When you think of France you think of chateaus and vineyards. Of stories of 80 year-old estate Burgundy with a price tag bigger than your house being drunk at lunchtime by an investment banker. You don’t think of beers, and if you do you think of cheap supermarket lager or Kronenbourg – difficult to tell the difference really. However in farmhouse breweries there is a secret worth discovering.
In Northern France there are a range of “keeping beers” known as bière de garde. Like märzens these are brewed during the winter or spring and are then traditionally kept in cool conditions over the summer to preserve them. They can be light or dark but will display a prominent hoppy flavour that gives them a rural farmyard feel. Castelain’s Ch’ti range is named after a regional dialect, comes in corked 75cl bottles and covers every colour you could wish for. A sour apricot Blonde, a bitter malty Ambrée and a caramel- edged Brune. The best of the range is the hoppy, spicy Blanche that combines the best of bières de garde and witbiers. Also coming in 75cl bottles is the potent 3 Monts that has spirit like alcoholic intensity combined with a smooth hoppy, yeasty flavour.
One of the most widely available bières de garde is the Jenlain range from Duyck. The Ambrée is made with 3 types of Alsace hops and tastes like a Czech dark lager. The beers from the Thiriez brewery are much harder to find but have a superb rustic hoppiness that typifies the best bière de garde. There are also a few examples in other countries. The Flying Dog Garde Dog adds US IPA-style intense dry hoppiness and bitter porter roasted malts. You won’t see people investing fortunes in classic vintage bottles of bière de garde to lay down for years like they do with French wine – but the beer is better opened up and drunk anyway.
Five to Try -
1. Thiriez Ambrée du Esquelbecq
2. Duyck Jenlain Ambrée
3. Gayant Goudale
4. St Sylvestre 3 Monts
5. Flying Dog Garde Dog
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