Category Archives: Schlafly

Hello everyone.  For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be trying the Schlafly Grand Cru made by the St. Louis Brewing Company located in St. Louis, Missouri.

Schlafly has been a brew that I’ve always picked up whenever a new bottle hits my bottle shop.  They make a solid product, so they are worth the risk in my opinion.

The website, schlafly.com, had this bit of information.

Our Grand Cru rewards like dry champagne with aromas of passion fruit and exotic spice.  This rich, golden-colored ale is fermented with a distinct Belgian abbey ale strain, then bottle conditioned with extra sugar and yeast for at least two weeks. Bottle conditioning creates the effervescent mouth feel, as well as the distinct Belgian lace prized in Belgian beers.  Enjoy the complexity imparted by technique and craft.

Cool.  Let’s sip.

This brew came in a 25.4 oz. bottle and it had a 9.0% ABV.

It poured a hazy orange color with a white, soft, fluffy, semi-rocky head.  It was sized very well I thought.  Plus, the retention time was adequate and the lacing seemed ok to me.  Not a bad looking beer at all.

The nose produced some hints of orange citrus as well as some banana fruitiness.  Spices of clove and coriander mixed with some yeast and bready aspects made it smell a lot like a Belgian Tripel.  As it warmed some floral tones were exposed along with a slightly tart smelling green apple and freshly cut grass.  A light fragrance of alcohol and “funkiness” were found buried underneath when I took long, deep whiffs.  This was a nice smelling brew.  Very complex and bold in my opinion.

The taste was very similar to the smell with only a few exceptions.  The flavor added some peppery spice and the green apple appeared to be quite a bit more prominent.  The orange citrus, banana, breadiness and yeast held true, while the funk remained relaxed.  The brew opened up to release a nice, sweet malt and tartness and a pleasantly “sharper” spice.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied.  It was just a wee bit sharp, however it was also dry, semi-refreshing and crisp.  The carbonation was lively and a light feeling of warmth was had from the high ABV.  A good shot of flavor was left behind for me to enjoy between sips as well.

Overall, I found this to be a very nice beer that’s definitely worth a go if you can get it.  I would have no problem drinking it again that’s for sure.  The relative ease of drinkability would make this a very welcoming beer to have during the Spring season.  Schlafly, to me, doesn’t necessarily make the best beers on the planet, yet everything I’ve had from them has always been solid and true to the style.  For some reason they always get overlooked in my area and I don’t know why.  Either way, if you guys run across the Schlafly Grand Cru, pick it up and see for yourself.  I’d be willing to bet that you’ll like it.

Thanks for reading and commenting everyone.  I really appreciate it.

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  4.0 out of 5

Grade:  B+

Hello again everyone.  It’s time for another craft beer review.  This time I’m going to be trying the Schlafly Bière de Garde produced by the St. Louis Brewing Company located in St. Louis, Missouri.

I’ve been pretty fortunate to be able to get a lot of stuff from Schlafly in my area and I’ve tried most of them, yet I’ve never tried this one, so I’m pretty excited about it.

Let’s get to the website, schlafly.com, and see if they have some sort of description of the Bière de Garde.

Our Bière de Garde invokes the tradition of the farmhouse ales of Northern France, renowned for their subtle aromas of apricot and allspice. Four different types of malt create a toffee sweetness, while French Strisselspalt hops add a subtle spice flavor. The beer is fermented with a distinct French farmhouse ale strain, then bottle conditioned with extra sugar and yeast for at least two weeks.

Nice.  Let’s get to it.

This beer came in a 25.4 oz. bottle with an ABV of 7.0%.

It poured a hazy deep orange to almost amber type color.  The head was eggshell white and sized very well. The texture was soft, fluffy, kind of soapy and semi-rocky.  The retention time was good and the lacing looked decent enough.  Not a bad appearance I didn’t think.

The bouquet was chocked full of fresh grass and grain tones.  A touch of sweet caramel along with a minute biscuit fragrance too.  A light fruitiness of orange citrus intermingled with some yeast and some mellow peppery spice as the brew opened up and began to relax.

The taste didn’t seem as complex as the aroma in my opinion.  The peppery spice did become more prominent and the grassiness was still there, but the orange citrus and the earthy/yeasty characteristics were a tad bit muted.  A little bit of funkiness made itself known though, which I liked.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied.  Mostly smooth, dry and even a tad chewy.  A nice, medium strength carbonation seemed about right for the style and I even got the slightest inkling of warmth from the alcohol.  A solid dose of flavor was left behind on the palate for me to enjoy between sips.

Overall, I thought this was a pretty nice beer.  For sure one to try if you can snag a bottle.  I didn’t think that any one attribute was “world class”, however all were sturdy, stable and sound.  The drinkability was good and I definitely wouldn’t mind trying it again sometime.  I think the Schlafly Bière de Garde is part of their “Bottle Conditioned  series and I believe it’s available year round, so keep an eye out for it.  If you’ve tried this beer feel free to leave a comment and tell me about your experience.  Did you like it?  Would you drink it again?

Thanks for reading everyone.  I really appreciate the support.

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  3.9 out of 5

Grade:  B+