John came by for a growler of the Bier De Garde and we had a chance to sample all of the beers in storage. All are very promising.

Old Ale

4 weeks into fermentation, 2 weeks into secondary (2 oz oak chips and brett started added). Gravity is 1.022 sg.

Aroma: Slight maltiness with a small amount of brett and oak apparent.
Appearance: Dark amber red. No carbonation. Few small floaties at the bottom of glass
Flavor: light malt flavor that is well balanced with subtle maltiness.
Mouthfeel: Light front end with more full backend due to flavors
Overall Impression: The balance on this is already very nice. It could use a bit more oak age because that is barely present. The brett is apparent and probably at the right level now. With a little more oak, it could take more brett. Has a mild sweetness from the malt and treacle that will also develop nicely with age.

Schwarzbier

This stopped primary a week early (due to under pitching). The gravity was about 8 point higher than designed, but it works because its a tad too atringent. It's has 1 week of lagering so far.

Aroma: Deep roastiness with a subtle lager yeastiness
Appearance: Dark brown with a bit of red on the edges. No carbonation
Flavor: Deep roast astringency hits you immediately. Probably too much. You get used to it after a few sips and its nice once your past the initial shock.
Mouthfeel: very light on the front, but no too watery. Feels like a lager
Overall Impression: This is definitely too astringent for a lager, but hopefully after a few months this will mellow out a bit. The drink itself is nice because it has a good roasty flavor but is not very heavy or alcoholic. Very session-able beer if you can get over the initial bitterness.

Lambic #1

This has been aging for a year now. I needed to get a sample for next weeks brew, so I figured why not. Siphoned off 15 oz from the carboy we didn’t sample last time. Enough for a sample and a 12 oz bottle for the brew.

Aroma: Smells just like a lambic. Lactic sourness mixed with brett very apparent on the nose.
Appearance: Light straw to rich golden in color. Slight haze.
Flavor: Slight lactic sourness mixed with oak. Fishes with an oaky brett taste that lingers on the tongue as it dries. Little to no sweetness, fairly dry.
Mouthfeel: Very light, but not too bad because of the flavor. Could have a little more body but very drinkable.
Overall Impression: Very happy with the aroma and flavor. I will like to get a little more sour, which should happen with age. This carboy doesn’t seem as oak as the other, but still plenty of oak. It seems to be more sour than the 8 month tasting but don’t know if this is due to age or because its from a different carboy.