Grand Cru - Brasserie Castelain

Chugs13

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +9%

01-16-2013 22:27:30 | More by Chugs13

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.33/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Poured three fingers of head on a clear, amber colored body with lots of bubbles visible.
The aroma has a light floral scent with a touch metallic.
The taste is light fruit: apple and pear; with a mild sweet finish.
The texture is crisp with moderate carbonation.
A decent beer, nothing special.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2013 02:27:32 | More by Fatehunter

impending

California

3.63/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

B+

750ml into a tulip. Pours a crystal clear fresh from the mint shiny new copper penny, minor off white head required an encouraging pour, minor lacing.

The aroma is of honey and spiced fruits although altogether very low key. a sweet exotic candy

Flavor begins with smooth honey caramel which is interrupted by a quick phenolic note which sits in for bitter, followed by the aftertaste which is short lived but pleasant. Sweetness works well here, zero bitter, zero dry - no earth, no musty. Shy of medium smooth mouthfeel.
with warmth it shines
cheers
jd

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 06:22:53 | More by impending

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.78/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this one while out in New Orleans! Served from tap into a snifter. Poured a golden yellow-orange with a half finger white head that subsided to a minimal amount slowly. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, wheat, grain, spice, and fruit. The flavor was of sweet malt, fruit, spice, wheat, grain, and dark fruit. It had a light feel on the palate with medium carbonation. Overall this was a fairly good brew. While this one really didn’t have a lot of complexity going on with it, it still managed to be quite enjoyable and easy to drink. For the style this one was pretty much spot on and rather pleasant. The flavor did fall a little short as I wish there would have been some more complex flavors going on, but it still managed to keep me interested throughout the glass. Definitely worth trying at least once if you get the opportunity.

Serving type: on-tap

01-04-2013 16:28:00 | More by thagr81us

dt_gbpackersfan

Missouri

4/5  rDev +9%

12-15-2012 07:28:37 | More by dt_gbpackersfan

FatSean

Connecticut

4.28/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A Strong, Blonde Biere' De Garde!

Poured in a white wine glass from a 750ml corked and caged bottle. A very pretty golden color with a quickly vanishing 1/2" head despite the vigorous pour. For a flat bottomed bottle there was quite a bit of pressure and the cork flew nearly as far as a champagne cork!

I've never had a beer of this style. I'd purchased Phil Markowski's book on French farmhouse ales due to my love of Saison. Having brewed a few tasty Saisons with his guidance I decided to do some research on Biere' De Garde and went shopping for some examples before putting together a recipe. That is how I found this bottle in my favorite local bottle shop.

Grassy hop notes on the nose firmly backed up by some aged pilsner malt. More bitterness on the tongue than I would have expected from a "standard" beer of this type, but quite pleasant. Finishes malty and sweet with considerable bitterness and carbonation on the tongue. The yeast is present from start to finish and works quite well with the other flavors.

Having little experience with this style I found this to be a very interesting and drinkable beer. Coming from a person who loves pilsner malts in lagers I found this to be very interesting. The malt has a bit of a funk rather than the clean crispness found in a well made lager, but the basic flavor notes remain. Like comparing a well made sharp cheddar to an aged example.

Apparently this is quite rare with only 6 reviews! Thanks to The Cork in Torrington, CT. Just a dusty bottle in the back of a cubby :)

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 02:18:05 | More by FatSean

champ103

Texas

3.78/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Avenue Pub

A: Pours a murky, golden/orange with a reddish hue. A two finger white head forms at first, but quickly fades and leaves little lace. Looks really still.
S: Sweet malt, bread and biscuit with musky yeast. Sweet and honey like. Some esters as well.
T: Follows the nose with sweet malt, caramelized sugars, bread and biscuit. Musky yeast and finishes with some fruity esters.
M/D: A medium body and carbonation. Though a bit muddled, and not as clean as I would like, and wish it was a bit more crisp. Easy to drink. Enjoyable for the most part.

A very nice example of the style. Though the mouthfeel is just a bit to muddled for me. Still worth a try for fans of the style.

Serving type: on-tap

11-30-2012 02:52:13 | More by champ103

StaveHooks

Oklahoma

3.05/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

750ml served in a Duvel tulip.

A - Pours a clear golden orange with a fleeting white head. No retention and a few small specks of lacing. Cool looking bottle.

S - Earthy grain, black tea, applesauce, some peach alcohol.

T - Starts off with a clean sweetness, strong malt presence, peaches, honey, grassy bitterness, chalky minerals, the bitterness hits hard on the finish. Finishes sharp and crisp.

M - Moderate stingy carbonation, medium body, crisp and clean finish.

Lots of sweet malt with grassy hops presence. This was ok. Nothing really wrong with it, I just didn't love it.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2012 23:46:54 | More by StaveHooks

rfgetz

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a light golden orange, faint haze, moderate head. Scent brings a bit of earthy soil, light musty grain, some honey like sweetness and a splash of dark pitted fruit. Taste a bit brighter with an added touch of citrus... earthy and grassy, lightly sweet, some fig, alcohol noted. Moderate bubblyness but smooth body, dry. Some decent qualities, but not unique enough for repeat visits.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2012 14:22:02 | More by rfgetz

Beeradelphia

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +9%

10-16-2012 08:52:59 | More by Beeradelphia

BDIMike

Ohio

4.13/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a light, clear, orange color with a reddish hue. A lot of carbonation creates a very bubbly white head, almost like the head on a cider or champagne, instead of a beer. The head goes away very quickly.
Smell has a light, floral smell to it. Strong nutty sweet smells to. Even a bit of green apple.
Taste has a very nice balance to it. Strong nutty malt tastes, almost like those of a nut brown are balanced with a floral and Earthy hop taste. A little bit of apple and orange taste too.
Mouthfeel is really nice. A very bubbly and refreshing mouthfeel without being crisp or harsh at all.
Drinkability is great on this beer. A lot of interesting tastes going on that are very balanced. One of the more refreshing beers I have ever had with such a strong taste profile. A great beer to pair with food or enjoy in the summer. Glad I could get my hands on one of these.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2012 01:29:49 | More by BDIMike

jALEson

Texas

3.38/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Received from Beer of the Month club. Resounding pop from cork release. Pours a clear orange-gold. Has a tight bubbled white head that fades over couple of minutes to just edge of glass. Leaves a trace of lace here and there. All aroma is subtle. Herbal, grassy, floral, honey. Taste is good balance of sweet malt and herbal bitterness, toasty, grain finish. Medium body and carbonation. Leaves a thicker more lingering, smooth mouthfeel. I enjoyed it in a tulip and served with parmesan cheese crumbles.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2012 20:47:00 | More by jALEson

mwilbur

Minnesota

3.73/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from 750 mL bottle into tulip.
A: Bottle opens with a loud "pop!" Pours a clear light golden color with large amount of carbonation producing a 1 inch bubbly white head.
S: Nice funky earth, minerals, hint of sweet caramel malt, honey, and Belgian yeast.
T: Nutty sweetness, hint of citrus, and a modest amount of farmhouse funk to keep things interesting.
M: Smooth, sticky sweet, with a slightly oily feel. A very clean, lager-like feel. Light-medium body. Hint of bitterness in the finish.
D: Quite refreshing and an easy drinker (for 7.8%). A solid example of style. Note: would be best enjoyed with a meal.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2012 03:12:18 | More by mwilbur

BeerLover99

New Jersey

3.55/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: copper/golden orange, trace white head, little lacing

S: malt, caramel, nut, grain

T: mild fig, malt, caramel, nutty grain, hint of grassy finish

M: med body, smooth/solid carbonation mouth

O: Rare to find French beers, got this from Rare Beer Club (thanks
to my amazing wife). Enjoyed it, but no need to seek it out.
Many newbies to craft beer would enjoy this fine friend.

GOOD, NOT MUST HAVE!

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2012 17:42:08 | More by BeerLover99

TequilaTom

Ohio

3.25/5  rDev -11.4%

09-15-2012 01:24:17 | More by TequilaTom

smithj4

New York

3.5/5  rDev -4.6%

09-08-2012 01:15:03 | More by smithj4

djrn2

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev +2.2%

09-08-2012 01:14:27 | More by djrn2

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.28/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

According to Beer Menus, this weighs in at an un-biere de gard 7.8%. On tap at Blue Monk. New and the promoted most richest on the BDG style that they do.Yes more hoppy than usual, perhaps this would be better aged. Light orange coliured body, and tasted more like a wit beer. Not bad drinkability but getting yeast and then rather astringent in the finish. French Belgian BDG IPA style?Expecting more with the title Grand Cru, n'est pas?

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2012 03:24:06 | More by northyorksammy