Good Gard!

I have mentioned previous that I wasn’t really expecting to find a lot of French beer worth drinking during the Christmas period, and was expecting to have to buy whatever Belgian beers were available. However, I knew I would be making an exception for a beer from Les Brasseurs de Gayant called La Goudale, which comes in corked 0.75 litre bottles as you can see above.

Mrs Velkyal and I spent Christmas 2007 at my parents’ place as well, and this was one of the beers I tried, and enjoyed. Given that my knowledge of beer and brewing have increased exponentially in the last 12 months, I was keen to get hold of some and re-appraise it in light the acquired knowledge.

Having learned that the only beer glass my parents possess is the Hoegaarden one in the pictures, I poured myself half a bottle. Although the picture doesn’t really show it very well, the beer pours a rich golden colour with a huge foamy white head, which the picture does show rather well. The beer is also quite bubbly, sustaining the head so that it never fully disappears. The nose is rather hoppy, with plenty of grassy, floral notes, as well as touches of over ripe bananas and cloves, without realizing it I was drinking a wheat beer – confirmed by checking the ingredients in my French-English dictionary. Having an ABV of 7.2% this was one of the stronger wheat beers I have had, however it was very smooth and the alcohol only kicking in with a warming glow once it was some way down my throat.


One of the conversations which come up regularly on the Czech beer blogging scene, in particular over on Beer Culture, is the use of labels in order to inform and educate the drinker. I quite like La Goudale’s labels, in particular the back label, which explains the origins of the name – in this case dating from the 14th century and well made bieres being known in Flanders as Goudale, Goudalle or later on Good Ale.

This is a beer that I very much like, and whenever we make it to France is on my shopping list.