. Yeast all around, very Belgian. Thin flavor, though. The salt appears ever-so-slightly at the end with a funky touch.

Mouthfeel: Body is low, very cask-y. Sort of like drinking flavored yummy water. Finishes similarly thin, but pungent enough to linger around the lips. I want more body and carbonation.

Drinkability: Fine. Not a huge pleasure to drink but nice enough. Surprisingly (and perhaps only in the cask version), feels a bit boozy for only 6.5%

Serving type: cask

01-14-2011 17:38:33 | More by DoubleSimcoe

Patrick999

Florida

4.28/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I liked this beer quite a bit. Pours a hazy gold with plenty of foam, like your standard Belgian Pale. Lots of fruit and a little funk on the nose. It tastes like a Belgian golden ale with some American hoppy character and a pretty interesting saltiness you get right off the bat. A damned tasty beer. It's a novelty, perhaps, but not an undrinkable one. I brought this to a dinner last night, and even the non-beer geeks were just as impressed as I was. Cool beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2011 20:01:39 | More by Patrick999

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

4/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle: Poured a hazy orangey color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma consists of fruity ester mix with some solid malt and a light tingly salty finish. Taste is also an interesting mix between some fruity ester backed by a solid malt profile with light salty notes. Hops are also quiet present and offer some citrus notes which somehow mesh well with the whole mix. Body is quite full with good carbonation. This was a very fun experiment that would pair well with exotic food.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2010 18:38:13 | More by Phyl21ca

joepais

Maine

3.75/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Gritty for sharing this one.

Boy this one was a interesting kind of hybrid or mutt depending on how you look at it. We poured it into snifters, and were greeted with a hazy orange brew with a light head that went away rather fast to almost nothing.

It had a funky kind of aroma earthy and spicy with a dash of pepper. LOL brewed with salt and smells like pepper. I think I go with a Belgian Pale more than an American if it was up to me. Hey I could be wrong.

The flavor of this one is where I get the mutt thing I was talking about there is a ton of stuff going on here spicing from both the hops and spices them self. The yeast throwing some almost funk to the mix. You just don't know what you will pick up on the next taste. Complex flavors would almost be an understatement. It had a medium feel to it with ok carbonation. The finish was also drying (Yup a lot going on)

I was glad I tried this brew for the experience. Would I seek it out again... IDK . The one glass was certainly enough for me at a sitting

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2010 22:51:49 | More by joepais

nickfl

Florida

4.38/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours with two fingers of white foam on top of a slightly hazy, copper-orange body. The foam settles slowly and leaves nice lace.

S - Some fruity notes of pear and apple with soft, bready malt in the background. Musty, herbal notes of clove, fennel, and black pepper round things out.

T - Thick, bready malt up front with with some spicy notes of coriander and pepper. A little bit of red apple and white grapefruit comes out in the middle. It finishes with more pepper and fruit as well as moderate bitterness and a lingering note of juniper and light tropical fruit.

M - Medium-thick body, moderate carbonation, and a fairly dry finish.

D - Having had a couple of BFM beers before, I knew that I should expect something unusual with this one and I was not let down. The aroma is quite herbal with smooth malt backing it up. There is an almost British character there and it doesn't pop with acidity or strong yeast character the way a belgian ale would. The flavor is subtle at first, with only some light, dull fruit and rich, biscuit malt, but on the second or third sip, it really opened up. Notes of white grapefruit, juniper, and pineapple came forth with a light salty character that lingers in the aftertaste and does something really strange with the malt that manages to make the beer very drinkable. I thought this beer was muddy and dull at first, but it slowly opened up as I drained the first glass and by the time I poured my second, it has become something quite extraordinary. BFM makes some very idiosyncratic beers, and they don't always work, but this one was well worth trying and would be willing to drink it again despite its exorbitant price.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2010 05:28:54 | More by nickfl

SFLpunk

Vermont

4.18/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Quick notes from Tigris Beverage/g.housen Tasting earlier today. 750mL bottle. APA brewed with sea salt from France. Weird...

Orange amber with bone-white head. Nose is full of seaweed and herbal notes from the hops with a whisper of fresh cream. Palate is salty up front, right on the tip of the tongue with great Oceanic/seaweed flavors. Finish turns to the hops and has a long pungent finish. Very unique and original. Recommend for the experience.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2010 00:37:37 | More by SFLpunk