BFM Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien 2005

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

I've been sitting on this for over two years (in 2008). My butt was starting to hurt. Pours brown with copper hues and thin off white head. The aroma starts with a layer of tartness along with notes of dark fruity esters and earthy funk. The taste begins with a brief pulse of raisins, prunes and then a spike of tartness. It then starts to move in to red wine fruitiness and drying red wine tannins. There are also notes of mild funk among the various peaks and valleys of Brett like tartness. Nice balance between sweet beer notes, tartness and earthy funk. Very little notice of the staggering ABV.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

Very lightly carbonated, a vigorous pour towards the end of the pour scares up a quickly disappearing, frothy, at most half-finger thick, tan colored head. The beer is a dark, red-plum color that shows a red stained, amber color when held up to the light. The aroma has a light tartness to it as well as a Sauvignon Blanc like grape fruitiness along with a nice barrel influence that takes the form of soft vanillin notes, and some spicy oak character. Berry flavors reminiscent of a merlot are noticeable at times in the nose as well. There is a light funkiness here that provides a touch of mustiness, some cured moldy leather notes and a faint yet fruity cheese note. There is definitely a bit of alcohol noticeable here in the aroma too and it provides a touch of heat.

Lightly carbonated, with just a hint of a carbonic prickle. The beer is fairly light, certainly for a beer of this strength, and only has a medium heft to it. There is a light, grape-like sweetness to this beer that is not quite offset by a light tartness in the finish. A bit of alcohol, spicy & tannic oak, and spicy esters provide a touch of bitterness and piquancy to the finish that lingers into a very soft, throat coating burn. This picks up a lightly concentrated, jam-like fruit note that reminds me of a combination of sweet black cherries, blackberries and a rich currant note. This picks up a sweet nuttiness as it warms up, though it does not actually gain any sweetness (in fact it probably gets less so), it is just that it picks up a nut meat sweetness.

While not overly heavy, this is somehow a sipping beer. It really reminds me a lot of a fruity, berry focused, oak aged red wine of some sort (with a touch of tartness thrown in). An interesting beer that is for sure, the slight carbonation makes it seem that much more wine-like. This is definitely a good sipping beer, I certainly wouldn’t want to have to finish a bottle by myself.

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Pours with a cloudy, deep amber-brown body topped by a thin bubly/soapy head with no lacing. The aroma is sour, tart and vinious with some underlying funk and a slight floral note. The flavor is slightly sour, tart and vinious with underlying vanilla and oak notes as well as a little funk. Light bodied crisp and dry.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

First off this is way more a Flemish sour than a Barley wine. This “Barley Wine” pours a copper bronze color from a 750ml bottle. Small to no head. Aroma is tart and funky, a touch of oak. Medium bodied ale. Malts are fruity and funky. Tart and vinous. Cherries, hop bitterness, some oak and a lot of funk. Interesting, A little under carbonated . Hides the alcohol very well. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and crisp. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

NorCal tasting July 07 - I honestly didn't "get" this beer. An English Barleywine? Where? This reminded more of a Flemish Sour than a barleywine. An aroma of sour cherries, tart apples, and a touch of brown sugar. Appearance was dirty copper in color. Pucking mouthfeel (like sucking on an aspirin). Flavor was oak, sour like chewing on a spoonful of grapeskins, subtle fruit flavors like cherries and apples are also present. Definitely a head scratcher, and while I did enjoy it I don't think it was anything phenomenal. Good, but different.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 9

After the first few taste i thought i had the 06 flemish sour bottle. Poured a dark orange color okay head average lacing. Aroma was of graps and other light fruits. Flavor was of light fruits spices some woodyness. Good beer just not what i was expecting.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 7

(thanks Bov!). Dark ambery/coppery colour with small beige head. Aroma is very sour, mostly only sourness. Flavour is extreme sourness as well as some slight hints of soap. Quite unique, but nothing that really blows your mind.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 9

Pours a ruby-orange color with a decen less than one finger head, ok spotty lacing, nothing super-impressive. The aroma was all sour grapes and cherries, some apples, some floral aspects. The flavor was grapes, oak, spices (coriander), slight bitter Belgian hops, cherries, oh so very nice. The mouthfeel was a bit acidic, yet this thing was nicely balanced by malts, and the above flavors. A nice high octane flemish sour type beer. Yum!

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

Really interesting beer. Thanks to pintocb for keeping this one around to share with me. It’s not really sour, but it’s got a bit of funk to it. Tons of oak, mint, a slightly whiskey like aroma and flavor that comes from the alcohol of the beer combined with the oak from the barrels. This is a weird, but interesting beer. This is probably the most oak of any barrel aged beer I’ve had.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

A copper colored beer with little head. The aroma is sourish with some tart apples and cherries. The flavor contains oranges, cherries, and nutmeg. This seems like a mix between a Flemish Sour and a barleywine. I loved it!