Castelain Blond Biere De Garde - Brasserie Castelain

Maltmaiden

Alabama

3.95/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

A: clear. bubbly. fizzy head that fades out very quickly. Orange yellow. A very pretty beer.

S: Damn..I hope this isn't skunked b/c I get a little bit of that kind of funk. Not nauseously powerful, but it's there. Light honey. Light malt. that's about it.

T: Hmm Less of a skunk and more of a barnyard funk. Kind of pleasant alongside the sweet honey, which is very noticeable. malt. Touch of white pepper. Maybe it's rye that I'm getting. Very interesting yeast. Very well balanced. So inviting. I would love to pair this with a meal!

M: Such a clean finish. It starts with a light sweet funk that leads to a slight bitter tangy with a refreshing crispness which rounds itself out to a beautifully clean finish. This, to me, is definitely the strongest part of this beer.

O: I Would definitely have this beer again. The smell throws me off a little but I can overlook that.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 05:07:29 | More by Maltmaiden

Tone

Missouri

3.7/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear, golden color. 5/4 inch head of an off-white color. Great retention and good lacing. Smells of strong pale malt, sweet malt, slight alcohol, hint of hop, hint of yeast, and slight caramel malt. Fits the style of a Biere de Garde. Mouth feel is sharp and crisp, with an average carbonation level. There is also a noticeable dryness. Tastes of sweet malt, pale malt, slight alcohol, hint of yeast, hint of hop, and slight caramel malt. Overall, decent appearance, good blend, and decent aroma. For a Biere de Garde, the body is lacking in potency, though the flavor is still good.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2012 18:21:47 | More by Tone

champ103

Texas

4.35/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Avenue Pub

A: Pours a hazed golden/orange color. A two finger, pillowy whit head forms. Nice retention and lace. I really attractive pour.
S: Bready malts that are slightly sweet. A light honey sweetness in the nose. Musky basement like yeast. Some fruity esters in the nose as well. Apple and pears.
T: Love it. Toasted, bready malts that intermingles with the musky yeast and fruity esters. The esters become more apparent as this warms up. Apples and pears are strong, but also some grape flavors. Excellent.
M/D: A medium body and crisp carbonation. A great crisp snap that is smooth at the same time. Really clean as well. So easy to drink. I really enjoy this, and can drink it all day.

A great under appreciated version of an under appreciated style. Really well done. Something I enjoyed and would recommend.

Serving type: on-tap

11-30-2012 02:41:59 | More by champ103

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.7/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

750ml Bottle from the Potsdam IGA NY for 10$

Appearance – Clear gold colour with an average size fizzy white coloured head. There is an average amount of carbonation and there is some faint lacing. The head lasted for around 3-4 minutes before it was gone.

Smell - Grains/wheat, wood, green grapes, yeast

Taste & Mouth - The beer has an average amount of carbonation. I can taste grains/bread mixed with light yeast, caramel, green grapes, and hints of something along the lines of vanilla/almonds/coconut. It also has a oak/woodiness to it. It ends with a slightly bittersweet aftertaste.

Overall – Based on the price I expected a little more here. It's still a decent beer, just nothing that blew me away. The coconut type flavour is interesting though.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2012 23:53:41 | More by spinrsx

beergoot

Colorado

3.78/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The 330ml bottle produced a solid, crystal clear golden body, complete with a thick, chunky white head. Nice carbonation. Light, toasted malt nose mixed with an earthy, grassy hop aroma (just like the bottle label indicates). A light, biscuit malt flavor, followed by a fairly noticeable bitterness rounds out the flavor. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied, clean, dry, and crisp.

A tasty little French beer. The bitterness level seems just a bit too sharp to me. Perhaps its the combination with the mild alcohol presence that I get that. In any case, it's rather good for a lightly malty thirst quencher.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2012 20:32:07 | More by beergoot

draheim

Washington

3.8/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750mL (bottled either June 11 or November 6, 2011) into a saison glass. Pours a slightly hazy glowing orange/amber w/ a thick creamy haed, great retention, moderate carb. This is starting out nicely.

Aroma is pale malt, Belgian yeast, floral European hops.

Taste is subtle, floral/perfumy, a little watery, light and drinkable but not especially flavorful or complex. Gets a little soapy as it warms. Hoppy bite on the finish.

Mouthfeel is medium-bodied, smooth but also has a slightly thin, watery aspect.

Overall a decent Bière de Garde and a good table beer, but not my favorite. Enjoyable but not outstanding.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2012 02:33:28 | More by draheim

puertobrewing

Puerto Rico

4.53/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served in a Krosno Polish goblet.

A - Beautiful light apple juice color with a half inch head and lots of bubbles. Reminds me of champaigne or cider.

S - Well balanced smell with hints of honey. Malty aroma with slight estery fruityness. The aroma also presents delicate spices and floral notes.

F - Oh why did I bought just one. This is just superbly balanced!!! You get the honey-malty flavor up front, followed by vanilla custard, and in the end, a hint of white wine, champaigne, and rose petals.

M - Carbonation is just perfect from start to end. It has a medium body and surprisingly it's kind of refreshing.

O - For sure I will buy this one many more times. Not quite sure if it would work as a session beer but for sure one is not enough because of its great taste and elegance.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2011 06:33:56 | More by puertobrewing

samie85

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-Pours a slightly hazy golden orange color with two and a half fingers of pillowy, white head.

S-Butterscotch with a bit of green apple and lemon.

T-Lemon and bitter herbs upfront with a bready malt base, some green apple.

M-Really slick and oily with a medium body and moderate, prickly carbonation.

D-Very easy drinking, crisp and flavorful beer. I picked this one up after reading The Brewmaster's Table, and I'm glad I did. A very nice, and decently priced 750mL.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2011 21:26:36 | More by samie85

gatornation

Minnesota

3.95/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

from corked caged 750ml bottle

A- pours a slight hazed golden yellow volor with a white head

S-was lemon.grass,malt, bread.hay and very slight
funk

T- crisp floral hops,with sweet malts,lemon

M- medium carbonation a sweet oily bread/malt taste with crisp hops

O- nicely done BDG

T_

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2011 01:23:47 | More by gatornation

damndirtyape

Ohio

4.13/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750mL bottle (best by 06/24/12) poured into a tulip glass.

Appearance: Wow! Crystal clear perfectly rich golden yellow - really lights up in the glass. Just right level of carbonation coming up through the beer as I look at it. Poured a 1/4" white head that died back to form a persistent 1/16" white foam across the top. Some islands of and strands of lacing noted here and there. I really can't go on enough about the color - I'm just quite taken by it.

Smell: With a swirl - herbal and grassy hops. Otherwise, apple, a hint of peach and a bit more of those herbal and grassy hops. I'd describe this as delicate in aroma - it's not strong, but when it comes through it's quite nice.

Taste: Crisp tart apple up front, then a crisp bitter/earthy/spicy finish. Hops are almost German in character at the end with the bitter finish.

Mouthfeel: Very crisp and dry - carbonation is mildly spicy and lingering on the tongue, but there is still some residue on the teeth after the swallow. Nice thickness under that carbonation.

Overall / Drinkability: I had this with a meal (Chicken and couscous with a Moroccan Harissa sauce) and it went really well. By itself it's pretty good as well. An amazing beer to look at, and a neat style to try out. I will have to revisit this style again and see what other brewers provide.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2011 22:25:43 | More by damndirtyape

impending

California

3.85/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml into a tulip. Pours a slightly hazy butterscotch, towering cream colored head recedes slowly, excellent lacing.

Sweet honey aroma with sugar dipped fruits and happy spices.

Taste is no where near the sweetness as anticipated from the nose. Strong grain flavor. Only a momentarily passing hint of a farmhouse floor. Finish has a slight but nice dryness, aftertaste is predominately a minor trailing bitterness. Medium to full bodied creamy mouthfeel.
cheers
jd

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2011 20:46:56 | More by impending

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy orange-ish color with a light tan head. In the aroma, floral and a small candi sugar. In the taste, a dry floral flavor, hints of candi sugar and small notes of hops and honey. A small hop bite and medium to lighter bodied mouthfeel, with a dry floral and hop aftertaste. Nice mellow presence of flavors, and easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2011 14:23:12 | More by OWSLEY069

IKR

California

3.93/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Straw yellow color with an slight orange tint with a generous effervescent white head that slowly faded.

Smell: Bread-like aromas and mild fruit notes. Fairly restrained nose to my tastes.

Taste:Some bread notes, mild hops and some fruity notes. Very clean after taste that finishes with some lingering hops.

Mouth-feel: Fairly light body with a effervescent fairly high level of carbonation.

Overall: First of the style for me but judging from this example it appears to be a style I'll seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2011 00:09:57 | More by IKR

nickthegun12

Alabama

4.5/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

oh wow...is that what a biere de garde is supposed to taste like!....i love it!

nice orange to brown tint to the beer....not much of a head...not much of one needed!....excellent lacing

smells are of a complex fruitiness...toasted malts....very low hop profile

taste is incredible....fruitiness on the front an excellent toasted flavor in the middle....and about one of the smoothest finishes i've ever had!

feels great in the mouth enough said!

overall this beer is fantastic...i wanna brew one of these!

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2011 00:35:41 | More by nickthegun12

macpapi

Maryland

4.1/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clear copper color, with a pretty full-sized white head. Nice lacing and retention.

Smell is comprised of light malt, funk, grass clippings, and hints of sweet apple and an ever so slight astringent hop aroma. Pretty nice.

Tastes pretty malty up front (oddly enough kind of reminiscent of a moderate flavored maibock.) Initial flavor is followed by hints of fruit; completed by a funky and bitter bite. Quite a bit going on here.

Medium carbonation, biting, and full of flavor.

On the whole this is a very nice beer. It's just malty enough to give it a bit of flavor punch, with other subtle flavors that round out a very complete taste. Other elements are solid as well, providing a pretty complex and enjoyable brew. Recommended as a nice spring or summer sipper.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2011 23:40:16 | More by macpapi

zeff80

Missouri

3.8/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured out a cloudy, golden-orange color with a two-finger, off-white head of thick foam. Nice head retention and some patchy lace.

S - It smelled of yeast, grains and caramel.

T - It tasted of chocolate, candy sugar and some sweet caramel. Slightly bitter hop presence.

M - It was crisp, sharp and fairly smooth. A medium bodied ale with a dry finish.

O - This is a pretty nice Biere de Garde. Nice value and tastes quite good.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2011 01:30:57 | More by zeff80

zaphodchak

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Golden applejuice colored body with fine white lacing.

Nose is intensely tart, like a Flemish sour.

Taste is much more subdued as compared to the nose. Super-faint apple balanced by super-faint hops... they don't quite cancel out, it's subtle.

Mouthfeel is enough to keep it interesting.

Overall nice, but not outstanding. I'm not super-familiar with the style, but I could see this as a tart French-style ale.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2011 02:45:44 | More by zaphodchak

gopens44

Virginia

3.63/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Purchased at Nagolskis Butcher Shop, Goochland VA.

A - Crystal clear, plain yellow, with a thin fizzy head

S - Not a whole lot coming through here. Maybe some yeasty smells and a touch of lemon

T - Nice bitter hop taste at first that sort of lingers around a biscuity finish. Sprinkled around here were some grassy flavors as well. A sweet malty taste is featured as a nice backbone.

M - Well carbonated and full bodied. Little bit of a bitter aftertaste.

O - I enjoyed this quite much. Hadn't had a "Biere de Garde" before, so this was a very pleasant treat indeed.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2011 12:03:15 | More by gopens44

rtepiak

Poland

4/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

a aged pilsner hop quality. golden mild murky in look with a subtle but sufficient white head. not something for the boisterous drinker. but something... made to sit. age hops quality with spice. brisk... but pollen quality. a bit citrus malt blend but its hard to say if that is infused or inherent in the beer. orange peel, honey blossom, grass, smoked meat and something distinctly mineral but not metallic. dry but not subdued. nose is unique in comparison to a aged palate quality... but it was bought from a place where the beer was not something of interest. great for smoked meat diluted with a creamy cheese.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2011 06:36:06 | More by rtepiak

metter98

New York

3.8/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is slightly hazy golden yellow in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a two finger high off white head that slowly died down and left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface.
S: There are light to moderate aromas of apples and spices in the nose along with some hints of floral hops.
T: The initial taste has a slight amount of sweetness and flavors of apples; this is followed by spicy flavors and a mild amount of bitterness.
M: It feels light-bodied and crisp on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. There is some dryness in the finish.
D: The beer is easy to drink and has some refreshing properties.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2011 04:01:19 | More by metter98

Cinderbike

Nevada

4.1/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bottle into a snifter.

A: Golden and slightly hazy. Tons of head and lace.

S: Great. Earthy, malty, tons of fruit.

T: Very refreshing. Slightly tart, some hop flavor. No barnyard/funk flavor in this biere de garde however.

M: Medium, with the high carbonation.

D: Insanely refreshing. I could drink this all summer.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2011 20:49:18 | More by Cinderbike

Beejay

Virginia

4.05/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: A crystal clear beer, dark chardonnay color, with plenty of white head. The bubbles are exploding from the laser etching on the bottom of the glass.

S: I am picking up a lot of berries in this, quite sweet smelling. There is a nice toasty biscuit aroma that I like. It has a fruity champaign scent to it, that I really like.

T: The is a nice subtle tartness right at the begining, but this quickly fades and the flavors of malt, peaches, and dried apricots takes over with a slight touch of yeast. Nice.

M: Fairly thin mouthfeel, very crisp, and tons of carbonation. Good for the style.

D: Very drinkable. Tasty, and crisp, although it does come off as just a touch watery. Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2010 20:53:25 | More by Beejay

OtherShoe2

Massachusetts

3.93/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours slightly hazy orange with a big foamy white head, tons of lace and some good retention and bubbles. Real pretty.

Yeast, light toasted grain and husk, and some peach/apricot scents. Light floral elements as well.

Nice balance, no musty elements. Rustic lightly tart malts, with slightly sour stone fruit/peachy elements that turn to dusty husk bitterness. Long, mild bitter finish. Great.

Medium body, with good carbonation. Enough to swish around, not heavy nor watery, very easy to drink and enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2010 23:49:19 | More by OtherShoe2

jneiswender

Massachusetts

3.2/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured out of a bottle into a stemless wine glass. Served cool.

A-raspberry blond body, fluffy white head

S-melon and sweet flower honey

T-honey and black pepper notes

M-light

D-this is a great drinking beer that I would have again. No funk though. I know that the style doesn't deem it a necessary component.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2010 19:48:34 | More by jneiswender

DefenCorps

Oregon

3.58/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I picked this up at The Perfect Pour yesterday. This is a style that's still fairly new to me, and the top ten for the style is littered with beers that are just horrendously misclassified. Best by 28 October 2010.

Pouring a clear light orange with a dense, white head that recedes to a disk, there's a little lacing left behind. The nose is quite excellent. Rustic and raw, the malt character is unrefined (in a good way). In some ways, this does come across as oxidized, even, with a slight dullness, but it only adds to the rustic character of this brew. Delicately fruity and a touch floral with some light English hop character, there's some grass, a little lime leaf and some honey. Solid.

The palate opens rather sweet, with a blend of honey, Splenda and some sugar. Sweeter than I like my BdGs to be, this does have a mild balancing hop character, though not enough in my book. Earthy hops are present, and the finish is light with a rather unpleasant Splenda-like artificial sweetness, along with a little bitterness, grassy in nature. Mildly fruity, there's a delicate interplay between citrus and light stone fruit here. Light in body with a fairly crisp carbonation, this is decent apart from the finish. I'll pick up the St. Sylvestre BdGs over this, though.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2010 03:30:36 | More by DefenCorps