Bier de garde

[jmcnamara]

Havent seen this style pop us for discussion. I'd like to brew one soon, especially since I've got a good name for it.
From the little reading I've done so far, it's sort of like a saison but not as spicy.
Anyone have some good tips to brew one?

 

[Mark Farrall]

Bought a book on saisons and they chucked in biere de gardes. I'll copy a few recipes in below, but I basically saw it as the lager version of a sasion. So dry as you can, spices to whatever you're after, lager yeast and 5-7% ABV. Quite like the 3 monts and Gavroche from the traditional side of the garden, but there's a bunch of new interpretations I've loved.

 

[Mark Farrall]

Gavroche
Original Gravity: 17.5 °Plato
Alcohol By Volume: 8.5%
Apparent Degree of Attenuation: 87%
Malts: 80% Munich, 20% Pilsener
Hops: German (nominal 24 IBU)
Yeast: Ale (the brewery uses two different strains for various products)
Primary Fermentation Temperature: 67-69° F (19-20° C)
Garding (Storage) Period: 4-5 weeks at 28° F (-2° C)
Other Characteristics: Chaptalized with a blend of sucrose and brown sugar (total sugar: 20% by extract).
Tasting Notes: A distinct toasty malt aroma and flavor with licorice notes in the background. A noticeable alcohol presence that finishes with a nutty, toasty malt dryness.

 

[Mark Farrall]

Pilsener 75.0%
Munich 15.0%
Special Aromatic 5.0%
Amber/Biscuit 1.2%
Caramel Vienna 3.5%
Black 0.3%
Bittering Hops: 20-22 IBUs Suggested Variety: Brewers Gold or Fuggle
Late Hop Addition (last 20-30 min. of boil) 2 oz./US bbl (9 grams/5 gal.) Suggested Variety: Strisselspalt or Hallertauer
Options: Add up to 8% white sugar (by extract)
Fermentation: Ale strain at 66-68° F
Secondary Storage: 3-4 weeks at 32-35° F
Original Gravity: 17 °P (1.072 SG)
Comments: This artisanal version uses a variety of specialty malts to yield a greater complexity and depth of malt flavor. Hop additions are slight more aggressive as compared to the “large brewery” version and the original gravity is slightly higher to mirror a typical specialty brewer approach. Use of a neutral ale yeast at reduced temperature is suggested.

These are from the Phil Markowski, Farmhouse Ales book. Good read.

 

[jmcnamara]

Awesome, much appreciated. That second recipe looks interesting, I might have to tinker with that

 

[lonelymtn]

The new Mashmaker Book, by Michael Dawson, page 158 has a really interesting Peated Biere de Garde recipe that I plan on brewing soon. It has an optional step to include an ounce or two of Sherry- or Port-soaked medium toast Oak cubes in secondary. Needless to say, it looks extremely interesting and I plan on brewing it up soon-ish; hopefully before the end of the year.

 

[Nosybear]

The new Mashmaker Book, by Michael Dawson, page 158 has a really interesting Peated Biere de Garde recipe that I plan on brewing soon. It has an optional step to include an ounce or two of Sherry- or Port-soaked medium toast Oak cubes in secondary. Needless to say, it looks extremely interesting and I plan on brewing it up soon-ish; hopefully before the end of the year.

Sorry, but there is never a good excuse to use peat in beer. Just go out, gather some moss and throw it in, or sample some bog water to see what you get. We were sampling Scottish ales this week in our BJCP class - the guidelines are very clear, painfully clear, that peat is not appropriate in Scottish beers. Since they didn't have peat in France, I rather doubt they smoked malt with it. Go with oak smoked malt and save a few billion yeast cells from a futile death.

 

[lonelymtn]

Sorry, but there is never a good excuse to use peat in beer. Just go out, gather some moss and throw it in, or sample some bog water to see what you get. We were sampling Scottish ales this week in our BJCP class - the guidelines are very clear, painfully clear, that peat is not appropriate in Scottish beers. Since they didn't have peat in France, I rather doubt they smoked malt with it. Go with oak smoked malt and save a few billion yeast cells from a futile death.

Well, I happen to really enjoy peated malt, so I will brew this one as is, although smoked malt could be equally good. Related, one of the best beers I ever brewed was a Wee Heavy with 1% peated malt in the grist. I still have a few bottles I'm clinging on to but my fellow homebrewers regularly ask when I'll open them or just brew another batch.

I like to brew beers to style as much as the next person, but I'll be damned if I'm going to let guidelines keep me from "coloring outside the lines" or making something that is weird and delicious. Furthermore, BJCP continuing to add styles is a testament that breaking the rules sometimes leads to great things.

 

[thunderwagn]

I like to brew beers to style as much as the next person, but I'll be damned if I'm going to let guidelines keep me from "coloring outside the lines" or making something that is weird and delicious. Furthermore, BJCP continuing to add styles is a testament that breaking the rules sometimes leads to great things.

Preach On Brother!

 

[Nosybear]

My mistake - I was thinking you were talking substantial quantities of peated malt. 1% of just about anything is usable, I'd imagine the flavor of the peat wouldn't be noticeable as peat, but perhaps as that "certain something" in the background. And please forgive my appeal to authority (the BJCP guidelines) - I color outside of the lines as often as anyone. But I have drank some peat bog ale and it's nasty, my comments were made with that kind of peat in mind. All that aside, my reaction was wrong.

 

[lonelymtn]

My mistake - I was thinking you were talking substantial quantities of peated malt. 1% of just about anything is usable, I'd imagine the flavor of the peat wouldn't be noticeable as peat, but perhaps as that "certain something" in the background. And please forgive my appeal to authority (the BJCP guidelines) - I color outside of the lines as often as anyone. But I have drank some peat bog ale and it's nasty, my comments were made with that kind of peat in mind. All that aside, my reaction was wrong.

No worries! The author actually goes to some lengths to describe that the peat malt at that level will just add a little extra "something", but warns to not add much more or it will likely make your brew somewhat divisive.