Bier de Garde

Tasting Notes

Although France is not known for its beer, the northeastern district of French Flanders nevertheless possesses strong brewing traditions, which it shares with its Flemish cousins across the border. Traditionally, bière de garde was made from February through March and was consumed in the summer. A malt accent and ale-like fruitiness characterize bière de garde, and it has an earthy taste ranging in color from deep blond to reddish-brown. Bière de garde may have caramel flavors from a long boil. Bière de garde often appears in champagne bottles.

Ingredients

Ingredients used to brew bière de garde include several malts, with pale ale malt making up the bulk of the grist. Flemish Brewers' Gold are the hops most often used for bittering, with Saaz, Hallertau, Spalt, and Hersbruck added for aroma. Some brewers will boil the wort longer than usual to create a malty caramelization in both flavor and color. Maturation takes anywhere from 10 weeks to 18 months.

The information on this page was provided by beer-brewing.com (http://www.beer-brewing.com).