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March Madness of a Different Kind: New Belgium's Biere de MarsApr 16 '03 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line No complaints. Not the last word in complexity or intensity, but eminently enjoyable nevertheless.
With temperatures here in Phoenix hovering near 90 over the past week, it has been difficult to think of anything other than the impending agony of the Arizona summer. Hell, it’s been difficult to think, period. Elsewhere in the country, however, it’s spring, I am told. A season of rejuvenation and rebirth, a season when dark, dense, malty winter beers give way to lighter springtime fare. A new addition to the group this year is New Belgium Brewing Company’s Biere de Mars Ale. New Belgium, located in Ft. Collins, Colorado, specializes, as the name implies, in Belgian-style beers, in contrast to most other US microbreweries that still seem to concentrate on English and, to a lesser degree, German styles. The casual beer drinker knows New Belgium by its ubiquitous (West of the Mississippi, at least) and excellent Fat Tire, but in fact the company has close to a dozen other products, with Biere de Mars, which is French for “March beer” being the latest. New Belgium insists that Biere de Mars is not a seasonal but merely a limited release, to be on the market for approximately four months, but the name, and the lighter style when compared to many of their other beers, are difficult to ignore. In contrast to the Germans, whose famous Purity Law allows only a very limited number of ingredients in anything that may legally be called beer, historically the Belgians have been known for proudly adding all sorts of ingredients and flavoring agents to their beers, creating some very interesting, and occasionally odd, results. There a story of a Belgian brewmaster who panicked when a shipment of cherries he had ordered did not show up on the day when Michael Jackson, the famous beer critic and writer, was supposed to show up with a film crew to film him adding the cherries to the vat. In Biere de Mars the “unusual” ingredient is said to be lemon verbena. Biere de Mars pours to an amber color with a very distinctive orange hue; the closest comparison I was able to come up with is orange marmalade. The ale is quite fizzy, with lots of bubbles producing a fairly coarse but not particularly thick head. Like a good Belgian-style ale, it is minimally filtered and thus quite murky, although it’s nothing compared to, say, the clumps of fresh yeast floating in a bottle of something like Corsendonk. On the nose, Biere de Mars is more subtle than most Belgians I’ve been exposed to. It has a slightly sweet aroma of honey with some fruit notes that I found difficult to pin down exactly -- orange or lime, perhaps? On the palate, it is likewise subtle compared to other Belgians, but far from a lightweight. The sweetness – again, honey, maybe a little caramel – is nicely framed by a pronounced but not overpowering bitterness. The finish is smooth and even a little creamy. This is a beer that goes down easily and you’re done with one sooner than you expect. I am not sure I could taste any lemon verbena (what does that taste like, anyway?), but no matter. Biere de Mars is a well-balanced, well-crafted beer, less intense than many Belgians, but far from lacking in flavor or interest. It is not the last word in complexity or intensity, but I don’t think it intends to be. It is not a beer to be analyzed but to be enjoyed. With the onset of warmer weather and lighter foods that go along with it, Biere de Mars has much to recommend itself. Perfectly enjoyable on its own, of course, it would also make a good compliment to moderately strong cheeses and well-flavored seafood, especially that Belgian classic of steamed mussels and fries. I would avoid serving it with excessively spicy foods. With a couple of months of availability remaining, and, at $6.49/six-pack here in Phoenix, priced no higher than New Belgium’s other beers, there is no reason not to try it, and perhaps even stock up for the summer. Highly recommended. Note: I was not able to find any information on the strength of Biere de Mars. It did not taste particularly strong, but Belgian-style beers are frequently deceiving in this respect.  |
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