Ommegang's Bigger and Bretter

Brewery Ommegang is one of those breweries that I enjoy but which has not found its way into any beer review on this blog.  The Cooperstown, New York-based brewery produces some very good Belgian style and French style ales.  One such beer is the Bigger and Bretter, Ommegang's Biere de Garde that was brewed with Brettanomyces, or wild yeast.  

Brett beers are for those beer aficionados who also love to gamble. The reason is that some beers brewed with Brettanomyces have very strong aromas and tastes.  Think of descriptions "barnyard funk" or "horse blanket." The wild yeast does a number to these beers, which only a fan of Brett beers can love.  Other Brett beers are more mild, evoking rather tame descriptions such as "earthy" or "floral." These are the examples of beers brewed that wild yeast that should be tried by a wary beer lover.  The reason is that it provides an opportunity for that person to try a beer style that he or she would not otherwise try ... out of a fear of horse blankets.  The thing is that one will not really know where the Brett beer will fall on this scale -- from barnyard funk to floral -- until the bottle or can is opened.  That is why it is a gamble. 

Fortunately, the Bigger and Bretter finds itself on the milder side of the scale.  The beer pours a orange color, with copper or bronze tones.  As the beer rests in the glass, aromas of cherry pie and cinnamon, along with the yeast, rise up to greet the nose. Those elements also include some herbal notes, which could be expected from a Brett beer.  When compared to some of the Brett beers that I have had in the past, the aromas of this beer were more modest and restrained. 

Not only were the aromas more restrained, but so were the flavors. The flavor of the Bigger and Bretter features tart cherries, but the beer lacked some of the "funk" that seems to set Brett beers apart, such as Les Deux Brasseurs or Orval. 

This beer is a good Brett beer for those who are reluctant to try a beer brewed with wild yeast.  Unfortunately, for those people, Brewery Ommegang has retired this beer.  For those who love Brett beers, you can still find Orval, which is perhaps one of the best Brett beers out there.   

A Beer for Keeping

One of the great things about collaboration beers is that you can buy a beer from a brewery that you love -- like New Belgium -- and learn about breweries that you did not even know about  -- like Brewery Vivant.  I have reviewed a few great New Belgium beers, such as the Grand Cru Abbey Ale and the Le Fleur Misseur? Ale.  Those beers made me a big fan of New Belgium and I always keep an eye out for their beers.  

That is how I found the Bière de Garde, which is a collaboration between New Belgium and Brewery Vivant.  Located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Brewery Vivant draws its inspiration from the small farmhouses in Northern France and Southern Belgium.  They have transcribed that inspiration into beers such as the Farm Hand Farmhouse Ale and the Solitude Abbey Style Ale.  

For this particular collaboration, the brewers at New Belgium and Brewery Vivant chose to brew a Bière de Garde.  This style, which translates into "beer which has been kept or lagered," originated in Northern France in regions such as Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Artois and Picardie.  Farmhouses would brew a Bière de Garde in the spring and cellar the beer so that they could enjoy it during the summer.  This was a far better way to enjoy beer than trying to brew during those hotter months, when the heat added a sense of unpredictability to the fermentation of the yeast.

There are three variations of the Bière de Garde style.  According to the Beer Judge Certification Program, there is the brown (brune), blond (blonde) and amber (ambrée) styles.  The New Belgium/Brewery Vivant Bière de Garde fits neatly within the blonde style, with a nice yellow or gold in color.  The brewers produced this beer with pale, Munich and C-120 malts, as well as Target and Sorachi hops.  The brewers also used orange peel in the production of the beer. 

The brewers describe the aroma as being "[f]ruity orange and lemon peel, lots of spicy phenolic yeast flavors (clove, peppercorn), fresh herbal tea, fennel, some tropical fruit notes, cellar-like notes."  I could definitely sense the orange, as well as the lemon peel (which most likely came from the Sorachi hops, which do a great job adding citrus aromas and flavors to beer). There were some faint clove and spice flavors in the aroma.  As for the taste, the brewers suggest sweet fruit, citrus tart and mineral.  I definitely got the orange citrus flavors, which were clearly prominent in the light, dry and crisp body of the beer, as well as in its finish.

The Bière de Garde bottle may be a little suggestive of the ideal pairing for this beer.  Draft Magazine suggests that a Bière de Garde style beer can be paired with roast chicken or roast duck, as well as a vegetable omelet or corn bread.  The brewers at New Belgium suggest a pineapple soup or mixed paella. 

This beer is definitely worth a try, if not just to sample a beer from the Bière de Garde style.  This beer caught my eye at a local grocery store, where it sold for about $12.99 a bottle.

ENJOY!

The Devil's Saddler

Roughly tranlsated, "Sella del Diavolo" means "The Devil's Saddler" or "Seat of the Devil."  It is one of the beers from Birrificio Barley or "Barley.""  Barley is a small craft brewer based in Maracalagonis, a town on the island of Sardinia.  Barley produces three year round beers, including the Sella del Diavolo.

The Sella del Diavolo is brewed in the style of a Bière de Garde.  This style is a farmhouse ale typically brewed in northern France.  The name, "Bière de Garde," translates roughly into "beer that has been kept or lagered."  Traditionally, the beer is brewed in early spring and then kept in cold cellars until the summertime. 

According to the Beer Judge Certification Program, a Bière de Garde can be blond, amber or brown in color, with a malty sweet aroma and a taste that features toffee or caramel.  A Bière de Garde draws more from the malts used to produce the beer than the hops.  Indeed, there is usually little to no hop flavor in this style of beer. 

The brewer, Barley, describes the Sella del Diavolo as having a "[w]inking amber color with orange reflections plus cream colored and persistent foam [that] reveals ... [the] torrified malts promising biscuit and roasted flavors."  This description is largely accurate, with the beer's amber color having dark copper or rust tones.  

As for the taste of the Sella del Diavolo, the brewer describes the beer as a  "cohabitation" between "caramel and fruity (plums and morello cherry) notes and peppery and herbal notes coming from a long-sighted use of aromatic hops."  The brewer adds, "[w]arm and vinuous in the palate with an appropriate dryness giving it a good between the sweet fruity, roasted, slightly smoked notes and a long, dry, very bitter aftertaste."  For me, the beer definitely had a caramel flavor, but the supporting flavors were not so much fruit, but bready, biscuity flavors.  There was a warmness, but the beer did not have the roasted, smoky notes.  This may be due to the age of the beer, because I am not sure how long it sat on the shelves before I bought it and it was in our basement for a few months.  

The brewer recommends pairing this beer with roast lamb or piglet which is slowly cooked over a fire, as well as medium but not to salty cheeses.  Those suggestions are definitely spot on for this beer,although you do not need to roast an entire animal.  The beer goes will with grilled or broiled steaks, lamb chops, and/or pork chops.    

This beer is hard to find in beer stores.  We found this beer at State Line Liquors in Elkton, Maryland, where, if I recall correctly, it sold for about $20.00 a bottle.

ENJOY!