Bière de Garde ( French Bière de Garde , lit. “beer for storage” ) is a traditional regional French beer produced by the breweries of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region in northern France . Given the geographical proximity to Belgium, the variety is similar to the Belgian seasonal, but it has a sweet malt flavor.
| Bier de garde | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country of origin |  France |
| Fortress | 6.0-8.5% |
| Type of | |
A distinctive feature of the variety is a fairly high alcohol content, which, as its name implies, was designed to provide a longer shelf life of the drink. The traditional packaging for Bjer-de-Garde is glass corked bottles, like sparkling wine bottles.
Content
History
The variety was traditionally produced by farmers in northern France in the winter and early spring for consumption in the summer. Due to its high alcohol content and hermetic bottling, beer could be stored at low temperatures for a long time. Subsequently, beer of this variety began to be produced by industrial manufacturers at any time of the year, however, keeping the finished drink at low temperatures for 4-6 weeks before sale remained an obligatory step in the process.
Varieties
Various manufacturers offer a fairly wide range of Bier de Gardes , which includes samples of both top-fermented beer, that is, ales (mostly), and grassroots , that is, lagers . Beer of this variety is also significantly different in color - there are three main varieties: light, amber and brown, for brewing which, respectively, various types of malt are used. Also, this beer can be both filtered and unfiltered.
Links
- Ale and hearty on Michael Jackson's Beer Hunter
Literature
- Farmhouse Ales: Culture and Craftsmanship in the European Tradition , Phil Markowski, ISBN 0-937381-84-5
- Great Beer Guide: 500 Classic Brews , Michael Jackson, ISBN 0-7513-0813-7
- Dictionary of Beer , Ed: A. Webb, ISBN 1-85249-158-2