Bière Darbyste - Brasserie de Blaugies

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

SupremePie

Vermont

4.25/5  rDev +11.5%

05-08-2013 04:05:26 | More by SupremePie

MSandahl23

Indiana

4/5  rDev +5%

04-26-2013 19:01:49 | More by MSandahl23

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

NOLANDMAN

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +5%

04-04-2013 04:16:48 | More by NOLANDMAN

harpus

Alabama

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%

03-20-2013 17:07:06 | More by harpus

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

OldPenguinHunter

California

3/5  rDev -21.3%

02-07-2013 20:30:01 | More by OldPenguinHunter

JeffreyJDavis

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +18.1%

02-02-2013 22:03:50 | More by JeffreyJDavis

coolhandbeer

New York

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

12-10-2012 00:39:51 | More by coolhandbeer

ElGallo

New Hampshire

4.25/5  rDev +11.5%

07-23-2012 14:44:20 | More by ElGallo

savagepm

Colorado

3/5  rDev -21.3%

07-14-2012 19:24:25 | More by savagepm

rolltide8425

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

07-13-2012 03:25:20 | More by rolltide8425

brez8791

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%

06-03-2012 01:51:28 | More by brez8791

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

LEXXY80

New Hampshire

4.25/5  rDev +11.5%

05-15-2012 19:29:41 | More by LEXXY80

theminutemen

Missouri

3.25/5  rDev -14.7%

05-14-2012 19:52:37 | More by theminutemen

ejimhof

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -21.3%

05-04-2012 23:15:34 | More by ejimhof

WanderingFool

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +11.5%

04-22-2012 22:21:26 | More by WanderingFool

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

pohldogg356

Kentucky

4/5  rDev +5%

02-26-2012 04:22:38 | More by pohldogg356