Produced with more malt than Jenlain Ambrée (3 different types of malt made from French grown barley and 3 varieties of the most aromatic hops from Alsace), this top fermented, unpasteurized beer, best served at between 6 and 8°C, has a rich amber glow, a denser head and stronger alcohol content (6.8% alcohol by volume). Darker than the traditional amber beer, its torrefied undertones are reminiscent of flowers and caramel. And the 2002 Christmas beer had a hint of orange.
Beer Ratings and Reviews:
[1] Review by ante from Stockholm, Sweden who has tried this beer a couple times. (5/11/2008 2:51:01 PM)
"Pours out in a hazy brownish amber colour with a low creamy white foam. Toasted bread, cellar, pears and alcohol in the aroma. medium-bodied with notes of cellar, vanilla, caramel and peppery alcohol. Dryish finish of caramel, cellar and alcohol."
Aroma:
6/10
Appearance:
7/10
Mouthfeel:
6/10
Flavor:
7/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.3)
Sampled: Bottle
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
[2] Review by Sap from Tucson, AZ, USA who has tried this beer once. (12/8/2007 6:41:04 PM)
"Bottle date of 09 2006, Sampled December 2007
I am not totally sure of the vintage perhaps 2005, but the label is black with an ornate red trim and has a blue & red neck label with oranges on it; it is newly distributed to my local bottle shop though. Pours with a brilliantly clear, dark, cranberry red color. The head starts out almost two-fingers thick and is a frothy, somewhat large bubbled consistency with a tan color. Definite aromas of citrus (as the neck label shows), almost more like orange juice spiked with alcohol as opposed to citrus zest which is usually used in beer. Underneath the orange is a toasty malt presence with a touch of caramel and a dry, biscuit like note.
Quite sweet tasting, almost in a cider like way. Very thin bodied for a beer of this strength. Citrus flavors play a prominent role, but it mixes in with the cider-like flavors to produce a sort of washed out juice flavor. The finish has a sharp, almost astringent bitterness to it as well as some toasted, malty notes. The astringent bitterness really lingers, it is linked to the citrus almost like a bitter orange peel flavor. In some ways it tastes like a soda.
Despite the flavors, this beer has held up really well if it is a 2005 bottling. Certainly not the greatest beer, and even fresh I have a feeling it was not all that great. It is somewhat refreshing, but a bit too simplistic and a bit to sharp in the finish.
Purchased: Plaza Liquors, Tucson, AZ"
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
7/10
Mouthfeel:
7/10
Flavor:
6/10
Overall:
6/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.3)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 750ml @ $7 Unit Cost: $4.42 per Pint
[3] Review by oh6gdx from Vaasa, Finland who has tried this beer (1/12/2006 8:15:55 PM)
"Bottled, 2005 version. Reddish amber (copper) coloured, big white sparkling bubbly head, which disappears quickly. Aroma is alcoholic, fruity and caramellish. Flavour is fruity with hints of hops. Also caramel and toffee in flavour. The dominating fruit is orange (almost orange marmeladeish). It gets better as it warms up, a bti colder than room temperature gives the most of the orange-marmelade flavour. Long orange in aftertaste. I like!"
Aroma:
6/10
Appearance:
6/10
Mouthfeel:
8/10
Flavor:
8/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.5)
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure Compared to this brewer's other beers: Not Sure
[4] Review by EyeChartBrew from CA, Liechtenstein who has tried this beer once. (1/9/2006 8:36:12 PM)
"Well... I don't know about this one....
Why the doubts? Only in that this had the makings of something interesting and/or special (coming from one of my favorite French breweries and all). But the actual execution falls a bit flat IMO. When all is said and done, this strikes me as neither partcularily special for the holidays, nor all that interesting as either a Saison nor a Bière de Garde. A rather typical Amber Ale is about all that ends up coming across to me, to be honest.
Adequate head formation and retention, though zero lacing. As the looks of a carbonated Scotch or Whiskey.
A bit lacking in the nose. Only the barest hints of some vague grainy/malty notes in the nose. Really, quite tame for the style, aroma-wise. Oh, and the "aromatisée à lòrange" proudly proclaimed on the neck label of this beer? Um, sure, if you say so....
Not a whole lot to talk about in the flavor profile with this one. The aforementioned malt is here, but, then again, not really. Some of the vague orange-ish highlights that were supposed to show up in the aroma actually make something of a cameo appearence in the middle and back-end of this, but really not enough to affect the outcome.
Sometimes listed as a Saison, which I don't buy as much as the bottle's label, which calls this a Bière de Garde. But to be honest, it's really neaither here nor there, all told. Nothing really stellar enough to put it into anything but a much more typical and hum-drum European Amber Ale pidgeonhole, IMHO.
Finishes okay, but I really got bored and tired of this qucikly, to be honest. Some sweet highlights in the finishing backend, that only hurts this beer, I'd say....
All told, a rather flacid effort for a holiday ale. The orange notes do show up rather randomly throughout the course of the bottle, but don't resuce this beer from medicority...
Music: Neuraxis' "Trilateral Progression".
//TB"
Aroma:
6/10
Appearance:
6/10
Mouthfeel:
6/10
Flavor:
7/10
Overall:
6/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.1)
Sampled: Bottle
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
[5] Review by heemer77 from Savannah, MO, USA who has tried this beer once. (5/18/2005 8:43:48 PM)
"Dark amber color with a large off white head. The aroma is strong bread with some orange peel and deep citrus. The taste is sharp dark bread with a little bit of some oranges. This is almost like a light IPA. There is a light black pepper finish. This is a nice change of pace."
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
6/10
Mouthfeel:
8/10
Flavor:
6/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.4)
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure Compared to this brewer's other beers: Not Sure
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(3.3)
