Flying Dog “Garde Dog” Biere de Garde
This here’s a seasonal brew from the folks at Flying Dog. Once I picked this beer up, I realized that we’re shy a few reviews of Flying Dog beers, so maybe I’ll try to pick those off in the next couple of weeks to complete the cycle. However, I’m also heading up to North Dakota soon, so that might open up (or close) a few beer doors for me. So, we’ll see – stay tuned…
This is, quite possibly, the best Flying Dog beer I’ve had to date. But, let me qualify that statement by telling you that I’ve been on a real French farmhouse ale kick for, well, the last several months. This beer pours a just-slightly-hazy golden color with a thin white head that quickly strips away to nothing. In the nose, this beer is sweet and subtle. There isn’t much sourness to the smell – rather, it’s just a light bready malt with a pleasant sweetness that just barely tickles the nose. In the mouth, this beer is again sweet and subtle. Frankly, I’d be hesitant to call this a French biere de garde, as it doesn’t display the sour bite that many of the genre have. Rather, there exists just a light lemon-rindy sourness that is heavily diminished by the malty sweetness, making the sour aspects a background presence that might be lost on a casual drinker. So, instead of calling this a French biere de garde, I’d prefer to call this an American biere de garde (which is a bit of an oxymoron). Lots of folks on whom I’ve pushed saisons/farmhouse ales/biere de gardes have complained of the overwhelming sourness (although I personally find it to be a refreshing trait). So, this version that displays all the traits of a saison, only with the sourness taking a backseat to the more accessible sweetness and still maintaining a very refreshing flavor with a light and fleeting mouthfeel, should surely suit a larger demographic while still being a delicious brew. My hat’s off to Flying Dog for this one – I can see it being one of my staple beers for the season.
Categories: Beer Reviews, Flying Dog, Saison Ale
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