The Beer: A 7% Bière de Garde from Bavay, France
The Location: Jay’s place

This puppy was a reward provided on my first (and thus far only) visit to Jay’s brother’s annual beer party. Those who haven’t heard of this it’s akin to a beer festival in a backyard, with an incredible assortment of beer to enjoy. After the party I was invited back for a bit of a grab bag – there was so much left he was handing it out! I came home with this one, completely unfamiliar to me, and it finally made its way into a glass this past Friday.

The nose was quite sour, toffee sweet and very yeasty. We looked into the glass to find an insane amount of yeasty bits floating throughout, which I tend to feel is favourable. Unfortunately, the favour ended there. With high hopes in tow we found a watery concoction I found rye bread dough, sour lemons and oranges in. What flavour was there was decent enough but the mouthfeel was light and against the incredible array we were in the midst of, it just couldn’t stand up.