I've been reading Farmhouse Ales by Phil Markowski, and I've just finished the chapters on Biere de Garde. Just in time, too, because I planned to prepare a batch for Chris's wedding this May. This style is a bit of a challenge to me, being an American consumer and brewer. Biere de garde offerings lack a lot of the form and style dedication that we tend to see in our American beers. Markowski attributes this characteristic to the style's history as a somewhat utilitarian beverage offered in extremely localized networks such as farmsteads.
On the other hand, the looseness of biere de garde provides a lot of room to be inventive and playful given a pretty loose base beverage. Even the BJCP recognizes it as characteristically pretty loose, having a 20 point original gravity range, a 10 point color range in the SRM scale, and typical base malt choices of "pale, Vienna and Munich types". Compare this to the American Pale Ale, a relatively loose style in its own right, which has a 15 point gravity range and a 9 point color range.
In addition to numerous admitted exceptions, the 2008 style guide goes on to explain the style as "A fairly strong, malt-accentuated, lagered artisanal farmhouse beer." This doesn't offer a whole lot of exposition. Meanwhile, Markowski notes a lot of variation in the use of adjuncts in the style and the actual 'spirit' of the beverage. The BJCP recommendations miss out on this quality of specialness perhaps because the novelty relies on the history of how the style came to be.
In addition to numerous admitted exceptions, the 2008 style guide goes on to explain the style as "A fairly strong, malt-accentuated, lagered artisanal farmhouse beer." This doesn't offer a whole lot of exposition. Meanwhile, Markowski notes a lot of variation in the use of adjuncts in the style and the actual 'spirit' of the beverage. The BJCP recommendations miss out on this quality of specialness perhaps because the novelty relies on the history of how the style came to be.
Markowski's history points out that the biere de garde of yore is basically forgotten. The modern biere de garde evolved through to the industrialization of beer coupled with the tastes of the french populace over the past century. As such, most commercial offerings are produced by breweries that do not operate out of a musty barn. Though, tasting notes regularly include flavor sensations like musty, barn, or cellar. Descriptors like husky and spicy malt expression are considered particularly authentic. These are easy to produce in commercial breweries that aren't next to horse farms.
The modern incarnation of the style is somewhat disconnected from the colloquial history of the beverage, which waxes lovingly on the idylls of the countryside. Still, the modern beer has evolved out of a push to provide something special for drinkers - something they have to wait for, something that reminds them of the farmstead, something that celebrates malt and, ultimately, beer itself. I like the way this worked out, and I had to try my hand at the beer. I felt that there was no better style to attempt for a wedding at a farm and I hope Chris agrees.
Wedding Biere De Garde
Brewed 1/9/2016 solo
Recipe Specifics
Brewed 1/9/2016 solo
Recipe Specifics
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Batch Size (Gal): 5
Total Grain (Lbs):
OG: 1.080
SRM (est): 20
IBU (est): 10
Brewhouse Efficiency: 80% (calculated, I don't believe it).
Grain
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50% Belgian Pale
25% Munich
12.5% Pilsner
4% Biscuit
4% Crystal 20
4% CaraVienne
0.5% Carafa ii
Hops
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60 minute: 0.5 ounce NZ Nelson Sauvin 11.5
0 minute: 0.5 ounce NZ Nelson Sauvin 11.5
Yeast
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WLP 862 "Cry Havoc", a strain that's reportedly a blend of lager and ale yeasts.
Water Profile
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Baltimore County, MD
Mash Schedule
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I did a single sacc with a strike temp of 174F, which held starting from 159F
I did a single decoction of about 5 quarts at 45 minutes and raised it to a boil over 30 minutes before returning to the mash
I did a sparge at 180 but it became stuck and I had to disturb the grain bed and recirculate longer than usual to retain clarity
Notes
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I'm really excited for how this beer will turn out and I've prepped a second batch of it, varying the grain bill to use more pilsner and I plan to change the yeast selection. More or less, the second batch will reverse the amounts of belgian pale versus pilsner to favor more grape nuts and less biscuit notes. I was excited to employ a hotter than normal mash, to favor the alpha amylase but I don't think i'll do that again.
