Bière Darbyste - Brasserie de Blaugies

chinchill

South Carolina

4.11/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Undated 750 ml corked bottle served in a St. Bernardus snifter. Pours a hazy, orange-amber color that is topped by well-proportioned, thick, bone colored head. This beer is highly carbonated as can be seen and felt, although the carbonation is nicely soft. The glass gets fully coated with lace with each tip. Lively but not harsh or aggressive feel, with a semi-dry finish.

Aroma: Floral and quite fruity with hints of figs, and plums. Esters suggest a higher ABV than 5.8%. There is a light spiciness and some earthiness from, I suspect, both hops and yeast.

Taste: Fruity, with a finely mix of sweet and tart plus a faint bitterness. As I often find in pale Belgians, the taste is notably better than the aroma. Tart citrus and vague mixed fruits upfront until the finish, with the figs coming out more clearly in the finish and aftertaste. Hints of banana, white pepper, clove, and nutmeg, but the spiciness is subtle and not due, I believe, to any added spices. This exceptional ale is enticingly complex and dynamic.

O: This beer is exceptional, with plenty of complexity, great balance, and strong but relatively soft carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2013 22:26:58 | More by chinchill

OtherShoe2

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours medium orange with a huge plume of thick foamy head. Splashy lace.

Yeast, some fruit, grass, apple skin funk in the nose.

Funk and tart fruit skin dominate this one. Fig juice? Not really any sugar in this one. Tart dominates, with a decent yeasty funk coming into play and leading to long moderate bitterness. Fruit is present, but is not traditional, but more like some that has turned a bit. Beer seems like the brewing elements were on the cusp of going bad, and this is a good thing.

Medium bodied, some tingle on the tongue.

I liked this one. I needed a funky and tart/bitter/slightly fouled brew, and this kinda fit the bill. Feels like a living thing. Worth a shot.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 03:34:04 | More by OtherShoe2

superspak

Michigan

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

750 ml bottle into tulip glass, no bottle dating. Pours lightly hazy deep orange amber color with a nice 2 finger dense and fluffy cream colored head with great retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice soapy lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of big pear, fig, sour apple, golden raisin, honey, bread, floral, grass, hay, funk, earth, light clove, red wine, and yeast spiciness. Very nice aromas with good balance, strength, and complexity. Taste of pear, sour apple, fig, golden raisin, honey, floral, grass, hay, earth, funk, clove, light red wine, and light yeast spiciness. Fair amount of fruity tartness on the finish; with lingering notes of tart light fruits, floral, grass, honey, bread, earth, pepper, clove, hay, funk, light red wine, and light yeast spiciness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice balance and complexity of malt and fruitiness; with a fair amount of funkiness; and zero cloying flavors present after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly slick, lightly syrupy, and slightly acidic mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a damn nice Belgian pale ale! The fig juice works really well here. There is a great amount of flavor complexity with nice funk, and good balance; and very smooth to sip on. A very enjoyable offering.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 06:14:27 | More by superspak

Alieniloquium

Florida

2.98/5  rDev -21.8%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

750 mL bottle poured into a De Struise chalice. No bottle info. My wife picked up the Blaugies line while on a road trip. One of them exploded in the car due to a faulty cage. I should have been more cautious when opening this one...

Appearance - As soon as I untwist the wire for the cage, it shoots off, hits me in the forehead, and deflects up to the ceiling. Immediately it gushes and I lose a fair bit of the beer. Two glasses couldn't hold the beer and subsequent head. The final bit was murky and yeasty, so I tossed it. The beer is a hazy burnt orange with a gigantic cream head. Clings to the glass as it slowly recedes, without ever fully dissipating.

Smell - Fruity. Phenolic esters. Kinda yeasty, but not overly so. A little bit of white wine and apple.

Taste - All I get is the white wine grape flavor, some other fruits, and a bit of grainy malt. It really isn't an exciting flavor. A bitter aftertaste is surprising, because it's the most assertive flavor in the end. It should also be noted that the foam on top is extremely bitter.

Mouthfeel - Light, easy to drink, low in alcohol. Nice for an afternoon on the porch. Not overcarbonated, as I expected it to be.

Overall - Nothing exciting going on here. Clean flavors, but just dull as can be. The fruit is nondescript and the beer holds very little flavor.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 23:07:50 | More by Alieniloquium

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Ale with figs, huh; or so says the flier at Zythos Festival '12. The description reads like the start of a drama-riddled start to a biblical story of deception, adultry, and lust... maybe I'm reading too much into it perhaps.

The beer pours with a tawny dark auburn hue with medium haze, and golden highlights. Capped with a cottony white blanket of foam, the beer shows the classic Belgiany look of high effervescence, stubborn creamy persistence, and signature lace.

Dark fruit, caramel, brown sugar, and peppery spice are all represented in the stronger-than-usual aromas of the Belgian pale ale. Nearly seeming of a light dubbel ale, and something of English olde ales; the rich fruit weaves into mild sherry, bread crust, and red wine scent.

Malty with the notion of caramelized bread crust, brown sugar, and fruit juice concentrate, the well-melded flavors wrap around the taste of figs in such a way to also mimic the taste of prunes, raisins, dates, and cashews. Lightly spiced with pepper, cumin, and curacao, the beer's yeast character delivers a nearly plastic taste that's short lived. Though tasty, it's a bit rich for the pale style of ale.

Medium bodied, though- the flavor of fruit and malt don't favor the weight or sweetness of the beer, instead relying on dry taste and texture for a easily drinkable ale that proceeds to an earthy pepper, mild acidity and alcoholically warm finish.

The pronounced fig flavors stand out beyond the malts but do so with more of a non-descript fruit flavor of pitted, dehydrated, dark stone fruits. Fans of Belgian dubbel ales will surely find favor with this ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2012 18:22:33 | More by BEERchitect

donkeyrunner

Massachusetts

2.83/5  rDev -25.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Translucent, dark orange color. Bubbly head settles into a solid, swarthy top. Highly carbonated and a small cork makes the cage necessary on this beer - as soon as I took it off the cork shot by my face.

Spicy apricot aroma. Tates sweet and spicy like a Fuji apple with a tart twang in back. Figs (which the brewery claims is an integral ingredient to this beer) certainly don't come to mind. As it warms the flavor de-evolves into watered down general amber malt extract with a tart backside.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2012 10:44:32 | More by donkeyrunner

RollBounce

New York

2.95/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Foggy light amber color, nice carbonation, musky upfront, wild yeast like, some sourness as well, little fig in a dry way, with floral notes at the end on the nose. Starts dry and musky like the nose, oranges, black tea, and fig juice that is subtlety sweet at the finish.

Overall; It is a sour style to me. Went well with Crab Rangoon's with sweet and spicy mango chili.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2012 01:51:03 | More by RollBounce

Thorpe429

Illinois

2.58/5  rDev -32.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Bottle poured into a Blaugies tulip.

Pours a moderate orange color with a white head and a bit of lacing on the way down. The nose carries some strange phenolics and a bit of spice. Light fruit there with a touch of malt. The flavor is similar, and is a bit off-putting. Light-medium body with crisp carbonation. No true yeast or hop character, and what is there isn't all that appetizing. Not a fan.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2012 02:57:13 | More by Thorpe429

SLeffler27

New York

4.03/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

An enormous, fine, white meringue drifts over an energetic, effervescent, slightly hazy, golden straw beer. The head slowly settles, becoming creamy and leaving massive patches of lace.

Aromas of horse blanket and dried apricot are most prominent from this Dogfish Head snifter. Earthy spices add to the mix.

The flavor is dry with light sourness. Pepper and light malt are found in the middle, while the finish is modest and bitter. Warmth releases some acidity, as well as pronounced pepper and apricot.

A medium body with velvet texture. Alcohol is present with fine carbonation in this very dry, almost chalky BPA.

This beer is almost sessionable and probably great with a pungent, aged cheddar.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2012 02:39:47 | More by SLeffler27

Holland

Pennsylvania

2.95/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

A: golden orange with foamy head throughout the glass

S: lemon, apple, and not as yeasty as I expected

T: weird taste, with apple, light malt, slight bitterness, and some dark fruits.

M: this is my main issue - the carbonation was very light, and the body was heavier than the ABV or carbonation could handle. Add some carbonation and this could be great.

O: it's interesting, but unless I had a bad batch or the keg was nearly out when I got my pour, I wouldn't recommend it.

Serving type: on-tap

02-15-2012 18:53:45 | More by Holland

falloutsnow

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +15%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle found at Brix in Omaha, NE
No bottled-on date
Poured into a New Belgium globe glass

Darbyste is an interesting, memorable Belgian beer that seems to straddle the line between being a Belgian Pale Ale and a saison. The sharp, semi-fruity rustic nature of it suggest a saison, but the body, strength and Brettanomyces suggest a Belgian Pale Ale. Regardless, I enjoyed the fruit, sharpness, and funkiness of this beer. At $7 per bottle, it is a value.

Pours a cloudy dishwater brown (but in the light, dark burnt copper) body with some very active carbonation. The head is made up of medium-sized, off-white bubbles and it fizzes down quite rapidly to a perpetual cap atop the body. Head leaves good lacing, rather blotchy, on glass sides after each sip.

Aroma is fairly bright, a bit of lemon, a bit of spice, yeast, very mild basement must and Brettanomyces funk, and, surprisingly, ripe, fresh figs (though not so ripe that they've developed berry-like flavors).

Taste is moderately sweet overall. Opens with tart sweetness, like slightly dark malt flavors (slight caramel) complicated by unripe fruits, yeast, and yeast metabolites. Mid-palate brings in more interest with slight funk . Sharp tartness flashes across the back of the palate. Lingering aftertaste of subtle bitterness, some sweetness as from slightly tart, unripe fruit.

Body is generally light, with very active, but not antagonistic, carbonation. Resulting mouthfeel is pleasantly smooth, pillowy, and easy to drink. Finish is semi-dry.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 21:16:28 | More by falloutsnow

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First had: on tap at TJ's, Paoli, PA

Served in a tulip glass, hazy, darker amber, with a huge cumulus cloud of sturdy white head that stood a half inch over the rim of the glass. Light aroma, bready malts, light sugar and a touch of fruitiness. Taste of bready malts, figs and raisins, lesser notes of herbs and citrus, and a non-threatening touch of grassy funk. Smooth mouthfeel, medium body, with a pretty dry finish. Easily drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

02-02-2012 12:54:16 | More by Rifugium

metter98

New York

3.88/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is cloudy pale yellow in color and poured with a half finger high off white head that has good retention properties and consistently left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface..
S: The nose is quite sour and is similar to something you would expect from a gueuze.
T: Similar to the smell, the taste is slightly sour and has notes of figs in the flavors.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: The sourness of this beer is very interesting. It’s like having an easy-to-drink gueuze.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 00:51:17 | More by metter98

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This poured out as a very murpky looking golden color with a white fluffy head on top. The head lingers for a little while and leave a light lacing on the glass. The smell of the beer has some nice Belgian yeast and hop aromas. The taste of the beer is a little on the dry side with a little bit of a hoppiness to it. The mouthfeel was well carbonated and rather lively on the tongue. Overall this beer wasn't too bad and I would be willing to try it again.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2011 01:24:18 | More by Knapp85

hooliganlife

Missouri

4.05/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

no date on bottle, design is older than what the current bottle looks like. i'd reckon this is 7-9 years old based off the shelf dates of other beers found at this store.

pours a murky dirty dark yellowish color. creamy head with excellent retention and some lacing.

lots fig and old yeast. some light oak

a nice complex mixture of light fig, old musty basement, old cork, slightly funky yeast, and a deep lemon. nice tartness mixed in with the lemon.

near perfect mouthfeel. lots of carbonation which really creates the flavor with just a hint of bite.

this drinks easy, and is good. i could easily see this going another 5 years.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2011 22:16:03 | More by hooliganlife

mlazzaro

Massachusetts

4.55/5  rDev +19.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

well aged 750 corked bottle. no date on bottle

Inside the bottle, this is simply the ugliest beer I have ever seen. The side of the bottle has an enormous amount of tannin buildup like a really old bottle of wine. Along with a huge portion of yeast and sediment. After inspecting, I thought the beer had spoiled.

Bottle is highly carbonated (non punted champagne bottle?). A cloudy deep orange color, with some healthy looking off white head. Excellent head retention. To my relief, this beer smells excellent. Aromas of light citrus, clean peppery Belgian yeast. Really unique and delicious aromatics happening. Taste is similar to smell. Flavors of lemons + dark fruits, and Belgian yeast. I honestly have a hard time describing what I'm tasting, but I like it. Mouthfeel is pleasantly acidic. Pretty dry/thin body, alcohol is quite noticeable considering the somewhat modest ABV. I'd rather have an ugly & delicious beer than a attractive beer that no one wants to drink. Probably going to pick up another.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2011 12:01:16 | More by mlazzaro

jondeelee

Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Darbyste proudly announces that it is brewed with "fig juice," and perhaps this is the reason the brew's nose is so fruity and sugary. The aroma wafts up from an open glass, easily noticeable from a foot above, bearing strong notes of orange, apricot, lemon/lime, and light grapefruit, along with cane sugar and rose hips.

On the tongue, the beer proves nicely Flemish, and is a perfect balance between sugars and apple cider sour. The oranges, apricots, and lemon/lime translate well from the tongue, joined by lychee nut and what I can only assume is fig (though having never had unaccompanied fig juice, I admit to guessing). Combined with the tartness of apple cider, as well as a touch of confectioner's sugar at the edges, these fruits make for a wonderful mouthful. The sugars do fade quickly, leaving the aftertaste dominated by a fast-disappearing tartness. Mouthfeel is light, and carbonation is set at ridiculous: left on its own, a newly-opened bottle will foam over for several minutes; and sipping the brew leaves the tongue lightly tingling, much like champagne.

Overall, this is an excellent Flemish, with nice Belgian touches.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2011 01:10:00 | More by jondeelee

muttyd

Massachusetts

3.7/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Saison with Fig juice added. Sounds good.

Poured gently into a stemmed glass. Hazy orange/straw body with a huge billowing head. Slight lacing, but this beer settles pretty quickly if you stir it up.

The aroma is very grainy/sweet with a spicy yeast undertone. Somewhat funky in the nose as well. I am getting some kind of a baking spice character in the nose as well. Not sure what that is attributed to. The flavor pretty much follows the nose. Typical grainy/sweet saison malt profile, horseblanket/barnyard funk, and some citrus. Slightly tart/sour, but not over the top for the style. Bubbly, dry and refreshing.

The fig juice may or may not have had an effect on this beer as I could not really taste the actual fig flavor, it just had a sour fruity flavor throughout.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2011 03:30:06 | More by muttyd

Spider889

Ohio

3.28/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Had on tap at Monk's Cafe. Their menu listed it as a saison with fig juice added. This is much more fitting than BPA but whatever.

Not too much to look at, very hazy with an almost greyness to it. Muted straw hues throughout. Very short head, some spotted lacing but not much at all.

Smelled a little funky, but the aroma was also fairly well muted. Bready yeast with some spice notes. Mild sweetness but I didn't really detect fig.

Tasted decent for a saison. The fig juice does add a nice sweetness here, but I would have never guessed figs without being told. A little hop bitterness in the background, with zesty saison yeast flavors coming through most prominently.

Dry and bitter finish. Overall nothing all that great.

Serving type: on-tap

05-15-2011 23:15:51 | More by Spider889

EgadBananas

Louisiana

3.45/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Golden pale color with lots of clarity. Head was a bright white, two fingers, and fluffy.

Aroma was a bit spicy, yeasty and beady. Tinges of citrus shine through.

Taste has some big spicy yeasty notes, some bread crust, herbs, and citrus.

Feel is medium bodied, not so crisp, clean and a touch cream u.

Drink is ok. I'm not wowed by this, but its not bad at all.

Serving type: on-tap

04-09-2011 18:20:05 | More by EgadBananas

BieresDesMoines

Iowa

4.3/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a hazy orangeish color with lots of floaties and an enormous head. The armoa is perfectly balanced with some spice, earthiness, and fruitiness. There is also a nice barnyard funk and mild alcohol tinge in the aroma. Flavor is funky an dspicy mildly tart with some fruitiness and some good mineral character. A wonderful beer with a remarkable amount of finesse and characher.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2011 18:11:27 | More by BieresDesMoines

mdfb79

New York

3.35/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From 01/21/11 notes. Brought to a small tasting by nmann08; thanks Nate.

a - Pours a hazy orange color with one inch of white head and light carbonation evident.

s - Smells of yeast, spice, and light sour fruit.

t - Tastes of sour fruit, bananas, yeast, and spice.

m - Light body and moderate carbonation.

d - A nice Belgian pale ale. Wouldn't seek out again but glad I tried.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2011 04:35:50 | More by mdfb79

ForWhatAlesYou

Minnesota

3.95/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

.25 liter (25cl) into a Chimay goblet

A: Pours a huge foam head which drops slightly but maintains a nice 1 finger foam head. Gold. Pure gold color. Nice lace.

S: Huge cereal grains. Sweet malt.

T: Very grainy with banana. A little bitter but falls flat. Slight off aftertaste.

M: Very buttery/oily. Nice. Low-no carbonation.

D: Listed here as a Belgian pale but the bartender I purchased this one described it as a saison/farmhouse ale. Either way there are a few problems style-wise. Other than the aftertaste, very good for the style. Would seek out and drink again.

Serving type: on-tap

01-21-2011 17:57:33 | More by ForWhatAlesYou

Cmack15

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Wow what an interesting beer. A friend of mine bought this bottle on as whim and shared it with me. As soon as we opened it and I caught a whiff of the aroma I thought gueze, but apparently this is a Belgian pale ale. The gueze aroma and taste may come from the bottle having a few years on it though because it was the last bottle at the store and the label appears very old and weathered. The fig note comes through in the end, otherwise I mostly got a sour/barn yard funk taste. I enjoyed this beer because I like guezes but I would like to try a fresher bottle.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2010 04:44:33 | More by Cmack15

TairyGreene

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Great Thanksgiving beer.

Cork pops with the normal Blaugies pressure, but no gushing? D'epeautre is much more aggresive on the carbonation. The color on this is gorgeous, deep ruddy-purple with crimson highlights. Expansive pillowy head reveals definite fig aromas, with that signature Blaugies Farmhouse/barnyard scent.

Flavor on this is great, seeing as it is an older bottling, with the former label. A touch of souring has definitely occurred. I taste a tart edge to a round, full flavored grain husk and dried fig flavor.

I have come to love the aggresive carbonation from Blaugies products, not dissimilar to De Dolle. This one however, was a little lacking. Pairing it with a rich, thick meal like Thanksgiving, I expect to have my palate scrubbed. Not this time.

Great beer otherwise.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2010 16:09:15 | More by TairyGreene