The Beer Circle » Biere de Mars, New Belgium Brewing Co. » New Belgium Lips of Faith: Biere de Mars
New Belgium Lips of Faith: Biere de Mars
I don’t know very much about the Biere de Mars style; I know from my knowledge of French that it’s a March beer, but that’s not very helpful. When I saw New Belgium’s Biere de Mars on the shelves back home, it read “Ale brewed with Spices.” Still not helpful. It turns out that the Biere de Mars is a variation of the Biere de Garde, and somewhat similar to a saison. Typically brewed in late winter or early spring, they’re meant to be drank quickly– hence, Mars. I kind of dropped the ball on that one as it’s August, but it just got lost in the back of my cellar for a bit.
Lisa Grimm for Serious Eats writes…
Another characteristic both beers share is that they were typically cellared—Bière de Garde translates as ‘beer for keeping’—and consumed some months after they were initially produced, so there is also a relationship with Germany’s lagers. Indeed, in the middle of the 19th century, a technical dictionary of the period suggests that Bière de Garde, Bière de Mars, and Das Lagerbier were all useful synonyms for ‘Blink’ beer—a term one is unlikely to come across in modern usage. While the Belgian connections are widely acknowledged today, it would seem that some reference to German lager traditions may also come into play—especially given the frequency with which commercial examples of Bière de Mars from Strasbourg are mentioned in pre-20th century texts—and Germany was right across the river (much of the time).
But what makes the springtime version of Bière de Garde so unique? While originally brewed for consumption in March (before the heat of the summer made brewing a riskier proposition), it seems that the seasonal aspect of Bière de Mars was already something of a memory before the advent of refrigeration. The beer’s reputation was firmly established beyond France by the 19th century, and it had become popular—and occasionally sneer-worthy—with the traveling set. Even an otherwise matter-of-fact British publication on trade laws and taxation, originally published in the 1840s, enthused about the beer of the Nord-Pas de Calais region:
“Beer is brewed at all seasons in France, but that made in the month of March (“Biere de Mars”) is the most esteemed.”
It seems that although it’s not a commonly brewed style, it’s one rich in terms of history. Lisa notes in her article that there is evidence that Biere de Mars were also sought out for health purposes in addition to leisure. I’m sore from the gym last night, so clearly I have to give it a shot. Looking at New Belgium’s description makes me think this is going to be a lot more than an “Ale with Spices”…
With earthy tones of ripe mango and lemon verbena, this bottle-conditioned ale reflects the hearty character of the southern Belgian and northern French countrysides. Brewed with barley, oats and wheat malt, Biere de Mars’ celestial orange hue inspired the planetary play on words.
Brettanomyces, a wild yeast strain, added for bottle-conditioning creates a refreshingly sour flash across the palate. Lemon peel coupled with the lemon verbena imparts fruitlike character and a citrusy finish.
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Written by Paige Deckert
Paige is a fifth year graduate student at Penn State; she received her craft beer education while bartending during undergrad at the University of Illinois. Over several months, Rogue’s Dead Guy served as her gateway beer, because it was $2/pint on Thursdays, and thus offered the highest ABV/$. This eventually turned into enjoyment, and everything is history from there. Her first legal beer was Robert the Bruce on cask at the Blind Pig in Champaign, followed by the Duchess de Bourgogne. Paige has visited over 15 breweries, including Great Divide, Bells, Jolly Pumpkin, Three Floyds and Dogfish Head, with plans to add more in 2012 via trips to San Diego, Phoenix, and Austin. Paige became friends with Russ (and subsequently Garrett) when they became friends on untappd. She clearly remembers seeing a check-in of his and thinking, “Who is this clown checking into Miller Light at the Shandygaff?” Soon thereafter he introduced himself at a Zeno’s beerfest, and they bonded over their beer geekery (sans adjuct lagers). Find Paige Deckert on Google Plus
Filed under: Biere de Mars, New Belgium Brewing Co. · Tags: Biere de Mars, Lips of Faith, New Belgium Brewing Company
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