Biere de Garde

Biere de Garde - 6.3% ABV

Ponysaurus Brewing Co. (Durham, North Carolina)

French farmhouse ale

Welcome to my fourth and final installment beers I picked up in North Carolina. Well, at least until I return.

I've got to say I ended up picking up this beer at a bottle shop to bring a little more of Ponysaurus Brewing Co. home with me. We got to stop by Ponysaurus in Durham on our last day in town, and it definitely felt like my kind of place. You can get snacks ranging from pretzels to gummies, there's a huge yard, an awesome patio and even misters to keep you cool. Plus, they caught my eye with their pony/ dinosaur logo and a sign that warned people children are only welcome so long as they don't annoy other guests. I mean, who can beat that?

But anyways, on to the beer.

It's been in the fridge for a little over the month, and it was canned back in June, but thankfully that hasn't seemed to affect its flavor.

Biere de Garde is a higher grav farmhouse ale. It pours a clear amber color with very little head, and no lacing on the glass. It's scent is sweet and malty, although you get a whif of mild fruitiness (The can says it's pear, but I can't say I'm great at picking out the scent of pear).

On first, small sip, it's like a more alcohol-forward saison. There's that wheaty undertone with a touch of sweetness, but a bite comes through and it finishes nice and dry. Honestly, I like it better than some more mild saison or farmhouse-style beers because the alcohol breaks through any overzealous sweetness.

On a larger sip, the wheat is subdued and the taste gets a little funky. There's a floral quality to it, rather than the "wet hay" descriptor that can be so popular with farmhouse style beers. The dryness continues to come through, and I think that's something I like because it prevents the wheat or malt from taking over your taste buds.

This beer is super crisp and the light carbonation throughout gives it a really good mouthfeel. Now that I'm thinking about it, the crispness is similar to that of a really good pear — a light sweetness that's not cloying, but also not too tart. This is one of those that makes me wonder why I had it in my head that I didn't like this style of beer, but live and learn I guess.

Overall rating: 4.2/5

#FarmhouseAle #Saison #Durham #northcarolina #wheat #malt