I love pretty much everything I’ve had from de Garde, but I must admit that I’m starting to get a sorta samey vibe from much of what I’ve managed to procure. Sure, those fruited Bu variants (especially the imperial ones) are making waves and are obviously diverse in terms of flavor, but there also seems to be an unending series of 5%ish tart saison/American wild hybrids that are delicious, but again, samey. This isn’t the worst thing in the world, of course, and making consistent wild ales is an achievement in and of itself. Plus, as I continue to evolve as a beer dork, this sort of consistent, approachable, 5% offering is more appealing than ever. It’s just a lot easier to write about something that blows your mind (or the reverse situation of a beer that is a disaster). Blogger problems, bro.
It’s probably also worth noting that a low-level trading dilettante like myself doesn’t really pull the truly face-melting offerings from these Tillamook ballers. Not that I’m bitter. Which is usually, like, an ironic statement, but I’m genuinely not bitter, because this is some really tasty stuff, and as these things go, it’s still in the top tier. It’s just that there’s not much to say about this wild farmhouse ale aged in oak with unspecified fruit & spices. Except that I’ve now written a couple of paragraphs about how I don’t have much to say, so, um, let’s just get to the beer:
de Garde Anianish – Pours a golden orange color with a finger of white head that sticks around for a while. Smells of saison spice and fruity esters, a little bit of oak and funk. Taste is sweet and spicy, with lots of tart, vinous fruit, not quite sour but enough of a bite. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, well carbonated, and tasty. Overall, this is some great stuff. A-
Beer Nerd Details: 5.2% ABV bottled (750 ml). Drank out of a flute glass on 6/3/17.
No more De Garde on hand at chez Kaedrin, but I expect more to come my way soon enough. I would like to actually review one of the many Bu variants (the last one I got, I foolishly shared with other people in a setting not conducive to reviewing) and what the hell, maybe someday I’ll manage to snag one of those face-melters like Broken Truck…