Avec Les Bons Voeux - Brasserie Dupont sprl

Oxymoron

Colorado

3.28/5  rDev -21.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Who wants a bon bon? Pours a very cloudy darker yellow color with golden hues throughout. A big frothy head with decent head retention and good lacing throughout.

The nose is limited overall. Some underlining malt notes and some nice/unique barnyard smells. Some spicy wheat notes that lend with a light pepper aroma. A light goaty with some almost brett smell but no fruit notes to speak of. Maybe needs a bit more aging.

The taste is similar. Limited malt notes with some undertone funk and goat. Malt has some wheat and a light honey aftertaste. More fruity notes come out relative to the nose. Some apricot and tart orange flavors. Some surprisingly hoppy notes in the finish with more of a citrus note.

The body is light to moderate. Good carbonation. Overall I was disappointed in this beer. I was hoping for more funk and more fruitiness/ester Belgian goodness. Oh well here is score.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2008 22:55:48 | More by Oxymoron

stercomm

Ohio

3.28/5  rDev -21.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bomber into a regular glass.

A - Hazy straw, lots of bubbles, huge, frothy white head, hangs around for ever.

S - Bubblegum, straw, spice, funkiness

T - Grassy, spicy,some pepper, yeasty, good Belgium funk.

M - Lots of carbonation, medium bodied.

O - Not bad, a little heavier then I was expecting

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2012 18:57:24 | More by stercomm

beabear

New Jersey

3.2/5  rDev -23.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: A very light, straw-like color with minimal head and some decent lacing.

Smell: Subtle hints of banana, cloves and yeast. Smells a bit like a wheat beer.

Taste: Very light body because of the heavy carbonation. Flavor doesn't linger -- minimal aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Pleasant but short-lived because of the heavy carbonation and lack of body.

Drinkability: Hides its alcohol well but it lacks the big enjoyable flavors of a typical Belgian. Honestly, it tastes a bit watered-down. I could drink a bunch but I'm not sure I'd want to.

Serving type: on-tap

02-26-2010 01:25:58 | More by beabear

ArrogantDeadGuy

Virginia

3.18/5  rDev -24.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

The pour on this beer is a beautiful milky maize color with a sturdy white head. The lacing remains through out the glass full. The aroma was average at best,not giving me much else but the ABV. The initial taste was bland reminiscent of a mass produced imported ale. I just couldn't find anything about this beer that made it stand out. I served it with a citrusy desert whose character compensated for the lack of character given by this Dupont offering.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2009 18:44:36 | More by ArrogantDeadGuy

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.15/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

From: Piccadilly, Champaign, IL
Date: 2011 on cork
Glass: Tulip

Avec Les Bons Voeux is a strong saison, with traditional flavors slightly increased, but none more than the ethanol, which is easily tasted and felt on this beer. The typical saison yeast, pale malts, and lightly bittering hops are all here, along with an amplified amount of alcohol. Clearly a winter saison, I guess (if increased ethanol is the implication of a winter brew), this would be nice to share a small glass of with friends, but not something I'd seek out for individual consumption again.

Pours a very tall head of large to medium-sized bubbles, white in color, which has average retention for the style. The head collapses to a thick ring around the perimeter of the glass, leaving some significant lacing in its wake. The body is a cloudy golden orange color, light brining out pale orange and yellow hues. Carbonation is active and visible, rising from the center of the glass.

Aroma is rather and surprisingly clean: pilsner and pale malt characters with some Belgian yeast; light lemon citrus; and sweetish, dried grasses.

Tasting opens with pale malt characters, some mild lemon citrus, and bit of flowery herbs. Midpalate picks up saison yeast, mild hop bitterness, and substantial ethanol. Back palate notices hop bitterness, mild to medium saison yeast, and fairly strong ethanol. Lingering aftertaste of ethanol, modest European hop bitterness, and saison yeast.

Beer's body is medium-light to medium, with high, aggressive levels of carbonation. While the carbonation level is typical of some saisons, I don't find it particularly conducive to enjoying the beer as it produces an overly fizzy, at times annoying long-tingling, then finally bubbly mouthfeel that may also obscure some flavors/aromas. Similar to champagne, in overall feel. Ethanol noticeable on tongue, in nostrils, and on back of throat. Finishes semi-dry, with lingering ethanol burn on throat.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2012 23:40:48 | More by falloutsnow

HappyHourHero

Indiana

3.08/5  rDev -26.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured a huge, creamy, off-white head that left a thick coat of lace. Hazy golden beer glows like the sun. Aroma of tart lemon and candy coated flowers. Damn, things are looking good. Lightly sweet pale malt flavor mixes with moderately strong flavor of alcohol. There is none of the tartness suggested in the aroma, and the finish is a bitter combination of herbal hops and alcohol. I'm a bit disappointed by the flavor. If it tasted anything like that flavor it would have been amazing. There is a bit of the sugar and floral flavors in there if you really concentrate, but boy I wish they were stronger. The mouthfeel is fairly light and smooth from massive amount of fine carbonation within. I've got a couple more glasses left in the bottle and I'm hoping it will change as I drink it, but right now it's just overly alchoholic tasting with a boozy finish.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2008 22:27:21 | More by HappyHourHero

TurdFurgison

Ohio

3.05/5  rDev -27.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I found this in 750ml bottles at the Hopleaf in Chicago. The first one we opened was completely skunked, absolutely undrinkable. The bartender was cool and opened a new one for us which tasted initially good (much better compared to the first bottle), but was still slightly skunked. I'm guessing light damage, why don't they just use brown bottles!?!

It was highly carbonated, and had some floating yeasties. Beyond the skunk I could smell some grassy aromas, and the taste included some honey-like sweetness and coriander. It could be really good but tough to tell.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2006 21:47:57 | More by TurdFurgison

JDV

Texas

3.05/5  rDev -27.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours light orange to yellow with whitish head. Smell is minty, and lemony fresh, perhaps herbal as well. Taste is sharp, somewhat tart and a touch spiced as well. Some butteriness to the flavor at the same time and a honey sweetness to it. Faintly hopped as well, but sweetness prevails still a bit from this.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2008 17:58:41 | More by JDV

laituegonflable

Australia

3.05/5  rDev -27.2%
look: 5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance is amazing. Golden colour with amazing, thick frothy head, sinks slowly but retains bloody well. Somehow has sediment suspended in it in little flakes, as though trapped in jelly. There is still a bit of carbonation, and tilting the glass agitates the particles slightly. But seriously, that's really incredible. One of the most amazing beers I've ever stared at.

Nose is disappointing. Quite hoppy and funky, with almost a POR character on it and a distinct corn kind of aroma, sweet and quite naff, with a sweet honey character backing up. Bit of lemonade maybe? Soft and fluffy nose, can't say I like it very much.

Taste is far more potent and saisony than the nose, starts quite sweet and honey-esque, but then gets this amazing toasty bitterness crescendo. Flavour is quite intense in its increment, has a very burnt flavour to it, and still a kind of corn character, but in a robust, funky and interesting way. Hints of blood orange, umami and a slight buttery character combine to make an interesting, although intense and bitter flavour. Can't drink that by the gallonful, mouthfeel is a bit thick, not bad actually.

But overall, yeah I'm really not sure what to make of it. Pushes me away with one hand, draws me in with the other.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2009 04:10:44 | More by laituegonflable

TheGordianKnot

Tennessee

2.73/5  rDev -34.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Poured from 750 into Saison Dupont tapered glass...

A- Orange-ish yellow and very hazy. Pours a large foamy, fairly dense head. Wonderful lacing...

S- Nice funk. Very citrus forward; mostly tangerine! Awesome aroma just a little low.

T/M- A little spicy, also warm. Strong wheat flavor. Bitterness is ok level, grassy and floral and spicy. Fairly heavy for a saison with decent carbonation... The booze and strong malt just overpowers the yeast intricacies and delicate flavors in a regular saison.

O- Fairly disappointing. There was overall too much of the strong flavors that completely overtook what I love in a saison...

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2011 21:43:23 | More by TheGordianKnot

bark

Sweden

2.7/5  rDev -35.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Vintage 2008.

The colour is gold; the warm white head is two fingers thick and airy. Almost no lacing occurs. The liquid is clear, but there are lots of small yeast flakes floating around.

The smell is yeasty and a bit tart. Dough (yeast and flour), wheat, pineapples and sweet notes. It is booth fresh and quite heavy.

The taste is bitter with dry and yeasty flavours. Some sour-tart wheat beer flavours. The body is weak. The bitterness got a slight metallic flavour. More sour notes in the aftertaste as some metallic flavours, alcohol, exotic fruits, cookies and tobacco.

The carbonation is medium, as is the bubble size. The liquid is rather light; it leaves a slight sticky feel in the mouth.

This is a heavy. unbalanced beer, and I didn't like it.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2009 20:42:09 | More by bark

jar2574

Missouri

2.55/5  rDev -39.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Huge pale white bubbly head over cloudy yellow-brown highly carbonated beer. The smell is astringent, metallic, not pleasant.

Taste isn't that great either. Earthy malts but metallic flavors too. Mouthfeel is a bit bubbly but isn't that exciting. This beer isn't that enjoyable, especially given the excellent style it comes from.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2012 20:08:34 | More by jar2574

jdavin

Washington

2.5/5  rDev -40.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 1.5

Skunked. From here on I'm going to stop buying beers from Brasserie Dupont, unless they're on tap at a local pub. Dupont bottles their beers in green glass bottles, which are well known to transmit higher levels of light wavelengths that cause light-struck or "skunked" beer (often associated with Heineken, another green bottled beer).

This beer, and most other bottles I've bought from Dupont have been skunked. It doesn't matter if you got it from the best bottle shop in the country, since they're travelling all the way from Belgium through a distributor in NY it's almost inevitable that they'll be exposed to light along the way.

It's a great mystery why Dupont persists in bottling their beer in green bottles. The only reason for a brewery to due that is if they care more about tradition than about quality.

On tap, Dupont's beers are excellent. In bottle, they can still be decent but not worth the $10+ to enjoy a tarnished defective beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2011 05:15:21 | More by jdavin