Bière De Garde - Choc Beer Co. / Pete's Place

Hopswagger

Oklahoma

3.79/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

P: Murky copper body with floating specks. Looks like a swamp bog. A bountiful display of dense cream colored pillow top head. Great retention leaving behind rocky cliff ledges and a smooth, melted icecream like, sea of beauty.

S: Sweet prunes, toasted caramel malt, soapy grains, musty fabric covered furniture, wood rot and moss. Crystallized sugar and tannins. Aroma is really malt forward with subtle musty notes.

T/M: Taste follows the nose and introduces cherry alcohol, grapes, and strong brewed tea. Medium creamy body with delicate carbonation.

O: Super malted and nice sweet palate. I would like to age this and see where it goes. I would have liked to have more funk and musty notes but overall it a well done beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 00:57:41 | More by Hopswagger

DelMontiac

Oklahoma

3.75/5  rDev -3.6%

01-12-2013 23:08:48 | More by DelMontiac

Listers

Illinois

4/5  rDev +2.8%

12-11-2012 08:46:41 | More by Listers

t0rin0

California

4.25/5  rDev +9.3%

12-07-2012 03:45:17 | More by t0rin0

swgwilt

Tennessee

3.75/5  rDev -3.6%

09-04-2012 04:17:16 | More by swgwilt

impending

California

4.08/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A-

22oz into a tulip. Pours a hazed orangeade, clumpy froth, dense, nice lacing.

Rich yeasty grainy aroma with light skinned fruits and a touch of flora.

Taste delivers what the nose knew. Delicious fairly traditional Bière De Garde. Not overly sweet, touch of bitter touch of dry, pleasantly fading aftertaste. Medium bodied lively mouthfeel.
cheers
jd

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2012 23:26:33 | More by impending

TheBishopco

Tennessee

3.75/5  rDev -3.6%

03-17-2012 00:47:12 | More by TheBishopco

Grebdioz

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -10%

12-28-2011 10:27:01 | More by Grebdioz

PittBeerGirl

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +2.8%

11-22-2011 21:00:27 | More by PittBeerGirl

Beertracker

Oklahoma

5/5  rDev +28.5%

11-22-2011 06:19:21 | More by Beertracker

thebouch01

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +2.8%

11-15-2011 02:02:51 | More by thebouch01

Cresant

Kentucky

3.5/5  rDev -10%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured this 22 oz. brown bottle into a Tripel Karmeliet glass. No date. The body was rich golden colored with a modest head. The second pour was more opaque.

The smell was 7-Up and apple juice.

The taste was tangy and yeasty. Fruit, crisp apples. Biscuits and maybe nut bread. Salty. Interesting beer, lots of flavor going on here.

The mouthfeel was maybe a bit undercarbonated for the style. There was a light scrubbing zestiness and amedium bodied heft.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2011 14:53:09 | More by Cresant

orangesol

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Another bottle busted out by Deuane.

A - Pours murky amber brown with a small half finger tall white head leaving light lace down the glass.

S - Smells of light spice, graham cracker caramel malt, candied sugar, and some dulled fruit like pears and apples. Not too bad so far.

T - Starts off with a bit of candied sugar sweetness quickly giving way to a mix of graham cracker caramel malt, dulled fruit, and some light spice. A bit too thin for my liking. The finish is a mix of sweetness and light fruitiness, lingering for a short period of time.

M - Medium body and flavor with moderate carbonation. A bit thin in the feel with some lingering sweetness in the finish.

O - I am not sure how old this one is but either way it was not too bad but it isn't something I would go seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2011 19:31:37 | More by orangesol

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Deuane for sharing. A Bière De Garde from Oklahoma. What's this world coming to?

A: The ale is an amber brown color, dark dirty copper even, with a thin band of white head. Still translucent too.

S: Pleasantly spiced with candi sugars and biscuity malts sharing the spotlight. The malty base seems like a good foundation for the sugars and yeast.

T: Lighter fruits, a sweet presence, register immediately. Not a fruit beer, the flavors still come through quite nicely. Lightly toasted grains add more of a malty finish, a denser cousin to the saison. Lighter apples and pears are the primary fruit flavors that come out of the ale.

M: The mouthfeel is a little thin, too quick to fly away. The assertive malts and lighter fruit flavors are a nice reminder of the BdG style.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2011 13:18:14 | More by akorsak

chocosushi

Oklahoma

4.22/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bomber split 2 ways between Unibroue Tulips

A ~ Translucent peach with a nice soft head with very tightly clustered bubbles

S ~ White grapes, booze, peaches, chardonnay

T ~ Subtle spiced peaches... Orange zest, candied lemon, Prairie grass & apricot follow. Nice sour yeast flavor subtly floating through the whole time. Little very faint hint of banana bread and clove

M ~ Warm on the throat with A fantastic spice
palette that just gets better and better.

D ~ I love the balance and how consistent this one improves. So drinkable and with the 7.00 abv, I don't have to worry about not being able to have a few more bombers.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2011 04:42:16 | More by chocosushi

dbossman

Nebraska

3.4/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Cloudy and deep orange/amber with a thin cream-colored film; lacing is okay

S: Lots of yeasty fruitiness: Lemon, pear, apricot, apple--especially apple cider--some boozy alcohol as well as some wood characteristics

T: A bit too sweet--fruity especially; apples and pears but it just doesn't quite enough of a malt backbone to support it--sweet and dry and a bit too much; in the end far to sweet

F: A bit thin when it comes down to it; nice carbonation up front

O: The beer smells great but the sweet apple cider in the flavors make it a bit tough to drink though it does get better as it warms

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2011 01:14:52 | More by dbossman

aasher

Indiana

4/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is my first Biere de Garde. I picked it up while in Florida last week (definitely didn't expect to find Krebs there). It poured a dirty, mop water like copper in color with a one finger off white head that laced the glass. The aromas are interesting. The first thing I think of is oatmeal. It smells like dry oatmeal just after you open the package. It also gives off honey, yeast, pale malt, and some Dortmunder like qualities. It tastes pretty good. It features a good amount of yeast and honey, pale malt sweetness. It kind of has a sweet saison thing going on. I keep thinking of oatmeal with honey. It's pretty tasty. It drinks medium in body and is pretty drinkable. The alcohol isn't present at all and the aftertaste is appealing as well. I found this to be a pretty good beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2011 02:54:05 | More by aasher

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.38/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to a generous trader for sending this my way. Served in a wine glass with some rustic French-inspired soup courtesy of Jared.

Pours a very light copper color. It initially has a white head, but can't hold it at all. There is very, very little lacing. Even a goo, heavy swirl won't bring the head back. The nose has some subtle light malt and a bit of faint earthiness. There is a small quantity of dry caramel in there as well. The taste has some light earth and slight hop dryness along with some bread. Pretty basic, but okay. Light body with moderate carbonation. Drinks fairly well; this was enjoyable, though not terribly memorable.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2011 18:17:32 | More by Thorpe429

Ek0nomik

Wisconsin

3.15/5  rDev -19%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured In: Snifter
Attained through a trade (Thanks Jonas!)

Appearance: The pour is a very cloudy cinnamon, saffron and amber color with a finger of head. The head retention is moderate. I can't see very far into the beer to see how effervescent it is. With every single pour I can see yeast just dumping out. It's actually pretty surprising how much yeast is in this bottle. Lace is for the most part non-existent.

Smell: The nose is full of yeast which is adding some pepper and a bit o' clove. Raisins and dark cherries come through as the beer warms up.

Taste: The tasting starts out with some bready malt, but the yeast quickly takes the beer in a different direction. More spices including pepper and clove come out. The fruit flavors come out at the back-end of the tasting bringing banana, raisins and cherries.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, the carbonation was right on the button as soon as I cracked the bottle.

Drinkability: This was an interesting beer, though it's such a yeasty beer it makes it hard to drink. I mean, I don't mind yeast. I always finish the bottle, yeast included, but this was perhaps a bit too much.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2011 03:04:16 | More by Ek0nomik

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.75/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

As Bier de Garde style ales are difficult to assess and even more difficult to understand, Choc Biere de Garde is a nice beer but lacks the unique and indigenous flavors that make authentic Beglian Ales so characterful and inviting.

Biere de Garde pours a modestly hazy amber color and forms a froathy off white head of loosely knit bubbles. Retention falls to a thin sheet and a lace around the glass, but lacks in true Belgian lace. A great color, and the haze doesn't bother me, but the head character and retainage could be better.

Bready, biscuity, caramelly aromas emit from the glass with a fruity focus on raisons, cherries, and apples. Light must gives glimpse into the flavors of aged ales, but overall the Belgiany character is slight.

Flavors of caramel malt govern the sweetness while the bulk of the taste covers fruity esters and spicy alcohol, hops, and peppery notes. Earthy flavors of straw/grass and a delicate herbal presence bounce off of the apples, raisons, and cherry notes. Again, the beer is going in the right direction but the clean caramel taste and lack of complexity leaves the beer somewhat simplified.

The creamy up start has a quick transition to effervescent dryness, hoppy bite, and a fleeting caramel stickiness. The mouthfeel of the beer might be the attribute that best represents that of the style.

Overall, this beer is on the right path but it is way too one-dimentional and lacks the punch of estery/spicy balance, dry malt character, and aged must notes. Still, it's a clean beer and pleasant enough to drink.

Thanks BlueOkie!

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2010 04:34:30 | More by BEERchitect

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.35/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into founders snifter.

Pours 1/2 finger of white head. Decent retention with some lace. Color is a hazed brown hued gold.

Aroma: Reminds me a bit of a saison. Some lemon zest and cloves. Bready malts. A bit biscuity.

Taste: Floral hops. Bready/biscuity malts. Kind of buttery. Some grassy notes with spices. Lemon zest and cloves.

Mouthfeel: Crisp and bubbly. Medium bodied with a higher amount of carbonation. Ends dry.

Overall, this one reminded me a lot of a saison, but had some other flavors going on. Decent. I think this is better than the bells jazz series and they were all BdG.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2010 03:34:27 | More by mothman

kbutler1

Minnesota

3.58/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle. Pours a hazy orange amber color with a slight off white head that collars arouns the glass. The aroma is very biscuity with some real nice highlights of belgian yeast with spice and banana. Some fruit notes as well. Medim mouthfeel. Sweet type flavor up front with some clove and babana belgian yeast flavors. Slight lingering bitter type flavors. No real lace to speak of. Alcohol is not real evident. Overall, pretty tasty.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2010 03:30:46 | More by kbutler1

bump8628

Oklahoma

3.93/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Hazed orange with two fingers of slightly off-white, soapy head.

Big fruit presence with apple peel, pear, and even some banana. Malt is warm bread crust with some graininess that fits in perfect with the style. Hops are mild, actually they're nearly absent save for a bitterness that almost balances the malt.

Nice, especially for the price. The fruit gets a little too big, even for the style. Paired well with some nutty Jarlsberg.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2010 17:09:58 | More by bump8628

EagleTalon

Arkansas

3.78/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a Chimay goblet. Thin off white head and orange-amber hazy color. Aroma is fruity, spicy phenolic...well. Belgian. Flavor is a balanced blend of toasty malt, spiciness, fruit esters. mouthfeel is fizzy and light bodied. Boring finish. Overall, a good experience.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2010 21:55:37 | More by EagleTalon

StaveHooks

Oklahoma

3.53/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours up a clear amber. I finger off white head that sinks into a razor thin island.

S - Over ripened pears, sour apple, cider, toffee, spicy Belgian yeast.

T - Sour/tart fruit-apples, a moderate spiciness, Belgian yeast, a mild tart cider shows up more and more as it rests.

This beer is strange. The longer it sets the worse it gets. Even with different temperatures. It's great right off the pour. Weird.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2010 00:31:20 | More by StaveHooks