Schlafly Biere de Garde

Schlafly Biere de Garde
Schlafly Biere de Garde

The last few weeks, I have been traveling around, going out to New Jersey then down to Saint Louis.  Because we drove to each place, it gave me the opportunity to bring back some beer not available in Iowa, such as some from Oskar Blues, Avery, and Schlafly.

One of the beers I brought back from Saint Louis was Schlafly’s Biere de Garde.  I’ve had many different saison farmhouse ales, but this is one of the only biere de gardes I’ve had.  Without trying to sound too simple, saisons tend to be a bit lower in alcohol with a bit more hop flavor.

This beer was a very nice farmhouse ale.  It smelled very fruity with a bit of Belgian funkiness.  The flavor had a nice malty backbone with just a little but of hop flavor.  This was a great find, and I’m glad I had the chance to try one.

Have you had the Schlafly Biere de Garde?  What did you think?

Flying Dog Garde Dog

Flying Dog Garde Dog
Flying Dog Garde Dog

Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to try the latest seasonal offering from Flying Dog Brewery, Garde Dog.  It is a Biere de Garde style of beer, which is a French farmhouse ale, similar to the saison style, but tends to have a bit less hop flavor and aroma.

This beer poured nicely, and I made sure to swirl the last bit of beer left in the bottle to mix in the yeast.  It started out fruity and slightly malty, and had just a hint of spice.  The hop flavor was slight, and the balance was perfect.  The finish was so clean, it was as if I had just had a sip of water.  It was very light and refreshing, and I can’t wait to have one of these on a nice summer day.

Have you tried Garde Dog?  What’s your experience with Biere de Garde?