Spring Break
Experimental beer captures wide variety of flavors
Mike Partel
Issue date: 7/3/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment
Welcome back! I hope you all had a wonderful, exciting break. I have found quite the experience for our returning peers: Ommegang's Biere de Mars, literally, a trial-type brew. Biere de Mars is a Biere de Garde, a "beer to be guarded." Don't confuse this with the likes of the American Strong; Beire de Garde is strictly experimental, but the moniker is not catchall. While some beers are categorized because they don't fit a style, Biere de Mars is classified with other beers that are brewed to be uncategorized.
Ommegang is what I consider to be a local brewery - one from around the general tri-state area, located in Cooperstown, NY. As one of my original "breweries," the first true craft brewers I've found, I have been quite fond of the "new" Belgian beers developed therein. Operating since 1997, the Belgian beer fanatic Don Feinberg set up shop on a large acreage hop farm. Since then, he has been largely unable to meet a great demand, to the point that the brouwerji was sold off to Duvel Moortgat Brewery, makers of the well known Duvel Golden Ale.
As a style, Biere de Garde translates specifically to "beer for keeping" or like previously suggested, "beer to be guarded." In this case, the beer is inoculated with a special strain of bacteria known as Brettanomyces bruxellensis. Brettanomyces is a type of wild yeast that Belgian and French farmhouse ales use to naturally ferment beers. It collects in wooden casks, and has become popular for the organic character it imparts in aging beers. The saison style utilizes a strain of this yeast to add a certain character consisting of a funky, sour, or earthy taste. Biere de Garde is an experiment in all attributes of beer - hops, yeast, and malt. This Biere de Mars incorporates Brett. B. with pleasant amount of dry hopping, creating a dusty, tart, and mildly bitter experience that's really incomparable. But then, that's really the point. With a swallow of Biere de Garde on my palate, I can't compare it to anything else I've ever had.
Ommegang is what I consider to be a local brewery - one from around the general tri-state area, located in Cooperstown, NY. As one of my original "breweries," the first true craft brewers I've found, I have been quite fond of the "new" Belgian beers developed therein. Operating since 1997, the Belgian beer fanatic Don Feinberg set up shop on a large acreage hop farm. Since then, he has been largely unable to meet a great demand, to the point that the brouwerji was sold off to Duvel Moortgat Brewery, makers of the well known Duvel Golden Ale.
As a style, Biere de Garde translates specifically to "beer for keeping" or like previously suggested, "beer to be guarded." In this case, the beer is inoculated with a special strain of bacteria known as Brettanomyces bruxellensis. Brettanomyces is a type of wild yeast that Belgian and French farmhouse ales use to naturally ferment beers. It collects in wooden casks, and has become popular for the organic character it imparts in aging beers. The saison style utilizes a strain of this yeast to add a certain character consisting of a funky, sour, or earthy taste. Biere de Garde is an experiment in all attributes of beer - hops, yeast, and malt. This Biere de Mars incorporates Brett. B. with pleasant amount of dry hopping, creating a dusty, tart, and mildly bitter experience that's really incomparable. But then, that's really the point. With a swallow of Biere de Garde on my palate, I can't compare it to anything else I've ever had.
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