Biere de Garde

A Northern French artisanal farmhouse ale, the biere de garde style covers a range of subvarieties, including blond, amber, and brown. Examples across each subvariety all emphasize the malty (most commonly earthy, toasty, toffee, and caramel) character of the beer and frequently have a musty cellared attribute (the name, biere de garde, can be literally translated as "beer of keeping," and refers to the months long cold conditioning - lagering - of these beers after fermentation). The darker versions have more complex flavors and the hops are normally more subdued, while the lighter versions allow the hops to come through stronger (but still secondary to the rich maltiness). The mouthfeel of a biere de garde is typically moderate to heavy and the alcohol levels can be in the higher 8% ABV range. The biere de garde style can be brewed with lager or ale yeasts, but under cooler ale fermentation temperatures.

	Beer | Location	Reviews	Score
	Jenlain Biere de Noel France	11	3.229
	De La Senne Zinnebir X-mas Ale Belgium	11	3.585
	Castelain ChTi Blonde (St. Amand) France	10	3.438
	St. Sylvestre Biere Nouvelle France	9	3.633
	Castelain Blond Biere France	9	3.592
	Jenlain J Gingembre France	9	2.817
	Jenlain Blonde France	8	2.764
	Abbaye de St Landelin La Divine France	8	3.373
	Jenlain Biere de Printemps France	8	2.873
	Thiriez La Blonde d'Esquelbecq France	7	3.390
	Lakefront Rendezvous Ale WI, United States	7	3.420
	New Belgium Lips of Faith Biere de Garde CO, United States	7	3.290
	La Choulette de Noël France	6	3.333
	Dupont La Bière de Beloeil Belgium	6	3.478
	Au Baron Cuvée des Jonquilles France	6	3.600
	Schlafly Bieré de Garde MO, United States	5	3.713
	Jenlain No. Six France	5	3.175
	Ommegang Biere D'Hougoumont NY, United States	5	3.513
	Old Dominion Winter Brew 2006 (Biere de Noel) DE, United States	5	3.038
	Castelain ChTi Triple France	4	3.100