Beer Review

The French.  Tell me what you think of when you read that statement.  I can tell you honestly I never thought of beer that's for sure!  I thought of snobby ultra cool, slick haired smelly dudes with cigarettes hanging out of their mouths saying things like "HAW HAW WEE WEE" and "Jew are an EEDIOT, you SILLY AMERICAN!".   I know, I know that is very closed minded of me, that I am being stereotypical.  But admit it, you were thinking the same thing.  Every frenchie sounds like Pepe Lepew, and wears one of those bight colored mushroom hats (berets).  HA! Yes these are the things that float in my head, you should see what I think about you!

Ok, enough slander against France and her people, lets have a bit of a history lesson.  The beer I sampled was an offering from Flying Dog called Garde Dog.  It is modeled after a type of beer known as Beire de Garde.  Which is a french beer that is produced primarily in the Spring months.  It is a small business in France, and is known mostly as a "farmhouse" brew, but is also being picked up and supplemented by small companies.  This is the first time I have ever heard of this type of beer, let alone a state side offering, so I have no other comparisons to others I can make.  That being said, I was pleased with this brew.

This beer pours out into a glass producing a full head, but drinks fairly lightly.  It has a color that lends itself to a blonde ale with its lighter color and white lacing.  Malty for a lighter beer it finishes cleanly and is very smooth.  If you close your eyes you can almost feel yourself standing in a flowering meadow with its floral hints within the little hops it does display and its citrus smell and aftertaste.  It seems to me to have a very organic taste to it that isn't over powering, walking a fine line between good taste and robust "notice me" flavors.

All in all this is a good beer to try.  It is good out of the bottle, but I would recommend pouring into a pint glass and savoring it a little more.  However if you are a drunk like me drinking it from a glass or a bottle is good just as long as you are pouring down your gullet!

 I would say this is a good "sit and sample" beer, with good taste, and many subtle notes to figure out, but it is not a "sit and tune yourself up" brew.  As always though, ENJOY!

"Beer, it's the best damn drink in the world." - Jack Nicholson