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.
